Chapter 632: Beyond Expectations
Chapter 632: Beyond Expectations (Seeking Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
“So, what exactly did you call us here for today?” Hermione asked straightforwardly, while Liam was deep in thought. “I don’t believe you just wanted to update us on the current situation.”
“Of course not, I have some matters to discuss with you,” Professor Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing. “Could you lend me some funds? Not just Galleons, but Muggle money as well.”
“What?” Liam, who had been pondering the earlier issue, widened his eyes. “You can’t be serious. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are right here. How could you possibly be out of money?”
“But that is the situation,” Dumbledore admitted, appearing somewhat flustered. It might be the first time he, the greatest White Wizard, had to borrow money, so he was clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
“The operation of Hogwarts primarily relies on funding from the Ministry of Magic and donations from wealthy Board Members. However, since the Ministry has fallen under Voldemort’s control, all of that has been cut off. Most people who fled to Hogsmeade have also lost their jobs, and Gringotts is now overrun with Death Eaters, making it impossible for us to withdraw money.”
“Can’t Gringotts just deliver the money?” Liam asked. “Why not have the Goblins send the money directly?”
“They refused,” Dumbledore spread his hands. “The Goblin representative said they cannot get involved in Wizard conflicts. A few Goblins offered to lend me money privately, but the interest rates are too high.”
Liam didn’t believe for a moment that Goblins could bypass Gringotts’ regulations to lend a large sum of money to Dumbledore. This was just a way for them to make more profit.
Liam wasn’t surprised that Dumbledore had approached him for a loan. As an Alchemist with the Philosopher’s Stone, he had always been well-off. So, he asked straightforwardly, “How much do you need?”
“The more, the better,” Professor Dumbledore replied. Realizing how that sounded, he added, “The main issue is that running a school is incredibly expensive, with daily expenses of 2500 Galleons. I’ve already used my personal funds, but it’s far from enough.”
“I don’t have many Galleons on hand,” Liam said, and Dumbledore’s eyes dimmed slightly. But his next words quickly lifted the Professor’s spirits.
“But I have a lot of gold, gems, and various magical herbs, which I believe the school needs,” Liam explained.
“That’s excellent,” Professor Dumbledore nodded. “In fact, most of the money for running the school goes toward purchasing various supplies and teaching materials. With gold, we can import these items from China.
The Wizards there are willing to accept our credit for magical items, but everyday supplies must be paid for in hard currency. They need to buy these items from Muggles, who require cash.”
“Cash? But I don’t have Renminbi or pounds,” Liam scratched his head. “And it would be difficult to convert this gold into Muggle currency quickly.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Dumbledore reassured him. “The Wizard who last handled the exchange of items from China told me that their Muggles accept all forms of hard currency, including gold. With gold, we can easily purchase food, clothing, and all other daily necessities.”
As he spoke, Dumbledore even wore a slightly incredulous expression. “You know, the Wizard from China told me that as long as we follow the traditional procedures and negotiate with the Muggle government, they will convert the gold into local currency and purchase everything we need on our behalf.”
"We can have all the daily necessities required for our entire School, including Hogsmeade, delivered from a single city in a very short time, and this procurement won't affect the local Muggles' lives at all. I really wonder how they manage to do all this without Magic? At least in Britain, I can't find any place outside of London that can gather all these things at once."
That’s the future world's factory! Producing goods for thousands of people would be a piece of cake. Liam thought. Right now, only America on the other side of the Atlantic has a similar production capacity.
As for old Europe, it’s the mid-1990s, and the decline of old Europe is slowly becoming apparent. To procure supplies for thousands of people, they would have to visit several cities, and it would definitely be much more expensive than importing from China.
"Alright, this is the wealth I have on me. Please take a look and see if it's enough. If not, I can gather more within three days." Liam said, pulling out a small Spatial Bag and handing it to Professor Dumbledore.
Dumbledore opened the bag, which contained ten standard international 400-ounce gold bars. Additionally, there were three transparent boxes about the size of an adult’s fist, each containing cut natural rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Although they weren’t large, they were the most marketable sizes.
These items came from New York in the Radiation World. After clearing out the local bandits and gunmen, the underground vault of the Federal Reserve Bank on Wall Street fell into their hands. That time, they obtained over 7,000 tons of gold and a large amount of various jewelry. The gold Liam brought out today was part of that haul.
"This wealth will more than suffice until the next round of taxes in Hogsmeade." Dumbledore looked relieved. The financial issues had indeed been a huge burden, especially with much of the money in London’s Gringotts being inaccessible. Voldemort’s immediate control of the bank had indeed caused significant problems.
"Once we have the money, we will prioritize repaying you", Dumbledore said. "However, the road to victory is still long, and even after we win, we will need a lot of money for reconstruction. So, the repayment time—"
"Your meaning is—once we lend this money, it will be difficult to get it back, right?" Hermione asked, looking at Headmaster Dumbledore. She knew that this wasn’t the right time for Liam to argue with the Headmaster, so she stepped in to play the role of the tough negotiator.
"Indeed, that is the case", Professor Dumbledore said, folding his hands together. "It sounds terrible, but I feel I cannot deceive you on this matter."
With that, Dumbledore straightened his posture. "However, besides waiting a long time, I have another solution to this problem: these funds can be considered donations."
At this, he gestured for Hermione to wait, indicating she should listen to his detailed explanation. "Of course, I won’t let you donate without compensation. Stealing wealth is Voldemort and his Death Eaters' way, not mine. I suggest a donation because I will provide you with corresponding compensation."
"It won’t be the Order of Merlin, right? Even the first class wouldn’t be very useful", Hermione said. Her words were a bit harsh, but Dumbledore didn’t get angry. In the Western world, private wealth is a very important issue, so Hermione, as Liam’s fiancée, was perfectly within her rights to question Dumbledore on Liam’s behalf.
"Of course not", Dumbledore shook his head. "The Order of Merlin is awarded by the Ministry of Magic, and I don’t have the authority to interfere. What I’m proposing is that you become a Board Member of Hogwarts."
(End of Chapter)
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