Chapter 5. Points

Lunch "pleased" us with liquid broth with a homogeneous mass of overcooked vegetables, stewed cabbage with disgusting-smelling fish cutlets, and the same bread with a glass of water.

— Whatever you want, but I won't eat it, — Lavender Brown curled her nose and pushed the plate away from her, — why are we being fed so poorly? And why are they," she pointed her finger at the ravens' table, "so much better?"

— Who would have known... No, it's not like that - who would tell," I replied, picking at the soup with a tablespoon.

I wanted those chops and fried potatoes from yesterday. We are at the school of magic, after all, here the food is prepared by house-builders, who, at the level of instincts, should be laid down to please wizards with delicious dishes. And what kind of stuff is this?

Maybe I should look for an entrance to the kitchen after lessons? Suddenly everything will be according to the canonical scenario, and they will feed us all sorts of goodies for nothing? I remember perfectly well that you need to tickle a pear in a painting near the Hufflepuff living room. Will it work? We should at least try. Anyway, so far we haven't been told anything about our permissions and restrictions after class, which means we can study Hogwarts.

— Come on, Lavender. The Ravenclaw got enough at transfiguration, at least let them eat normally without your reproaches," Seamus scooped up the broth with a spoon and drank it with a squish, "at least it can be eaten, which means we won't starve.

— You can't eat that... Lavender muttered in response.

— No, you can. Look around you," I spread my arms out to the sides.

Indeed, the senior students, albeit in small numbers, sat at the tables and had lunch. Some ate indifferently, others forced themselves to pour and stuff lunch into themselves as quickly as possible in order to fill their stomachs and quickly forget about the unpleasant taste. A couple of Slytherins had already eaten everything in this way and were talking about something with Filch, who had Mrs. Norris peeking out of his belly bag again, like a kangaroo.

— There were a lot more of them at the feast. I wonder where the others are having lunch? Hermione asked the right question, which I was thinking about over breakfast.

— Maybe they're buying food somewhere? For galleons, or for points," I replied.

— Don't you have thirty of them already, Kyle? Harry asked casually.

"Thirty—one, but Professor Flitwick gave everyone else a point, including me. Have you forgotten?

— That's right. And let's look for a place after school where we can spend it? The scar—headed bespectacled man suddenly asked me.

— Well, actually, I wanted to offer you the same thing, — I said in surprise, — we still need to better understand where everything is at Hogwarts, at the same time we will try to find this shop, or whatever it will be instead. We need to look closely at the senior courses and see where they go - so, I think, we can learn a lot of new things and maybe it will even lead us to the right place. Well, who's with us?

Unsurprisingly, absolutely everyone agreed, even the tight-lipped Neville and the quiet Faye.

— Great, then it's settled. And don't forget that these very points here have some value for ourselves. I don't know what awaits us in Muggle Studies after such lessons, but it would be great for all of us to earn points on it.

— Yes, half of us have lived with Muggles all our lives, — said Hermione, inspired, — I think we can show our good side in this lesson.

And Hermione didn't even know how wrong she was.

***

Muggle studies

— So, everyone is here, there are no absentees. All right," Professor Quirrell made some notes in his journal after the roll call.

Instead of the canonical turban, he had a shaved bald head, the professor's robe was still purple, but there was no stuttering or twitching, due to the absence of the Dark Lord on the back of his head. However, this was clearly the same Quirinus Quirrell, and he taught Muggle Studies.

The lesson began quite innocently - no checks with the absence of a teacher, no trap chests. Even the office itself looked ordinary. Of all the strange things, only a long rectangle in the corner stood out, wrapped in a cloth. Of course, none of the students dared to find out what it was.

Meanwhile, the professor got up from the table, looked at the students with an interested look, and then began his introductory speech:

— My subject is studied during all seven courses as part of the compulsory program along with the main magical disciplines. I know you might think, "How come, this is just a Muggle-studying subject!" — he pulled off his parody quite deftly, — but I'll tell you no. Not just Muggles, and not just Muggles. And now I'm going to try to justify it," Professor Quirrell began to pace between the rows, clicking the heels of his shoes on wood.

— Muggles are not the innocent simpletons that most of you imagine them to be. Yes, they are outwardly identical to wizards, but the lack of magic plays a key role in the threat posed by them to all mankind. You don't need to go far - some fifty years ago, the Muggles put their family on the brink of extinction with their war! Moreover, after learning about the existence of wizards, they brazenly decided to enslave them! Use it on your nefarious whim, point our wands at your opponents... And somewhere, alas, their plans even succeeded... That is why in the countries of the Old World, wizards began to control the Muggle craving for destruction and chaos. Otherwise, our peaceful, prosperous world would not have existed for a long time, believe me. But even when dealing with such brats as Muggles, upon careful analysis, everything becomes not so clear. Who's going to tell me why, if Muggles pose such a threat, we just won't destroy them? Why don't we cure the planet of the Muggle plague?

No one raised their hands, but I tried to make sense of everything the teacher said.

— Come on, come on, tell me your assumptions.

Parvati, apparently remembering the need to earn points, raised her hand uncertainly.

- Yes? Miss Patil, go ahead.

— Maybe... Are Muggles necessary for wizards?

— And how do we need them? Complete your answer.

— Maybe the technology and discoveries that Muggles are getting are too valuable to lose?

— These engines, electricity conflicting with magic, and bulky cars? Don't make me laugh, if necessary, wizards will invent their own analogues, and even using magic, which will greatly improve the original result. Moreover, Muggles themselves do not invent anything. Almost every famous Muggle inventor or discoverer is actually a squib, which, although not endowed with magical powers, at the same time does not have those destructive addictions like the rest of the simpletons. So the answer is wrong, Miss Patil. Is there someone else? Yes, Miss Greengrass?

"Muggles are a great workforce, Professor. They are needed by wizards as slaves, which means they must live and reproduce, for constant access to manpower.

—Very well, Miss Greengrass, but you're wrong. Just because your father built his business on Muggle slavery doesn't mean they're so vital to us. The same housekeepers cope with household chores and other tasks much better, and the workforce can be safely replaced by charms. Sit down. Who else has any ideas? No one else?

The professor spoke of Muggles as dirt under the feet of wizards, which they have to endure. The Muggle-Borns all sat scared and depressed by Quirrell's words. After all, in fact, he was talking about their parents now.

And yet, despite such radical statements, I decided to try my luck and answer his question. The initial knowledge about this universe and the adult consciousness still helped me a lot in such situations.

— Mr. Golden? Well, maybe a Muggle-born student will say something that the purebloods didn't think of?

— I think, Professor, it's all about us.

— Excuse me?

"In us Muggle-borns. If you exterminate all Muggles, then there will be no wizards among them who become part of the magical world.

There was silence in the office, and the professor smiled slowly, predatory.

— Well... That's absolutely the right answer, Mr. Golden. Five points for Gryffindor. Sit down.

Once again, I managed to earn points, bringing their total to thirty-six in just one day. It's not a bad result, although it's pretty obvious - the award implies eleven-year-old recipients, so it's kind of cheating on my part.

— As Mr. Golden said, — the professor continued his speech after a kind of interactive, — Muggle-borns play the most significant role, thereby limiting our capabilities. Everyone knows that wizards live much longer, but their childbearing age is similar to that of Muggles. In addition, there are many other reasons: initially a small number of wizards, constant wars, accidents, squibs... The bottom line is that there are too few of us, and without replenishing the ranks of Muggle-borns, there is a serious risk of a gradual reduction in the number of wizards, up to complete extinction. However... there are other reasons that make us accept the existence of simpletons. Researcher Simon Foster, after a long study of magical flora and fauna, came to the conclusion that the settlement of the planet by Muggles somehow prevents the spread of magical plants, as well as the rapid reproduction and migration of wild magical creatures. In his theory, he suggested that with the disappearance of Muggles, magical activity would increase many times, and wizards could already be in danger. According to him, we will be severely hampered by predators on a par with nundus or dragons, semi-intelligent races like trolls or mermaids, impenetrable magical thickets, anomalies... And it will happen all over the globe. Even Headmaster Dumbledore himself agreed at the time with the reasonableness of such fears, and given this, I don't see a single reason to doubt that this will happen. Based on this, we can conclude that the existence of Muggles is both our salvation and our curse. And yet, reality is not as bad as you might think from my speech. Wizards realized the danger of mass extermination in time, and allowed Muggles to live their own lives, while preventing them from re-escalating another threat to the world. I believe that when the wizards of the New World realize the depth of the bondage they have fallen into, they will take off the Muggle collars and restore the natural order of things. It has been like this since the beginning of the world and it will be like this when it fades away. Wizards have always stood and will stand above the rest. This is a law of nature! — the lesson turned into a sermon for a while, or into a propaganda machine for eroding the humanity of Muggles from student heads.

But at the beginning of the lesson, some of Quirrell's arguments seemed to me quite reasonable and almost correct - I even thought for a while that this was the case in this alternative world. But my critical thinking didn't go away, and it just screamed at me from the inside that all this was a manipulation of facts and stories of "the right winner's story." Maybe there are some flaws in the Muggles of this world, but they are clearly not the embodied evil that Professor Quirrell makes of them, mixing at the same time this image with their insignificance.

Although, it is worth admitting that he observes the narrative perfectly, selects the theses that are necessary, and it sounds like he believes in it himself. It's like some brainwashed fanatic rushing to share it with the rest.

— Moreover, we have benefited from this forced cooperation with Muggles. Who can tell me which one? How do you think Muggles can be useful to wizards?

The professor did not punish me in any way for previous attempts to answer, but even gave me points for the correct answer, so this time a lot of students raised their hands.

— There are so many people who want to! Well, you try it, Mr. Macmillan," Quirrell pointed to one of the Hufflepuffers.

—Muggles can grow food for wizards, Professor,— Ernie replied quickly.

— Yes, you're right. But let me add to your answer - the magical world has ceased to need farming and animal husbandry of non-magical directions, however, Muggles supply us not only with food, There are many, very many of them on the planet, in fact. There are about six thousand times more than wizards. And, admittedly, they have established many processing, extraction and production of a variety of raw materials. And in such quantities that they cover any non-magical needs of all branches of the magical world without much loss. Tailors get silk and fabric, artefactors get precious stones, and printers get paper... And so every profession that needs any non-magical raw materials gets it in abundance. You get three points for an incomplete answer, Mr. Macmillan. What else do Muggles benefit from? Apart from her own performance, of course, because Miss Greengrass has already clarified this, albeit prematurely.

The professor asked some other students, but they gave incorrect answers.

— You know, I think we need to ask someone who has never raised his hand before... Mr. Potter, stand up.

Harry really could not or did not dare to answer the teacher's questions, for which he eventually paid the price.

— Do you have any ideas, suggestions? Come on, be brave.

— Excuse me, Professor, I can't think of anything.

— Well, it's a pity, it's a pity... Well, how about I give you a little hint?

Harry hesitated, not knowing how to answer such a question correctly. It was noticeable that he was expecting some kind of trick, and, as for me, he was doing the right thing.

— If it's appropriate...

— Of course! After all, what kind of teachers will I be if I don't direct the student's thoughts in the right direction! Quirrell was delighted, after which he waved his wand behind his back.

The fabric that covered the mysterious closet or stand from us fell off, as the students guessed. And, as it turned out, none of them guessed correctly.

It was a glass cage with thick iron bars as tall as a man, and inside it stood a live, bound Muggle. He looked at us with a frightened and confused look, clearly not assuming in his mind that he would suddenly find himself in the role of an exhibit in front of eleven-year-old wizards.

"Well, Mr. Potter, have you guessed it already?"

"I... I don't.".. I don't understand, Professor.

— Even with a hint? It's quite sad to hear, I expected more from you. In that case, stand and listen," Quirrell began to walk around the hall again, almost jumping from his own emotions. It was as if he was doing his favorite thing, and there was no other person in the world happier at the moment than our Muggle studies teacher.

— The Statute of Secrecy. The idea of the wizards of the past to isolate themselves from the growing Muggles and live in isolation. I bet none of them could even imagine in their worst dreams how much knowledge they would lose because of this. This became clear only after the appearance of wizards to the world fifty years ago, when all rudimentary foundations were destroyed. At that moment, the magicians finally realized how much they were depriving themselves of. How potions suffered, how ritualism perished, how the whole science of spiritualism disappeared into oblivion... I think you've already guessed what I'm getting at. To human organs, which turned out to be extremely useful in a variety of ways. When the Muggle-lovers were forgotten, and their harmful imposed morality evaporated without a trace, magical disciplines began to illuminate old, long-forgotten discoveries. So remember, Mr. Potter, once and for all. Muggles' value lies within themselves.

The teacher's words were accompanied by the insane grin of a psychopath, and the students were very scared after the professor's words.

— Their blood, their bones, their liver and lungs, stomach and brain, eyes and heart... That's what's important about Muggles," Quirrell pointed his wand at the prisoner, and began literally taking the Muggle apart. He screamed silently and suffered, because the cruel Quirrell did not even bother to put him to sleep, preferring to show us the performance.

At first, blood began to come out of the human body through the pores, forming into a bloody ball drifting near the ceiling of the cage. Then organs began to squeeze through the incisions in the body, eventually hanging in the air not far from the agonizing Muggle. The floating heart was still chasing away the remnants of blood when we saw it, and it was just disgusting. The eyes were the last to jump out of the dead orbits, and, splitting the skull, the brain broke free. Well, then the bones shed their tinsel of skin, flesh, arteries and veins, turning into a naked skeleton.

— Here he is, a useful Muggle, in person! — Quirrell said majestically, without a trace of mockery, when all the Muggle components stood in the places where they had been in life - even the blood began to circulate through the air, creating a terrible human silhouette. There were pieces of skin and guts on the floor under him - all that was left of the poor Muggle and had not been used.

***

— I do not know how to relate to all this, — Hermione poured out her soul to me when we went to the living room after lessons to throw off our bags with textbooks and decide on a further plan of pastime, - on the one hand, the professor said the right and logical things, but on the other... I can imagine that one of my parents would have been in that aquarium...

"It's not easy to accept, I understand,— I chose my words carefully. After all, if Hermione reaches some Muggle protection society, as it was with the brownies in the canon, she will not live.

It was necessary to somehow cheer her up and calm her down, but Indian Parvati suddenly coped with this:

— Don't worry about your parents. Weren't they given those red armbands? Well, then what are you worried about? Wizards do not touch Muggles with bandages - this is a symbol that the simpleton has made his contribution, which means he is protected by a decree of the Ministry and has the right to a safe life. Well, Padma and my father used to say that," the girl was a little confused when all her closest classmates began to listen attentively.

So, those military men at the train station were not just marked with these armbands - they naturally served wizards in exchange for immunity! It's tricky, you can't say anything.

— Thank you, Parvati, because I didn't know about this particular meaning, I thought it was more a symbol of a good citizen or something like that, — Hermione felt noticeably better from the words of her neighbor.

— But it's worth admitting that Professor Quirrell is a natural psycho, - I told my classmates, — it's so cruel to kill a Muggle in front of us in the first lesson...

"Let him do what he wants with Muggles," Seamus insisted, "he didn't touch us, unlike some cats, and that's fine. And by the way, you earned points in all classes today, Kyle! Let's get them, just show me again how that stash opens.

— That's what we'll do, before Hogwarts research.

— Does anyone know where we can do our homework? Dean asked suddenly.

— What lessons? It's only the Enchantment tomorrow, and Flitwick hasn't asked anything," Ron replied nonchalantly to Tom.

— Well, anyway, you need to know for the future. After all, all the courses won't fit in the living room, and somehow I don't want to be arrogant in front of the elders either.

— Dean is right, we can add to our plan today to find a suitable place to do our lessons. And if it doesn't work out, then we'll have to do them in the Big Hall, if, of course, it's allowed," I said thoughtfully.

So, slowly moving away from the cruel lessons and moving on to more neutral and carefree topics, we reached the living room.

I took four new coins and one small ruby, similarly glowing with red light, indicating one point. Many of the cubs, having earned only this very score on Charms, were still eager to take it with them, as an indicator of their involvement in "secret" knowledge, which was unknown only to freshmen, and even then not to everyone.

Although, the senior students were really surprised when they saw us at the open bookcase. Some even worried that someone had shown it to us and arranged their own "Investigation with Godric Gryffindor," but this did not concern us in any way, and no one presented anything to us. This greatly strengthened the confidence of my comrades in their own security, at least from other students.

The most exciting part of the first day at school began, as the freshmen assumed. We began to explore the castle.

It was really huge from the inside, accommodating hundreds of different rooms, sections and passages. On each floor there was something new: an unusually large painting on the entire wall, then another statue, then knight's armor built in a row.

The spacious corridors with high ceilings created a special atmosphere where we seemed like tiny bugs traveling through a vast world of stone. Our impressions were complemented by some kind of magical gloom: maybe it was some kind of play of shadows, or maybe the light really had the property of dimming a little in the castle, yielding the lion's share of space to cold darkness.

For all this entourage of Dark Hogwarts, there was not enough except some kind of poltergeist Peeves, which would necessarily have done something to us, or even crippled someone from the freshmen, given the local realities. But during the day spent in the castle, none of us saw a single ghost.

We were lucky to some extent, and we didn't get into trouble on moving ladders, although we were ready.

In the dungeons, we only walked to the potential entrance to the kitchen. I found the same painting, stroked both the pear and other fruits of this mountain-still life, but no secret passages were revealed to me. It was sad-it wouldn't hurt to have something to eat right now. Especially if you imagine the composition of the upcoming dinner.

Then we moved along the corridors of the lower floors - the doors were closed everywhere - even to empty classrooms, but at least we saw where the office was, which was also some kind of result. We reached a wide hall where groups of undergraduates were flocking. They could not enter the room itself, but it became clear from the sign that this was a hall for duels.

We walked around the upper floors, although everything was still closed everywhere, which is why we limited ourselves to countless corridors, without finding any secrets, or at least open rooms that could at least be entered. Maybe there is no place to shop, and the points can be spent through some enchanted book that hangs in an inconspicuous place? The school of magic, after all, can arrange such a thing here.

On the fourth floor, they came across the large entrance to the school library, which naturally made Hermione's eyes light up and a second wind opened. Although, her ardor soon faded away - it turned out that we had limited access to the temple of knowledge, although the senior courses quietly went there. We tried to figure out how to get this very access, but we suffered a fiasco from a strict librarian with the phrase: "If you can't think of it yourself, then you have nothing to do in the library!".

The legs began to throb unpleasantly during such a busy day, announcing the owner about the inadmissibility of such unusual loads. The classmates were in a similar state, so it was decided by a general vote to postpone further research and relax in the living room before going to dinner.

***

How stupid I turned out to be! It's become so obvious! I kept thinking, thinking - where can I spend the accumulated points? A shop? An enchanted book? Ha! Everything turned out to be much simpler and more complicated at the same time.

It all happened at dinner, when we, tired and hungry, sadly scooped unleavened buckwheat with an incomprehensible substance instead of meat goulash. None of our people even talked, as everyone was very tired and just wanted to go to bed as soon as possible. So I was looking around, I managed to notice something, which is why my epiphany happened.

After all, if you think about it, then points are the internal currency of the castle, with which you can buy something so that students have the motivation to earn these very points. But what can they be spent on?

We were initially placed in harsh conditions - settled on a bare floor, fed bread and water, as Sally-Ann put it then. This means that for points you can at least improve your position in everyday life. And who is responsible for everyday life at Hogwarts? Who is in charge of his entire household!?

When the trio of Gryffindors from senior years finished their meal and headed towards Filch, that each meal invariably stood in its favorite place - an inconspicuous niche between the columns, it seemed strange to me. What could the students need from him, and even so soon? Well, when they headed for the exit in a similar group, the puzzle finally formed in my head.

"After dinner, go to the living room without me, you need to check something," I told my classmates.

"Maybe you should keep me company, Kyle?" asked Seamus, intrigued, and the others verbally agreed with him.

— I have a theory about our scores. We will not arrange a crowd, especially since I alone have an adequate number of them. I'll figure it out and tell you what I found out, okay?

"If you're so sure, then fine.

Dinner was over, the freshmen went upstairs, and I went up with them to the first floor, after which I turned aside, heading to the office of the caretaker Filch. On the way, I crossed paths with those three vultures, and this gave me additional hope in the success of my next guess.

I reached the required place, knocked on the door.

— Who else is there? There was a grunt mixed with a meow from the other side. Shuffling footsteps were heard, after which the door opened.

— A freshman? What do you need?

— I would like to... I wanted to spend the accumulated points, — I threw a fishing rod to the caretaker.

— Points means, heh. Do you have them, these points? He looked at me slyly, showing his crooked teeth.

I took the red coins out of my pocket and showed them to him.

—Well, look at that, Mrs. Norris, what a smart kid. What's your name?

— Kyle Golden, sir.

— Yes, in my memory, I do not recall a case when a freshman came to see me on the first day of school. Oh, no, there was one, but he didn't finish well, hehe. That's it, Golden. I accept customers on Sundays, and on the rest of the days there is a fee for handling. Five points, but for you, a smart guy like that, I'll do three, for the first time.

"Here you go," I handed him one coin.

He took it, pressed on the center, and the coin split into five pieces, which turned into those very rubies. He took three for himself and gave me the rest.

— Well, come on in, Golden.

I went into his office and looked around. The only illumination here was a lamp that swung creakily on a short chain in the center of the ceiling. There were cupboards, drawers, and a long table with some books against the walls. Filch's own workplace was located in the center.

"This belt is so uncomfortable, you should know how unpleasant it is for Mrs. Norris to spend so much time in it," Flitch grumbled as I looked around. He was standing with his back to me and was untying this very belt, a request from Professor Wess, you know. I have to do it. Although yes, you, hehe, don't understand yet. Nothing, you will get to know this person, then you will realize everything.

— And where can I watch kata?..log," I rolled my eyes as Filch turned to face me.

That kangaroo belt was hanging on the back of a chair, the caretaker's shirt was unbuttoned at the bottom, but Mrs. Norris was still there. About half of the cat's body ended, and the caretaker's naked belly began. They turned out to be stitched together, and did not feel any inconvenience from this. The cat gracefully arched her back, which caused Filch's stomach to move in time with her movements, stretched and moved her only two paws through the air. How so. This. It's creepy!

— Uh-heh-heh. Look at his face, Mrs. Norris. He's going to run away from here in horror and forget the way back.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.:

— No, it's simple... It was very unexpected to see such a thing.

"You're not a coward, are you, boy?" Good. Do you see the long table? Go to him and see what you want to buy. And keep up the pace, I'm not going to be here with you all evening.

I did as Filch told me. Books lay in an even row on the table. Each of them had an object painted on it: a saucer, a house, a key, a wand, a heart, a phial... He opened the first book with a saucer, and began to leaf through it hastily.

There was all kinds of food in this section. Moreover, there were different offers: you could buy a portion of a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner once for just three points, there was an option to arrange a small feast for several people, and there was also an opportunity to increase the quality and quantity of dishes served in a Large hall for a certain faculty right up to the end of the academic year, but such happiness cost a fabulous five hundred points.

— Sir, may I ask how this happens if, say, I purchase a portion of the selected ration. Where and how will I get it?

— You choose what you want, you tell me, I give you a certain piece of paper, like this," he showed me some kind of small enchanted coupon, "where you tear it up, your food will arrive there soon.

In the section with the house there was an opportunity to equip your own bedroom. You could have bought a bed! Or a closet, or many other furniture, including decorative elements such as magic lamps or carpets. There was also an alternative - it was simply possible to improve a kind of "level" of the bedroom, in which beds and curbstones for all living persons would immediately appear, although at the initial stage these would be ordinary couches with a thin mattress. But the higher the level you took, the richer and more comfortable the furniture you got. And you could also buy your own bathroom! An additional room adjacent to the bedroom is where the upperclassmen performed their water treatments in the morning! Moreover, it was possible to save up points alone or with one of your friends, and buy your own, separate bedroom. All this was quite expensive, but it worked until the end of the training.

There were also mega-projects, such as improving the faculty living room with its, as I understood it, expansion and a more cozy and diverse arrangement, but it cost absolutely indecent funds.

Hogwarts suddenly opened up to me from the side of some magical capitalism. And I loved it! I can earn points, which means I can arrange a comfortable stay for myself, with nuances, of course, but still I will!

A book with a picture of the key opened access to certain rooms for the student until the end of training. The owlet house, that very library, bathrooms, mysterious aviaries, a common recreation room, even a closed library section - all this was inaccessible to us until we paid Filch with minted points. In addition, there was a subsection with the rental of empty classrooms until the end of the year, where you could do homework, practice magic and just spend time. It was impossible to occupy her just like that.

The stick drawn on the next book implied expensive personal lessons with a certain teacher. Perhaps this was the only section so far where I didn't want to buy anything.

The books with the heart and the bottle were completely sealed.

— If you want to see what's there, pay a hundred points for each, — Filch smiled crookedly, — and also, if you want to ask me a question about the castle or something else, give me five points, and I'll answer what I know. Heh, heh, it's a bonus for me, so you're welcome.

— Yes, thank you, sir. I'll know," I replied to the caretaker, trying not to look below his head, "can I, uh, have a small feast for twelve people?"

—Twelve, then... If there are more than ten servings, then two points from each. That'll be twenty-four points.

Eating together turned out to be fifty percent more profitable. Let's remember.

I paid off, and Filch gave me an orange coupon:

— Break it on the table before a meal in the Great Hall, in the picnic area or in the living room. I do not advise doing this in the bedroom - it may not fit.

— Okay, I understand you. Thanks again.

— Come on, go already. And remember my kindness, hehe. I don't deal with the first year very often, so I decided to help you.

I decided not to spend the remaining nine points. He could have taken a bed instead of food, but he considered it wrong and harmful to his reputation to sleep on a feather bed while the others huddle on the cold floor.

I said goodbye to Filch and him... with a cat sewn into his stomach, after which he hurried into the living room to share information with friends.