Reading settings
chapter 114 part 2
He crossed out the line above, and William began writing and drawing on the paper again.
Only when someone tried to push open the classroom door did he suddenly draw his wand in alarm.
'Damn it, I was so focused on investigating that my guard was down!'
"Oh—Professor William, it's me, Lockhart."
The person revealed his signature smile and teeth—it had to be said, his teeth were truly excellent, the kind of perfection that a dentist would see and immediately want to extract to make into a specimen for everyone to see.
"Professor Lockhart, are you using this room for a class?"
"Oh, no, no, Professor William, I came specifically to find you."
Lockhart's smile grew even brighter, unsettling William. As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. Perhaps Lockhart had a knack for dealing with curses that even Dumbledore didn't possess. Had he discovered some way to dispel the curse, for example, by pushing it onto someone else?
'What am I thinking? Damn this gloomy day!'
William popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth. The warm sensation wafted from his stomach, dispelling all his discomfort.
"Professor Lockhart. Care for some?"
"Thank you, but no need. Chocolate isn't very good for teeth; I don't usually eat it." Lockhart hesitated, declined William's chocolate, then made his smile even more radiant.
"Well, Professor William, how shall I put it, you know about my club, right?"
Club? What did this have to do with the attack? Did someone think Lockhart, the "Agony Aunt," was too comfortable and wanted to teach him a lesson?
Then they should've splashed him with paint or fake blood! That rooster was innocent!
'Wait, a rooster—Britain doesn't have a custom of splashing fake blood. Rooster blood for warding off evil? Is there such a legend? Should I write this down?'
"Professor William?"
"Oh, I'm listening. I was just thinking that Professor Lockhart's club must be quite lively."
"It's wonderful, currently still taking reservations—so, some children have to come on the weekend, and even the weekend isn't quite enough. In fact, I'm thinking of holding a dinner on the weekend so they can have a wonderful evening where they can speak freely."
"That's a splendid idea, Professor Lockhart."
William was utterly confused and could only agree.
"Yes, that's right. But now we've encountered a small problem. Those children, they, well, have to serve detention on the weekend. So I was wondering if we could clear one evening for them to have a pleasant night."
Now he understood—it turned out this great adventurer didn't care about the rooster's death at all; he was pleading for those unlucky fellows!
'Did those rascals give Professor Lockhart Amortentia? How could Professor Lockhart dare to make such a request?'
Such thoughts surfaced in his mind, but William didn't directly refuse.
"Oh, Professor Lockhart, that's a good idea, but I'm afraid I can't agree to it—you know, students hate unfairness."
"Yes, that's right."
"While I would very much like to agree with you, I'm afraid Professor McGonagall and the other three Heads of House wouldn't approve of such an idea. This would divide the students into two groups. How about this: if all four Heads of House agree, I certainly won't have any objections—otherwise, the children who still have to serve detention would be too pitiful."
"But, the Heads of House..."
"Professor Lockhart, I believe in you, and your students believe in you too."
William patted Professor Lockhart's shoulder, a look on his face that said, "I have high hopes for you." Professor Lockhart may have spent a long time writing books, but surely his final exams didn't just consist of written tests and interviews?
With a smile and an expectant look, William, holding the long sheet of paper he had written on, left the empty classroom.
After that encounter with Professor Lockhart, the gloomy weather didn't seem so disheartening anymore.
---
"Let me tell you, that Professor William was walking through the castle, ate a piece of chocolate, and then rushed into an empty classroom. We were wondering what he was doing—so we secretly peeked, and guess what he was doing?"
"Who knows?"
"Researching magic?"
"Reading a book?"
"Writing a reply letter?"
In the Gryffindor Common Room, a group of students were listening to someone in the middle boasting.
After many answers were met with negation, the boy in the center slowly announced the answer: "You'd never guess—that professor was preparing an exam paper!"
*Gasp*
A collective gasp spread around.
"He was just walking along and then started preparing an exam paper? No way!"
"I saw it with my own eyes—when Lockhart went over, Professor William was still writing and drawing. Would writing letters cause such a commotion?"
"But, then again, is it really feasible to trick Professor Lockhart into submitting an application to cancel a day of detention?"
"Of course! Don't forget that club—"
The speaker seemed to suddenly remember something and clammed up.
"What about the club?"
"Nothing. Without the club, we wouldn't have found such a good way to avoid detention."
"Tsk~"
The people around them made scornful noises. Just then, someone ran in, flustered.
"Professor! A professor's here!"
The common room immediately erupted into pandemonium—a professor's arrival was never good news for these students.
"Clear everything! Arrange the chairs, cushions, cushions! Quickly!"
"Candy! Look presentable!"
The group issued commands that even they themselves didn't understand the logic of; everyone was a commander at this moment—some things were fine for a prefect to see, but absolutely not for a professor.
"It's not Professor McGonagall, it's Professor William!"
In their panic, the messenger delivered the most crucial information.
The chaotic common room instantly quieted. The few students who were moving things with their wands put them down and re-aimed their wands.
"Hm?"
Just one word, but the meaning was clear.
"Professor William sent me to call you. He said there's an opportunity to get out of a week's detention, and if we're late, it'll be gone."
"What are we waiting for then?!"
The common room erupted into a frenzy once more.
(end of chapter)
He crossed out the line above, and William began writing and drawing on the paper again.
Only when someone tried to push open the classroom door did he suddenly draw his wand in alarm.
'Damn it, I was so focused on investigating that my guard was down!'
"Oh—Professor William, it's me, Lockhart."
The person revealed his signature smile and teeth—it had to be said, his teeth were truly excellent, the kind of perfection that a dentist would see and immediately want to extract to make into a specimen for everyone to see.
"Professor Lockhart, are you using this room for a class?"
"Oh, no, no, Professor William, I came specifically to find you."
Lockhart's smile grew even brighter, unsettling William. As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. Perhaps Lockhart had a knack for dealing with curses that even Dumbledore didn't possess. Had he discovered some way to dispel the curse, for example, by pushing it onto someone else?
'What am I thinking? Damn this gloomy day!'
William popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth. The warm sensation wafted from his stomach, dispelling all his discomfort.
"Professor Lockhart. Care for some?"
"Thank you, but no need. Chocolate isn't very good for teeth; I don't usually eat it." Lockhart hesitated, declined William's chocolate, then made his smile even more radiant.
"Well, Professor William, how shall I put it, you know about my club, right?"
Club? What did this have to do with the attack? Did someone think Lockhart, the "Agony Aunt," was too comfortable and wanted to teach him a lesson?
Then they should've splashed him with paint or fake blood! That rooster was innocent!
'Wait, a rooster—Britain doesn't have a custom of splashing fake blood. Rooster blood for warding off evil? Is there such a legend? Should I write this down?'
"Professor William?"
"Oh, I'm listening. I was just thinking that Professor Lockhart's club must be quite lively."
"It's wonderful, currently still taking reservations—so, some children have to come on the weekend, and even the weekend isn't quite enough. In fact, I'm thinking of holding a dinner on the weekend so they can have a wonderful evening where they can speak freely."
"That's a splendid idea, Professor Lockhart."
William was utterly confused and could only agree.
"Yes, that's right. But now we've encountered a small problem. Those children, they, well, have to serve detention on the weekend. So I was wondering if we could clear one evening for them to have a pleasant night."
Now he understood—it turned out this great adventurer didn't care about the rooster's death at all; he was pleading for those unlucky fellows!
'Did those rascals give Professor Lockhart Amortentia? How could Professor Lockhart dare to make such a request?'
Such thoughts surfaced in his mind, but William didn't directly refuse.
"Oh, Professor Lockhart, that's a good idea, but I'm afraid I can't agree to it—you know, students hate unfairness."
"Yes, that's right."
"While I would very much like to agree with you, I'm afraid Professor McGonagall and the other three Heads of House wouldn't approve of such an idea. This would divide the students into two groups. How about this: if all four Heads of House agree, I certainly won't have any objections—otherwise, the children who still have to serve detention would be too pitiful."
"But, the Heads of House..."
"Professor Lockhart, I believe in you, and your students believe in you too."
William patted Professor Lockhart's shoulder, a look on his face that said, "I have high hopes for you." Professor Lockhart may have spent a long time writing books, but surely his final exams didn't just consist of written tests and interviews?
With a smile and an expectant look, William, holding the long sheet of paper he had written on, left the empty classroom.
After that encounter with Professor Lockhart, the gloomy weather didn't seem so disheartening anymore.
---
"Let me tell you, that Professor William was walking through the castle, ate a piece of chocolate, and then rushed into an empty classroom. We were wondering what he was doing—so we secretly peeked, and guess what he was doing?"
"Who knows?"
"Researching magic?"
"Reading a book?"
"Writing a reply letter?"
In the Gryffindor Common Room, a group of students were listening to someone in the middle boasting.
After many answers were met with negation, the boy in the center slowly announced the answer: "You'd never guess—that professor was preparing an exam paper!"
*Gasp*
A collective gasp spread around.
"He was just walking along and then started preparing an exam paper? No way!"
"I saw it with my own eyes—when Lockhart went over, Professor William was still writing and drawing. Would writing letters cause such a commotion?"
"But, then again, is it really feasible to trick Professor Lockhart into submitting an application to cancel a day of detention?"
"Of course! Don't forget that club—"
The speaker seemed to suddenly remember something and clammed up.
"What about the club?"
"Nothing. Without the club, we wouldn't have found such a good way to avoid detention."
"Tsk~"
The people around them made scornful noises. Just then, someone ran in, flustered.
"Professor! A professor's here!"
The common room immediately erupted into pandemonium—a professor's arrival was never good news for these students.
"Clear everything! Arrange the chairs, cushions, cushions! Quickly!"
"Candy! Look presentable!"
The group issued commands that even they themselves didn't understand the logic of; everyone was a commander at this moment—some things were fine for a prefect to see, but absolutely not for a professor.
"It's not Professor McGonagall, it's Professor William!"
In their panic, the messenger delivered the most crucial information.
The chaotic common room instantly quieted. The few students who were moving things with their wands put them down and re-aimed their wands.
"Hm?"
Just one word, but the meaning was clear.
"Professor William sent me to call you. He said there's an opportunity to get out of a week's detention, and if we're late, it'll be gone."
"What are we waiting for then?!"
The common room erupted into a frenzy once more.
(end of chapter)
