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[HP] 43: Compensation
🕑 Added 2025-07-19 16:56:31 +0000 UTCWhile all of Hogwarts was abuzz with stories of Slytherin’s embarrassing downfall, the center of it all—Louis Wilson—had already arrived at the entrance to the Headmaster’s office.
Two majestic magical beast statues stood guard at the base of the staircase.
“Fizzing Whizzbee,” Louis spoke the password, and the statues immediately stirred to life, stepping aside to reveal the staircase to the Headmaster’s office.
This magical version of an automatic door was quite fascinating. It was probably Transfiguration—though Louis still wondered how exactly it was powered.
Pondering as he climbed, Louis soon arrived at the office. His first impression: Books. Lots of them.
The room looked like a miniature library. The walls were lined with bookshelves, all crammed with volumes of every kind. Here and there, paintings of people filled the gaps—each a moving portrait.
These portraits were all former headmasters of Hogwarts, and every one of them had died in office. They stared down at Louis with layered, knowing expressions.
Another thing that caught the eye was a bird perched on a branch of a wutong tree—bright red and resembling a long-tailed crow.
That had to be the phoenix.
It noticed Louis’s gaze and tilted its head to look back at him.
Only after observing the room did Louis finally look toward the old man behind the desk. For someone considered a legendary wizard, his appearance wasn’t particularly striking. Compared to the books or the phoenix, he was easy to overlook. He simply looked like a kind old gentleman.
But this kindly old man might very well be the one responsible for Harry Potter’s miserable childhood before the age of eleven.
“Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore.” Louis removed his top hat and greeted him.
“Hello, Mr. Wilson. Please, have a seat,” Dumbledore said, motioning to the chair in front of his desk.
After Louis sat down, Dumbledore conjured a cup for him—though it was empty.
“Would you like something to drink?” Dumbledore asked.
“If I asked for sparkling water, could you conjure that too?” Louis countered with a smile.
“Certainly not, Mr. Wilson. You should know by now—magic can’t conjure food. And sparkling water, I presume, is a Muggle beverage. Hogwarts doesn’t carry it,” Dumbledore replied.
“One of the five exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration, right? I read about it in a book,” Louis shrugged. “Magic is odd. Some things are ridiculously convenient, and others are limited in bizarre ways.”
“It’s a reminder that wizards, too, have limits,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “How about some milk tea?”
“I’m fine with that.”
A rich, fragrant cup of milk tea appeared in front of Louis. The aroma was warm and comforting.
“You have a lot of books here,” Louis said as he took in the scent. “At first glance, I’d have thought you were a Ravenclaw.”
“Knowledge is the walking stick that supports adventure,” Dumbledore chuckled. “No one ever complains about having too much of it. Most of these books, though, were gifts from old friends. Every holiday they send me more. Honestly, I don’t want that many.”
“What would you rather have, then? Wool socks?” Louis asked offhandedly.
Dumbledore’s expression shifted slightly, giving Louis a long, meaningful look.
“Let’s talk about your compensation, Mr. Wilson,” Dumbledore said. “You were nearly denied your place at Hogwarts. That’s a serious matter.”
“So what does the school plan to offer me?” Louis asked. “I’m not too concerned about how serious the mistake was—since it’s already been fixed. But I’m also not turning down compensation.”
“You’re very honest, Mr. Wilson.” Dumbledore nodded. “Unfortunately, we can’t offer you many Galleons. Those are funds from the Board of Governors and can’t be used arbitrarily. However, Hogwarts does have a surplus of unused instructional materials—magical ingredients and tools left over from previous years. If you don’t mind, we can give you some of those.”
That almost sounded like they were asking him to clean out old junk. But in reality, it was actually quite a decent offer.
Every year, Hogwarts purchased magical materials and teaching supplies from wizards around the world. The amounts were always abundant, and leftovers were inevitable. These items were still quite valuable—reselling them could fetch at least 90% of their original price.
Still, Louis wasn’t particularly tempted. He smiled and said, “Headmaster Dumbledore, I have a proposal—see what you think.”
“Go ahead, Mr. Wilson. This meeting is a discussion, not a decree,” Dumbledore replied politely.
“Hogwarts has been around for centuries. I’m sure there are forgotten items scattered in corners of the castle that no one pays attention to,” Louis said, sipping his tea. “What I’d like is a promise: anything I find in this school that no one has claimed, belongs to me.”
“This...” Even the wise Dumbledore was momentarily at a loss. He couldn’t figure out Louis’s intentions.
“Don’t worry, I won’t take anything that belongs to people,” Louis clarified. “I won’t touch any items owned by anyone currently at the school. If someone from outside the school later discovers something I found was once theirs, they can redeem it back from me with Galleons.”
Louis set down his teacup calmly as he spoke.
Dumbledore hesitated for a long time before replying, “I considered many possible outcomes to this conversation, but your request still caught me off guard. Still, since you’ve proposed a clear process, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, I agree to your condition.”
“Don’t be hasty, Headmaster. I’m not done yet.” Louis observed Dumbledore’s expression, trying to gauge how he felt about the request—but the old wizard gave nothing away, so Louis had to press on. “I also want unrestricted access to the Restricted Section of the library.”
“That I cannot allow.” Dumbledore refused without hesitation. “Mr. Wilson, I’ve heard about what happened in Slytherin. Your strength and mental fortitude may indeed be sufficient for exploring the Restricted Section, but your age is still far too young. Perhaps we can revisit this discussion after your third year.”
Given Dumbledore’s reputation, Louis knew he wasn’t being dismissive. But still, he wasn’t fond of the idea of sneaking around the castle at night just to read.
Though Louis couldn’t use magic, he was deeply curious about it. As the saying goes: Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you shall never be defeated. Wizarding methods were too strange—what if one caught him off guard?
“Headmaster, curiosity is a powerful thing. If you deny me access to the Restricted Section, I’ll simply find another way in. Wouldn’t it be better to let me go in openly, so at least you’ll know exactly which books I’ve read?” Louis said with a smile.
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