Chapter 454: Dumbledore: Now Is the Time to Discuss Compensation (Edited)

The thunderous roar echoed throughout Hogwarts Castle, reverberating in the empty hallways and even alerting the young wizards in the Common Room.

"What was that, Fred?"

"Did you hear it too, George?"

The twins wiped the dust off their faces and looked at each other. They had just been playing Crackle Blast, a very popular game among Hogwarts students.

Just as their game was reaching a crucial point, a distant thunderclap from beneath the castle startled George, causing his cards to explode in front of them. Both ended up with their faces covered in dust.

Fred picked up the remnants of the cards with some disappointment, as they were only two cards away from completing their castle.

"Can't you - not - play - this - in the common room - please!!!" Percy shouted angrily at Fred and George.

Percy was about to graduate, and this was his last year at Hogwarts. At the moment, he was preparing for his N.E.W.T. exams and was under a lot of pressure. He wanted to work at the Ministry of Magic.

For Weasley family members, getting a job at the Ministry of Magic wasn't actually difficult. As a pure-blood family with a long history, finding a position at the Ministry was quite straightforward, even if it was just to meet quotas. The Ministry would arrange a position for a Weasley.

However, it was challenging for the Weasleys to get a job in a good department. They had to work harder than other wizards due to the "blood traitor" label that had always marginalized them.

Percy, on the other hand, wanted to work in a central department of the Ministry of Magic. He wasn't willing to end up like his father, working in some peripheral office. He wanted to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement or the Office of the Minister for Magic. As a last resort, he would be willing to work in the Department for International Magical Cooperation, where he could at least do something.

This required his grades to be excellent, preferably "Outstanding" in all subjects. Anything less would be a hindrance to him.

As a result, Percy's emotional state became unstable. Sometimes, even the smallest things could trigger his anger, like seeing his brothers playing with explosive cards in the Common Room. The loud explosion startled Percy so much that he drew a diagonal line in his textbook.

As he looked at that line, Percy grew angrier and angrier. He finally yelled at his brothers in frustration.

After shouting, Percy regretted it, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He didn't feel embarrassed enough to apologize to his brothers, so he just lowered his head and pretended to study.

After Fred and George received their brother's reprimand, they thought about arguing as usual, but upon seeing Percy studying, they obediently closed their mouths, gathered their things, and quietly left the Common Room.

But that was the extent of their good behavior, as both of them sneaked out of the Common Room away from Percy's view: they were curious about the noise they had just heard and, even though they no longer had the Marauder's Map with them, they decided to investigate.

Filch was completely paralyzed.

The lightning struck just a few meters in front of him, creating a large hole in the classroom floor. Filch felt every hair on his body stand on end, a sensation as if hundreds of tiny ants were crawling all over him. Mrs. Norris, beside him, experienced the same, her fur bristling, and her size doubling.

"Not bad," Tom said modestly, looking at the hole in the floor.

After the lightning strike, the clouds and rain that Tom had summoned disappeared, leaving only the wet floor and humid air as evidence of their previous existence.

Hermione, Harry, and Lupin emerged from their shelter from the rain, wearing complicated expressions on their faces, unsure of what to say at that moment.

"What can I do for you?" Tom noticed the unexpected visitors at the door. In fact, he had seen that guy when Filch opened the door. If he hadn't slightly changed the position of the lightning, Filch would probably have been roasted alive.

"Um... we heard a noise... and now there's a curfew..." Filch composed himself a bit and responded after the tingling sensation on his tongue faded. However, the more he spoke, the less confident he felt, for the simple reason that he had seen Professor Lupin.

Since these three young wizards were mixed with the professor, they definitely hadn't sneaked out, so he couldn't take them to the detention room.

Filch was somewhat disappointed.

"It's my fault, I got a bit behind on catching up with the classes." Lupin approached Filch and explained gently to the three Harrys.

"It's okay, it's okay," Filch nodded repeatedly, backing away and leaving the History of Magic classroom. However, he didn't go far, instead, he looked at the large hole in the floor.

Tom's lightning had shattered the floor with impressive force, even cracking the ceiling below.

"I'll find a way to fix it..." Lupin shivered slightly, trying to brush the matter aside. He knew repairing that floor wouldn't be easy. Hogwarts Castle was protected by magic, and causing damage to it was difficult. Similarly, repairing it was also complicated.

At that moment, footsteps were heard in the hallway, and several Heads of House quickly arrived. Behind the Heads of House, Dumbledore also appeared.

"Remus, what's going on?" Professor McGonagall looked at Harry sternly and then asked Lupin.

After Lupin told them the details, everyone's gaze toward Tom became strange.

"Remus, are you telling the truth? Did Yodel summon lightning on his first attempt at an atmospheric spell?" Professor Flitwick asked excitedly. The atmospheric spell was advanced magic taught only in the upper-level courses and had an extremely high level of difficulty. Wizards who mastered that spell were highly sought after at the Ministry of Magic, as most Ministry employees didn't understand how the atmospheric spell worked.

However, Ministry offices had differentiated climate control. If the office went haywire, it might rain there all day, making work difficult. In those moments, you would need an expert in atmospheric spells to change the weather to sunny.

"It's absolutely true, and you can see the water stains on the floor," Lupin pointed to the remaining puddles on the floor as evidence of the recent rain.

"Excellent!" Flitwick exclaimed in admiration.

With Professor Lupin's confirmation, Tom was able to leave unscathed. However, after the professors dispersed, Dumbledore stopped Tom before he could leave.

"Yodel, it's time to discuss compensation."