Chapter 414: Chapter 414: Tour Guide: Minerva McGonagall (Edited)
"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.
Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Muggles at Hogwarts (Edited)
Standing by the Black Lake, you could see Hogwarts Castle. This magnificent castle stood on a hillside, with imposing towers bathed in sunlight, giving it a golden glow.
As they crossed the lake in the small boat, Hacker remained silent, listening attentively to Professor McGonagall's explanations, while gazing at the enormous castle rising towards the sky. As they approached the cliff where the castle stood, it seemed to loom over them, suspended above their heads, as if crushing them.
Hacker lowered his head, watching the water's surface break as the boat moved, once again feeling the wonder of magic.
It's quite fascinating. Does this boat work with magic? Hacker wondered to himself. And to think that this school has existed for a thousand years. A thousand years ago, the school's founder, just like them, crossed the Black Lake in a small boat. And now, the castle they left behind still stood, watching generations of students coming to seek knowledge, while they, the founders, had disappeared over time.
An overwhelming sense of history washed over them...
Before Hacker could finish his amazement, the boat carried them through the curtain of ivy covering the cliff's facade, turning towards a secret entrance and finally arriving at an underground-like dock. The four of them jumped off the boat to find themselves on a pebble-covered ground.
Hacker: ...
For this special visit, Hacker had donned his best attire, but it turned out that this stretch of path was surprisingly rudimentary. Walking on the stone path, the stones didn't seem to be in his shoes but rather embedded in Hacker's heart.
My elegant leather shoes!!
Nevertheless, this journey was very mysterious and magical, giving them the feeling of explorers leading an adventure team to discover ancient ruins.
This path wasn't long, and soon the pebble path turned into stone steps. At the end of the stone steps was a large oak door.
The door opened slowly, revealing a golden glow.
"Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you in his office, shall I take you there first?" Before entering, Professor McGonagall informed Hacker that she would first take him to meet Headmaster Dumbledore in his office, and then they would arrange for lunch.
Hacker naturally had no objections. He was quite flexible and wouldn't get entangled in these trivial details with others or think that Dumbledore was asserting his authority.
Hacker followed Professor McGonagall into Hogwarts' majestic entrance hall. The walls on both sides were like those of any common castle, made of thick stone walls with torches placed on them. In front of the entrance hall was a grand marble staircase that led directly upstairs, looking extremely luxurious. Hacker looked up and found that the entrance hall's ceiling was so high that he could barely see the top. Hacker even had the feeling that he was looking at an illusion, looking up and down, always feeling that the castle's top seemed like a starry sky.
"Don't stare at the starry sky... the stars will burn your eyes..." An old and deranged voice echoed in Hacker's ear, startling him.
He turned to look for who was speaking, but Hacker didn't see a single human figure; there were only some portraits behind him.
They couldn't be the portraits speaking, could they?
"Don't worry about him; this guy went crazy over astrology." Another voice chimed in, and its source was a portrait of a monk. The monk wore an old, tattered robe and held a wooden cross in his hand.
They really are the portraits that are talking!
"Do all the portraits in the wizarding world talk?" Hacker was amazed.
"Strictly speaking, not all of them can talk. Here, all the portraits can move, but only some can talk, and they can even 'visit' other frames!" Tom pointed to the portraits on the wall, and Hacker noticed there was a frame with several crowded people, while others were empty, with only a canvas or background.
"Are they all wizards who existed in the wizarding world?"
"Of course." Tom has never seen any Muggle portrayed in wizarding portraits.
Hacker's eyes lit up. "What about non-magical people? Are there portraits that can leave an animated image?"
"No, there are no portraits of Mr. Churchill here." Hacker only half-stated, and Tom understood his meaning. This guy wanted to speak directly with Mr. Churchill. That was impossible! No matter how powerful Churchill was, he was still a Muggle; he couldn't leave a moving image.
"Ah," Hacker felt a bit disappointed. After realizing he couldn't have a conversation through time and space with Churchill, his attention shifted to understanding the principles behind these portraits.
"Is it through some kind of magical sorcery that people's souls are preserved in these portraits for all eternity?" Hacker analyzed for a moment and instinctively uttered his response.
As soon as those words came out of his mouth, Hacker could feel a moment of silence in the air, and the atmosphere became subtle.
"It's not like that. The souls of wizards are not contained in these portraits. If we have to define it, it's more like an image imbued with the wisdom left by the wizards during their lifetime," Professor McGonagall explained the principles of magical portraits to Hacker.
Hacker felt like he had inadvertently violated a taboo among wizards. However, after hearing Professor McGonagall's explanation, he couldn't help but feel that these portraits still contained a fragment of a wizard's soul within them. What was the difference between that and what he said?
"For wizards, the inability to secure the integrity of their soul is the severest punishment," Tom said as he chatted with Hacker just as a plump friar from Hufflepuff floated past them in the entrance hall. Seeing the four of them, he stopped his steps, greeted them, and offered a friendly smile.
"Is he a ghost?" Hacker widened his eyes, staring at the friar.
"That's right, I'm the Hufflepuff House ghost," the friar smiled kindly at Hacker. "Are you a Muggle? It's rare to see one enter Hogwarts. The last time a Muggle entered Hogwarts was almost seventy years ago."
"The last time?" Hacker was curious. Who was the last common person to enter Hogwarts?
The friar didn't continue the conversation. "Enjoy your time at Hogwarts," he said playfully as he passed through Hacker.
Suddenly, Hacker felt like he had been doused in ice water.
"This ghost seems a bit different from the portraits we just saw," Hacker shivered. Through their conversation, he noted that the friar seemed somewhat distinct. "Was he also a wizard at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, the friar used to belong to the Hufflepuff House at Hogwarts. After his death, he became a ghost and has been wandering inside the castle," Hermione clarified beside him, sharing the information she had gathered from her Hufflepuff peers.
"Do all wizards become ghosts after they die?"
Upon hearing this, Tom shook his head. "Yes and no. Each wizard can choose to become a ghost, but most reject this option."
Hacker: ...
He couldn't fully comprehend the decisions wizards made. From his perspective, it was simply another form of immortality. Why would someone reject it? And he really hated the answer of "yes and no."
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