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Chapter 48: Reward
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 14:08:23 +0000 UTC
Noah didn't know what Harry and the others were thinking.
And honestly, he wasn’t interested in knowing the thoughts of those two little troublemakers. He had already boarded the train to leave Hogwarts.
A year at the wizarding school had taught Noah many things. He had almost gotten used to using magic for most of his daily tasks.
Unfortunately, once he left the wizarding world, he would be restricted by some damn regulations—like the one that prohibited underage wizards from casting spells outside of school.
That rule was seriously anti-human!
But there was nothing he could do. Rules were rules. Even Dumbledore followed them—at least on the surface—so what could Noah, a first-year wizard, do about it?
Even if, skill-wise, Noah was already at the level of a fifth-year student—excluding the O.W.L.s exams—he was still considered just another student. Even in practical combat, he was among the top students!
But so what?
Power dictated everything, and a mere kid couldn’t play the game of power.
Noah sighed.
"Guess I'll just have to wait until Hermione becomes Minister for Magic and fixes this nonsense."
The train ride back was painfully slow, and there was nothing much he could do about it.
Luckily, this time, he was traveling with friends, making the journey more enjoyable.
Kenn, the other three members, Hermione, and Ernie had all joined Noah on the train. They had even secured a private compartment, which made the ride far more comfortable.
Eight hours passed quickly as they chatted about nonsense. Noah enjoyed this time, especially since he could use a couple of spells here and there.
Thinking about how he wouldn't be able to do that once he returned to the Muggle world made him feel a little depressed.
“Noah, I’m telling you, you should find a way to settle in the wizarding world permanently. At least you won’t be so miserable, right?”
“It’s a great idea, but there’s just one problem—I don’t have money! I’ll figure it out later.”
Noah wanted to stay in the magical world, but he barely scraped by at Hogwarts with Ms. Haifin’s help. How could he afford to live in the wizarding world?
So, for now, he had to put that idea on hold.
Besides, Noah had memories of the future. He knew that some people in the future had money.
For example—Tony Stark.
Noah was sure he could milk a fortune out of Tony or his company. At the very least, he could go to Afghanistan and save the guy himself!
Unfortunately, that was more than a decade away. Right now, he had neither the ability nor the opportunity.
So, for now, he had to follow the rules.
But still—wasn’t Hermione supposed to be in the Ministry of Magic in ten years?
The train continued its slow crawl, and eventually, they arrived at their destination when it was already dark.
After saying goodbye to his friends, Noah found the magical bus station and took the Knight Bus home.
He hadn’t exchanged his money for pounds yet, so taking a normal taxi was out of the question.
Not that he had enough money for a taxi anyway.
Fortunately, the Knight Bus didn’t have to deal with regular London traffic, so Noah arrived at his orphanage just before midnight.
That was a relief.
At the orphanage, bedtime was usually around ten, but Noah knew that the little kids inside never actually slept that early.
The caretakers, including the head matron, Ms. Haifin, also stayed up late.
Noah wasn’t too worried about getting in. If the door had been locked, he’d have had to find a wizarding hotel instead.
Thankfully, he was lucky this time.
“Welcome back, Noah. You’re a bit late today,” Ms. Haifin said. She was in her nightgown, sitting at her desk with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on. A book was open in front of her, as if she had been doing some bedtime reading.
“No helping it. You know how bad London traffic is during the holidays. And don’t even get me started on taking a bus from Central London to Westminster. It’s a nightmare,” Noah shrugged.
“True. Traveling from Scotland by road isn’t exactly a pleasant experience.”
She adjusted her glasses, then asked, “Have you eaten?”
“I have. But you know I really don’t like haggis. Smoked salmon is nice, but it’s too expensive. I’m too young to get a job, and Hogwarts doesn’t allow students to take part-time work, so I can’t save much money.”
Noah sighed. He had already brought up his situation with Professor Flitwick, hoping for a solution.
But Professor Flitwick had simply told him, “If you ever need money, just ask me.”
That was touching, but also frustrating. Noah didn’t want to take money from his professor—especially when he knew Flitwick wouldn’t let him pay it back.
So he had been trying to save as much as possible.
At least Hogwarts provided food and shelter for free. That was enough.
As for haggis… it was a dish made from sheep’s stomach, stuffed with minced sheep’s organs, oats, onions, suet, and spices, then boiled for hours until it swelled up.
It actually tasted fine.
But in the wizarding world? You could hear a sheep bleating in your ear while you ate it. That was traumatizing.
“That’s a shame. Maybe I should give you a little more money next term?”
“No need, Ms. Haifin. I really appreciate all the help you’ve given me. I don’t need extra money. Hogwarts covers my food and board, so I’m fine. I just want to save a little for the future.”
“The future, huh? That’s still quite far away.”
“But isn’t it better to be prepared in advance?”
Noah’s voice was firm, and Ms. Haifin looked at him for a long moment.
Then, she smiled and nodded, as if approving of his answer.
“Noah, you really are much more mature than other kids your age. That’s probably why you were accepted into a private school like that, huh? By the way, how were your grades this year?”
“First in the school. Also helped my House win first place.”
“Wow. Congratulations, Noah.”
“Thanks.”
This was definitely something to be happy about. Even something to be proud of.
In Ms. Haifin’s eyes, as long as Noah kept up his performance at his private school, he was guaranteed a bright future.
In the UK—and most of the world—private schools provided a far better education than public ones.
And Hogwarts…
Hogwarts felt like an elite, aristocratic school. Even if Noah wasn’t at the top of his class, just making friends in such an institution would open doors for him in the future.
Thinking about that, Ms. Haifin’s smile grew wider.
“Well, since you’ve done so well, I’ve decided to reward you with something.”
“Oh? That’s really not necessary, ma’am, I—” Noah started, shaking his head.
Ms. Haifin had already done so much for him. He didn’t want her to spend anything extra on him.
“Quiet. In a few days, I have some business to take care of in Los Angeles. And while I’m there, I figured we could have a little vacation. So, you’re coming with me.”
“America? But—”
“Are you coming or not?”
“…Alright. Let’s go.”
