When Professor Burbage's gaze swept across the class, several young wizards quietly lowered their heads.
Obviously, they were the ones who thought trains in the Muggle world still burned coal.
"The Hogwarts Express is a steam locomotive powered by coal!"
Professor Burbage didn't criticize them but said earnestly.
"Children, if Muggle trains were the same as the Hogwarts Express, I wouldn't need to ask this question."
"But Professor," Padma Patil from Ravenclaw raised her hand and said carefully, "We didn't know the Hogwarts Express was powered by coal either!"
"...Well, then what do you think powers it?"
"Isn't it magic?"
"...Magic. Even magic couldn't guarantee the safe arrival of hundreds of students at Hogwarts every year—"
Professor Burbage took a deep breath.
"This is exactly the significance of our course!
I don't think you know that the Hogwarts Express that takes you to school every year was originally built by Muggle engineers from Crewe, Cheshire, England in the mid-early 19th century."
Surprised sounds indeed arose in the classroom.
"In 1827, Ottaline Gambol became Minister for Magic.
It was she who proposed a bold and controversial plan—to use trains, a safe and comfortable means of transport, to replace the previous Portkeys and other unregulated travel methods, ensuring hundreds of students safely reached Hogwarts for school each year.
To obtain a train, the Ministry of Magic undertook a massive project involving 167 Memory Charms and the largest Concealment Charm in British history.
The morning after this project ended, when Hogsmeade villagers awoke, they found a railway station that had never appeared before.
As for the Muggle railway workers, they spent the next year feeling like they had misplaced something important.
This plan initially faced strong protests from some pure-blood families, who refused to use equipment built by Muggles as wizarding transportation.
They claimed this method was unsafe, unsanitary, and degrading.
However, after the Ministry firmly stated that students would either take the train to school or not go at all, these opposing voices disappeared."
Hearing Professor Burbage's words, almost all students showed surprised expressions. For them, this was definitely cold knowledge.
Professor Burbage continued explaining other test questions while grading.
"The reason glasses fog up when walking from outdoors into a room—well, this has nothing to do with the Aguamenti Charm. It's because the indoor temperature is higher, and indoor air condenses into small water droplets when meeting the cold lenses."
Harry elegantly adjusted his glasses. As a glasses-wearing boy, he got this question right.
"The Hundred Years' War lasted 117 years total, from 1337 to 1453, between the Kingdom of England under the Plantagenet dynasty and the Kingdom of France under the Valois dynasty, fighting over French succession rights."
"Arabic numerals were invented by ancient Indians. They're called Arabic numerals because Arabs transmitted them to Europe.
Russians celebrate the October Revolution in November because this month was October in the Russian calendar.
The black box on airplanes..."
Professor Burbage chuckled, "Only half the class knows it's the aircraft's transceiver for recording flight data—that's good.
But almost everyone thinks it's black, when actually, it's orange-red."
"Teacher, then why is it called a black box?"
The questioner was still a Ravenclaw student.
Faced with knowledge they found interesting; they were always very active.
"Because it was indeed black initially, Miss Fawcett.
All electronic instruments on early Muggle aircraft were placed in black boxes of uniform size and shape.
Later, to make them more visible for search purposes, they were changed to bright orange-red, but the name remained."
"Professor, aren't these questions a bit too difficult for us?"
"That's why I said these questions have a 7:2:1 difficulty ratio, Miss Abbott. It would be normal if the entire class couldn't answer these four questions."
After finishing this question, Professor Burbage nodded with satisfaction.
"However, you are the best class I've taught. Which one is Miss Hermione Granger?"
Hermione immediately raised her hand high.
"Very good, excellent!"
Professor Burbage nodded with satisfaction, "Ten points to Gryffindor. She's the only student in all my years of teaching Muggle Studies who could answer the first eighteen questions correctly."
All the students looked at Hermione with surprise and admiration.
More admiration, less surprise.
By third year, the Know-It-All's reputation had spread throughout Hogwarts.
Moreover, she was a Muggle-born witch, so being able to answer these questions wasn't really surprising.
As for some of them not even understanding the questions—
Please, even in other school subjects, they couldn't understand questions either. No difference.
"Professor, why only mention the first 18? Didn't Hermione get the last two questions right either?"
Parvati Patil, who shared a dormitory with Hermione, couldn't help asking.
Based on her understanding of Hermione, her roommate should have undoubtedly gotten full marks!
"Regrettably, although Miss Granger successfully wrote out the Pythagorean theorem, her answer to the second-to-last question about the Industrial Revolution was incorrect."
"That's impossible!" Hermione said in surprise.
She thought Professor Burbage separated the first 18 questions from the last 2 because of difficulty levels for explanation purposes, never expecting she had actually gotten one wrong.
"Weren't there three Industrial Revolutions in total?"
"Dear Miss Granger, there was one, only one."
"Clearly there were three! Professor, you just mentioned electricity—the widespread application of electricity was the hallmark of the Second Industrial Revolution!"
"I'm very sorry, Miss Granger, that was the Second Scientific and Technological Revolution."
"What's the difference?"
Hermione was even more surprised. She never expected that one day it would be a witch telling her about this knowledge.
"Miss Granger, you wrote in your paper.
'There were three Industrial Revolutions in total. The first occurred from the 1760s to the 1840s, marked by Watt's invention of the steam engine, achieving the transformation from manual labor to large-scale machine production.
The second was from the 1870s to the early 20th century, marked by the widespread application of electricity, promoting economic development and bringing Muggle society into the electrical age.
The third began in the mid-20th century, marked by the emergence of information technology like computers, bringing the Muggle world into the information age, with digitization and automation becoming mainstream.'"
At least half the class didn't understand what Professor Burbage was saying.
But this didn't prevent them from looking at her and Hermione with admiring gazes.
Although they didn't understand what it meant, it sounded very impressive.
How to put it?
Worthy of you!
Even Harry couldn't help but whisper to Sherlock, "Hermione's really amazing. I've only heard about these things vaguely and could never write them out."
"It's very normal. If we hadn't come to Hogwarts, this knowledge would be learned around this time in Muggle schools."
Hearing Sherlock's explanation, Harry became even more admiring of Hermione.
Good thing he was a wizard, otherwise he probably couldn't even pass exams in Muggle school!
"But Professor, I still think I wasn't wrong."
Hermione said stubbornly.
"Miss Granger, only the First Scientific and Technological Revolution is called the Industrial Revolution."
"What?"
"In the Muggle world, there were three Scientific and Technological Revolutions in total. The First Scientific and Technological Revolution is also called the Industrial Revolution or Industrial Revolution.
So, your answer would be completely correct if you replaced 'Industrial Revolution' with 'Scientific and Technological Revolution.'"
"Ah?"
Hermione was stunned. She hadn't expected the problem to be here.
Had she really remembered incorrectly?
"Oh, and one small issue."
Under Hermione's nervous gaze, Professor Burbage looked down at Hermione's paper again.
"The steam engine wasn't invented by Watt—of course, even in the Muggle world, this is an easily confused concept. Watt's achievement was actually improving the steam engine."
Hermione. "..."
"You're already excellent, child."
Seeing Hermione's expression, Professor Burbage smiled.
"Your mistakes are harmless. And all of you, based on this test's results, you are indeed the best class I've taught. Ten points each to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."
Students from all three houses cheered.
Only Slytherin hadn't sent anyone, yet they were the house that cared most about points. Cry about it yourselves!
However, the little lions had some doubts.
Everyone knew that if everyone was important, then no one was important. If everyone got points, wouldn't that be equivalent to no one getting points?
Fortunately, Professor Burbage was clear-headed, "Of course, Miss Hermione Granger's excellence is obvious to all. Let me add another twenty points for her!"
Comfortable!
The little lions immediately felt great.
"Alright, does anyone have more questions? If not, I'll officially begin class—"
"Professor, I have a question!"
This time the questioner was still from the Patil twins, but it was Padma Patil from Ravenclaw.
"Why does the Third Industrial Revolution—oh, the Third Scientific and Technological Revolution—only have a start time but no end time?"
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