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chapter 115 part 1
Chapter 114: The Scheming Begins with the Students
By the time a crowd of Gryffindors rushed excitedly to the entrance of their Common Room, William was a little taken aback by their sheer energy.
‘Isn’t this a bit too much? I know your daily life is different from when you’re in detention, but isn’t this level of excitement a little exaggerated?’
If the students committing mischief in Filch's Office moved like hares escaping a trap, then their speed during detention in the classroom was comparable to a sloth's. But now, what William saw was a troop of monkeys that had been cooped up for seven or eight days, going absolutely wild.
What he didn't know was that at Hogwarts, giving students detention was common, and postponing it was rare. As for canceling detention—such a wonderful thing was only heard of in legends.
Especially after the last time William had given a group of students an exam, his detentions were naturally rated among the most painful at Hogwarts. Getting a week off was no small matter.
"Is everyone here? Let's go. It's not appropriate for so many people to be in the corridor. We'll find an Empty Classroom to talk."
William greeted the students with a smile, then turned and walked towards his own classroom.
"Professor, what about the students from other Houses—"
"Oh, them. They're not serving detention with me, so I don't have the right to cancel theirs."
William said to the students behind him without even turning his head.
——
"Alright, everyone find an empty seat and sit down."
William stood at the podium, addressing the students who had gathered around him.
After they had all found their places, William smiled and rubbed his hands together. He then interlocked the fingers of both hands, leaned forward slightly, and looked at the students below.
"This is a bit complicated. Let me think, how should I explain this to you?"
"Just as you've heard, if this is successful, everyone present—that is, those serving detention with me and those I sent to Mr. Filch—can have one week of their detention time reduced. There's no doubt about that, but—"
William drew out his tone, not giving the students below a chance to cheer. Anyone who frequently served detention knew the difficulty that followed the word "but." So, one by one, they all perked up their ears, waiting for what William would say after the turn.
"But, because it would be too easy for someone to try and find a loophole in this matter, I must emphasize here that if anyone tries to imitate this incident to get out of some punishment, I guarantee they will come to see expulsion as a beautiful thing."
William looked seriously at the children in the classroom. Although a professor shouldn't be prejudiced against students, he was well aware that if he rounded up all the children in this room and assigned them a pile of exam papers every weekend, Hogwarts's disciplinary problems would decrease by eighty percent.
Such a warning was typically empty and powerless, usually only effective when coming from a veteran professor like Professor McGonagall. But today, the group of troublemakers was unusually receptive to the threat behind William's unspoken methods.
"Understood, Professor."
After William's gaze had swept over half the classroom, low murmurs of assent came from the students.
"Mm, very good."
Although their voices were quiet and completely lacked spirit, William was exceptionally pleased with their response.
"Then I'll briefly explain what happened. This morning, all the Houses were searched early in the morning. I imagine all of you here know the details better than I do, so I won't elaborate."
William flexed his fingers, his voice steadying.
"You may have all sorts of speculations, and I don't intend to have you guess riddles here. Between last night and this morning, the school experienced a not-so-serious, even somewhat amusing attack—someone attacked a rooster."
As soon as he said this, the students could no longer maintain their serious expressions. No matter how much William tried to suppress it, the matter itself was simply laughable.
He paused for half a minute to let the students calm down a bit.
"Alright, that's enough laughter. While searching the Common Rooms because a rooster was attacked is a bit funny, it's entirely due to the school authority's concern. We discovered bloodstains dripping at the castle entrance."
"Although the evidence is not yet clear, I strongly suspect that a student snuck out and killed that rooster. What I need you to do is to help me find this chicken-killing classmate."
This time, the cheerful atmosphere in the classroom could no longer be contained. Mobilizing everyone to find a chicken?
If they were looking for a live rooster, that would be one thing, but to find the culprit who killed a rooster?
If William weren't a professor who had personally given this group of students an unforgettable detention, these kids might have already started thinking about playing a prank on him. How could something be this ridiculous? In a school as large as Hogwarts, the number of chickens that died in the kitchen alone in a single day was staggering.
To put it bluntly, if the first-year students were tasked with naming every chicken that died daily in the kitchen, their limited vocabularies would run out halfway through.
"Hmm—a single dead chicken causing such a commotion... it does seem a bit unworthy. The culprit didn't even steal the dead rooster, so it really doesn't seem like a big deal."
William chuckled along with the students for a moment.
"But, if it was just a chicken, why would I offer to reduce your detention by a week?"
"I don't know how many students here have studied books on Dark Magic, but as far as I know, the Wizarding World is filled with countless books bearing all sorts of curses. Some of these punitive books might only give you a little bite, while others can cost the reader their life."
"I suspect the rooster's blood was taken by the culprit, who intends to use it to attempt some so-called magical ritual from a book, or some other foolishness. Although I'm not one of your regular professors, I must still tell you that these are the most dangerous things!"
"Yes, I imagine many of you think I'm implying something. While such behavior is a bit much for a professor, I must say it: I have a slight suspicion that the culprit, hmm, is among you."
The students below looked livid. The feeling of being falsely accused was not a pleasant one.
"Don't be rash, don't be rash, children. It may seem like an accusation, but there aren't many people who can bypass the access control Mr. Filch designed to get in and out of the castle. While my suspicion might be excessive, I have no intention of doing something as foolish as trying to identify the culprit myself. In this school, there may be people who know those secret passages and hidden rooms even better than you do."
"That's impossible! In this school, including Filch, no one knows the castle's secrets better than the Weasley Brothers!" a boy shouted from below, as if the statement was an insult more unbearable than the previous false accusation.
Chapter 114: The Scheming Begins with the Students
By the time a crowd of Gryffindors rushed excitedly to the entrance of their Common Room, William was a little taken aback by their sheer energy.
‘Isn’t this a bit too much? I know your daily life is different from when you’re in detention, but isn’t this level of excitement a little exaggerated?’
If the students committing mischief in Filch's Office moved like hares escaping a trap, then their speed during detention in the classroom was comparable to a sloth's. But now, what William saw was a troop of monkeys that had been cooped up for seven or eight days, going absolutely wild.
What he didn't know was that at Hogwarts, giving students detention was common, and postponing it was rare. As for canceling detention—such a wonderful thing was only heard of in legends.
Especially after the last time William had given a group of students an exam, his detentions were naturally rated among the most painful at Hogwarts. Getting a week off was no small matter.
"Is everyone here? Let's go. It's not appropriate for so many people to be in the corridor. We'll find an Empty Classroom to talk."
William greeted the students with a smile, then turned and walked towards his own classroom.
"Professor, what about the students from other Houses—"
"Oh, them. They're not serving detention with me, so I don't have the right to cancel theirs."
William said to the students behind him without even turning his head.
——
"Alright, everyone find an empty seat and sit down."
William stood at the podium, addressing the students who had gathered around him.
After they had all found their places, William smiled and rubbed his hands together. He then interlocked the fingers of both hands, leaned forward slightly, and looked at the students below.
"This is a bit complicated. Let me think, how should I explain this to you?"
"Just as you've heard, if this is successful, everyone present—that is, those serving detention with me and those I sent to Mr. Filch—can have one week of their detention time reduced. There's no doubt about that, but—"
William drew out his tone, not giving the students below a chance to cheer. Anyone who frequently served detention knew the difficulty that followed the word "but." So, one by one, they all perked up their ears, waiting for what William would say after the turn.
"But, because it would be too easy for someone to try and find a loophole in this matter, I must emphasize here that if anyone tries to imitate this incident to get out of some punishment, I guarantee they will come to see expulsion as a beautiful thing."
William looked seriously at the children in the classroom. Although a professor shouldn't be prejudiced against students, he was well aware that if he rounded up all the children in this room and assigned them a pile of exam papers every weekend, Hogwarts's disciplinary problems would decrease by eighty percent.
Such a warning was typically empty and powerless, usually only effective when coming from a veteran professor like Professor McGonagall. But today, the group of troublemakers was unusually receptive to the threat behind William's unspoken methods.
"Understood, Professor."
After William's gaze had swept over half the classroom, low murmurs of assent came from the students.
"Mm, very good."
Although their voices were quiet and completely lacked spirit, William was exceptionally pleased with their response.
"Then I'll briefly explain what happened. This morning, all the Houses were searched early in the morning. I imagine all of you here know the details better than I do, so I won't elaborate."
William flexed his fingers, his voice steadying.
"You may have all sorts of speculations, and I don't intend to have you guess riddles here. Between last night and this morning, the school experienced a not-so-serious, even somewhat amusing attack—someone attacked a rooster."
As soon as he said this, the students could no longer maintain their serious expressions. No matter how much William tried to suppress it, the matter itself was simply laughable.
He paused for half a minute to let the students calm down a bit.
"Alright, that's enough laughter. While searching the Common Rooms because a rooster was attacked is a bit funny, it's entirely due to the school authority's concern. We discovered bloodstains dripping at the castle entrance."
"Although the evidence is not yet clear, I strongly suspect that a student snuck out and killed that rooster. What I need you to do is to help me find this chicken-killing classmate."
This time, the cheerful atmosphere in the classroom could no longer be contained. Mobilizing everyone to find a chicken?
If they were looking for a live rooster, that would be one thing, but to find the culprit who killed a rooster?
If William weren't a professor who had personally given this group of students an unforgettable detention, these kids might have already started thinking about playing a prank on him. How could something be this ridiculous? In a school as large as Hogwarts, the number of chickens that died in the kitchen alone in a single day was staggering.
To put it bluntly, if the first-year students were tasked with naming every chicken that died daily in the kitchen, their limited vocabularies would run out halfway through.
"Hmm—a single dead chicken causing such a commotion... it does seem a bit unworthy. The culprit didn't even steal the dead rooster, so it really doesn't seem like a big deal."
William chuckled along with the students for a moment.
"But, if it was just a chicken, why would I offer to reduce your detention by a week?"
"I don't know how many students here have studied books on Dark Magic, but as far as I know, the Wizarding World is filled with countless books bearing all sorts of curses. Some of these punitive books might only give you a little bite, while others can cost the reader their life."
"I suspect the rooster's blood was taken by the culprit, who intends to use it to attempt some so-called magical ritual from a book, or some other foolishness. Although I'm not one of your regular professors, I must still tell you that these are the most dangerous things!"
"Yes, I imagine many of you think I'm implying something. While such behavior is a bit much for a professor, I must say it: I have a slight suspicion that the culprit, hmm, is among you."
The students below looked livid. The feeling of being falsely accused was not a pleasant one.
"Don't be rash, don't be rash, children. It may seem like an accusation, but there aren't many people who can bypass the access control Mr. Filch designed to get in and out of the castle. While my suspicion might be excessive, I have no intention of doing something as foolish as trying to identify the culprit myself. In this school, there may be people who know those secret passages and hidden rooms even better than you do."
"That's impossible! In this school, including Filch, no one knows the castle's secrets better than the Weasley Brothers!" a boy shouted from below, as if the statement was an insult more unbearable than the previous false accusation.
