"Impressive," Hacker sighed, then remembered that Tom had paid for the bus ticket.
He was a cabinet minister, how could he let a boy who hadn't even graduated pay? Hacker's sense of justice was awakened.
He pulled out his wallet, cleared his throat, and asked, "Tom, how much was the bus ticket?"
"Ten silver Sickles," scratching his head, Tom replied, "You don't need to pay, really. Coins and exchange rates are different."
"Accept this," Hacker forcefully handed a ten-pound note to Tom. Compared to that small amount of money, what Tom had just said caught his attention.
"Silver Sickles?" Hacker looked at Tom curiously.
"They're the coins of the wizarding world. We have golden Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts. One Galleon is worth 17 Sickles, and one Sickle is worth 29 Knuts. Silver Sickles are the second-highest currency," Tom explained as he took one of each coin and handed them to Hacker.
Hearing that strange unit of currency, Hacker smiled with understanding. Undoubtedly, the British wizarding world was almost identical in terms of coins, which was simply torture.
After mumbling to himself about the magical coin system, Hacker began to closely examine the three coins in his hand. The use of three different metals by the British wizarding world easily reminded him of the coins used in ancient Europe, where gold, silver, and bronze were employed.
Hacker wasn't particularly interested in the bronze and silver coins; his attention was fully focused on the golden Galleon. It was pure gold! People's love for gold was deeply rooted in their genes. However, after a brief moment of fascination, Hacker realized that this gold coin couldn't be pure gold, as its weight was insufficient.
Hacker didn't come from a poor family and had a fairly intuitive understanding of the density of gold. As soon as he held it in his hands, he realized that this golden coin wasn't pure enough.
"These coins are minted by goblins at Gringotts, and the numbers on the edges are coin identifiers," Tom explained.
"Gringotts... the wizarding bank?"
So, during the journey, Tom and Hermione were mainly responsible for explaining various terms related to the wizarding world to Hacker. The three of them enjoyed a lively conversation in the swaying compartment of the bus.
Unlike ordinary Muggles, Hacker, as a politician who had experienced the Cold War in the 1990s, had a higher level of knowledge than the later generations of the 21st century. During the conversation, Hacker noticed some strange aspects or deformities in the development of the wizarding world.
For example, it seemed that wizards in the wizarding world didn't have a very solid financial understanding. They seemed to lack a proper army yet. There were also very few schools, but that was understandable since they had a small population. It was a pity; he couldn't garner enough votes from the wizarding world.
Of course, understanding these things was just Hacker's instinctive reaction. What he was really interested in was agriculture in the wizarding world.
"So, they can grow pumpkins the size of carriages here. A few fields can supply the whole school? Good Lord, that's truly impressive." Hacker understood real agriculture; he knew what magic meant for farming.
"I don't know if magic can..."
"Of course not," Tom knew what Hacker was thinking and immediately told him. The wizarding world couldn't do without wizards when it came to increasing production. If they wanted to popularize it on a large scale, it would be equivalent to exposing the wizarding world to Muggle view. The risks were too great for today's wizards.
Shortly after, the bus stopped. They had arrived in Hogsmeade.
Hacker stepped off the bus and took a deep breath of the fresh air. The previous journey had left him a bit queasy.
But after inhaling some lungfuls of the cold air, Hacker recovered. He began to look around, taking in the surrounding landscapes. What he saw was completely typical of an English countryside scene. If it weren't for Tom's warning, he would have never imagined this was an entirely wizarding village.
"We have Hogsmeade Day every now and then. On that day, we can come here for a walk and buy some snacks and toys," Tom explained.
Hacker: ...
This sounds quite similar to a boarding school...
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Just as Hacker was lost in his thoughts, a middle-aged witch's voice echoed behind them.
Hacker turned his head and saw a tall and stern-looking witch with black hair approaching them quickly. She was wearing an emerald green robe and a pointed black hat.
The witch extended her hand to Hacker. "I am Hogwarts' Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. Pleased to meet you."
"Jim Hacker, Minister of Administrative Affairs, from the Labour Party." Hacker hurriedly shook her hand. Before coming here, he had already learned about Hogwarts from Tom. In his view, Hogwarts wasn't just a regular magic school: academically, Hogwarts was the only magic school in the UK and the best in the world.
Politically, almost all officials in the Ministry of Magic were Hogwarts alumni. The network of connections at Hogwarts must be very strong. Hacker believed that even if the power of the Minister for Magic crumbled, it wouldn't affect Hogwarts. After all, the new Minister would surely be a Hogwarts graduate, and the members of his "cabinet" would also be Hogwarts alumni; it would simply be a change in leadership, but everything would remain the same.
Not to mention the power and influence of Albus Dumbledore himself...
Being the Deputy Headmistress of a school like this, Hacker didn't really feel a status gap between him and Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore had sent Professor McGonagall to greet Hacker precisely because he recognized his position, and of course, also because of McGonagall's friendly attitude towards Muggles. For Professor McGonagall, it wasn't unacceptable for a Muggle to enter Hogwarts, after all, there had already been a precedent. Compared to owning a bakery shop, the role of a future Prime Minister clearly had more persuasive weight.
"Please, follow me." Professor McGonagall led the way to the school castle, with Tom, Hermione, and Hacker following her. First, they arrived at Hogsmeade's train station, and then they turned onto a narrow, steep path leading to the Black Lake of Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall planned to take Hacker to Hogwarts in the most traditional way: by boat.
After the four of them boarded a small boat moored on the lake's shore, the boat began to move across the lake's calm surface like a mirror.
In the boat, Professor McGonagall explained the traditions of crossing the lake by boat to Hacker in detail. Tom, sitting at the back, had the feeling that Professor McGonagall was acting as a tour guide.