Penelope's Worries

Amidst the cheers (or wails? The sounds were too chaotic for Bell to tell) of the Little Wizard, the Hogwarts school year finally came to a 'peaceful' end.

There's still a week until the exam results are released. Everyone is enjoying this rare, and perhaps final, moment of relaxation and joy.

Except for a few individuals.

The petrified Little Wizard were healed after the Mandrake matured. But when these Little Wizard, who had no idea what had happened to them, recovered, they were completely bewildered to find that their final exams were less than a week away!?

WTF!?

Fortunately, the professors weren't all evil; they were very considerate and canceled the final exams for these Little Wizard, allowing them to rest in the Hospital Wing and be observed for any long-term effects.

However, before these Little Wizard could even feel relieved, after a few days of rest, this morning, when everyone had finished their final exams and started to relax, they were once again bewildered to be told that, in order to compensate them for missing many classes due to previous events, the professors had unanimously decided to give them intensive instruction during the last week, striving to impart all the knowledge they needed to master to them.

("NO!!!")

"Pfft~!"

Recalling the expressions of those guys earlier, Bell couldn't help but spit out the Pumpkin Juice in his mouth.

"Bell? What's wrong?"

Hermione picked up the handkerchief beside her and gently wiped Bell's mouth, looking every bit the virtuous wife.

"N-nothing."

Bell dared not let Hermione know that he had actually been gloating just now, otherwise the 'virtuous wife' would turn into 'disdain' in the next second.

"Seriously, don't you two care about what others are looking at? You look like a newlywed couple, I don't even dare stand next to you anymore, otherwise if they throw a torch at us, we won't have anywhere to hide."

Penelope sat next to Hermione and teased the two of them.

"You didn't dare stand, so you sat down?"

Bell couldn't help but complain.

"I was so scared my legs went weak."

Good morning, senior.

Hermione greeted him politely.

Good morning, Hermione.

Penelope hugged Hermione tightly and rubbed her face against Hermione's hair.

"Hermione is so polite, she even knows to greet me. Unlike some rude brat who doesn't know how to respect his senior."

"Senior..."

Watching the two women playfully bickering, Bell couldn't help but sigh, "The friendship between women is truly hard to understand."

Ever since Penelope's attack on the Basilisk, it's unclear whether she broke some kind of barrier. In any case, Penelope is able to chat and laugh with Bell again, just like before.

The most amazing thing is that the two women, who were previously like kings who would never meet, became best friends who could talk about anything during the short week that Bell was busy making the Thousand Changes.

When Bell first found out, he was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth for a long time.

"Senior, didn't you get enough rest?"

Seeing Penelope's languid appearance, Bell asked curiously.

"Sigh! It's all because of the exams."

Penelope sighed.

"Exams? Aren't the exams already over? And with your grades, would you really be worried about exams?"

Bell was very puzzled.

"I really envy you little kids in the lower grades, being able to be carefree."

As for me, I'm different; I'm already a "sixth-grader" and an "old woman." I'll be graduating next year, so I need to start thinking about finding a job.

To find a decent job, you need to get as many N.E.W.Ts certificate as possible. So you can rest after your exams, but for me, it's just the beginning.

"What kind of job do you plan to pursue in the future?"

"I don't know. Besides, a witch like me, born into Muggle family, doesn't have a choice."

Percy did suggest I take a job at the Ministry of Magic, since he was planning to do so Ministry of Magic. But honestly, I don't think I have a chance at all.

Penelope sighed again.

It's clear that the upcoming job search is putting a lot of pressure on her.

"No way!"

Bell said with some surprise.

"Although I don't know much about job hunting, you're one of the best students in your year! Besides, there's only one magic school in the British Wizarding World, Hogwarts, so there shouldn't be too much competition, right?"

"I only heard about it from my seniors."

Because most of the Magical World's industries are monopolized by the Pure-blood Family. And Pure-blood generally look down on Half-blood, let alone someone like me who is purely Muggle-born. So, it's very difficult for someone like me to find a good job.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bell, I forgot you're Pure-blood too."

Penelope looked at Bell with some concern.

Although she was already dating Percy, she still considered Bell a good friend, so she didn't want Bell to misunderstand her words.

Bell waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care. He stroked his chin and lowered his head in thought.

"Bell?"

Seeing Bell remain silent, Hermione called out to him with some concern.

Of course, she wasn't worried about her boyfriend, but about herself.

After listening to Penelope's words, Hermione, who is also Muggle-born, began to worry about the future. What difficulties would she encounter when she looked for a job?

At the same time, she became even more worried about whether Bell's family would accept her.

She had had this worry during her previous Christmas Holiday back to London on the Hogwarts Express. However, since she hadn't met Bell's parents then, she forgot about it afterwards.

Now, Penelope's words have reignited her worries.

"Senior, would you like to come and work for me?"

"Bell said to Penelope."

Yes, that's what he was thinking about just now.

Now that the Bell Family is making increasingly big moves, their need for talent is becoming more and more urgent.

Of course, with his father overseeing things, Bell didn't bother to waste his energy on those matters. Overworking too early can easily lead to baldness!

Today, after hearing Penelope's concerns, Bell realized that this was a good starting point.

For wizards in the Magical World, there is no such concept as "campus recruitment." Employers passively wait for Hogwarts graduates to come and apply for jobs.

If the Bell Family's businesses had taken the initiative and come to Hogwarts to sign employment agreements with those outstanding Little Wizard who had not yet graduated, they would surely have been able to recruit a large number of people.

It's worth noting that, under Bell's influence, William, who gradually stopped Galleon as mere cash, significantly improved the treatment of his workers.