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Chapter 31: Could Being a Professor Be That Lucrative?
"It's unicorns! Those magical creatures with one horn, you know of them, right?"
The unnamed wizard, slurring his words, raised his cup towards Hagrid.
"Of course I know—" Just as Hagrid was about to respond, Old Tom came struggling over with a large, bucket-like cup. It was Hagrid's personal cup.
"You've had a long day, have a good drink."
Old Tom greeted Hagrid with a smile as he moved the cup onto the table.
"Good that you know, *hic*," the unnamed wizard raised his cup and shouted:
"To unicorns, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
A circle of drunkards, already high on drink, raised their cups and toasted for a reason they hadn't quite heard. Hagrid, caught up in the mood, also raised his cup and took a large swig.
"So, what about the unicorns?"
Hagrid tried his best to lower his voice, but it still made William's eardrums vibrate.
"Hey, unicorns... William told us last time that in the legends of the Muggle world, those Muggles use, *hic*," the unnamed wizard hiccuped again, "to lure unicorns, and then, while the unicorn is asleep, they kill it."
"Impossible. What a ridiculous rumor." Hagrid lifted his cup and took a big gulp.
"I work at Hogwarts. No one knows unicorns... better than me!"
William smelled the strong stench of alcohol. The amount Hagrid had just drunk couldn't possibly produce such a strong smell. Clearly, The Leaky Cauldron was at least his second stop of the night.
"Forget it, Hagrid. Everyone knows you work for Hogwarts, but unicorns, tsk—"
The person speaking next to him glanced at Hagrid's clothes, which looked anything but high-quality, and couldn't help but shake his head.
Unicorns were practically walking gold. If Hagrid really had access to them, there was no way he'd be this shabby.
"Fine, don't believe me," Hagrid said with a proud look, ignoring the other's doubt. Even when drunk, he could still keep a secret locked tightly behind his lips.
Of course, a dragon was another matter.
By the end, when the group of drunkards was mostly finished, William, one of the few sober people left, hadn't heard a single bit of Hogwarts gossip from Hagrid's lips.
This made him grumble to himself after returning to his room—he should have left as soon as he ran into that drunkard, instead of wasting so much time listening to them boasting, thinking he might hear some Hogwarts gossip.
Especially Hagrid. He should have realized it sooner. If the Keeper of Keys and Grounds was that loose-lipped, there would have been Hogwarts tabloids long ago. It wouldn't have allowed books about Hogwarts' secret history and the like to become bestsellers.
A completely fruitless evening.
Having had a fair bit to drink himself, William gave up on reading and experimenting with magic. He simply lay down early, using the last moments before sleep to plan out his next steps.
First, the lodging issue.
The Leaky Cauldron was in a prime location, so the lodging fees were naturally high. He would soon have to go to Hogwarts to submit the textbook choices for the new academic year, so he could use this opportunity to solve his lodging problem.
If the school provided quarters, everything would be simple. If not, William would have to find a reasonably priced and secure room to settle in.
Moreover, this room would have to be connected to the school's Floo Network, otherwise transportation would be a major issue—though the School Authority surely had a solution for that.
Second, the textbook issue.
After careful consideration, he decided to stick with last year's old textbook. After all, among the textbooks used by previous professors, this set was the simplest and most detailed. Even if students occasionally had questions that went beyond the syllabus, William could handle them with ease.
Anyway, the Defense Against the Dark Arts course at Hogwarts was a joke. The required teaching hours were never met each year. William was already making an effort toward the goal of having his students complete a full academic year's course, so he could hardly be accused of misleading them.
Third, the issue of which years to teach.
Dumbledore had told him during his last visit that the school had hired a new, fearless professor. Considering the lesson preparation involved, William had no intention of an arrangement where he and the new professor would each teach two Houses across all seven years. If they were to split the workload, he hoped to teach the lower-year students.
After all, the other professor was most likely formally trained, making them a bit better than his own mix of self-study and an unorthodox path. The Wizarding World had major exams in the Fifth and Seventh Years. If the other professor was willing, he hoped they would take over all the upper-year students.
As for how he would develop his own strength and make use of the System, those things were more constrained by his environment. From what he understood, Hogwarts had the largest library in the British Wizarding World. While the quality of its collection couldn't compare to the private libraries of the pure-bloods, it would definitely be helpful for increasing his strength. But his specific plans would have to be based on the scale of the library's collection.
The System was even more unreliable. Actively pursuing it would interfere with his plans for improving his strength. Given his current situation of most likely drawing one-time cards, relying on the System to genuinely improve himself was little better than trying to win the lottery.
As he mulled over these more important upcoming matters, the effects of the alcohol gradually crept up on him. William gave up trying to think further, closed his eyes, and drifted into a groggy sleep.
---
When you're engrossed in something, time passes much faster than you think.
After William had read through all the textbooks selected by the previous professors and had begun a detailed study of the one he'd chosen, he was surprised to find that the time he thought he had in abundance was already mostly gone.
Hogwarts even sent a special owl to remind him of the deadline for submitting his textbook choice so that the students could purchase their textbooks in advance.
William happily replied that he would visit the Deputy Headmistress's Office the next day, and inquired if the other professor would have time to discuss their teaching arrangements.
The reply was quite official, but William got a very clear message from Professor McGonagall's response—the other party was already prepared and just waiting for him to come and discuss things.
In fact, the only reason Professor McGonagall had written was that the School Authority had finally lost its patience and sent an owl to check on William after the other professor had already sent three owls in a single day.
"..."
Looking at the reply letter from Professor McGonagall, William fell into deep thought.
He had previously thought the other person had been tricked into this job. Could there have been some misunderstanding?
Judging by how enthusiastic they were, it seemed they couldn't wait to start teaching at Hogwarts.
And considering how the School Authority operated, William felt that Dumbledore wouldn't have hidden the history of injuries among the previous professors from the new hire. In other words, this person was practically flocking to the teaching position.
What was this about?
William was tempted to send a letter asking if the salary for this course was three times that of other professors, or even more—any lower salary would be an injustice to this new colleague's enthusiasm!
PS: I probably can't finish writing. I'll post another chapter tomorrow.
(end of chapter)
"It's unicorns! Those magical creatures with one horn, you know of them, right?"
The unnamed wizard, slurring his words, raised his cup towards Hagrid.
"Of course I know—" Just as Hagrid was about to respond, Old Tom came struggling over with a large, bucket-like cup. It was Hagrid's personal cup.
"You've had a long day, have a good drink."
Old Tom greeted Hagrid with a smile as he moved the cup onto the table.
"Good that you know, *hic*," the unnamed wizard raised his cup and shouted:
"To unicorns, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
A circle of drunkards, already high on drink, raised their cups and toasted for a reason they hadn't quite heard. Hagrid, caught up in the mood, also raised his cup and took a large swig.
"So, what about the unicorns?"
Hagrid tried his best to lower his voice, but it still made William's eardrums vibrate.
"Hey, unicorns... William told us last time that in the legends of the Muggle world, those Muggles use, *hic*," the unnamed wizard hiccuped again, "to lure unicorns, and then, while the unicorn is asleep, they kill it."
"Impossible. What a ridiculous rumor." Hagrid lifted his cup and took a big gulp.
"I work at Hogwarts. No one knows unicorns... better than me!"
William smelled the strong stench of alcohol. The amount Hagrid had just drunk couldn't possibly produce such a strong smell. Clearly, The Leaky Cauldron was at least his second stop of the night.
"Forget it, Hagrid. Everyone knows you work for Hogwarts, but unicorns, tsk—"
The person speaking next to him glanced at Hagrid's clothes, which looked anything but high-quality, and couldn't help but shake his head.
Unicorns were practically walking gold. If Hagrid really had access to them, there was no way he'd be this shabby.
"Fine, don't believe me," Hagrid said with a proud look, ignoring the other's doubt. Even when drunk, he could still keep a secret locked tightly behind his lips.
Of course, a dragon was another matter.
By the end, when the group of drunkards was mostly finished, William, one of the few sober people left, hadn't heard a single bit of Hogwarts gossip from Hagrid's lips.
This made him grumble to himself after returning to his room—he should have left as soon as he ran into that drunkard, instead of wasting so much time listening to them boasting, thinking he might hear some Hogwarts gossip.
Especially Hagrid. He should have realized it sooner. If the Keeper of Keys and Grounds was that loose-lipped, there would have been Hogwarts tabloids long ago. It wouldn't have allowed books about Hogwarts' secret history and the like to become bestsellers.
A completely fruitless evening.
Having had a fair bit to drink himself, William gave up on reading and experimenting with magic. He simply lay down early, using the last moments before sleep to plan out his next steps.
First, the lodging issue.
The Leaky Cauldron was in a prime location, so the lodging fees were naturally high. He would soon have to go to Hogwarts to submit the textbook choices for the new academic year, so he could use this opportunity to solve his lodging problem.
If the school provided quarters, everything would be simple. If not, William would have to find a reasonably priced and secure room to settle in.
Moreover, this room would have to be connected to the school's Floo Network, otherwise transportation would be a major issue—though the School Authority surely had a solution for that.
Second, the textbook issue.
After careful consideration, he decided to stick with last year's old textbook. After all, among the textbooks used by previous professors, this set was the simplest and most detailed. Even if students occasionally had questions that went beyond the syllabus, William could handle them with ease.
Anyway, the Defense Against the Dark Arts course at Hogwarts was a joke. The required teaching hours were never met each year. William was already making an effort toward the goal of having his students complete a full academic year's course, so he could hardly be accused of misleading them.
Third, the issue of which years to teach.
Dumbledore had told him during his last visit that the school had hired a new, fearless professor. Considering the lesson preparation involved, William had no intention of an arrangement where he and the new professor would each teach two Houses across all seven years. If they were to split the workload, he hoped to teach the lower-year students.
After all, the other professor was most likely formally trained, making them a bit better than his own mix of self-study and an unorthodox path. The Wizarding World had major exams in the Fifth and Seventh Years. If the other professor was willing, he hoped they would take over all the upper-year students.
As for how he would develop his own strength and make use of the System, those things were more constrained by his environment. From what he understood, Hogwarts had the largest library in the British Wizarding World. While the quality of its collection couldn't compare to the private libraries of the pure-bloods, it would definitely be helpful for increasing his strength. But his specific plans would have to be based on the scale of the library's collection.
The System was even more unreliable. Actively pursuing it would interfere with his plans for improving his strength. Given his current situation of most likely drawing one-time cards, relying on the System to genuinely improve himself was little better than trying to win the lottery.
As he mulled over these more important upcoming matters, the effects of the alcohol gradually crept up on him. William gave up trying to think further, closed his eyes, and drifted into a groggy sleep.
---
When you're engrossed in something, time passes much faster than you think.
After William had read through all the textbooks selected by the previous professors and had begun a detailed study of the one he'd chosen, he was surprised to find that the time he thought he had in abundance was already mostly gone.
Hogwarts even sent a special owl to remind him of the deadline for submitting his textbook choice so that the students could purchase their textbooks in advance.
William happily replied that he would visit the Deputy Headmistress's Office the next day, and inquired if the other professor would have time to discuss their teaching arrangements.
The reply was quite official, but William got a very clear message from Professor McGonagall's response—the other party was already prepared and just waiting for him to come and discuss things.
In fact, the only reason Professor McGonagall had written was that the School Authority had finally lost its patience and sent an owl to check on William after the other professor had already sent three owls in a single day.
"..."
Looking at the reply letter from Professor McGonagall, William fell into deep thought.
He had previously thought the other person had been tricked into this job. Could there have been some misunderstanding?
Judging by how enthusiastic they were, it seemed they couldn't wait to start teaching at Hogwarts.
And considering how the School Authority operated, William felt that Dumbledore wouldn't have hidden the history of injuries among the previous professors from the new hire. In other words, this person was practically flocking to the teaching position.
What was this about?
William was tempted to send a letter asking if the salary for this course was three times that of other professors, or even more—any lower salary would be an injustice to this new colleague's enthusiasm!
PS: I probably can't finish writing. I'll post another chapter tomorrow.
(end of chapter)
