You received sincere praise from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Adrian Foxx—and he intended to make an investment in you.
Offensive and defensive spell talent +1, offensive and defensive spell power +1, Dark Arts talent +1, Dark Arts power +1
Lynn was stunned.
He was not surprised that receiving a professor's praise could grant him points. Professor McGonagall had demonstrated that before: as long as the praise was sincere, professors of each subject would add points to the corresponding kinds of magic.
He could still understand why praise from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would add points to offensive and defensive spells.
But... what the hell was with adding points to Dark Arts talent?
You taught Defense Against the Dark Arts! If the Dark Arts kept getting stronger, what the hell were you defending against?
Besides, his Dark Arts talent was already high enough. If it kept increasing like this, was it trying to turn him into a Dark wizard?
Foxx assumed Lynn was considering the investment proposal he had just made, so he did not interrupt him. Instead, he happily monopolized the lamb that had just gone into the hot pot.
After thinking it over, Lynn guessed there were three possible explanations for this.
The first, and most likely, was that the issue lay with Defense Against the Dark Arts itself. The subject was inherently unusual.
The second was that Foxx had done more than praise him just now; perhaps expressing his intention to invest also granted points. But there was no explanation for why they had gone toward the Dark Arts, making this possibility rather forced.
The third, and the one Lynn favored most, was that the problem lay with this Defense Against the Dark Arts professor himself...
Foxx noticed Lynn looking at him and spoke up.
"How's your consideration going?"
"Although I live alone now, I receive a fixed living allowance every month, so... sorry, Professor, but I'm not really short on money."
Lynn had not become so pleased with himself that he lost all sense of direction just because he had received a few compliments and downed a couple of beers.
Investors invested for returns and profits. If he accepted money he did not particularly need now, who knew what he would have to give up in the future?
Lynn's refusal did not surprise Foxx. He no longer regarded him as a child.
"Though you're very smart, you don't know much about the wizarding world, Belloc." Lynn had already finished eating, but Foxx was still adding potatoes and lettuce to the hot pot.
"The wizarding world's currency differs from Muggle currency. Oh, Muggles are ordinary people who cannot perform magic and do not believe in it.
Gringotts, the wizarding bank, does offer exchanges from Muggle currency into the wizarding world's currency, Galleons, but those exchanges are not unlimited.
Those goblins aren't fools. Some of them even disguise themselves as humans to study economics at Oxford University in the Muggle world, and earn degrees.
As a result, the exchange rules they set have limits and fluctuations, changing at any time according to the wizarding world's currency reserves and economic needs.
Unfortunately, this year, because the Muggle world's economy is in a slump, they have placed strict limits on currency exchanges. No matter how many Pounds Sterling you offer, you can exchange them for at most ten Galleons.
Ten Galleons. A wand alone costs at least seven, and you need to save some money for emergencies. Will you have enough left for robes, books, a cauldron, and everything else?"
Lynn truly did not know much about the wizarding world. Not to mention how much of the original story he still remembered, even if he remembered it all, the original work surely did not go into much detail about many related matters.
For instance, when it came to currency, he genuinely knew nothing about the specific exchange rules.
But ignorance did not mean Lynn had no doubts about Foxx's words.
"But students from Muggle families like me can't be uncommon. If they don't have enough money to buy magical supplies, what are they supposed to do when school starts? Hogwarts won't just stand by, will it?"
"Of course not. In previous years, if this happened, the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors would jointly provide funds, while Hogwarts would distribute a subsidy to students from Muggle families. It wasn't much, but it was enough for them to barely cover their daily needs. But the last two years have been different. Both the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts's Board of Governors have been cutting school expenses. The Board of Governors, in particular, is basically made up of pure-blood families, so naturally they have targeted you little wizards from Muggle families."
Foxx did not explain things too bluntly. There were many twists and turns involved: the conflict between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, the conflict between Dumbledore and the Board of Governors, the conflict between the academic faction and the family faction, and most importantly, the conflict between pure-bloods and non-pure-bloods.
"Dumbledore fought hard for you. Aside from necessities like wands, students from Muggle families may accept gifts from that year's graduates for things like robes, books, and cauldrons. In other words, you can use their secondhand belongings.
"But I think, Belloc, you're not someone willing to treat yourself poorly. If there's something new, who would want to use something old?"
Lynn fell silent. In truth, he was inwardly grumbling that this was not necessarily true. If it were a Potions class textbook used by the Half-Blood Prince, he would be more than happy to use it secondhand.
"Then if I accept your investment, Professor, what return do you need from me?" Lynn asked.
The smile on Foxx's face deepened. Clearly, Lynn was tempted.
"I need you to come work for me as my assistant for a few years after you graduate."
"An assistant?" Lynn frowned. "Wouldn't anyone else do? There are plenty of talented people in the wizarding world, aren't there? Why does it have to be me?"
Faced with Lynn's string of questions, Foxx gave him a mysterious smile.
"What I'm researching isn't ordinary, Belloc. You haven't even enrolled yet, so you don't know much about the wizarding world. Even if I told you, you might not understand. You only need to know that I definitely won't ask you to do anything cruel or immoral, but it will require broad magical knowledge, the ability to think from multiple angles, and... the ability to accept things the wizarding world cannot accept."
After hearing him out, Lynn looked at Foxx with an odd expression, wondering whether the thing he was talking about was actually the Dark Arts.
"You're so certain that after I graduate, I'll meet the requirements you mentioned?"
Foxx smiled at him.
"That's why I call it an investment. If you fail to meet the requirements then, it simply means my investment has failed, and all I lose is some money.
"Besides, perhaps I won't even live to see the day you graduate from Hogwarts. I have no confidence at all that I can make it through this year at Hogwarts safely."
Lynn sank into thought.
To be honest, he had no particular aversion to the Dark Arts. Magic itself was innocent; the guilty ones were those who used it. Besides, he himself had an exceptionally high talent for the Dark Arts, yet Hogwarts would not teach it at all. For him, this might well be an opportunity.
Of course, he could not be completely certain that what Foxx was talking about was the Dark Arts, but the odds were indeed high.
Moreover, just as he had said, Lynn had not even enrolled yet, and graduation was still far in the future. In between, he would experience the series of events surrounding Voldemort's return. No one knew what changes might occur by then.
So Lynn made his decision.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Professor Foxx." He raised his beer and smiled as he winked.
The shortlisting notice is here. I'll mail the contract tomorrow. If you're following, you can invest now and make a tidy profit. And also... rolling around and begging for votes!
Before you continue