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Chapter 32 Hagrid: Four Twos and a Joker Bomb
The next morning, William rose early to tidy his appearance and change into formal wear. He completely shook off the weariness from his recent period of secluded self-study, preparing to visit Hogwarts.
He had inquired in a previous letter and learned that most wizards visiting Hogwarts first traveled to the village of Hogsmeade via Apparition or Floo Powder, then proceeded to Hogwarts from there. Only students and some professors took the Hogwarts Express directly to the school.
Since William had never been to Hogsmeade, and he was unwilling to use his newly mastered Apparition for such a long journey, he simply chose to use Floo Powder.
"Old Tom, is this for Floo Powder?" William asked, holding a small bowl from beside the fireplace and looking towards Old Tom, who was busy wiping a glass at the bar.
"Of course. Heading out?"
"Yes, I'm going to Hogwarts to take care of some things."
"Should I prepare lunch for you?"
"I think Hogwarts ought to have a dining hall—how was the food in the dining hall when you were at school?"
"Quite good, but it's been a very, very long time since I was at Hogwarts. They've gone through several headmasters since then."
While Old Tom was speaking, William lit a magical fire in the fireplace.
"Alright, I hope the Hogwarts kitchen hasn't been burned down and the food is still as good as it used to be."
William shrugged, but for some reason, that remark struck Old Tom as hilarious. He burst out laughing uncontrollably and didn't stop for quite some time.
"Well then, have a pleasant journey."
"I think I will. It's my first time going to Hogwarts—"
William tossed a handful of Floo Powder into the fire, called out "Hogsmeade," and took a large step into the flames.
A strange pressure closed in from all sides, and William felt like he was spinning uncontrollably. The thought—*I should have just spent the extra money and taken the Knight Bus*—had barely formed in his mind when the spinning accelerated. The green flames whirled along with him, and at the outermost edge of the fiery vortex, countless fireplaces flashed before his eyes.
Before William could give in to the urge to vomit, the spinning finally stopped. He was shot out of the flames into the destination fireplace, tumbling forward toward the ground.
He quickly crossed his arms in front of his face, shielding himself at the last moment.
He scrambled to his feet, drew his wand, and after confirming his surroundings were safe, William began to use it to clean the dust off himself.
'Before being ejected, I probably could have adjusted my position to avoid falling right as I came out.'
William reviewed his recent trip as he walked out of the fireplace—but he quickly dismissed his own idea.
The comfort of traveling by Floo Powder was far inferior to Apparition. If not for the fact that he couldn't Apparate to places he'd never been, he would rather never use this instrument of torture for the rest of his life.
As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, he knew he was in the right place.
Although he had never been to this village called Hogsmeade, a place with so many shops could only be this one.
Just around the public fireplace William had emerged from, there were four or five establishments with all sorts of hanging signs. He wondered if the villagers had opened these shops to meet the students' shopping needs, or if the students' strong purchasing power had led to the gradual opening of shops that eventually formed a village.
Before William had a chance to properly take in the scenery of Hogsmeade, a towering figure began waving at him from a short distance away.
"Are you Professor William?"
"I am. Thank you for coming to get me, Hagrid."
William had sent a letter ahead with his itinerary. Naturally, Hogwarts wouldn't just let a new professor who had never been to the school find his own way—what if the new professor had no sense of direction?
Especially since the Defense Against the Dark Arts post was already a jinxed one. What if, to set a new record, this year's professor was forced out of the job before even setting foot in the school? If that happened, they probably wouldn't be able to recruit a professor next year even if they looked in Azkaban.
"It's no trouble. I was coming over here to collect the rent anyway, so I told Professor McGonagall I'd take on the task," Hagrid said with a smile, his words leaving William utterly stunned.
"Collect the rent?"
"That's right. All the land in Hogsmeade village belongs to Hogwarts. Ever since the day the castle was built, this whole area has been school property. Dumbledore trusts me, so he gave this job to me."
An entire village as private property—William drew in a sharp breath.
But then he remembered that the school didn't charge any tuition, and he calmed down. The rent from the village was probably just a drop in the bucket for the school's operating costs. The Ministry of Magic must provide a significant amount of funding to the school each year.
Perhaps because there were no strangers around and Hagrid naturally considered this new professor one of their own, the usually reserved half-giant suddenly became incredibly talkative.
"Ever since I started serving Hogwarts, I've been the one to collect the rent here. All these years, and there's never been a single error."
"That's a truly remarkable virtue."
William praised him sincerely.
From the state of Hagrid's clothes, he could tell that Hagrid wasn't well-off. The fact that he had been in charge of collecting rent for so many years without any issues was truly rare.
William had just come from Azkaban, a place teeming with scum; such a virtue would be considered saintly there.
Perhaps because William's attitude was so sincere, a happy smile spread across Hagrid's face. So he decided to drop a bombshell.
"What's this money? Dumbledore trusts me with all the important jobs. For example, last year, I helped him bring the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts into Hogwarts."
(end of chapter)
The next morning, William rose early to tidy his appearance and change into formal wear. He completely shook off the weariness from his recent period of secluded self-study, preparing to visit Hogwarts.
He had inquired in a previous letter and learned that most wizards visiting Hogwarts first traveled to the village of Hogsmeade via Apparition or Floo Powder, then proceeded to Hogwarts from there. Only students and some professors took the Hogwarts Express directly to the school.
Since William had never been to Hogsmeade, and he was unwilling to use his newly mastered Apparition for such a long journey, he simply chose to use Floo Powder.
"Old Tom, is this for Floo Powder?" William asked, holding a small bowl from beside the fireplace and looking towards Old Tom, who was busy wiping a glass at the bar.
"Of course. Heading out?"
"Yes, I'm going to Hogwarts to take care of some things."
"Should I prepare lunch for you?"
"I think Hogwarts ought to have a dining hall—how was the food in the dining hall when you were at school?"
"Quite good, but it's been a very, very long time since I was at Hogwarts. They've gone through several headmasters since then."
While Old Tom was speaking, William lit a magical fire in the fireplace.
"Alright, I hope the Hogwarts kitchen hasn't been burned down and the food is still as good as it used to be."
William shrugged, but for some reason, that remark struck Old Tom as hilarious. He burst out laughing uncontrollably and didn't stop for quite some time.
"Well then, have a pleasant journey."
"I think I will. It's my first time going to Hogwarts—"
William tossed a handful of Floo Powder into the fire, called out "Hogsmeade," and took a large step into the flames.
A strange pressure closed in from all sides, and William felt like he was spinning uncontrollably. The thought—*I should have just spent the extra money and taken the Knight Bus*—had barely formed in his mind when the spinning accelerated. The green flames whirled along with him, and at the outermost edge of the fiery vortex, countless fireplaces flashed before his eyes.
Before William could give in to the urge to vomit, the spinning finally stopped. He was shot out of the flames into the destination fireplace, tumbling forward toward the ground.
He quickly crossed his arms in front of his face, shielding himself at the last moment.
He scrambled to his feet, drew his wand, and after confirming his surroundings were safe, William began to use it to clean the dust off himself.
'Before being ejected, I probably could have adjusted my position to avoid falling right as I came out.'
William reviewed his recent trip as he walked out of the fireplace—but he quickly dismissed his own idea.
The comfort of traveling by Floo Powder was far inferior to Apparition. If not for the fact that he couldn't Apparate to places he'd never been, he would rather never use this instrument of torture for the rest of his life.
As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, he knew he was in the right place.
Although he had never been to this village called Hogsmeade, a place with so many shops could only be this one.
Just around the public fireplace William had emerged from, there were four or five establishments with all sorts of hanging signs. He wondered if the villagers had opened these shops to meet the students' shopping needs, or if the students' strong purchasing power had led to the gradual opening of shops that eventually formed a village.
Before William had a chance to properly take in the scenery of Hogsmeade, a towering figure began waving at him from a short distance away.
"Are you Professor William?"
"I am. Thank you for coming to get me, Hagrid."
William had sent a letter ahead with his itinerary. Naturally, Hogwarts wouldn't just let a new professor who had never been to the school find his own way—what if the new professor had no sense of direction?
Especially since the Defense Against the Dark Arts post was already a jinxed one. What if, to set a new record, this year's professor was forced out of the job before even setting foot in the school? If that happened, they probably wouldn't be able to recruit a professor next year even if they looked in Azkaban.
"It's no trouble. I was coming over here to collect the rent anyway, so I told Professor McGonagall I'd take on the task," Hagrid said with a smile, his words leaving William utterly stunned.
"Collect the rent?"
"That's right. All the land in Hogsmeade village belongs to Hogwarts. Ever since the day the castle was built, this whole area has been school property. Dumbledore trusts me, so he gave this job to me."
An entire village as private property—William drew in a sharp breath.
But then he remembered that the school didn't charge any tuition, and he calmed down. The rent from the village was probably just a drop in the bucket for the school's operating costs. The Ministry of Magic must provide a significant amount of funding to the school each year.
Perhaps because there were no strangers around and Hagrid naturally considered this new professor one of their own, the usually reserved half-giant suddenly became incredibly talkative.
"Ever since I started serving Hogwarts, I've been the one to collect the rent here. All these years, and there's never been a single error."
"That's a truly remarkable virtue."
William praised him sincerely.
From the state of Hagrid's clothes, he could tell that Hagrid wasn't well-off. The fact that he had been in charge of collecting rent for so many years without any issues was truly rare.
William had just come from Azkaban, a place teeming with scum; such a virtue would be considered saintly there.
Perhaps because William's attitude was so sincere, a happy smile spread across Hagrid's face. So he decided to drop a bombshell.
"What's this money? Dumbledore trusts me with all the important jobs. For example, last year, I helped him bring the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts into Hogwarts."
(end of chapter)
