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Chapter 12: The Hiring Checklist
🕑 Added 2025-06-27 16:27:01 +0000 UTCBringing Fairytales to Hogwarts!
Casting a repelling charm was, in fact, perfectly in line with Viktor's intentions.
While he needed to find potential clients for his "trade," he certainly didn't want any of them randomly showing up at his doorstep. That sort of thing should be arranged properly, not by chance. Even his previous encounter with Trelawney had just been a convenient coincidence when he'd visited the school.
Speaking of which… Viktor suddenly recalled that particular transaction.
"Why can't I truly see the future? Why can others teach students and earn their respect, but I have no such ability? I—I want to teach them too..."
"..."
"Then what are you willing to pay for it?"
—That was the conversation they'd had in the Divination Tower just the day before.
When Viktor had mentioned that "normal people must pay a price to gain the ability to prophesy," he hadn't been speaking metaphorically. He meant it literally.
Trelawney had exchanged two years of her life—and two pieces of her liver—to make a deal with him for the gift of prophecy.
Sacrifice in exchange for power: this was a truth that remained unshaken, both in the magical world and the fairytale realm.
Viktor's role was simple—he acted as a middleman. He collected the price, then delivered what the client desired. Aside from taking a modest cut for himself, the arrangement was fair, efficient, and entirely consensual.
…Which is why he never understood why people in the fairytale realm kept calling him "a devil."
Seriously. Why?
Viktor genuinely didn't get it.
After parting ways with Dumbledore and Scrimgeour, he sent them off using the same method they'd arrived—this time, without any magical anomalies.
And for the next two days, Viktor finally had something rare but mundane: free time.
On the morning of the third day, Viktor sat in front of the fireplace, staring with increasing irritation at the mountain of books he had bought from Knockturn Alley.
He was seated on a worn but comfy fabric sofa, directly facing the hearth. One book rested open in his hands, while the remaining dozen were stacked in a messy, unstable tower beside him. All of them bore signs of having been thumbed through—but none had been treated with any reverence.
The one in his hands had a deep purple cover that looked like wrinkled tree bark. It felt unsettlingly cold and slick to the touch, like snake scales. Its title was:
"Peering Through Curses: A New Path to Prophecy."
Across the room, Baba Yaga was seated at the dining table, noisily chewing on a pile of blood-red food. It smelled like rust and looked like an indistinct, pulpy mass. It didn't seem too different from what she was eating the last time, and it was best not to ask for details.
When Viktor let out another long sigh, she finally spoke, her voice dry and crackling.
"Not going well?"
"'Not going well' is an understatement," Viktor snapped the book shut with a sharp thwap and took a deep breath."It's all rubbish."
"Aside from Unfogging the Future, not a single book is worth reading. I'm honestly amazed by how much nonsense the authors of this world can cram into one book—while delivering so little actual knowledge!"
He reached down and snatched another title from the stack—a black one with a snarling dog on the cover.
"Take this one, for instance: Omen of Death: What to Do When Doom Comes Knocking.""The author may as well have listed everything in daily life as a sign of impending death."
"So none of them actually know how to divine?" Baba Yaga asked.
"Not a single one. Ten books. Zero actual Seers."
He picked up another:"This one's called Curses and Prophecies: Their Hidden Link. Sounds promising, right? But it turns out it's just some lunatic explaining how to make all your predictions come true by cursing people to death if they don't."
"How is that Divination?!"
Baba Yaga cackled. Her dry lips parted to reveal two loose, rotting teeth.
"You're just like him, Viktor. This reminds me of what you taught Maleficent. She couldn't prophesy, but she needed a genuine prediction to become the Black Witch she aspired to be. So you taught her how to fake it with a curse—and voila, the whole 'True Love's Kiss' prophecy."
"She paid the price," Viktor muttered, shaking his head."Two pairs of fairy wings. That was enough to make me bend the rules."
He glanced at the mess of books beside him. Just looking at them another second felt like an insult to his personal library.
So he snapped his fingers.
The cold blue fire in the hearth suddenly surged upward, roaring into life and engulfing the pile of books. They were consumed in seconds.
Ash whirled into the air, dancing across the room before being devoured again by flickering flames, vanishing completely.
Just then, a tiny brass bell beside the fireplace gave a cheerful ding-ding.
"You've got mail," Baba Yaga said from behind.
The bell was connected to a wooden square chute along the wall. A faint shuffling could now be heard inside, as though something was sliding rapidly down the pipe.
This was Viktor's new invention—built just yesterday.
Since owls couldn't penetrate the fog surrounding the house, he had added a rooftop teleportation spell that would transport mail from a fixed delivery box straight into his home.
Thunk.
Viktor flipped open the hatch at the bottom and pulled out a letter.
The envelope was sealed with the familiar wax insignia of four animals: a lion, an eagle, a snake, and a badger.
But this time, it was from Professor McGonagall.
Mr. Vanderboom,
As agreed, I will be waiting for you at the designated spot on Charing Cross Road at 2 PM this afternoon.
I will be escorting a new student today. Due to administrative overload, I hope you can assist with orientation.
P.S. Enclosed is the official Hogwarts New Professor Onboarding Checklist.
Viktor turned to the second page and scanned its contents:
[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry][New Faculty Onboarding Requirements]
Each new professor must be equipped with:
One set of formal wizarding robes. Cloak length must fall no more than one inch above the ankles. Color is not restricted.
One plain pointed wizard hat.
Valid proof of birth. Non-magical-born wizards may use Muggle identification or immigration documentation.
A Gringotts bank account number (for salary disbursement).
One wand.
A complete curriculum plan for the current semester.
[Upcoming Activities That Require Preparation:]
Quidditch Events:
All professors may volunteer as referees for Hogwarts Quidditch matches. Prior experience required. Interested candidates should contact Madam Hooch.
Club Formation:
Professors may establish student clubs with permission from the Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress.
Field & Forest Resource Access:
Per faculty benefits, Hogwarts permits professors to gather materials from the school grounds and the Forbidden Forest, up to a value of 100 Galleons per month. Requests exceeding that limit must be pre-approved by the Deputy Headmistress.
Additional Notes:
Professors may freely decorate their offices.To connect your office to the Floo Network, submit a written request to the Deputy Headmistress.
Do not bring any hazardous or contagious magical equipment into the school. All teaching tools must be properly secured. If any tools must be supplied by the school, submit your requisition in advance.
