Chapter Twenty-Two: Thompson’s Report

“Using gold galleons is certainly possible, but, Roger, you must consider this carefully,” Percy leaned in, whispering into Roger’s ear, “the compensation payment puts considerable pressure on the Ministry of Magic.”

Roger turned to Jessica, who nodded encouragingly for him to make the decision himself. “Thank you, sister. We’ve decided to pay the difference in gold galleons.”

“How about sixty thousand gold galleons?” Roger offered a figure. Percy had no objection yet, but Thompson beside them jumped up in protest.

“Impossible! This villa could easily fetch two hundred thousand gold galleons in a good market. Even after deducting compensation, you should at least add another hundred thousand!”

“Very well, I choose my one hundred thousand gold galleons. Now—immediately—give it to me!” Roger tossed over the unsigned supplementary agreement; it held no legal weight.

“Miss Percy!” Thompson looked to the secretary for help, sweat beading on his forehead.

“The property appraisal is in your Treasury Department’s hands,” Percy shrugged and went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Mr. Roger, sixty thousand is simply too low,” Thompson smiled ingratiatingly. If the installment compensation agreement fell through, he could already imagine the Director’s expression—perhaps he’d be kicked off to guard a forest station in the Arctic.

“I understand your difficulties, Mr. Thompson,” Roger replied sympathetically. “Why not reconsider how the property’s value is calculated?”

“For instance, factors like location, decoration, depreciation… as a finance expert, this shouldn’t be difficult for you.”

“Just a reassessment, right?”

Roger’s suggestion brightened Thompson’s eyes. As a Treasury official, he knew the valuation system inside and out. A slight tweak of some parameters could perfectly align the property’s value with expectations.

“I… I think a reassessment of this property is indeed necessary,” Thompson realized and quickly pulled out a blank parchment, beginning his report in exquisite calligraphy.

“I’m going to the restroom,” Miss Percy smiled, congratulating Mr. Thompson on his promising future.

**Riverside Villa (TW13 Riverside, Inner Ten Full) Property Appraisal Report**

Consulting the magical map, Thompson wrote:

This property is a modern three-story villa located on the outskirts of London. While it has some living amenities and transport links, its distance from the city center means surrounding facilities are sparse, and transportation is inconvenient.

The property has some potential for appreciation but is close to a major river, resulting in a damp environment, serious noise pollution, and high maintenance costs.

As Thompson read aloud and wrote, his report remained entirely fair, objective, and reasonable, convincing any reader. No one could deny the villa’s remote location, nor the occasional blaring of Thames riverboat whistles.

“Mr. Thompson, considering the increasing Muggle population in the London area, we must also include the Thames’s pollution as a significant factor.”

“You’re absolutely right; those Muggles don’t understand environmental protection at all!”

Thompson hastily added this section. Satisfied with the first part, he used his wand to inspect the villa’s interior.

The property is spacious, including a large garden, dock, and other auxiliary facilities. The living and dining room floors are severely cracked, exposing the underlying timber, needing full replacement at an estimated cost of ten thousand galleons.

Roger wholeheartedly agreed—since the house was split in two, the floor cracking was naturally severe, very severe indeed!

Thompson inflated the floor maintenance cost to twenty thousand pounds, converting it to an equivalent amount in gold galleons at the official exchange rate. As a Ministry official, especially in the Treasury, he had to strictly follow the official rates.

The report continued: the master bedroom on the second floor, the guest room, and the study on the third floor all suffer from serious ceiling water damage, requiring complete renovation. The walls and roof are overrun with fantastical vines such as spring ivy and stag horn ferns, which grow rapidly and are extremely difficult to remove.

The garden is overgrown with weeds and needs total re-tilling and clearing. Considering some magical plants’ adverse effects and the possible presence of magical creatures, medical expenses caused by accidents during garden clearing are also anticipated. This is estimated at five thousand galleons.

The magical installations inside are long neglected; carpets are severely worn, and most enchantments must be reapplied…

Unconsciously, Thompson reached page five; the total additional deductions amounted to forty-five thousand galleons, exceeding Roger’s expectations.

“Mr. Thompson, for the sake of our friendship, why not omit this five thousand gold galleon item, listed as Muggle equipment purchase and electrification upgrade?” Roger offered a cup of coffee, smiling at Thompson.

“Friendship?” Thompson asked, puzzled.

“Yes, five thousand gold galleons’ worth of friendship.”

Jessica on the sickbed looked on with a complex gaze. She knew well that the friendship Roger offered was questionable. At least for someone his age, such an understanding of friendship seemed unusual.

Yet she felt comforted—here was a mature heir of the Travis family, ready to lead it to a new renaissance.

“Perhaps it’s the Azkaban experience!” Jessica silently blamed herself; these matters should have been handled by a mother like her.

“Ah! That’s too much… no, I mean friendship… I…” Thompson stammered.

“I understand what you mean, Thompson—here’s to our friendship!”

Mr. Thompson could hardly believe it—was it really this easy to secure five thousand gold galleons?

The Treasury was a minor department in the Ministry of Magic, with less power than the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, so staff待遇 were relatively modest. Having worked years there, his monthly salary was barely fifty. A five-thousand-galleon friendship was enough to sustain nine years of hard work.

“I’ll specify the special budgets, such as for purchasing Muggle world equipment, books… to prevent young wizards from being misled by pure-blood ideals,” Thompson said, standing respectfully to ask Roger’s opinion. “Would that be acceptable?”

“Mr. Thompson, I trust your professional integrity.”

“I won’t disappoint you! Cars and small boats should be included…” Thompson grew more enthusiastic, fully exercising his initiative, conducting a comprehensive investigation of the property from every angle.

…

“We should also redesign the basement rooms, perhaps turning them into a potion-making lab…” The two nodded in agreement.

Half an hour later, Thompson completed and neatly bound the report, awaiting Miss Percy’s review. In this report, our dear Mr. Thompson had utterly devalued the three-story villa by the Thames.

A property with a market price of one and a half to one point eight million pounds was, in black and white, valued at only six hundred thousand pounds—this already accounted for exchange rates and inflation. In truth, if Roger had not intervened, Thompson might have pushed the valuation even lower, to the point the Ministry would owe Roger money.

“Looks like you two had a good chat,” Percy said casually, flipping through the pages, marveling at Thompson’s audacity. Usually honest people, once awakened, could unleash astonishing strength.

“The report is very professional,” she said, closing it without further comment.

The report was to be reviewed by the Treasury; the house belonged to the Ministry—it was none of her concern. She was merely a clean and innocent minister’s secretary, completely unable to grasp these specialized valuation systems.

“Thanks to Mr. Roger’s reminder, I realized the many shortcomings of this property in location, structure, and decoration. I firmly believe this report fully, thoroughly, and without reservation reflects the true value of the property.”

Mr. Thompson’s eyes gleamed brightly. He now understood why his peers at the same level lived comfortably while he worked tirelessly until moonrise. Perhaps there had long been unspoken rules in the Treasury. Alas, he had been unaware until now.