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chapter 113 part 1
Chapter 112: The Strange Common Room Inspection
"Good morning, children."
William walked into the classroom with a cheerful smile. During breakfast, Adams had told a particularly brilliant joke about a troll and a goblin, and it was so effective that even Professor McGonagall had almost lost her composure.
This successfully resolved the issue of William's less-than-high spirits since waking up, as it was another overcast day.
But after greeting the students, he was surprised to find that their spirits weren't very high either.
"Eh? Did something happen? You all look rather listless."
William considered his classes to be far from boring, certainly not enough to make students this unhappy. Weren't they all in high spirits at the end of the last lesson?
"Professor, you wouldn't find it strange if you'd been in the common room—we've been undergoing inspections since five in the morning."
"Inspections?"
William was confused by the student's words. If he remembered correctly, wasn't he just listening to Adams' joke this morning?
"Yes, inspections, Professor. Gryffindor had one this morning, checking for people who were out all night. It was barely five o'clock!"
Checking for people who stayed out all night at five in the morning?
It made a certain amount of sense—but firstly, the timing was a bit late, and secondly, waking everyone up so early on a Monday was a bit cruel, wasn't it?
"Gryffindor had an inspection, so why are the rest of you listless too?"
"Gryffindor caught three pairs, then the prefects notified each other, so the other Houses started conducting their own checks."
"Then—"
William was about to say that he hadn't heard anything about it at the breakfast table, but he immediately realized the problem. Only the Heads of House would know the full results, so how could it possibly be used as table talk?
Although the other professors would surely find out eventually, no one would be the one to bring it up as a topic of gossip.
"Alright, I understand—" William suppressed his curiosity and announced the start of the lesson. "But regardless, class must go on. Tidy up your books, let's begin."
"Hey, Professor, aren't you going to ask why Percy suddenly got the idea to search the students?"
Percy? William paused for a moment. Was it because he had praised him yesterday, so he was doubling his efforts to fulfill his duties? Or did he feel there weren't enough students being supervised and was trying to round up more?
However, this was an internal student matter, and William had no intention of interfering, let alone inquiring. A prefect catching students breaking the rules was justifiable from any angle.
But the students below were getting antsy. The Professor wasn't curious, but they were! It was like cutting a melon in half and then putting it in the fridge without letting anyone eat it—what was up with that?
"I'm not curious. And on that note, here's a word of advice for all of you—curiosity killed the cat."
William replied seriously, then put down his textbook, placed his hands on either side of the lectern, and leaned forward. "Whenever and wherever you hear an inappropriate sound, your first instinct shouldn't be to peek out of curiosity, but to draw your wand, scan the surroundings for places someone could hide, try to get your back against a wall, and be ready to counter-attack at any moment. This can help you avoid over seventy percent of all dangers."
"Professor, why only seventy percent?"
"Because the wizarding world is too dangerous. You're not just facing people; even the wall you're leaning against could be a problem."
This novel theory immediately captured the students' attention. Those in their sixth year who still elected to take this course had, more or less, an impulse for adventure.
"Professor, tell us more in detail! You must have a bunch of great adventure stories."
Sorry—they're all hearsay, I don't have a single story of my own. Besides, who knows how much truth there was in the boasts of that lot in Azkaban?
Still, a professor's dignity had to be maintained. William decided to praise Professor Lockhart instead.
"Adventure stories? Professor Lockhart is the master of adventure. My own experience is limited, and some of it even comes from other seasoned adventurers. This experience is passed down by word of mouth, and you know how it is with those people—you could wring half a bottle of alcohol out of their words."
But this dismissal didn't have much effect. On the contrary, the students' interest in hearing a story grew even stronger. How could class be more interesting than listening to stories?
"Alright, alright, I'll tell one story. If you think it's no good, we'll stop immediately and begin today's lesson."
In any case, it was just a matter of presenting the lesson he had prepared for later in the form of a story. If they fell behind schedule, he could quickly catch them up with a few exam papers—William subconsciously and temporarily forgot his idea of only using exam papers on fifth-year students.
"Hmm, where should this story begin—let's start from the middle of an exploration (smuggling operation)."
William cleared his throat.
"Because most of the routes were blocked at the time..."
William spun a tale, mixing fabrication with what he'd heard, turning the story of a smuggling party forced to detour through the mountains because their route was blocked by Hit-Wizards into an explorer's version. It was one of the most vivid stories he had heard in Azkaban, and it was quite effective for entertaining students today.
"So, Professor, that group ran into a Cat-leopard?"
William, who was in the middle of his spirited narration, froze. He had just gotten to the part about murder at the dead-of-night campsite, and someone had already spoiled the reveal?
How was this any different from someone exposing the punchline of a comedy routine, or reading the first page of a Conan manga and seeing a character labeled "This is the perpetrator"?
'Hit him.'
That was the first command that surfaced in William's mind, but he quickly realized this wasn't Azkaban.
He looked to see which student had been so bold, only to find the poor fellow already shrouded in the hateful glares of the other students.
'Forget it.'
William thought, and then began to change the subject.
"Yes, it was a Cat-leopard—one of the most dangerous magical creatures officially recognized by the Ministry of Magic, an XXXXX-class creature, an assassin of the mountains. Its eyes have the ability to hypnotize and perform Legilimency. If you encounter one, please run faster—Apparate immediately, or call for backup at once. If you can do neither, then step forward confidently and give it a self-assured smile."
"But, Professor, we learned in Care of Magical Creatures that Cat-leopards aren't afraid of wizards. Even a whole team of them using magic can't scare it off, can they?"
"I didn't say you should scare it off, child. If you do this, you'll die with a bit more dignity."
William replied gently, and the entire class burst into laughter.
"Alright, although our story was interrupted, I must solemnly repeat this here. When you want to go on an adventure, you must pay attention to four things. First, always have a firm grasp on your wand. Second, choose your companions well; not even the sturdiest wall can protect your back better than a good teammate. Third, prepare your food and lodging in advance. Fourth, and this is the most important point, bring enough money, but not so much that it incites greed."
Many students jotted this down, which made William feel a little sheepish. He was all theory and had no practical experience whatsoever.
'If I can find a suitable companion during the summer holiday, maybe I should try going on an adventure—wait, I'm still under a curse. Isn't adventuring just asking for death?'
Quickly pushing the thought from his mind, William glanced at the time.
"The time now is a bit awkward—it's too late to start the original lesson, and we can't finish covering the theory. What should we do?"
"Cover the theory? Professor, what were you originally planning?"
"A practical lesson, of course. I have to let you get some hands-on experience. You're all sixth-year students; you can't possibly go an entire academic year without using your wands, can you?"
Chapter 112: The Strange Common Room Inspection
"Good morning, children."
William walked into the classroom with a cheerful smile. During breakfast, Adams had told a particularly brilliant joke about a troll and a goblin, and it was so effective that even Professor McGonagall had almost lost her composure.
This successfully resolved the issue of William's less-than-high spirits since waking up, as it was another overcast day.
But after greeting the students, he was surprised to find that their spirits weren't very high either.
"Eh? Did something happen? You all look rather listless."
William considered his classes to be far from boring, certainly not enough to make students this unhappy. Weren't they all in high spirits at the end of the last lesson?
"Professor, you wouldn't find it strange if you'd been in the common room—we've been undergoing inspections since five in the morning."
"Inspections?"
William was confused by the student's words. If he remembered correctly, wasn't he just listening to Adams' joke this morning?
"Yes, inspections, Professor. Gryffindor had one this morning, checking for people who were out all night. It was barely five o'clock!"
Checking for people who stayed out all night at five in the morning?
It made a certain amount of sense—but firstly, the timing was a bit late, and secondly, waking everyone up so early on a Monday was a bit cruel, wasn't it?
"Gryffindor had an inspection, so why are the rest of you listless too?"
"Gryffindor caught three pairs, then the prefects notified each other, so the other Houses started conducting their own checks."
"Then—"
William was about to say that he hadn't heard anything about it at the breakfast table, but he immediately realized the problem. Only the Heads of House would know the full results, so how could it possibly be used as table talk?
Although the other professors would surely find out eventually, no one would be the one to bring it up as a topic of gossip.
"Alright, I understand—" William suppressed his curiosity and announced the start of the lesson. "But regardless, class must go on. Tidy up your books, let's begin."
"Hey, Professor, aren't you going to ask why Percy suddenly got the idea to search the students?"
Percy? William paused for a moment. Was it because he had praised him yesterday, so he was doubling his efforts to fulfill his duties? Or did he feel there weren't enough students being supervised and was trying to round up more?
However, this was an internal student matter, and William had no intention of interfering, let alone inquiring. A prefect catching students breaking the rules was justifiable from any angle.
But the students below were getting antsy. The Professor wasn't curious, but they were! It was like cutting a melon in half and then putting it in the fridge without letting anyone eat it—what was up with that?
"I'm not curious. And on that note, here's a word of advice for all of you—curiosity killed the cat."
William replied seriously, then put down his textbook, placed his hands on either side of the lectern, and leaned forward. "Whenever and wherever you hear an inappropriate sound, your first instinct shouldn't be to peek out of curiosity, but to draw your wand, scan the surroundings for places someone could hide, try to get your back against a wall, and be ready to counter-attack at any moment. This can help you avoid over seventy percent of all dangers."
"Professor, why only seventy percent?"
"Because the wizarding world is too dangerous. You're not just facing people; even the wall you're leaning against could be a problem."
This novel theory immediately captured the students' attention. Those in their sixth year who still elected to take this course had, more or less, an impulse for adventure.
"Professor, tell us more in detail! You must have a bunch of great adventure stories."
Sorry—they're all hearsay, I don't have a single story of my own. Besides, who knows how much truth there was in the boasts of that lot in Azkaban?
Still, a professor's dignity had to be maintained. William decided to praise Professor Lockhart instead.
"Adventure stories? Professor Lockhart is the master of adventure. My own experience is limited, and some of it even comes from other seasoned adventurers. This experience is passed down by word of mouth, and you know how it is with those people—you could wring half a bottle of alcohol out of their words."
But this dismissal didn't have much effect. On the contrary, the students' interest in hearing a story grew even stronger. How could class be more interesting than listening to stories?
"Alright, alright, I'll tell one story. If you think it's no good, we'll stop immediately and begin today's lesson."
In any case, it was just a matter of presenting the lesson he had prepared for later in the form of a story. If they fell behind schedule, he could quickly catch them up with a few exam papers—William subconsciously and temporarily forgot his idea of only using exam papers on fifth-year students.
"Hmm, where should this story begin—let's start from the middle of an exploration (smuggling operation)."
William cleared his throat.
"Because most of the routes were blocked at the time..."
William spun a tale, mixing fabrication with what he'd heard, turning the story of a smuggling party forced to detour through the mountains because their route was blocked by Hit-Wizards into an explorer's version. It was one of the most vivid stories he had heard in Azkaban, and it was quite effective for entertaining students today.
"So, Professor, that group ran into a Cat-leopard?"
William, who was in the middle of his spirited narration, froze. He had just gotten to the part about murder at the dead-of-night campsite, and someone had already spoiled the reveal?
How was this any different from someone exposing the punchline of a comedy routine, or reading the first page of a Conan manga and seeing a character labeled "This is the perpetrator"?
'Hit him.'
That was the first command that surfaced in William's mind, but he quickly realized this wasn't Azkaban.
He looked to see which student had been so bold, only to find the poor fellow already shrouded in the hateful glares of the other students.
'Forget it.'
William thought, and then began to change the subject.
"Yes, it was a Cat-leopard—one of the most dangerous magical creatures officially recognized by the Ministry of Magic, an XXXXX-class creature, an assassin of the mountains. Its eyes have the ability to hypnotize and perform Legilimency. If you encounter one, please run faster—Apparate immediately, or call for backup at once. If you can do neither, then step forward confidently and give it a self-assured smile."
"But, Professor, we learned in Care of Magical Creatures that Cat-leopards aren't afraid of wizards. Even a whole team of them using magic can't scare it off, can they?"
"I didn't say you should scare it off, child. If you do this, you'll die with a bit more dignity."
William replied gently, and the entire class burst into laughter.
"Alright, although our story was interrupted, I must solemnly repeat this here. When you want to go on an adventure, you must pay attention to four things. First, always have a firm grasp on your wand. Second, choose your companions well; not even the sturdiest wall can protect your back better than a good teammate. Third, prepare your food and lodging in advance. Fourth, and this is the most important point, bring enough money, but not so much that it incites greed."
Many students jotted this down, which made William feel a little sheepish. He was all theory and had no practical experience whatsoever.
'If I can find a suitable companion during the summer holiday, maybe I should try going on an adventure—wait, I'm still under a curse. Isn't adventuring just asking for death?'
Quickly pushing the thought from his mind, William glanced at the time.
"The time now is a bit awkward—it's too late to start the original lesson, and we can't finish covering the theory. What should we do?"
"Cover the theory? Professor, what were you originally planning?"
"A practical lesson, of course. I have to let you get some hands-on experience. You're all sixth-year students; you can't possibly go an entire academic year without using your wands, can you?"
