Dumbledore's Offer

Chapter update is here.

Get comfortable, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🔥

✦

The moment they entered Professor McGonagall's office, Harry rushed to present the "brilliant plan" he had spent all night thinking up: he would pay the gentleman they had injured one thousand Galleons in compensation.

He had remembered Dudley once using a classmate as a punching bag while learning to box. The boy had lost a tooth, and his parents had stormed over to demand an explanation. In the end, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had paid them off before Dudley could get into worse trouble.

Harry, wealthy without quite understanding what that meant, had no clear idea how much money he actually had. To him, if one thousand Galleons could solve the problem, then paying it sounded like the best possible outcome.

Mrs. Weasley stared at him in shock.

"We will compensate that gentleman, Harry, but we absolutely will not let you pay!"

Harry tried to convince her to let him cover the compensation himself. When that failed, he even suggested they each pay half. Mrs. Weasley firmly refused every version of the offer.

The Weasley family's finances were not good. They might even have to pawn a few family keepsakes to cover the cost. Even so, not one of them considered letting Harry shoulder the compensation for them.

Once Professor McGonagall had explained the full situation to Arthur and Molly, the Weasley family set off for the hospital wing in another noisy procession.

After the conflict between Dumbledore and Elias in the hospital wing, Dumbledore had left. Now, in the Headmaster's office, Snape drew his hand back from the Pensieve. Dumbledore had just shared the memory of his conversation with Elias.

Snape considered it in grim silence for a moment before his usual expression returned.

"If we set aside the fascinating world he described, he is merely an artificially created killing machine," Snape said in his customary arrogant tone.

His eyes sharpened.

"That Sign of his, however, is worth attention. Magic released instantly by drawing a rune, without a wand. A new technique entirely."

Dumbledore sat with his fingers interlaced, thinking for a long while.

At last, he spoke.

"Thank you for your help, Severus. I think I know how to deal with Elias."

Snape seemed to understand at once. Disbelief crossed his face.

"You mean to bring him into Hogwarts? After hiring Lockhart, that shameless fraud, you now intend to invite a killing machine from another world into the school?"

"There is no need to be alarmed, Severus. I have my own considerations. I can see that Elias is not a bad man. Besides, sooner or later, we will have to face the conflict Tom brings us. Bringing Elias to our side, and allowing the students to learn more ways to protect themselves, is hardly a bad thing. Keeping Elias within a range we can observe and influence may also prevent many unnecessary problems."

"Just as you kept Tom under control?" Snape gave a sharp, mocking laugh.

Without bothering to say goodbye, he turned and swept out of the Headmaster's office like a great black bat.

In the hospital wing, Elias was not having a particularly easy time either.

He had never seen quite so many red-haired heads gathered in one place. The Weasleys, meeting him for the first time, were startled by his catlike eyes. In the wizarding world, however, unusual eyes were not the strangest thing anyone had ever seen.

When the family saw that Elias did not appear seriously hurt, they clearly relaxed. Then the hospital wing erupted into chaos. Every Weasley tried to apologize to Elias at once, making Madam Pomfrey's brows draw tighter and tighter. She wanted to stop the commotion, but remembered Dumbledore's earlier instructions. Since Elias was the only patient in the ward, she reluctantly let it pass.

The Weasleys attempted several times to give Elias one thousand Galleons in compensation. After repeated refusals and a great deal of effort on Elias's part, the amount was finally reduced to three hundred Galleons.

In truth, the accident could not be blamed entirely on Harry and Ron. In a certain sense, Elias even owed the two young wizards thanks for saving his life.

Ron and Harry looked at him with open gratitude. In their eyes, Elias was an extraordinarily good man. Not only had he not blamed them, he had voluntarily reduced most of the compensation.

Once the amount fell to three hundred Galleons, the atmosphere around the Weasley family grew much lighter. Arthur and Molly, in particular, seemed to ease. Three hundred Galleons would still be difficult, but with enough effort, they believed they could manage it. The few family heirlooms the Weasleys possessed had, at least, escaped disaster for now.

After the family finally left amid repeated praise and thanks, the hospital wing returned to peace.

Elias, however, gradually grew solemn. The conversation about Galleons had made him realize a serious problem.

The crowns he had earned through hard work, sleeping rough, eating little, and hunting monsters for years now seemed to have become useless scrap metal.

Elias scratched his head in frustration. He had saved so many crowns and barely dared spend a single one. Old witchers were poor for a reason, and poverty left habits behind.

'Maybe I can extract the gold from the crowns and exchange it?'

The hopeful thought did not cheer him much.

He could only hope this world had work he could take. Commissions, monsters, protection jobs - something. Elias had already begun planning for his future.

His thoughts were interrupted by Dumbledore, and only then did Elias realize night had fallen.

"Forgive me for disturbing you so late, Mr. Vale," Dumbledore said. "I would like to discuss something with you. Before we begin, however, would you care to try one of our local specialties? Butterbeer."

"That would be excellent, Mr. Dumbledore."

Dumbledore handed him a mug of butterbeer topped with thick foam. Elias accepted it, thanked him, and took a large drink. First, a witcher's resistance meant he was not particularly afraid of Veritaserum in the drink. Second, he genuinely wanted to know what authentic butterbeer tasted like compared with the absurdly expensive version sold at theme parks in his first life.

As it turned out, the low-alcohol drink with its rich butterscotch flavor was excellent, especially for the warmth it left behind. Elias gave the butterbeer high praise.

Dumbledore seemed pleased by that. A smile entered his blue eyes.

"The matter is this, Mr. Vale." Dumbledore cleared his throat and turned to business. "You have only just arrived in this world. I imagine you will face many inconveniences and need some time to adapt. I also know that you possess extraordinary witcher skills. Would you be willing to use this period to serve as a professor at Hogwarts? I would like you to teach the young witches and wizards here some of the techniques and methods you use in battle."

Elias was astonished. He had never expected Dumbledore to invite him to become a professor. His mouth fell slightly open in surprise, and with the white ring of foam still left from the butterbeer, he looked faintly foolish.

Admittedly, it was probably the best choice available to him. He had no money, no legal identity, and had appeared out of thin air in the wizarding world. Surviving alone would be difficult.

So Elias did not think for long before accepting Dumbledore's offer.

"Excellent, Elias. Hogwarts can open a course for you: Magical Close-Quarters Defense. I have long worried about the poor physical condition of modern young wizards, and about their growing waistlines," Dumbledore said solemnly.

"Besides, close-quarters defense has been almost entirely abandoned by British wizards. Godric Gryffindor once carried a sword in one hand and a wand in the other. British wizarding society has fallen far behind in this respect. Durmstrang still teaches its students close combat."

Dumbledore offered several ideas for the course, and Elias accepted them one by one. For a time, both host and guest were satisfied.

Even Dumbledore's crooked nose began to look much more agreeable to Elias.

✦
✦
✦

Ready for more?

The next chapters are already waiting on my Patreon, along with early access, previews, and extra story updates 🗝️

www.patreon.com/c/EmberHollowFanfiction