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Chapter 100: Thirty Points from Hufflepuff
"Those stains mean something different to us. Let's use an analogy. To a child carrying a piece of butter home, that butter is their entire world. But to us adults, it's just a piece of butter."
As the bonfire rose, William, sitting on the picnic mat, explained this to Adams.
"A peculiar philosophy. No wonder the fifth-years don't badmouth you, even with their exams—but is Afra really alright?"
Adams pointed to the little girl beside them. Her robe was clean, and she was nibbling on a piece of chocolate clutched in her hands like a squirrel.
"She's fine. By the way, you weren't hoping to see her get a beating, were you?"
"Nonsense!"
Adams was quick to deny it, pulling out his cutlery.
A lost rabbit, hazelnuts and pine nuts hidden by squirrels, mushrooms picked from the forest, and an assortment of edible magical herbs and wild vegetables Adams had gathered himself—this motley pile of ingredients formed the main course for their lunch.
After that, there was nothing left for William and Singeade to do. Adams, with a cooking pot in one hand and a wand in the other, busied himself happily, completely ignoring his two teammates who were ignorant of Culinary Magic.
"Uncle Singeade, Uncle Swindler, can I go play nearby?"
Having finished her chocolate, Afra was full of energy again.
*'Still Uncle Swindler?'*
William couldn't resist a discreet eye-roll. Singeade, however, was very patient. "You may, but give me your hand first. I need to place a mark on you—that way, I won't worry about finding you if you hide again."
"Okay, Afra will be good."
—
When it was time to eat, William and the others were shocked to see a little mud monkey charging toward them.
"Afra's back, just like I promised!"
she yelled energetically. If it hadn't been for that shout, William would have drawn his wand in self-defense.
In less than half an hour, the original scarlet color of her robe was almost unrecognizable. Her once-clean face was streaked with muddy water, and her straight hair was now a tangled mess, flecked with grass seeds. If her voice hadn't been the same, William would have had a hard time believing this was the same little girl who had just run off to play.
*'What happened to the adorable child we brought with us? Whose little mud monkey is this?'*
William was overcome with profound doubt.
"Gulp."
Professor Singeade, standing beside him, gulped audibly. "Professor Taylor is going to want to duel me."
It was a slight exaggeration, but understandable. Anyone who took out a clean, tidy child and brought back a little mud monkey would feel the urge to challenge you to a duel.
"Let's see if we can salvage this."
William patted his shoulder sympathetically. The two of them got up, drew their wands, and held Afra still.
Finally, by the time Adams's dish was ready, the two had just barely managed to restore the little girl to her former state. William, for his part, finally understood just how unbalanced his magical abilities were; he simply couldn't handle the more delicate work.
Fortunately, Afra was cooperative enough—perhaps the child, having run wild to her heart's content, had finally remembered she was about to be in trouble. Even so, when William and the others finally sat down to eat, the meal tasted twice as delicious as usual—purely out of exhaustion.
"Uncle Swindler, you're not going to stop playing with me, are you?"
On the way back, the perceptive little girl asked cautiously, worried she was in for a scolding.
*'Just change what you call me!'*
"We won't, don't worry." William ruffled her hair, picking out a stray tree leaf they had missed. Although today had been mentally exhausting, having a little girl like her around the Staff Room was rather amusing.
Once they were out of the forest, William and the others quickly helped Afra clean off the muddy water she had picked up on the way back, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"I need to leave the rabbit with Hagrid. There's nowhere to keep it inside the Castle. You two take Afra back first."
"Singeade, you take Afra back. I need to talk with Hagrid. The seventh-years need to see what these herbs look like growing naturally—I need Hagrid to prepare a safe area for me ahead of time."
Adams also found an excuse, leaving Singeade with an expression that screamed, "Our friendship is over," as he led Afra away. Despite their best efforts, tying her hair into neat braids was beyond what three men could manage—even with magic.
"May Merlin preserve him."
"Agreed."
The two nodded in perfect sync, watching Singeade's mournful figure recede toward the Castle before finally heading for Hagrid's Hut.
—
"How was lunch today?"
"It was fantastic. I can't help but want to learn it myself—does everyone in Hufflepuff possess such exquisite culinary skills?"
"Not all of them. I'm quite skilled with herbs, so I like to add my own personal touch. The results are pretty good."
"You're too modest—wait, what's that over there?"
William suddenly pointed ahead. Not far from Hagrid's Hut, a flash of fiery red was moving stealthily.
*'Can't people with such distinctive hair colors be a little more careful when they're trying to be stealthy?'*
Before he could finish his silent complaint, Adams's furious voice erupted. "It's theft! That's where Hagrid's chicken coop is! Those are some of the only live chickens in Hogwarts! Damn it—if that's a Hufflepuff, I'll have the scoundrel in detention until Christmas!"
Before William could even process the implications of that statement, Adams had already charged forward in a fury.
"Stop! Thirty points from Hufflepuff!"
The figure seemed to try and flee, but a single spell from the enraged Adams knocked them unconscious. Adams quickly rushed over, only to freeze in place, staring.
"Hmm?"
Curious, William trotted over as well, rabbit in hand. Just then, the door to Hagrid's hut swung open, and a bewildered-looking Hagrid emerged with his hunting dog, Fang.
"What's going on, Professor Adams? Ah, William, looks like you've had a successful hunt."
He greeted William and his rabbit before turning his gaze to Adams. "Oh, Professor, what's happened here? Hey, isn't that Ginny?"
William finally jogged up to them. By then, Adams had released the subdued girl. She looked at everyone timidly, her face filled with lingering fear.
"A Gryffindor?"
Adams looked relieved for a moment, but his expression quickly turned stern. "Then what were you doing near Hagrid's hut?"
"I... I wanted to take a look at the Forbidden Forest, but I was afraid Hagrid would see me, so I was checking if he was here. Fred and the others said it's easy to sneak in if Hagrid isn't around."
As soon as the name Fred came up, William instantly remembered where he'd seen this girl before—on the train. She and another Gryffindor had come to him for help.
She must be the Weasley Twins' younger sister. At this thought, William took half a step back.
For the sake of his reputation, he felt it was best to keep his distance.
*'This has nothing to do with me. The students had better not start any strange rumors. I am not targeting the Weasley family, and I'm not assigning this detention!'*
(end of chapter)
"Those stains mean something different to us. Let's use an analogy. To a child carrying a piece of butter home, that butter is their entire world. But to us adults, it's just a piece of butter."
As the bonfire rose, William, sitting on the picnic mat, explained this to Adams.
"A peculiar philosophy. No wonder the fifth-years don't badmouth you, even with their exams—but is Afra really alright?"
Adams pointed to the little girl beside them. Her robe was clean, and she was nibbling on a piece of chocolate clutched in her hands like a squirrel.
"She's fine. By the way, you weren't hoping to see her get a beating, were you?"
"Nonsense!"
Adams was quick to deny it, pulling out his cutlery.
A lost rabbit, hazelnuts and pine nuts hidden by squirrels, mushrooms picked from the forest, and an assortment of edible magical herbs and wild vegetables Adams had gathered himself—this motley pile of ingredients formed the main course for their lunch.
After that, there was nothing left for William and Singeade to do. Adams, with a cooking pot in one hand and a wand in the other, busied himself happily, completely ignoring his two teammates who were ignorant of Culinary Magic.
"Uncle Singeade, Uncle Swindler, can I go play nearby?"
Having finished her chocolate, Afra was full of energy again.
*'Still Uncle Swindler?'*
William couldn't resist a discreet eye-roll. Singeade, however, was very patient. "You may, but give me your hand first. I need to place a mark on you—that way, I won't worry about finding you if you hide again."
"Okay, Afra will be good."
—
When it was time to eat, William and the others were shocked to see a little mud monkey charging toward them.
"Afra's back, just like I promised!"
she yelled energetically. If it hadn't been for that shout, William would have drawn his wand in self-defense.
In less than half an hour, the original scarlet color of her robe was almost unrecognizable. Her once-clean face was streaked with muddy water, and her straight hair was now a tangled mess, flecked with grass seeds. If her voice hadn't been the same, William would have had a hard time believing this was the same little girl who had just run off to play.
*'What happened to the adorable child we brought with us? Whose little mud monkey is this?'*
William was overcome with profound doubt.
"Gulp."
Professor Singeade, standing beside him, gulped audibly. "Professor Taylor is going to want to duel me."
It was a slight exaggeration, but understandable. Anyone who took out a clean, tidy child and brought back a little mud monkey would feel the urge to challenge you to a duel.
"Let's see if we can salvage this."
William patted his shoulder sympathetically. The two of them got up, drew their wands, and held Afra still.
Finally, by the time Adams's dish was ready, the two had just barely managed to restore the little girl to her former state. William, for his part, finally understood just how unbalanced his magical abilities were; he simply couldn't handle the more delicate work.
Fortunately, Afra was cooperative enough—perhaps the child, having run wild to her heart's content, had finally remembered she was about to be in trouble. Even so, when William and the others finally sat down to eat, the meal tasted twice as delicious as usual—purely out of exhaustion.
"Uncle Swindler, you're not going to stop playing with me, are you?"
On the way back, the perceptive little girl asked cautiously, worried she was in for a scolding.
*'Just change what you call me!'*
"We won't, don't worry." William ruffled her hair, picking out a stray tree leaf they had missed. Although today had been mentally exhausting, having a little girl like her around the Staff Room was rather amusing.
Once they were out of the forest, William and the others quickly helped Afra clean off the muddy water she had picked up on the way back, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"I need to leave the rabbit with Hagrid. There's nowhere to keep it inside the Castle. You two take Afra back first."
"Singeade, you take Afra back. I need to talk with Hagrid. The seventh-years need to see what these herbs look like growing naturally—I need Hagrid to prepare a safe area for me ahead of time."
Adams also found an excuse, leaving Singeade with an expression that screamed, "Our friendship is over," as he led Afra away. Despite their best efforts, tying her hair into neat braids was beyond what three men could manage—even with magic.
"May Merlin preserve him."
"Agreed."
The two nodded in perfect sync, watching Singeade's mournful figure recede toward the Castle before finally heading for Hagrid's Hut.
—
"How was lunch today?"
"It was fantastic. I can't help but want to learn it myself—does everyone in Hufflepuff possess such exquisite culinary skills?"
"Not all of them. I'm quite skilled with herbs, so I like to add my own personal touch. The results are pretty good."
"You're too modest—wait, what's that over there?"
William suddenly pointed ahead. Not far from Hagrid's Hut, a flash of fiery red was moving stealthily.
*'Can't people with such distinctive hair colors be a little more careful when they're trying to be stealthy?'*
Before he could finish his silent complaint, Adams's furious voice erupted. "It's theft! That's where Hagrid's chicken coop is! Those are some of the only live chickens in Hogwarts! Damn it—if that's a Hufflepuff, I'll have the scoundrel in detention until Christmas!"
Before William could even process the implications of that statement, Adams had already charged forward in a fury.
"Stop! Thirty points from Hufflepuff!"
The figure seemed to try and flee, but a single spell from the enraged Adams knocked them unconscious. Adams quickly rushed over, only to freeze in place, staring.
"Hmm?"
Curious, William trotted over as well, rabbit in hand. Just then, the door to Hagrid's hut swung open, and a bewildered-looking Hagrid emerged with his hunting dog, Fang.
"What's going on, Professor Adams? Ah, William, looks like you've had a successful hunt."
He greeted William and his rabbit before turning his gaze to Adams. "Oh, Professor, what's happened here? Hey, isn't that Ginny?"
William finally jogged up to them. By then, Adams had released the subdued girl. She looked at everyone timidly, her face filled with lingering fear.
"A Gryffindor?"
Adams looked relieved for a moment, but his expression quickly turned stern. "Then what were you doing near Hagrid's hut?"
"I... I wanted to take a look at the Forbidden Forest, but I was afraid Hagrid would see me, so I was checking if he was here. Fred and the others said it's easy to sneak in if Hagrid isn't around."
As soon as the name Fred came up, William instantly remembered where he'd seen this girl before—on the train. She and another Gryffindor had come to him for help.
She must be the Weasley Twins' younger sister. At this thought, William took half a step back.
For the sake of his reputation, he felt it was best to keep his distance.
*'This has nothing to do with me. The students had better not start any strange rumors. I am not targeting the Weasley family, and I'm not assigning this detention!'*
(end of chapter)
