A Taste of Magic

Chapter 50: 50th Course - Moving Forward

"Hey Kid, here."

Harry caught the small bag that Aberforth tossed him. "What's this?"

"Your pay, what did you think?" Aberforth said. He snorted at Harry's surprise. "Did you think you weren't going to be paid?"

"I honestly didn't think about it at all," Harry said sheepishly. He flushed when Aberforth snorted again and Ariana gave him a look of pity. "I thought it was like an internship or a stage, something like that."

"Even interns and stages get paid," Ariana said. "Well, some do anyways."

"Well I'm not taking advantage of you," Aberforth said. "You work hard and it should be rewarded."

"That and you like me," Harry smiled.

Aberforth pushed Ariana's grinning face away from him. "I said don't mention that," he said gruffly. "Besides, it's coming out of Albus' cut of the profits."

"Oh, now I feel really bad," Harry said, looking at the pouch of coins. "He got me the position here."

Aberforth grunted when Ariana kicked him in the rear. "Don't listen to him," she said kindly. "It's coming out of his cut. I made sure of it. I do the books here."

Harry laughed. "I mean, I don't really need it. I have a lot of money from my parents and now Sirius is going to help."

"Kid, remember what I taught you when you first arrived?" Aberforth asked, wholly serious.

"People are arseholes," Harry said confidently.

"Right, and what else," Aberforth said, grinning when Ariana swatted him irritably.

"I can pull out my list, you gave me a lot of lessons," Harry said.

"Self-worth," Aberforth said. "You deserve to know what you're worth, and you deserve to determine it."

"Oh right," Harry said weakly.

"There will always be people who want to devalue you," Aberforth said. "Who want the most from you while giving you the least. Then there are those that will give you more than your worth as a way to appeal to you, or convince you of something. Finally you have those that see you for who you are and value you for that. And it's important that you are one of those people too."

"I think I get it," Harry said softly.

"So never be shy about what you think you are worth and what you bring," Aberforth said. "But that's not a reason to get your head too big for your hat neither."

"I don't think our Harry has that problem," Ariana said confidently. She tousled his hair. "A hat might help you though."

"I've always wanted to wear a chef's toque," Harry smiled, feeling warm.

"Oh like one of those fancy super tall ones?" Ariana asked.

"No one wears those in a regular place, you'd be laughed out," Aberforth chuckled.

"Yes they do, I've seen them in magazines," Harry protested. "Even in the magical world."

"Oh like ones from France and those international competitions? Yeah true. Not here though or less fancy places."