Moreover, recruiting a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was no easy task. Dumbledore had many friends, but almost none of them were willing to take on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.
Even Lockhart had been reluctant. Dumbledore had to rely on Harry's reputation to invite potential candidates.
"Mr. Pent, Scamander told me that you are very proficient in spells from the first to the seventh years at Hogwarts, and you are also very experienced in defense. I also heard that you love reading books. The Hogwarts library is, in fact, the finest in England," Dumbledore continued, expressing his sincerity.
"No other institution or bookstore has a collection of books that can compare with Hogwarts'. This library contains rare texts, including spellbooks from centuries ago."
Kain didn't immediately agree to Dumbledore's offer. Instead, he thought it over for a while.
He knew that Dumbledore wanted to win him over to fight against the School Board and even the Ministry of Magic. The only thing Dumbledore truly cared about was Hogwarts and the students within it.
The issue Hogwarts was currently facing was a lack of funding for education.
Kain wasn't short of money, and he would soon be able to monopolize magical materials in Britain and even Europe.
Unless the other party didn't require fire dragon materials, anyone who needed them would have to buy a batch of other materials from him. This kind of bundling would be the first of its kind in the wizarding world and would annoy them for years to come.
Kain would also make a substantial amount of profit from it.
Donating an annual education fund to Hogwarts was no issue for Kain, but what he cared about was the return on his investment.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, would the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor be able to access the restricted section of the library?"
Dumbledore paused for two seconds before replying, "Of course, no problem. Any professor is eligible to go to the restricted section, but be warned—some of the curses there are dark magic and invisible."
"Don't worry, Headmaster Dumbledore. I may be immune to curses, much like Fawkes," Kain said, standing up and extending his hand to Dumbledore.
"I can come to Hogwarts at any time. As for the invitation from the school board, I accept. The Kain Magic Materials Store will also donate 20,000 Galleons to Hogwarts every year."
Dumbledore, being a wise man, considered Kain's words for a moment and then guessed what he was thinking.
"If there are interviews, I have most of the time, Professor Pent," Dumbledore replied.
With their hands clasped together, Kain and Dumbledore reached a consensus. Kain would donate 20,000 Galleons a year, which would cover nearly half of Hogwarts' expenses.
In return, Dumbledore would help promote Kain's magic materials store when the Daily Prophet came to interview him, possibly mentioning the store as part of the publicity.
As the greatest wizard in Europe and the head of the most famous magic school in the UK, the association between Kain's store and these two would provide extensive exposure. Kain's donation to Hogwarts would soon pay dividends.
"Professor Pent, I will help you tidy up the office. There may be a meeting with the school board soon, and I will send you a letter by owl," Dumbledore said.
"Of course, I look forward to hearing from you at any time, Headmaster Dumbledore," Kain replied with a smile as he opened the door to leave with Dumbledore. However, the moment he opened the door, Hermione, who had been eavesdropping, fell inside.
Kain waved his hand and used the Levitation Charm to prevent her from falling.
Hermione, slightly embarrassed by being caught, quickly combed through her messy hair and, with a flushed face, said, "Godfather, Professor Dumbledore, I just wanted to ask—would you like some tea?"
"No, Miss Granger, I think I should take my leave," Dumbledore said with a smile, and then walked out the door. After Kain released the spell on Hermione, he also followed Dumbledore out.
After going downstairs, Dumbledore exchanged a few words with Lupin. After being sent out by Kain, both left directly with Apparition.
"Convenient magic," Kain praised, then turned and went back inside the house.
"Godfather, are you really going to teach at Hogwarts? And you're still going to be the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts? That's so powerful! But... Godfather, will this be dangerous? There's a rumor at Hogwarts that it's the Dark Lord who cursed the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
At first, Hermione was a little excited about Kain becoming a professor at Hogwarts, since he was her godfather. But soon, she became worried. She had heard that none of the recent Defense Against the Dark Arts professors had lasted more than a year.
"Hermione, don't be so afraid of Voldemort. He's not that strong," Kain said, his voice calm.
He didn't fear Voldemort because he knew there were many stronger beings out there, such as Uchiha Madara and Kaguya in the ninja world, or Thanos in the Marvel world. Any one of them was stronger than Voldemort.
After hearing Kain's words, Hermione looked at him with concern. "But Godfather, Voldemort is really powerful."
"Is he strong? Hermione, who do you think is stronger—Voldemort or Dumbledore?"
Hermione replied decisively, "Of course, Dumbledore!"
"If there's a wizard as strong as Dumbledore in the British wizarding world, then Voldemort can only go to Knockturn Alley and work as a broker," Kain said with a smile.
He stroked Hermione's messy hair, wondering if he should buy her a detangler, though the curly hair felt soft enough.
"You have to remember, Hermione," Kain continued, "all fear comes from insufficient firepower. When you're strong enough, Voldemort will be nothing."
…
patreon.com/Vks_sh