Timocleia Gwilym
Second Year
Gryffindor
It will be October soon, and this is my second interview this year. This time, I talked to Professor Morrigan, our new Charms Professor. He came last year, but close to the end. So he is still new! Except that he is also very very old indeed! But read on and find out just how ancient he is! And all sorts of other things. I met him in the Charms classroom. He did not give me tea or anything but that is okay. He did not know I was coming to talk to him until I went into the room anyway. I thought it was very nice of him indeed to talk to me without any warning.
What is your full name, Professor?
He said his full name is Henry Earl Morrigan.
Does that mean that you are an Earl? I thought that English put the title ‘Earl’ in front of the name.
The Professor said he did not hold any royal title, but of course an Earldom is not really royal, though of course it is noble. So maybe he is an Earl after all. He did say that he has royalty in his family somewhere, so that is also a good sign that many he is an Earl. But he did say that ‘Earl’ is just his middle name. It is an odd one. He said his parents might just like the way it sounded between his first and last names. And he said his parents were Muggles too. But I think he is probably an Earl after all. Maybe his parents just did not tell him.
My name is Timocleia, but nobody calls me that. They all call me Timmy. Is there a name that people call you that is not your normal name?
He said he did not have a nickname, because he was in Slytherin when he was here. That sounds very strange to me, but maybe a very long time ago Slytherin did not allow people to have nicknames. Maybe do not ask Healer Flutterby about that, because I do not think she is quite that old, and she might not like being asked because sometimes people are sensitive about things like that. Also do not ask if she was raised by wolves.
Where do you come from? What do your parents do?
Professor Morrigan (who is maybe an Earl) said that he comes from the Highlands of Scotland, near Inverness. His parents were a teacher and a nurse, and that they were Muggles. But he said that they passed. So he means they are dead. Or that they are formerly living, but are now respirationally challenged. He also said that he got two Muggle college degrees because they wanted him to. Because I do not know about Muggle things like that, and my English is not so good anyway, I had to ask him, of course,
What are college degrees? Is this related to temperatures?
The Professor said that this has nothing to do with temperatures. Instead, it is something you get when you graduate from a Muggle University. He said that in Muggle schools, you get a certificate when you graduate, and if it is a university (or a college, I suppose) you get a special certificate that is called a degree. And he said that he got two degrees. One was Mythology and the other was World History. Maybe it is like taking NEWTs.
How are Muggle mythology and history different from what we know in the Wizarding World? How are they the same?
According to Professor Morrigan, a lot of Mythology is the same. I suppose that makes sense because so much of Mythology is from before the Statute of Secrecy, so it comes from a time when the Wizarding World was not trying to keep itself secret. On the other hand, he said that things are different for History. And this is because Muggles do not know something about… Well, to be honest I think he used a lot of long complicated English words and maybe I did not take as good notes as I should have. Sorry Professor. But then he said he went to Egypt, so I asked him,
You were in Egypt? Wow… What did you do there?
He said he is an archaeologist, and that he likes to find old spells. He was in Egypt trying to find old Egyptian spells. And he went to lots of places including here in the UK and in China.
Did you find any very good spells? What do they do?
The Professor said he is not allowed to tell what he found, which I think is very sad. Because if he is not allowed to talk about the things he finds, then why find them? They should just be kept secret. Anyway, he said something about spells that are used in a kind of ceremony that involves tea, I think. And there were some fireworks spells that we do not have here. I think it would be fun to learn fireworks spells. Especially Chinese fireworks spells.
When were you at Hogwarts? Did you graduate a long time ago?
Professor Morrigan said that he is 62 years old, and that is very very old indeed! He thinks he is old, so it is not just because we are young that the students might think he is old. But he said that it is a good thing to grow old because you are now wise when you are old. Sometimes I wonder about that. We have Professors who can be very silly, and yet they are also very old. He also said, though, that sometimes it is very good to be silly.
What is your favourite colour?
He said he likes green, like grass when it has just been cut. I did not ask him if that was because he was a Slytherin. He said he was a Slytherin in school. But I forgot to ask.
Why do you like teaching Charms?
The Professor said that he really likes Charms. He also likes ancient spells, and he wants us all to love Charms too. Maybe he will hex us to make us love Charms. Maybe not!
What do you like most about Hogwarts?
He said that Hogwarts is the forward-most school of magic. I am not sure what that means. But I think he meant that Hogwarts is a good school. He also said that we give shapes to the Wizarding World, or something like that. It sounded really simple, but then English people have this terrible habit where they use a word fourteen different ways and and you can not tell how it is being used. Anyway, he said we have a lot of responsibility for the Wizarding World. I think. Which sounds strange, but okay.
What is your favourite sweet?
Professor Morrigan said he likes a Muggle sweet called Eminems. Some Eminems have peanuts in them and he likes those the best. They might be very rare, though, so if you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to try. Just in case this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.
What do you think of detention? Do you give a lot of detentions?
We actually talked a lot about detentions! Because of course every student wants to know how a Professor feels about detention, particularly if the student likes to do things they should not be doing in class. The Professor said that he does give detentions, but he thinks others give more. And he said that they are not always the best thing to do. He said they can be like revenge, but I do not know why a Professor would want revenge. Maybe because they get very upset at the things we do. But he seemed to think that it might be better to sit down on the student. Or maybe with the student. Sitting was involved. But if he can not sit on the student, then maybe detention is the best way.
Is there anything you want to say to the students of Hogwarts?
He did not actually want to say anything, but he said he might do something in his next class. Sorry about that.
Is there anything you would change about Hogwarts?
The Professor wanted to part something about our position. and set an example for the rest of the Wizarding World for how to behave. At least, I think that is what he said. It is what a place of learning is all about.
Do you have a pet?
Professor Morrigan said he does not have a pet. He had a gold dog once. That sounds very heavy, and does not sound very fun to play with. I think a gold dog would be very cold and maybe painful if it hit you.
Can I make a picture of you for the Owl Post? I have a camera right here.
He said yes so it is at the top. He is sitting on the floor because otherwise I would have to take the picture looking up into his nose, and I did not think anyone would like that picture very much. I am very short.
Professor Henry Morrigan is our new Charms Professor. He likes giving out detentions, but he thinks sitting on students might be better. Maybe that is how he does detentions. He does not have a nickname, because long ago in his House, back in the early history of Hogwarts, they did not have nicknames yet. Professor Morrigan is very old. He was an archaeologist before he was at Hogwarts, and went to many places including Egypt to find ancient spells. He will not teach us those, though, which I think is too bad. I think it would be fun to cast a spell from ancient Egypt. He has degrees from Muggle Universities, and he is maybe an Earl. But do not ask him about that, because some people are sensitive about things like that and maybe he will sit on you.
