Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 145 Making Money

Loren swallowed the food in his mouth and asked in surprise, "Grandpa Bates, did you go to college before you joined the army? Did you study economics and finance? You've adapted to the current economic market so quickly?"

The brute grandfather I thought I knew turned out to be a genius.

Bates glanced at him, as if she knew what he was thinking: "Our family used to make a living by running a farm, and none of us went to college."

"Then why did you...you—" Loren hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

"The son of one of my comrades-in-arms went to university with my financial support and now works at HSBC. Signing long-term lease agreements and exchanging the rental income for cash were all done with his help."

"He advised me to keep enough money for living expenses and use the rest to buy some long-term investment funds, mainly real estate funds."

"I don't think he would lie to me." Bates told Loren everything without hiding anything.

Because all the money was prepared for Loren, who is almost 80 years old. How much money can an old man spend?

The house will be left to Loren, and the long-term income fund will guarantee returns while also reducing estate tax. This is all prepared for Loren.

Loren nodded blankly, thinking that this was a case of good deeds being rewarded for Grandpa Bates.

Indeed, we were not scammed. The global economy will enter a period of rapid development in the near future, and British property will continue to appreciate in value. In particular, the country has just emerged from an economic downturn, and it is currently at a low point with high potential for appreciation.

His mind began searching through distant memories, looking for details about economics, especially those that could make a lot of money.

In his Christmas correspondence last year, he mentioned to Hermione that the pound would depreciate significantly this year, and that with sufficient principal and bank leverage, one could earn enough to achieve financial freedom regardless of risk.

He needs to carefully recall the specific details.

Bates saw that it was almost time, and he had arranged to meet with his comrade's son before the bank's opening.

"Go to school, do what you want, and don't worry about money," Bates said, then got up and went into the dressing room to style her hair for the day.

Loren absentmindedly put the fried egg into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it.

It was probably around September of this year that financial magnate George Soros intervened, selling off large amounts of British pounds to short the currency.

Wearing a satin suit and with his hair slicked back, Bates emerged from the dressing room and wandered around the living room, doing his final preparations before leaving.

Despite his extraordinary demeanor, Loren always felt that Grandpa Bates was rather awkward.

"Do I really have to dress like this?" Loren couldn't help but ask.

Bates didn't answer the question and went straight out the door.

"I think Hermione will come again today, so make sure she's well taken care of!" Bates said as he closed the door.

While eating breakfast, Loren recalled what he knew about currency devaluation and thought about how to follow the capitalists and make a fortune that would allow him to live a comfortable life for the rest of his days.

Ding!

Ding Ding!

The doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Loren asked instinctively as he got up to open the door, but immediately realized it must be Hermione.

"It's me, Hermione," the girl said in a clear voice, having just woken up early in the morning.

Hermione always comes to visit first; I wonder if I should take the initiative this time too. Loren got up from the table and walked towards the door.

He opened the door.

Hermione was wearing a white knee-length dress, white socks, and canvas shoes, looking very energetic.

"Good morning, Hermione!" Loren turned and ushered Hermione into the house. "How about I come to your house tomorrow?"

"Okay," Hermione replied, "as long as you sleep in a little less."

Loren felt this was an offense to his character and retorted loudly, "I got up very early today! I was just thinking about things after breakfast and forgot to tidy up."

"By the way, have you had breakfast? Would you like me to make you another one?" Loren asked as he cleared the table.

Hermione quickly shook her head: "I've already eaten, I've already eaten."

Her feelings were actually a bit complicated. She could skip breakfast today, which aligned with her thoughts from yesterday.

But for some reason, Hermione felt a little disappointed.

Loren turned on the tap and began rinsing the dishes under the rushing water. The cool tap water felt refreshing and comfortable against his skin.

Hermione stood in the doorway, looking around, but seeing no one else, asked, "Where's Grandpa Bates? Did he go out again?"

"He went to the bank again." Loren casually placed a plate on the table. "Speaking of which, how's your investment in the housing mutual aid association from last year?"

"Following your advice in your letter, I exchanged some foreign currency, half dollars and half marks, and then deposited it in the bank." Hermione looked at Loren as he washed the dishes and felt that Loren had a unique attraction to him, an attraction different from the red mole between his eyebrows that he used to have.

"What do your parents think about this?" Loren began the second round of cleaning.

Hermione blinked, watching Loren repeat his previous actions: "My mother agrees with you, believing that the pound will depreciate, but the government will maintain social stability, so the depreciation shouldn't be too significant."

"That's not wrong. Under normal circumstances, there won't be a significant devaluation," Loren agreed. It's an adult matter, and he can't force people to believe him, especially since the Granger family isn't short of money.

Under normal circumstances, the currency won't depreciate, but in the near future, things will be different. A guy named Soros has his eye on the pound, absorbed a lot of funds, and is preparing to short the pound, ambitiously wanting to take a bite out of Britain.

This short-selling behavior will exacerbate the depreciation of the pound, directly crippling the British government.

Loren put the dishes back in the cupboard, closed the cupboard door, and waved to Hermione as he walked out of the kitchen.

"ah!"

Water droplets splashed on Hermione's face, the icy sensation causing her to scream.

"Ugh!" Hermione wiped her face, then slapped Loren hard on the back with a loud "thud."

Loren grinned, knowing he would get beaten up, but he just couldn't resist courting death.

Seeing that the little witch was about to get angry, Loren quickly changed the subject: "After I took you home last night, Headmaster Dumbledore came to my house."

Hermione stopped raising her hand in mid-air and stared wide-eyed.

"If we cure Grandpa Bates' werewolf disease, he won't have to worry about the full moon for the next few years." Loren led Hermione toward the courtyard. As they had done in the past few days, they should have started practicing the Patronus Charm.

"Why didn't Headmaster Dumbledore come and visit my house?"

Hermione couldn't stop nagging, "Did you remind Headmaster Dumbledore that my house is right next door to yours?"

"I did, but the Ministry of Magic had urgent business to attend to, and Headmaster Dumbledore left immediately after his treatment," Loren said.

"Even though you're both Muggle-born wizards, Headmaster Dumbledore has always thought highly of you." Hermione looked at Loren with a hint of resentment. Luckily, Professor McGonagall was fair and impartial, otherwise she would have been really jealous.

The little witch was unaware that Professor McGonagall, whom she considered fair and just, had decided, starting with the final exams, to give Loren special attention next semester.

Loren felt that Dumbledore valued Harry more, and that they were just incidental, even though Dumbledore had been very kind to them...

He coughed once: "Let's begin practicing the spells."

As the chanting of "Call the Gods for Protection" rang out, silver light shimmered in the courtyard.

"Your guardian spell has become much more solid. You should be able to summon a physical guardian before school starts."

"I envy you. My guardian spell is still growing and shows no signs of solidifying."

Loren leisurely slacked off while spouting flattery.

Hermione struggled to suppress a smile, her face hardening as she said sternly, "No slacking off, practice your spells!"

"Yes, Professor Granger."

Loren glanced furtively at Hermione, and seeing that her attention was elsewhere, tentatively read aloud, "[Fluorescent Flash]".

Bang!

"You'll get beaten up if you act recklessly," Loren grimaced as he rubbed his arm.

……

"Why not keep Hermione for dinner?" Bates stood in front of the kitchen counter, marinating a steak with spices and salt, slapping his hands on the steak with a slapping sound.

"She won't agree," Loren said, watching Bates marinate the beef from the kitchen doorway. "Too much salt. The beef won't absorb that much salt during marinating; it'll all be wasted."

Bates never marinated his steaks beforehand, but after watching Loren make them a few times and seeing that they tasted better after marinating, he reluctantly added this step.

Bates didn't say anything; although you're right, he didn't want to engage.

Drop the butter into the pan and wait for it to melt into a liquid. Once the aroma of fat and milk is released, Bates will slowly sear the steak.

Use a spatula to hold each side of the pan and touch the bottom of the pan in turn. The high temperature and oil will denature the protein on the edges first, making them hard and preventing the juice from seeping out.

Then sear both sides alternately, waiting for the heat to penetrate the steak and reach the desired doneness.

Loren looked at it for a while, then said, "I still think it tastes better cut into small pieces or strips and stir-fried with onions, and it would be even better with some rice."

Bates pretended not to hear and remained silent, showing no intention of engaging with Loren.

He added a little more salt to the pan, poked the center of the steak with a spatula to check its tenderness. Finding it just right, he plated it, took out a fork and knife, and headed out.

As they passed the door, Bates turned to look at Loren: "Your steak is still on the plate. Cook it yourself, however you want."

Loren looked at him with an indescribable expression. He's 80 years old, is it really necessary...?

Seeing Loren's stunned expression, Bates took a deep breath, and the steak on his plate tasted even better. "Serves you right for always giving me opinions."

Bates sat at the table and began to enjoy his delicious steak.

A few minutes later, Loren brought out a well-done steak with rosemary and garlic.

Watching Loren cut a piece and put it in his mouth, even though it wasn't very juicy and didn't look very tender, why did it smell even better and taste even better?

Bates ate heartily, his mouth filled with beef and juices.

With the addition of garlic and rosemary, the well-done steak looked even more tempting. Bates, smelling it, suddenly found his own steak less appealing.

Why is it that this person always makes the same thing better? Bates was furious and said angrily, "You cook next time."

"I'm the one who usually cooks; you just wanted to cook today," Loren said.

Bates slashed his knife across the plate, making a scraping sound.

Concerned about the 80-year-old's cardiovascular health, Loren stopped mentioning the steak: "Grandpa Bates, how much money do you have now?"

Bates glanced up at Loren: "Why are you asking that?"

"For some reasons I can't talk about, I now know about some financial changes, and the return on investment is very high." Loren felt that the way he ate by cutting pieces wasn't quite right for him, so he started cutting the beef continuously before eating it.

While cutting, he explained to Bates, "The pound will depreciate in September. I'm not sure exactly how much, but it will definitely depreciate significantly, so I'm asking if you have any ideas about making money from it."

"Magic? Prophecy?" Bates asked tentatively.

"Yes, yes, you can't say. That's how magic works." Before Loren could answer, Bates filled in the blank with his own answer.

"Just take it as a wizard's prophecy." Loren couldn't explain his rebirth and transmigration, so the prophecy was the best excuse.

"I never imagined wizards' divination could predict these things," Bates exclaimed, then asked curiously, "Can divination see lottery numbers?"

"That probably won't work." While cutting the meat, Loren looked up at Grandpa Bates and thought, "Your thinking is quite flexible."

So, should we make this money or not?

Bates thought for a moment and replied, "I'll consider what you've said, but you don't need to be involved in these matters."

As a veteran, his cautious nature ran deep in his bones; he couldn't afford to cause Loren any trouble, not even the slightest possibility.

"Oh." Loren nodded obediently, somewhat regretful that he couldn't join the capitalists in stirring up trouble.

Looking at Loren's still somewhat youthful face, Bates felt a sense of disbelief. When he first met Loren, he was just a little kid, and now he's grown up so much.

"Loren".

"Um?"

Bates hesitated for a moment, but then asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I can't think of anything specific to do yet, but maybe it'll be something like returning to human society—" Loren paused for a moment, "...and enjoying life?"

Bates smiled, assuming Loren hadn't yet planned for the future, and continued, "What kind of jobs do graduates of magic schools usually do?"

"It depends. Wizards from pure-blood families with family businesses will go home to inherit them. Others include dragon breeders, Quidditch players, Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, police officers, government officials, and those who run magical supplies stores," Loren said, picking out what he knew.

"How are the salaries for these jobs?"

"Hmm..." Loren thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to say it, "Most people can support a family, right?"

Pure-blood families hold a monopoly and reap the benefits, while highly capable wizards can break through the barriers, and professors at Hogwarts can earn money through their own abilities.

Others, bound by secrecy laws and the blockade imposed by pure-blood families, could only drift along and wait to die.

Bates nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.

(End of this chapter)