Chapter 003 - Invitation From The Wizarding World
"Fine, Father said you might go in."
Bran stood outside the door with his arms out. He glanced at Professor McGonagall full of doubts and unwillingly made way for her.
"Thank you."
McGonagall looked at the little boy who guarded outside the door like a soldier. She shook her head whilst smiling and walked in after thanking him.
"Hello, I'm Professor Mcgonagall, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She nodded friendly towards the two in the room and briefly studied the room.
Just as she saw when she turned into a cat, the room wasn't too big. A silver-haired little girl stood next to the bed, the owner of the orphanage, Benitez, was half laying on the bed with unfinished breakfast placed on the bedside table.
—— She tried her best to control herself from thinking about the "Scotland round face fat chicken soup."
Before she came to the orphanage, Professor McGonagall visited some people in the town for information about Alina.
Different to most orphans, Alina and Benitez's relationship was more like father and daughter, the two of them worked to keep the orphanage running.
Hence after considering, Mcgonagall thought that Benitez as Alina's "guardian," should be aware of Alina's invitation to study at Hogwarts. It was why she didn't intentionally avoid him and talk to Alina alone.
Benitez studied the unexpected guest curiously.
She looked a little older than him. Black hair rolled up in a tall bun, and the amber-colored square glasses frame was identical to the impressions Benitez had towards those professors, and she wore a coat printed with traditional Scottish plaids.
In short, she didn't look like an untrustworthy scammer or an unoccupied person who came to prank them.
"Professor McGonagall? Please have a seat." Benitez seemed to ponder, "May I ask which school you come from? From what I know, Alina hasn't applied for any schools in the Scottish region yet."
Professor McGonagall looked at the still steaming stew on the table and hesitated for a second before pulling the chair beside the bed. She sat down with her back against the wooden table and cleared her throat, looking at Alina with a smile on her face.
"Our school is called Hogwarts; it is a school for those who possess special abilities. This time, I came here to…"
"No need to continue, I decline."
Alina shook her head and stopped Professor Mcgonagall mercilessly before she could finish her sentence.
"I already have my own goal and plan for my future. Not to mention that I don't think I will be able to learn anything from this infamous school. So, please go back."
If this world was really the Wizarding World under the pen of J.K Rowling, then Professor McGonagall hated students cutting her off during classes. If she heard this, it's possible that she will rage and leave immediately.
"Alina!"
Benitez frowned slightly on the side. In his impressions, Alina rarely seemed so aggressive, and it was his first time in all these years to see her cutting someone off.
"I apologize, my child isn't usually like this," Benitez ruffled the silver-haired little girl's head and explained to Professor McGonagall apologetically. After a short pause, the man continued with confusion, "But I beg your pardon, it is also my first time hearing the Hogwarts you just mentioned."
Professor McGonagall smiled in an unconcerned manner and replied rather lightly, "In the Muggle world, hmm, Muggle is a term we use for ordinary people, it is perfectly normal that you have never heard of it before. Hogwarts is a school for magic, a school that guides and teaches young witches and wizards how to control their magic."
The room fell silent.
Benitez obviously looked blank by the answer, he swiftly glanced at Professor's eyes, trying to find any signs of a lie or joke.
"Ma… Magic?" Benitez repeated softly as he looked at the madam in front of him suspiciously. He began to lean towards Alina's original thought; it was obvious that Professor McGonagall was a little strange.
Benitez sat up straight, and he was ready to end this boring prank. After pondering for a while, he replied politely, "Magic, do you mean some sort of acrobatics and acting? I'm sorry, but I prefer Alina to study at a public middle school."
"No, what I meant was…" Professor McGonagall shook her head as her smile became brighter. She took out her wand from her pocket and waved it at the chair. The old, broken wooden chair turned into a gorgeous high back chair made from goose down with a 'pop.'
"... Like this, real magic."
After doing all these, Professor McGonagall took out a letter made from thick parchment paper from her coat and placed it next to Benitez's bed. She patted it lightly and glanced across both of them as she slowed down, "This is the entry notification as we know that you are not an ordinary person. Alina, you were born to be a witch. Joining Hogwarts will teach you how to control and use your talent."
Benitez kept a polite smile throughout the conversation, but he could no longer stay calm. His pupils shook as he looked at the suddenly different chair in astonishment. His glance shifted between Alina and Professor McGonagall as he attempted to open his mouth to ask something, but no sound came out.
The entire room fell into a strange silence. The air was like a piece of frozen ice crystal as if a slightly heavier breath would break it.
Perhaps only a few seconds passed, but it also felt like quite a few minutes had passed. Just like before, Alina, who kept silent, broke the quietness in the room again—— But in a different way to anything Professor McGonagall had imagined.
The girl replied simply and looked down and swiftly glanced at the envelope she had seen over ten times, but she didn't have the slightest desire to lift her hand and pick it up.
"A born witch? The teacher from the Scotland public primary school mentioned more than once that I'm a born mathematician; however, it does not mean that I will study mathematics in the future." The girl replied without expression as she was obviously untouched by what Professor McGonagall had said.
Alina paused and lifted her head up, taking the initiative to look into Professor McGonagall's eyes for the first time and questioned her back calmly.
"I'm sorry, madam. From what I know, the graduation certificate and learning experience from a magic school have no difference to a useless piece of paper in the Muggle world—— Under the circumstance that you will actually give out graduation certificates."
About the invitation to study at Hogwarts, Alina already thought through it thoroughly after receiving the first owl letter. As a reincarnator, she was well aware that the future from now on belongs to the Muggles.
Compared to wasting an entire seven years studying things such as charms, potions, transfiguration, and other skills, she'd rather use these precious times to study computer, coding, or enterprise strategies. At least these will make sure that she could live comfortably for decades.
"Like a magic school that's been passed on for thousands of years, every Hogwarts graduate who has met the standard requirements will be able to find a rather good job in the Wizarding World; there's no need to worry about that. It looks like you don't understand that the world for witches and wizards is a whole different world to that of Muggles. In the Wizarding World, there is a Ministry of Magic, hospital, and schools of such."
Professor McGonagall shrugged. The majority of children from Muggle families have worries like so, but both the parents and the children will accept the truth after explaining the existence of two worlds.
"The one who really doesn't understand is you guys. I know far more about the Wizarding World than you can imagine." Aline sighed. She didn't plan to continue this conversation, which sounded like they were trying to solve puzzles, her tone of voice sank, and in an instant, she seemed far more mature and serious.
"Professor McGonagall, sorry for being presumptuous, but what is your monthly salary at Hogwarts?"
Professor McGonagall stared blankly for a second after hearing the sudden question, but she thought for a while and replied modestly.
"Eighty Galleons each month, but it's because I am also the vice Headmistress of Hogwarts at the same time, my monthly salary is naturally higher than the other teachers. Oh, the currency in the Wizarding World is different from the Muggles, so there's not much meaning in asking this."
Although she sounded exceptionally modest, Benitez and Alina could obviously feel the pride that hid behind it. It was clear that Professor McGonagall was rather satisfied with her pay.
"Of course, it is meaningful. We just have to calculate the purchasing power in human society, and we can easily understand all the currency systems."
Alina raised her eyebrows subconsciously after hearing the answer. The light in her eyes shined brightly, and even by her voice alone, they could feel the strong confidence in her language. It felt like the ruling power of a king who has returned to his territory—— After all, finance was her profession in the previous life.
The silver-haired loli folded her hands together, and her index fingers tapped each other rhythmically and spoke softly, "If what I know isn't wrong, one gold Galleon equals 17 silver Sickles, which then equals 493 bronze Knuts. From what I know, half a kilo of potatoes sells for twenty-five Knuts, and at the same time, I just happened to know that one English pound is enough to buy two kilograms of potatoes. In other words, the rather good job that Professor has the monthly payment of approximately 400 pounds."
Stopping here, Alina tilted her head slightly and exchanged a glance with Benitez, the two of them showed a sense of oddness and amusement at the same time.
"What do you want to say?" McGonagall frowned and felt the subtle yet inexpressible discomfort was spreading in the air.
The girl lifted her head up, and pity flashed across her eyes. In an instant, Mcgonagall almost thought that she heard a soft sneer.
"In this country, I mean the Muggle government in your perspective, an ordinary worker's weekly average pay is 100 pounds, and an official university professor's salary is…"
Alina intentionally paused here. She waited until Professor Mcgonagall's eyes were staring at her straightly before she shook her long silver hair and continued softly.
"1959 pounds."
"So what on earth are you trying to say?!"
Professor McGonagall's body left the back of the chair, and as she sat up straight subconsciously, questioning her with raised pitch and displease on her face.
Alina's lips curved upwards. Next, it's her showtime.