"Yeah, it uses attuned rune-rods instead. But some of the principles around range and interference are similar to radio frequencies." Mallory clamps her mouth shut on the rest of the infodump.

"Well, it doesn't sound like electronics advances are necessarily going to be a huge help there, but I can get you a book on the state of the art anyway, here's a curator's favorite. And Mr. Weasley, here's one on digitizing offices for you, your assignments - has the rumor mill already gotten to you on my system? - will be to tell me whether and how, or whether and why not, as the case may be, these things are relevant to your fields. Next?"

This person wants to breed and train post owls! She's aware that this doesn't have much to do with muggle studies.

"No, no, if you want to breed them it could! Muggles don't breed owls, but check out the futuristic domesticated foxes -" Slide. "Let me dig up something that's the right level of introduction on genetics... hmm... here you go."

Well gosh, that's pretty neat! Rachel Balakrishnan takes a look at the table of contents and then stows the book for later.

"Are we going to be presenting on these to the class, or just talking about them with you?" Mallory asks. "Some of these sound wicked."

"I for one would be happy to present to the class," adds Percy.

"If you would enjoy presenting and hearing presented other people's findings I can set aside some classtime for it! You'll have to be brief, though, I'm an endless fountain of books from another universe."

An endless fountain of books is a very cool thing to be! They can share their reading with each other outside of class. 

Daniel Hornbeam is the only student who doesn't have an assignment yet; he wants to design and build wizarding houses.

"Hmm, are wizarding houses very magical? Bigger on the inside and not all necessarily connected through normal lines in physical space?"

"Yes. And some of them are in muggle neighborhoods, so you've got to get the floor plan inside all set up the way the homeowner wants without any change being noticeable on the outside, and it has to look normal if someone looks in the windows."

"Are you okay with your assignment involving hanging out in my off-campus house where you can use a computer?"

"That's alright; seventh years are allowed off the grounds. Is it in Hogsmeade, or somewhere farther?"

"It's in Hogsmeade! I have a program you might like for designing impossible - well, mundanely impossible - architecture."

"Wicked!"

Now that everyone has an assignment, are they supposed to spend the rest of the class working on them, or is there more lecture first?

He has some more slides ready for other possible answers they could have given! They can check out Lunar and Martian cities, and space stations and undersea bases, and Jurassic Park (the live one with the re-instantiated dinosaurs), and the largest shipping depots in the world brimful of robots.

They have questions! Especially about the re-instantiated dinosaurs! Did that need demon magic? Could Cam theoretically make dragon eggs? He shouldn't try it now, it's illegal to have them if you're not a dragon preserve, but there are some governments who would love help with their endangered dragon species.

"That did need demon magic. I suspect dragon eggs would be too magical, but if a preserve asks me I'd be happy to give it a try."

More questions about the logistics of the space and undersea cities! They end up derailing into a discussion amongst themselves how much of their kind of magic you'd need to have a city on the bottom of the ocean and whether any especially reclusive wizards are already doing it.

He makes sure to get everybody an assignment by the time class ends and sends them on their way when they're out of time.

They skedaddle, still arguing about whether the Bermuda Triangle is really a kraken, or secretly the dark wizard Escuro Maligno, still at large and pretending to be a kraken while the Brazilians pretend they captured him to avoid admitting they couldn't.

Charming kids.

After the third-year classes have all met, the screening of The Second Half Of Jurassic Park is on! Totally optional. No assignments will be awarded. But there's going to be soda and popcorn.

Daphne Greengrass is the only third-year Slytherin who shows up by the start of the movie, but all the kids from the other houses are there!

Including Hermione Granger, who brought parchment and quill and apparently intends to take notes.

And also Harry Potter, who isn't actually taking Muggle Studies and looks like he's kind of expecting to be kicked out.

"Hi, Harry, you know this is just the second half of the movie, right?"

"Yes. Is it alright if I watch it anyway?"