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Chapter 569: The Glutton Snake
Chapter 569: The Glutton Snake (Requesting Monthly Votes)
In the Ancient Magic Office—
"Have I heard that you've been spending money like water lately?"
Valen, sitting on a small stool, responded with a listless sigh.
"Be serious, you've also invested in several clubs?"
"Hmph." Valen crossed his little arms and looked around, deliberately avoiding Felix's gaze.
"Planning to spend money to write an autobiography? And you're hiring a student who runs a tabloid?" A newspaper trembled in front of Valen.
Valen's eyes widened in shock. It seemed all his little secrets had been dug up?
"It's time", Felix said solemnly. He sat across from Valen, waved his hand, and a creature jumped out from a ring—Valen's mouth dropped open in surprise. It looked like a deformed snake?
Valen stared at the little creature in front of him, a green snake with an oversized head that grinned widely and circled around him. Valen suddenly reached out, grabbed its tail, and shook it. The Slytherin, like a flexible rope, bounced in the air and spat out a copper nut.
Valen's eyes widened. Was this a money-spitting snake?
"This is a money jar", Felix said. "Today, I'll teach you two new concepts: savings and interest." Valen, who had been playing happily, stopped and slowly turned to look at him. "Hmph?"
"Simply put, it's about saving your pocket money and putting it in one place—right here", Felix pointed to the wriggling Slytherin. "I prepared this specially for you. You can place some of your treasures on it."
The Slytherin, essentially an alchemy item, nodded cooperatively, opening its mouth wide.
"Hmph?" Valen looked at Felix in confusion. Why put money in the Slytherin when he already had a money pouch?
"That's different", Felix explained patiently. "Think about it. The money in your pocket will only decrease, right?" Valen nodded dumbly. "That's exactly it", Felix raised his voice to make his tone more convincing. "But if you put your money in the Slytherin, after some time, it will grow."
Valen stared at Felix in a daze, then looked down at the Slytherin in his hand. Was this a treasure?
"Hmph?"
"How much it grows depends on the amount and the time you store it. For example, if you put in one Galleon or ten, the results will be ten times different. And if you store it for one day or ten days, the results will also be ten times different. Do the math—how many times has it multiplied?"
Valen lowered his head and counted on his fingers. After a while, he looked up at Felix in confusion.
"Ten times ten", Felix revealed the answer.
Valen was shocked.
"That's right", Felix said with a smile. "Don't worry, I wouldn't take your money. I'm just teaching you a way to earn more. It's a secret method... Your money is still yours, just moving from one place to another. The Slytherin will still be in your hands. Isn't that a good deal?"
Valen thought for a moment. It did seem that way... He nodded in agreement.
"Great, let's agree on a specific amount", Felix paused, uncertainly asking, "How much money do you have?"
Valen looked down at his small pouch. He knew it had a lot, and even after spending some, it still had a lot.
"I'll help you count", Felix offered. Seeing no response, he muttered to himself, "Saving, interest, money begetting money..."
Valen's inner struggle was intense:
Would the Dark Lord cheat him out of his money?
All his pocket money came from the Dark Lord.
The Dark Lord was very cunning!
But the Slytherin was still in his hands.
The Dark Lord was still very cunning.
But the money would grow in the Slytherin...
Valen barely noticed the sky getting dark. After much internal conflict, he finally closed his eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Rustle."
"Rustle."
"Rustle."
Valen looked at his small pouch, feeling suddenly penniless, then at the small pile of golden Galleons on the ground. The feeling of happiness returned.
"Altogether, that's 2007 Galleons", Felix said in amazement. "How about we deposit 2000 Galleons? What do you think?"
Valen looked at him silently. He wanted to hit someone.
"It's a good deal. Let me show you the math. It involves some complex formulas... You haven't learned arithmetic yet? Oh, what a pity."
The sky was completely dark. Valen clutched a piece of parchment covered with numbers, feeling lost. "Swish!" The small pile of Galleons was swallowed by the Slytherin's gaping mouth.
"Hmph!!!"
Valen grabbed the Slytherin's neck and shook it vigorously. He regretted it! But it was too late. The money jar Slytherin burped and spat out seven gold coins.
Valen picked up the coins one by one and pitifully stuffed them into his small pouch.
"Maybe the Slytherin money jar isn't the best place to put..."
"Hmph!"
Valen clung tightly to the Slytherin, his black fur standing on end.
"Yours, all yours", Felix smiled. "There's just one more step. We need to set a date. If you withdraw before that time, you won't get the extra Galleons."
Valen extended his hand and shakily made a pinky promise with Felix.
The next day, Valen woke up in the crib, groggily opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he instinctively felt his small pouch. He let out a cry and jumped out of bed, looking around. Finally, he found the Glutton Snake that had eaten his treasure in a corner of the crib.
Valen let out a long sigh, his small shoulders relaxing.
He sneaked out of the bedroom with the Slytherins' money jar and looked around the office for a moment. Hmm? The Dark Lord isn't home? He walked over to the sofa, took a deep breath, and jumped onto the spot where the Dark Lord usually sat, rolling around happily. After a couple of minutes of rolling around contentedly, he suddenly grew worried and nervously peered under the sofa.
The Slytherins coiled themselves into a circle, lazily flicking their tongues.
Valen felt relieved. It was the weekend, and he guessed the Dark Lord had gone visiting somewhere. He took out his magic drawing and pointed at it. The main character, Niffler, had already collected four gemstones, each of which could unleash powerful ancient magic. And, at Valen's insistence, Niffler was also wearing a stylish cloak.
However, the game didn't seem as appealing today. Every few minutes, Valen would check to see if the Glutton Snake was still there. This Glutton Snake always liked to wander around, as the Dark Lord put it, "moving in random patterns around you." Valen didn't quite understand, but he guessed it meant the snake wouldn't go too far.
Still, whenever the Glutton Snake disappeared from his sight, Valen would feel anxious. Each time, he would jump off the sofa, find the Glutton Snake hiding in a corner, and bring it back in front of him.
By noon, Valen wobbled to the door, deciding to take the Glutton Snake with him. He couldn't let it out of his sight.
He hid the Glutton Snake under his small yellow cap and wandered around the castle. On the way, he encountered Mafalda, who was selling tabloids and looking for material. He glanced at his small pocket, where seven galleons lay empty, making him feel a bit sad.
Valen finally understood the hardships of life. As he passed Mafalda, he clenched his fist and made up his mind—until he saved enough money again, he wouldn't buy any newspapers. He could read them for free.
After some searching, he found a familiar face.
"Chirp!"
Astoria Greengrass looked down and saw Valen greeting her warmly. They sat together to read the newspaper. Valen quickly finished one page and eagerly turned to the next. He looked at her sideways, noting that her reading speed was a bit slow...
Never mind, he thought, I should be understanding.
"Don't rush", Astoria said earnestly, "it says here that the Ministry of Magic has sent twelve people to the school. They will stay for two weeks to inspect the Apparition training and assist with special training—indicating that the Ministry of Magic is very concerned about student safety. See, that's the analysis."
Valen tilted his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
He pulled out a piece of parchment from his small pocket and silently handed it to her. "What is this? Oh, you want me to solve this formula? Let me see, it's not too difficult..." Astoria looked down at the dense mathematical formulas, her eyes swirling with concentration.
"A bit tricky... but it's not my fault. I didn't choose Arithmancy."
Although he didn't get an answer, Valen finally felt relieved. It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough; it was the Dark Lord's unreasonable demand. After parting ways with Astoria, he happily took the Glutton Snake for a walk. In the entrance hall, a large crowd had gathered, and Filch was standing guard at the door, wand in hand.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were among the onlookers.
"What year are they in?" a new student asked.
"Seventh year", Ron replied, "they learned Apparition last year when they were in sixth year. This is a chance for them to get their certification early." He revealed his true intentions, "Do you think— if you learn Apparition before you're of age, you might also get the certification?"
The surrounding students looked at him with admiration.
"I doubt it", Hermione analyzed, "according to the rules, you have to be of age—"
"But this is a special case, right?" Harry asked, also hopeful, "Then we wouldn't have to take the carriage to Hogsmeade." And it would be easier to visit Grawp, he glanced at Hermione, who also realized this.
Despite this, they couldn't escape Hagrid's enthusiastic invitation and went to Grawp's temporary residence on a weekend. The three of them prepared thoroughly, re-practicing various defensive spells before going. What they saw there left them stunned—Grawp was sitting on a pile of hay, one hand holding a half-eaten giant pumpkin, the other skillfully turning the knobs of a magic projector. They couldn't believe they were watching half an episode of The Lion King and the second task of the Triwizard Tournament in a cave.
Grawp was thrilled to see Harry, grunting and calling out to him. They guessed for a while, looking at the images on the magic projector, and finally realized he wanted to see Harry's Patronus Charm.
Hagrid had also bought a magic radio for entertainment. As they left the cave, Ron said in disbelief, "Did I get hit with a Confundus Charm? I actually heard 'A Cauldron of Hot Love' in a cave, with a pair of feet over twenty inches tapping along to the beat!"
"Don't worry, your brain is safe", Hermione said. She hadn't wanted to come, but now she felt it was worth it, "We can have a little faith in Hagrid's dream, can't we? Are you ready to welcome a sixteen-foot-tall gamekeeper?"
Harry thought he could find a chance to persuade Hagrid to take his time and not rush, spending a couple more years wouldn’t be a problem... Unfortunately, he never got the opportunity. Snape had been more aggressive lately, always picking on him. Harry wasn’t sure if Snape had seen through his thoughts, but he remembered Professor Hup mentioning last year that Snape was an expert in Legilimency.
In the Great Hall, Valen slipped through the crowd of feet and entered through the door. Filch was about to stop him, but upon recognizing Valen, the old man’s wrinkled face broke into a broad smile. Valen casually slipped Mrs. Norris a small fish, then slipped into the Great Hall.
"Wow, he’s really good at this", Neville marveled.
Suddenly, a high-pitched, pinched voice screeched from inside, and the students in the entrance hall froze for a few seconds. A short, plump woman emerged.
"It’s Umbridge", Harry said immediately. He had seen this woman’s arrogant demeanor and her humiliating departure from the school, but he never expected to see her again. He thought Umbridge had been fired by the Ministry of Magic after Fudge's downfall.
"She’s learned to keep a low profile", Ron remarked. Harry understood what he meant. Umbridge was wearing a tightly fitted, bright green wizard robe, which, while noticeable, was much more subdued compared to her previously glaring pink attire.
"Filch, I just saw a large rat", Umbridge said in a pinched voice.
"It’s called Valen, and it’s Professor Hup’s pet. It’s not a rat; it’s a Niffler", Filch said, clearly annoyed.
Umbridge’s body stiffened. She noticed Filch’s displeasure and immediately forced a sweet smile onto her slack, wide jaw. "Oh, I see. The little thing does look quite cute. Do you like cats, Mr. Filch? I love cats, absolutely adore them—"
She pointed at Mrs. Norris, who was crouched by Filch’s feet, munching on the small fish.
"She has a name; it’s Mrs. Norris", Filch said stiffly. Umbridge fell silent. Then, Filch suddenly shouted at the crowd, "Watch out!" He puffed and panted as he walked into the crowd, and the students immediately scattered, revealing a bewildered first-year student.
Stuck to the floor by the student’s feet was a soft, squishy cauldron cake.
"Pick it up!" Filch yelled, and the student immediately complied. Filch muttered to himself, "Always causing trouble... heh heh... defiling the castle... don’t touch it!" he suddenly shouted at a student who had pulled out a wand and pointed it at the floor.
"Let me handle it", Filch said, his face flushed as he pointed his special wand at the remaining stains on the floor. "Scouring Charm!" he bellowed.
The cake remnants vanished instantly, and Filch grinned as he made his way back to the entrance of the Great Hall.
Umbridge was astonished. She knew Filch was a Squib, yet he was now using magic? And those oddly named clubs, that newspaper—Hogwarts seemed completely unrecognizable to her.
"Umbridge?" A young man emerged from the Great Hall. "Professor Tofty wants the sixth-year students to come in." Umbridge glanced at him. "I was just about to say that, little Avery."
The young man’s eyebrows immediately furrowed.
The sixth-year students began to gather spontaneously. Harry saw Chaser Katie Bell in the crowd, her face full of excitement as she entered the Great Hall. Coming the other way were the seventh-year students who had just completed their exams, including Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain Angelina Johnson, who looked delighted.
"Did it work?" Katie asked, taking advantage of the moment as they passed each other.
Angelina gave her a thumbs up.
In the Great Hall, the two central tables had been temporarily moved aside, replaced by two rows of wooden circles, each spaced about ten feet apart. About a dozen adult wizards stood near the circles, including the four Heads of House from Hogwarts.
"Good morning, everyone", Wickie Tackross stepped forward and addressed the sixth-year students, capturing their attention. "I hope you all saw the notice posted in the entrance hall. The Ministry of Magic is currently very busy, but they have managed to allocate some personnel to ensure that all Hogwarts students can master Apparition or Accompanying Apparition, as Madam Bones believes this will effectively reduce casualties..."
"Today is the first day, and my colleagues and I will be conducting a thorough check of your progress. From what we’ve seen, you’ve done quite well. I must thank this year’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor; I know how exhausting it is to teach Apparition..."
"Alright", he waved his wand, "those who have mastered Apparition, or believe they have, please step forward. We’ll start with your assessments..."
"Don’t cause trouble", Felix said to Valen, who was perched on his shoulder. "Let’s just watch the show." He squinted as Umbridge and Avery reluctantly entered the Great Hall, and Felix’s gaze was somewhat piercing.
(End of Chapter)
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