Dumbledore studied Jack with quiet unease, wondering if he had made the right decision in bringing this boy back to Hogwarts.
"Professor Snape is the greatest Potion Master alive," Dumbledore said in his calm voice. "Even if he left Hogwarts, he would never lack employment."
Jack tilted his head, his sharp gaze flickering with mischief. "Then why's he still working for you? How much are you paying him?"
The silence that followed stretched uncomfortably, forming a fragile bridge between the two of them.
"Hogwarts is the finest school of magic," Dumbledore finally replied. "Every professor here is proud to teach under its roof."
But Jack wasn't about to let go so easily. His lips curled into a smile as he pressed, "So, what's the real story, old man?"
Before he could go further, Dumbledore cut him off, raising a hand toward the empty chair in front of his desk. "Child, sit for a while. Someone will soon come to escort you to buy the supplies you'll need for enrollment."
Jack didn't bother with politeness. He flopped onto the chair, propped his chin on one hand, and said in a steady tone, "That's all well and good, Principal. But we have a problem."
He leaned in with exaggerated seriousness. "I don't have any money."
Just as Dumbledore was about to explain that Hogwarts subsidized new students, Jack dug into his pocket. What he pulled out made the old wizard stiffen—a miniature handgun and a stretched-out pair of stockings.
Jack's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Why don't we case a bank first, check their security, then hit it big? After the job's done, I'll get you an AK, grab myself a rifle, and together we'll build an empire of glory."
Dumbledore's wand flicked sharply. The handgun and stockings flew out of Jack's hands and landed on the desk with a clunk.
"Jack," Dumbledore said gravely, "you must never bring out such things again. And Gringotts' security is not something these… weapons can solve."
Jack's interest sharpened at once. "Oh? Sounds like you already have a plan, Principal. Go on, show me your strategy. Maybe I can suggest some improvements."
"There is no plan," Dumbledore snapped, his composure fraying. "And I have never once considered robbing Gringotts! You must banish such unrealistic thoughts."
Jack shrank his neck back, pretending to look innocent. "If you say so, you say so. No need to act like I just exposed your secret. But tell me then—how am I supposed to buy my things? Or maybe, Principal, you could lend me some… startup funds?"
Dumbledore inhaled deeply, visibly restraining his anger. "Hogwarts provides subsidies for new students. You will not need to worry about tuition or supplies."
Jack gave a thoughtful nod. "Public funding, eh? So Hogwarts isn't even a private school. That means your faculty strength might be… questionable."
Dumbledore spent what felt like an eternity explaining the history of Hogwarts, the qualifications of its professors, and the glory of wizarding education. Jack kept tossing out sharp little questions until Dumbledore finally lost patience and silenced him with a charm.
Jack's lips froze shut. His eyes widened in indignation, and in his mind, he muttered curses at the entire Dumbledore family tree.
And then—
Ding.
[Detected: Host has entered an owned Castle. New Task issued: Occupy the Castle. Reward: Teleportation Gate ×1.]
Jack's thoughts quickened. "System, tell me—how am I supposed to defeat this walking, talking White Dark Wizard? Should I just pull out a homemade shotgun and blast him twice mid-speech?"
[The task has no time limit. The Host may attempt it after growing stronger.]
"That's more like it." Jack smirked mentally. "By the way, System, how about some starting funds? Even a little pocket change?"
[Task rewards cannot be advanced. Please do not dwell on unrealistic fantasies, Host.]
Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Haven't checked in yet today anyway. Come on, System—check-in."
Ding.
[Check-in successful. Congratulations, Host, you have received: Magic Book ×1.]
Jack's excitement flared. "A magic book? What spell is it?"
For the past year, the system's rewards had been bizarre: blood-stained knives, creepy Rubik's Cubes, eerie music boxes, bags of salt, even vials of colorless mystery liquids. But this was the first time he had seen a proper book of magic.
[Would the Host like to learn the spell: Dispel?]
"'Dispel'? Huh. At least it's not something useless like 'Wheel Spell.' Though the name's a bit plain… Alright, learn it."
[Prerequisites met. Learning Dispel.]
A rush of alien knowledge surged into Jack's brain, sharp and cold.
[Learning complete.]
He quickly reviewed the spell's description. Simple and clear: it dispelled abnormal statuses from oneself or others.
Perfect. He was currently gagged by Dumbledore's Silencing Charm. Jack focused and cast the spell on himself.
Magic -5. Remaining: 5/10.
Cool air swept through his throat, and his voice returned instantly.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore continued to lecture, not realizing his charm had been lifted. Jack ignored him, too busy bantering with the System in his head.
Then—
Rumble!
The wall behind Jack rotated with a grinding sound. A massive figure stepped into the Headmaster's Office.
"Oh, Hagrid, you're here," Dumbledore said warmly.
Jack immediately mimicked him in a mocking singsong. "Ohhh, Hagrid, you're here."
Dumbledore froze, blinking at Jack in astonishment. He looked down at his wand, doubt clouding his face, as though questioning his own magic.
"Principal," Jack grinned, "your spells aren't very reliable, are they? Looks like they've got a time limit."
He turned to the newcomer—and nearly leapt out of his chair. In a blur, Jack pulled a kitchen knife from who-knew-where and pointed it at the giant.
"Bloody hell! How did this thing get in here? Hogwarts' security really is garbage!"
The towering man, wild-bearded and fur-covered, was instantly familiar. Jack had seen him several times wandering the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had even mistaken him for Bigfoot once.
Startled by the knife, the man waved his hands hastily. "Don' be nervous, lad! I'm just a bit tall. Name's Hagrid—Keeper of Keys an' Grounds here at Hogwarts."
Jack squinted, lowering the blade only slightly. "Talks, walks on two feet… Aside from being huge, not much different from a human."
Dumbledore sighed and summoned the knife from Jack's hand with a swift Accio. He set it on the desk with the rest of Jack's dubious collection, muttering, "Another Dark Arts trinket…"
"Don't worry, Jack," the Headmaster said firmly. "Hagrid is here to escort you for your school shopping. He also has to fetch another student. Go along with him."
Jack eyed the confiscated knife longingly, but finally stood. "Fine, but don't forget my stuff, Principal. Keep it safe—I expect it back."
With that, he followed Hagrid out of the office.
As the heavy doors closed, the room fell quiet again. Dumbledore gathered Jack's pouch of dangerous odds and ends, locking them away in a small enchanted drawer that seemed far too small to contain them.
The portraits of former headmasters, which had been silent during Jack's presence, finally spoke. One of them whispered, "Are you sure you didn't just recruit a Dark Wizard?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. Instead, he bent down and picked up a crumpled note Jack had dropped—two hundred yuan, foreign currency with no value in the wizarding world. A meaningful smile tugged at his lips.
"Who knows?" he murmured softly. "The letter of admission reached his hands. That means, whatever else he may be, he meets the requirements."