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After adding a point to the student with highest votes, Anthony collected leaves one by one. Found with mixed feelings someone secretly conjured a few more silver leaves. Mixed them among other leaves. Unsigned.
He shook his head. "Who did this?"
Students looked at each other. No one answered. Everyone's clothes were puffed up by wind. Several people concentrated on pressing clothes back to where they should be. As if they hadn't heard his question.
"This is beech and elder," Anthony held up the leaves he'd given out. "I don't think anyone doesn't recognize them. And this..." He examined the anonymous silver leaf. "I guess probably ash leaf? I don't know. I'm very bad at botany."
He tapped the leaf with his wand. Changed it back to its original color. Put it in his pocket. "I'm going to ask botanical garden staff. But anyway, obviously not the same kind as the leaves I gave out. If you're going to counterfeit leaves, at least make the shape more similar."
The mayor was very satisfied with this small town he managed. Facing a large moor, here lived over a dozen households, five dogs, seventeen cows, and over two hundred sheep.
Although the adjacent moor had many haunting legends—like it would swallow lost lambs, and villagers who went to find lost sheep would always inexplicably forget what they were doing, walk blankly back to town; or witches wandered the wilderness, snatching children from careless parents, old people all said once a child walked into town, mouth constantly speaking crazy talk—but town life remained quite stable. Peaceful. Every day only two important things: ensure sheep wouldn't run wild on the moor, and tend your own vegetable garden.
The town's center was the church. Once anything major happened, the whole town would gather in the square beside the church. The square's other side was the train station. The red train passed through the small town twice daily. Routinely opened doors, closed doors. Then clanged toward other places.
The church bell struck ten times. Wind rolled clouds pressing on the gray bell tower. Immediately after, dogs abruptly barked.
In the rising and falling barking sounds, a group of strange people walked up from the hillside.
These young people sang and shouted. Talked and laughed loudly. Clothes brand new. Like characters from television or radio. Skirts blown with hems flying wildly. Open coats hung with various metal ornaments. Clinked and clanged against buttons. Honest people stood behind fences. Warily watched the procession entering town. Cooking smoke drifted from black-scaled tile rooftops. Immediately scattered by wind.
"Watch your behavior, ladies and gentlemen," a man reminded. "We've entered the town."
"Who are you?" the mayor asked. He hadn't expected such a group would come. He heard dog barking and hurriedly ran out. Now hastily buttoning his coat buttons. He'd left his bowler hat at home. Only felt his half-bald head felt chilly.
The man said, "Just a school practical activity. I'm their teacher." He felt his pocket. Pulled out a stack of train tickets. "We're heading to Edinburgh. The train station is here, right?"
The mayor saw the familiar station name on the train tickets. Muttered, "Well... that's correct..." But there was still over half an hour before departure time. What kind of fool would arrive at his small town this early.
But immediately the man began explaining. He said they were just a group of teachers and students. Walked a long way to reach this town. Wind too strong. Looked like it would rain. So they quickened their pace. Hoped to rest in town. If it rained, could find an eave to shelter under.
The mayor listened for a while then started daydreaming. This man calling himself Anthony had an extremely authentic accent. Just like those—well, London area city people, yes, that's it—spoke exactly the same way. The words he used were also what those people liked using. For the mayor, those formal and awkward words were like summer wind. Blew in from his collar. Leaked out from sleeves. Anyway had nothing to do with his brain.
"Art school, came out sketching, right?" the mayor asked. Pretended he understood.
He nodded to himself. "Right, our scenery here is very good..." Gloomy sky, endless grass and trees, exposed rocks on mountains, plus some sinister legends. Those painters and writers just liked this kind of thing. "People often come over..."
Townspeople glanced at him. He knew he was talking nonsense again. But words spoken couldn't be taken back.
Anthony said, "Excellent. If we could find a place to sit and rest, we'd be very grateful."
"Of course, you can..." The mayor thought for a moment. "Rest inside the church. It's not service time yet. Very empty inside now."
Anthony paused in surprise. Then said, "Alright, thank you for your generosity." Then he turned toward that group of fashionably dressed young people. "Everyone, let's rest inside the church."
Anthony led students walking in front. Couldn't help feeling this scene was somewhat ironic.
He'd originally planned to bring students to arrive at town early. Through communication allow them to rest in some farmer's home. He could just use city person identity. Let students see agriculture and animal husbandry production life without magic.
But this mayor with protruding belly and flushed face obviously had a somewhat confused mind. Actually proposed bringing them to the church.
From one angle, this was good. The mayor obviously wasn't a devout believer. Probably wouldn't make townspeople raise sickles and torches shouting to bind them to stakes because students did something strange. On the other hand, considering Hogwarts was established to give underage young wizards a sanctuary from church persecution, the Muggle Studies professor leading a group of wizard students to church was somewhat unreasonable.
Anthony hadn't taught the Bible section yet. His teaching plan didn't have this part either. Living in Britain, students' daily lives inevitably touched related topics. Like Christmas holidays. Or Magic History about church and wizard conflicts. But Anthony doubted whether they knew what etiquette to follow entering a Muggle church.
He walked somewhat worriedly at the front of the procession. Tried persuading the mayor to change his mind. But with little effect. The other insisted here was closest to the train station. A good place.
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