Hogwarts Card System Chapter 005

“Oh, little Ted, you’re back. How was it? Did you get in?” The matron asked quickly.

“Yes, Matron. I got in. And because of my special circumstances, the school even found me a work-study job before classes started. I can work there part-time, and it includes room and board…”

Ted began to spin a tale for the matron.

He had already decided to work in Diagon Alley and live at Old Tom’s Leaky Cauldron.

The matron was still very reluctant to see him go; after all, he was only 11 and already had to work to support himself.

But many children from the orphanage were like this, either becoming apprentices early or being chosen to attend church schools.

The matron reluctantly agreed to Ted’s “work-study” plan.

After dinner, Ted began to pack.

There wasn’t much to pack, really. Besides some daily necessities, he only had an old guitar.

Other small toys and such were given to the younger children.

He was going to venture out into society in Diagon Alley tomorrow; his heart was truly pounding with excitement.

Oh, right, he also needed to buy some useful things here.

Parchment wasn’t cheap in the Muggle world, but ink and such were dirt cheap.

A diary was also a must. What era was this, still using parchment? Didn’t they know how expensive it was?

He also needed to buy a fountain pen. Quill pens were too fine; he wasn’t used to them.

Ted was good at budgeting and would naturally buy wherever it was cheaper.

If it weren’t for the school uniform not being able to be made by Muggle tailors, he would have even considered having his robes made on the Muggle side.

Unusually excited, Ted found himself a little sleepless.

Might as well read his textbooks.

Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. Ted, holding a small flashlight under his blanket, read carefully.

“I remember that before enrolling, wands could be used privately. Hermione practiced spells at home and fixed Harry Potter’s glasses on the train. That means there’s no Trace yet…”

In fact, the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery Act was enacted in 1875; its main content was to restrict wizards under the age of 17 from performing magic outside of school.

He had to seize this opportunity and make use of it.

Two months, he couldn’t just work, could he? He wasn’t here to earn foreign currency in the magical world.

Ted opened Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. The preface stated:

“Charms differ from Transfiguration spells in the following ways: Charms add specific properties to an object or creature, while Transfiguration spells change them into something entirely different.”

“Minor charms are not difficult to break, and the effects of most spells learned by young wizards like yourselves will disappear within days or even hours.”

“Jinxes, hexes, and curses are collectively known as Dark Charms. This book will not cover such spells.”

…

The first spell recorded in the book was the Wand-Lighting Charm!

There wasn’t much fuss; it was a very simple description.

Ted pulled out his wand and began to cast the spell as described in the book.

“Lumos~”

No, no! The pronunciation wasn’t quite right.

Again!

“Lumos~” This time, his hand gesture was still a bit stiff.

After trying five or six times, Ted finally felt the correct flow of magic. “Lumos~” The tip of his wand emitted a pure white light, flickering unsteadily.

“Woohoo~ No need for a flashlight now!”

Not only that, Ted also found that he had gained 25 experience points! Learning and practicing magic indeed granted experience.

However, subsequent uses made Ted realize that only the first time gave a significant amount of experience. Later, it took more than ten tries to gain just one point of experience.

After using it dozens of times, he felt his internal magic almost empty.

Well, learning the Wand-Lighting Charm on the first day was quite a fruitful gain.

With infinite anticipation for magic, Ted, whose magic was depleted and who was somewhat tired, finally fell asleep.

The next morning, after bidding farewell to the tearful matron, Ted boarded the bus.

…

The Leaky Cauldron was still dim, lit by candlesticks or oil lamps.

Those drinking wizards were essentially having candlelight dinners.

He wondered if the Wand-Lighting Charm could be made permanent?

There was some advanced magic called “Faerie Fire” that could burn continuously.

Who could stand this smoky and fiery environment? If he could create magic lamps, the sales would definitely be good.

And the walls were too mottled, almost like an unfinished building. If they were painted white or plastered, it would probably look much better.

Of course, maybe wizards liked this medieval style!

“Oh, you’re the new student from yesterday, what was your name again?” The owner, Tom, noticed Ted pushing open the door, dragging a suitcase.

“Ted, Ted Epiphany, Mr. Tom. I need to stay here until school starts. Could you tell me how much your cheapest room is? If it’s convenient… do you need a part-time waiter?”

“Oh, a waiter? Hmm, I haven’t considered that. As for the room…” He looked at Ted’s old clothes, worn for several years, and his somewhat battered suitcase.

Finally, Old Tom, who looked somewhat fierce and unapproachable but had a kind heart, gave Ted a free storage room.

In return, Ted had to help clean up after closing time at night.

He even got a free sandwich in the morning.

“Thank you! Thank you very much.”

He had to admit, there were still many good people in the wizarding world!

After all, for wizards, cleaning with magic was no difficult task. Old Tom was genuinely helping Ted.

The storage room was small. After putting in a bed and a sixty-centimeter bedside table to serve as a desk, there was no room for a chair. But what more could Ted wish for? Only gratitude!

After briefly tidying up the room, Ted changed into his secondhand wizard robes, grabbed his wand, and went to the backyard.

He gently tapped the brick, and the arched doorway appeared with a clatter of shifting bricks. Beyond the door was the still bustling Diagon Alley. Ted couldn’t help but smile.

…

Which shop should he look for a job in?

He couldn’t go to Gringotts, could he?

Cauldron and broomstick shops weren’t really suitable either.

Ted decided to walk around first, familiarize himself with the environment, and carefully see what shops there were. He wanted to see how difficult his exploration task was.

There was Eeylops Owl Emporium with many owls of all sizes, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes crackling and popping, Magical Menagerie, Flourish and Blotts, Madam Primpernelle’s Beautifying Potions…

Ha, this was the most modern shop Ted had seen.

Indeed, beauty was universal.

And Flourish and Blotts, that was a good choice! A rare opportunity to read books for free! Books were too expensive!

However, ideals were grand, but reality was harsh. Ted asked at several shops in a row, but they all turned him down.

The reason was that he was too young, not yet of working age!

Was the wizarding world so law-abiding? They actually didn’t use child labor. Did they really think labor laws existed?!

Just as Ted’s working career was about to end before it even began, and he was at a loss, a man beside him suddenly exclaimed, and then, “Splash!” something spilled.

Ted quickly pulled up his robes and jumped aside, avoiding the spreading unknown liquid.

He looked closely and saw, oh, a large pile of slugs!

The man was carrying a bucket of slugs, but one of the handles broke, and the slugs spilled all over the ground, wiggling and crawling everywhere!

The people around quickly scurried away.

Slugs: I’m free!

“Damn it! These disgusting slugs, I really shouldn’t have stocked them. Next time, definitely not! Definitely next time!” The man complained.

He used “Reparo” to fix the wooden bucket, but he had to catch the slugs himself.

Ted thought for a moment, rolled up his sleeves, and squatted down to help the man catch the slugs all over the ground—they were slippery and slimy, wiggling and not biting, but they were certainly gross.

“Oh, oh, thank you, thank you, let me do it, thank you, child!” The man quickly thanked him.

The two fumbled around for several minutes before finally rounding up all the slugs.

These things were too slippery; sometimes, if he grabbed them too tightly, they would squeeze out between his fingers.

The man let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.”

Saying that, he pointed his wand. “Scourgify!”

Ted’s hands became clean.

“I’m Slug Giggs, and the Slug Giggs Apothecary behind me is mine. If you ever need any potion ingredients, feel free to come to me, I’ll give you a 20% discount!” The man smiled.

“Uh, really? Then, do you need an hourly worker?” Ted asked with an innocent expression.

Huh? Was this favor going to be repaid so quickly?

Slug was a bit stunned, feeling like he had fallen into a pit! A pit he had dug himself!

Soon, Ted found his first job—processing simple potion ingredients, like slugs, at the apothecary.

A maximum of three hours of work per day, with a weekly wage of 14 Silver Sickles.

1 Galleon = 17 Sickles = 493 Knuts.

Who knew who invented this exchange rate!

Ted’s monthly salary was 3 Galleons and 5 Sickles, which was almost enough for a wand in two months!

Although the income was low, at least he had a job.

The task was also completed; this was the first task he had completed!

“Ding~ Task [Worker (Green)] completed. Reward: 100 experience, Card [Energy Restoration (Green)]”

The experience pool in his character panel gained 100 experience. He was still over eight hundred experience points away from leveling up and over two hundred experience points away from exchanging for [Several Pages of Psionics Manual (Blue)]. Full of motivation!

And he also got his first card:

This card had a green striped border, and the image showed a humanoid figure with arms outstretched, head tilted back, and a green light swirling around their body.

[Energy Restoration (Green)]

Spell Card

Consumes a small amount of magic to restore a portion of expended stamina.

Cooldown 4 hours.

Ted found an opportunity to try it out. It could restore his fatigued self to an energetic state.

It was roughly equivalent to being able to drink a free bottle of “Vigor Tonic” every four hours. It made him work more energetically.

He was truly a chosen worker!

…

“Ha, Mr. Tom, I found a job.”

“Is that so? That’s great! Have a butterbeer, it’s on me.” Old Tom was also happy to hear the news.

“What kind of job did you find?” He placed a large, frothing oak mug of butterbeer in front of Ted and asked.

“It’s at Slug Giggs Apothecary. I help process low-level ingredients.”

“That’s very good! What exactly?”

“Like processing slugs. Using special gloves to strip off the mucus and flick it into a bucket, then using a small silver knife to cut open the slugs, squeeze out the internal organs, and lay the slugs flat to dry.”

“Uh~” Old Tom was speechless.

“Haha, what else can an un-enrolled young wizard like me do? Mr. Slug Giggs is already very kind to help me. Plus, I can learn some Potions knowledge along the way.”

Old Tom nodded and said nothing more.

He found Ted to have a very good attitude, very mature.

Which 11-year-old child would be willing to process disgusting slugs?

To remain optimistic and carefree in adversity, without complaining about fate.

Such a person was undoubtedly likable.