Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 359: Professor Lupin’s First Pay

A young witch, perhaps twelve or thirteen, who had been peeking through the doorway, stepped into the room. ”Do you have any more badges?” she asked. When Kyle didn’t respond immediately, she added, ”I want to buy one too.”

“Yes, of course!” Kyle said, snapping out of his thoughts. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of badges. ”How many would you like?”

”Just one,” she replied, stepping forward. She picked a silver-white badge and handed Kyle two Galleons.

Not everyone loses things as often as Neville, so naturally, they don’t need to buy as many.

”Oh... an excellent choice,” Kyle remarked, smiling. ”The scales of an Antipodean Opaleye. That’s a powerful dragon—it can swallow a whole sheep in one bite.”

“Are these dragons really that powerful?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Very powerful,” Kyle confirmed with a nod. “And they’re also the most beautiful of all dragons, admired by many.”

The little witch’s eyes sparkled even brighter. She left happily, clutching her badge.

Her purchase seemed to break the ice, and soon others who had been watching from the doorway started coming in. Two Galleons was a steep price, but since it was the start of the school year, most of them had a good amount of pocket money to spend. In fact, the high price gave the badges an air of exclusivity—if they were too cheap, some might have hesitated to buy them.

And besides, these were dragon scales, known for their durability. Even if they didn’t need the badges later, they could easily resell them in Diagon Alley… they’d definitely still fetch at least one Galleon.

The first few buyers quickly picked out all the white badges. After much deliberation, a young wizard in line selected a blue one.

“Oh, Swedish Short-Snouts!” Kyle said with a grin. “They breathe a unique blue flame and are incredibly fast—a true nightmare for other magical creatures.”

“Are they strong?”

“Without a doubt,” Kyle laughed. “A wise choice. I’ll bet you’re in Ravenclaw?”

“That’s right!”

Then, another student picked up a green badge.

“Common Welsh Green,” Kyle said, “their dragon fire can shoot up to twenty feet…”

Another student chose a brass one.

“Peruvian Vipertooth Dragons,” Kyle explained. “They have a more lethal bite than other dragons.”

...

More and more students were gathering around, though not everyone was there to buy a badge. Many had come simply out of curiosity, eager to see what was causing the buzz.

After all, most students had fewer than ten Galleons to last the entire school year, so spending two Galleons on a badge was quite a luxury. With Dementors prohibited from entering the school anyway, some felt it was a bit extravagant to buy a badge—though they couldn’t deny it looked impressive.

Luckily, watching the spectacle didn’t cost anything.

A crowd gathered outside, pressing closer until the compartment’s sliding door creaked slightly as it strained against the mass of students.

“Ron, could you help keep things organized?” Kyle asked, turning to him. “I’ll give you two Galleons for it.”

Initially, Ron seemed ready to refuse; after all, he wanted to stay close to Harry. But at the mention of two Galleons…

“No problem! Leave it to me!” he replied enthusiastically. He gave Harry a nudge toward the corner, stood up, and marched toward the door with newfound authority. “Anyone buying a badge, line up! Everyone else, back to your compartments…”

“Keep it down... What? Who am I?” he replied to a student questioning him, raising his chin with a smirk. “My brother is Head Boy!”

...

Not only Ron, but Professor Lupin also rose to help maintain order, though not for the two Galleons—it was simply part of his responsibility as a professor.

As an adult and a seasoned wizard, his presence naturally held more sway than Ron’s, and soon the onlookers began to disperse, leaving only those genuinely interested in making a purchase. In short order, the remaining students lined up and entered the compartment in an orderly fashion.

...

It was a full thirty minutes later when Kyle finally saw the last group of students leave, just as the train began to slow to a stop. They had truly arrived at Hogwarts.

As students started disembarking, Kyle picked up two Galleons from the pile next to him and handed them to Ron. “As promised, here you go.”

Ron’s face lit up as he accepted the coins, rubbing his hands together before carefully taking them. He squinted at the Galleons in his palm, savoring the moment; it was the most money he’d ever held.

Then, Kyle took two more Galleons and offered them to Lupin, who had been eyeing the stack. When he saw Kyle’s hand extended toward him, though, Lupin shook his head firmly.

“I’m a professor,” he said seriously, “it was only right that I helped.”

“Well,” Kyle replied with a grin, “the headmaster hasn’t announced anything yet, so technically, you’re not a professor just yet.” And with that, Kyle tossed the Galleons into Lupin’s hands. “Take them, sir. Besides, you’ll need a proper robe as a professor.”

With that, Kyle left the compartment.

Lupin caught the coins and looked down at them, briefly considering handing them back. But when he noticed the patches on his own robes, he hesitated. Kyle was right; he could really use something new.

Forget it, he thought. I’ll just pay him back once I get my salary.

A small smile crossed Lupin’s face. It was amusing that his first earnings at Hogwarts hadn’t come from Dumbledore, but from students. Two Galleons in thirty minutes… he hadn’t made that much in two months before. Students these days are quite well-off, he mused to himself.

Meanwhile, as Kyle stepped off the train, he suddenly found two hands grabbing him from either side.

“Where’s our pay?” Fred asked with a grin.

“What pay?” Kyle replied, feigning ignorance.

“Don’t play dumb—you won’t get away with it!” George chimed in. “We helped too, and so did Cedric and Ginny.”

“Yeah,” Fred added, “two Galleons. We can’t be paid less than Ron!”

“Pay? Nonsense!” Kyle responded matter-of-factly. “Isn’t it only right that you all help?”

“Oh, really?” Fred arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.

Kyle kept walking, ignoring their stares. “No money. Move along…”

“What about just two Galleons for George and me…” Fred said, trying again. “Or if not Galleons, we’ll take Sickles!”

“No.”

“How about a Knut, then?”

“No Knuts, either. How about a Nimbus?”

Fred and George’s faces fell, turning a distinct shade of green, while Ginny, standing nearby with an armful of sweets, burst into laughter. Cedric was also chuckling, well aware of why Kyle had given Galleons to Ron and Professor Lupin. Without their help, the badges wouldn’t have sold nearly as quickly.

Laughing and joking, the group made their way toward the carriages, where Kanna, Cho, and Luna were already waiting. Since they weren’t as close with Harry and his friends, they had stayed behind in their compartment, expecting Kyle to return after a few minutes. Instead, they’d waited much longer.

“What took you so long?” Kanna asked, looking curious. “Is Potter seriously hurt? We wanted to check on him, but the crowd was so big, we couldn’t even get through.”

“Nothing serious,” Kyle assured her. “Young people just get tired easily. He’ll sleep it off.”

“Then why did it take so long?” Cho pressed.

“There was a little incident… I’ll explain on the way.”

Climbing into a horse-drawn carriage, Kyle used the Undetectable Extension Charm to create enough room for everyone to sit comfortably inside. He was quite adept at using the charm, and soon, there was space for all eight of them.

One by one, the others climbed in, settling into the magically expanded space.