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chapter 115 part 2
"Be humble, child," William glanced at the student, thinking to himself, *Why are you putting them on the spot at a time like this?*
"Ahem, if I've offended you in any way, I apologize. But that's how it is. I suspect some unlucky fellow, or perhaps an adventurer, has tried to believe the nonsense in a book and is attempting to recreate its unproven contents here at Hogwarts. What I want you to do is help me find that person, or rather, the place where they are attempting to perform a ritual with chicken blood."
"You should look for people who are constantly distracted, those acting strangely, or find any bloodstains that might have been left in a secret passage or any strange patterns made with chicken blood."
"Of course, as I told you all at the beginning, this matter will be treated leniently only this one time. If I hear of anyone trying to imitate or falsify this, I will make them regret it."
"This is an adventure, and also a commission, that I am issuing to all students present."
"Whoever finds the related location will have their detention reduced by one week. If you catch the culprit, everyone will have their detention reduced by one week. The two rewards can be stacked."
When the main reward was announced, everyone became excited. Even without the tempting reward, just participating in this major operation made all the Gryffindors feel that their trip had not been in vain.
For a Gryffindor, the adventure itself was the best reward, not to mention the tangible reduction in detention time!
"One last thing," William made a calming gesture towards the now-energized students below.
"If any cheating or falsification is discovered, it will be treated as imitation."
"Oh, right. If it was one of you who did it, and they turn themselves in, that person will only get an extra week of detention, a light sentence, and the reduction for everyone else still stands."
William added worriedly. Although the reactions of the students present suggested his suspicion was wrong, it didn't stop him from adding a stipulation to the plan.
But no one reacted to this; they were all captivated by this so-called adventure. Suspicion? What was that?
"Alright then, what are you waiting for? Go!"
William waved his hand in resignation. The students, who could no longer sit still, cheered, waved their greetings, and rushed out of the classroom.
'I just hope Professor McGonagall doesn't come looking for me over this. These Gryffindor students are already hard enough to manage. After I've riled them up like this, they'll probably be out looking for trouble every day from now on.'
But it was a necessary evil. The secret passages and hidden locations on William's list had to be checked.
As a wizard who had never attended Hogwarts himself, he was not very familiar with the school. Sometimes when the stairs changed paths, he had to ask the surrounding portraits for help finding his way. If he weren't a professor, given the temperament of those portraits, he would have been lost countless times.
'It's quite a coincidence. If a group of them hadn't been caught by Mr. Filch, and then caused trouble collectively in Mr. Filch's Office, where else would I have found so many active Gryffindors?'
After all, fifth-year students, even Gryffindors, were focused on their studies. Seventh-year students were busy with their internships, and the sixth-year students, not busy with internships or preparing for exams, were busy with romance. The students in William's own classes were all slackers; finding a student willing to help was difficult.
Besides, if those students weren't in detention, William would have no reason to command so many of them. It was one thing to assign tasks during class, but after class, students had their own lives. Who, besides those in detention, cared what a professor wanted?
'Well, after that speech, the problem of the secret passages and secret locations should be solved. Just as those kids said themselves, no one at Hogwarts knows the castle better than they do. If someone is performing some kind of evil ritual inside the castle, these kids will definitely be able to find it.'
'Safety... should be fine. The culprit had to kill the rooster in the middle of the night. Seeing as this is the first rooster to die, even if there is some bizarre ritual, it would only restore the power of one rooster. That's not enough to take on this group of mischievous children combined.'
Although it was a bit unfair to the serious students, William knew very well that apart from the top tier of students, the average student who studied normally would be no match for these little rascals in a fight. Their daily lives had equipped them with more than enough spells for pranks, and these spells were quite useful in a fight.
'An evil ritual that only kills a rooster—it shouldn't be a big deal.'
Honestly, if it weren't for that curse, William himself couldn't be bothered with this affair. A dead rooster was nothing.
'Time for my investigation. Hmm, first I'll inquire about the state of the blood's coagulation, then determine the time of the crime. Add an hour to that to ask the portraits who entered or left the school during that period. I hope I'm just making a mountain out of a molehill. If possible, it would be best if the rooster was killed by a small animal that then ran into the castle.'
Although the Gryffindors all seemed to want to make a big news story out of this, William had no intention of blowing things up.
As the one bearing the curse, he preferred the matter to be as small as possible. If the investigation turned up a weasel or something, he would happily reduce the Gryffindors' detention.
——
"Did you see anyone pass through this corridor last night?"
"Sorry, Professor, no."
...
As the investigation progressed, William's mood became more and more relaxed. Following the knight portrait's advice, he questioned all the portraits along the main routes into and out of the castle, but their replies were all negative.
'Everything's fine.'
'Suspicion cleared. See, reading detective books is helpful. Watching too much Conan can make you a clumsy detective too. When I have money, I'll definitely get a house on Baker Street and number it Nine and Three-Quarters.'
"William, what are you doing here?"
Just as William finished questioning the last portrait, Adams suddenly appeared.
"A small investigation. Investigating who passed through these corridors."
"Is that useful? The last time Afra was invisible, these portraits didn't see her."
Adams asked curiously.
"Afra?"
"You forgot? She was born with a natural Disillusionment Charm."
William, who had been feeling a bit smug, instantly calmed down.
(end of chapter)
"Be humble, child," William glanced at the student, thinking to himself, *Why are you putting them on the spot at a time like this?*
"Ahem, if I've offended you in any way, I apologize. But that's how it is. I suspect some unlucky fellow, or perhaps an adventurer, has tried to believe the nonsense in a book and is attempting to recreate its unproven contents here at Hogwarts. What I want you to do is help me find that person, or rather, the place where they are attempting to perform a ritual with chicken blood."
"You should look for people who are constantly distracted, those acting strangely, or find any bloodstains that might have been left in a secret passage or any strange patterns made with chicken blood."
"Of course, as I told you all at the beginning, this matter will be treated leniently only this one time. If I hear of anyone trying to imitate or falsify this, I will make them regret it."
"This is an adventure, and also a commission, that I am issuing to all students present."
"Whoever finds the related location will have their detention reduced by one week. If you catch the culprit, everyone will have their detention reduced by one week. The two rewards can be stacked."
When the main reward was announced, everyone became excited. Even without the tempting reward, just participating in this major operation made all the Gryffindors feel that their trip had not been in vain.
For a Gryffindor, the adventure itself was the best reward, not to mention the tangible reduction in detention time!
"One last thing," William made a calming gesture towards the now-energized students below.
"If any cheating or falsification is discovered, it will be treated as imitation."
"Oh, right. If it was one of you who did it, and they turn themselves in, that person will only get an extra week of detention, a light sentence, and the reduction for everyone else still stands."
William added worriedly. Although the reactions of the students present suggested his suspicion was wrong, it didn't stop him from adding a stipulation to the plan.
But no one reacted to this; they were all captivated by this so-called adventure. Suspicion? What was that?
"Alright then, what are you waiting for? Go!"
William waved his hand in resignation. The students, who could no longer sit still, cheered, waved their greetings, and rushed out of the classroom.
'I just hope Professor McGonagall doesn't come looking for me over this. These Gryffindor students are already hard enough to manage. After I've riled them up like this, they'll probably be out looking for trouble every day from now on.'
But it was a necessary evil. The secret passages and hidden locations on William's list had to be checked.
As a wizard who had never attended Hogwarts himself, he was not very familiar with the school. Sometimes when the stairs changed paths, he had to ask the surrounding portraits for help finding his way. If he weren't a professor, given the temperament of those portraits, he would have been lost countless times.
'It's quite a coincidence. If a group of them hadn't been caught by Mr. Filch, and then caused trouble collectively in Mr. Filch's Office, where else would I have found so many active Gryffindors?'
After all, fifth-year students, even Gryffindors, were focused on their studies. Seventh-year students were busy with their internships, and the sixth-year students, not busy with internships or preparing for exams, were busy with romance. The students in William's own classes were all slackers; finding a student willing to help was difficult.
Besides, if those students weren't in detention, William would have no reason to command so many of them. It was one thing to assign tasks during class, but after class, students had their own lives. Who, besides those in detention, cared what a professor wanted?
'Well, after that speech, the problem of the secret passages and secret locations should be solved. Just as those kids said themselves, no one at Hogwarts knows the castle better than they do. If someone is performing some kind of evil ritual inside the castle, these kids will definitely be able to find it.'
'Safety... should be fine. The culprit had to kill the rooster in the middle of the night. Seeing as this is the first rooster to die, even if there is some bizarre ritual, it would only restore the power of one rooster. That's not enough to take on this group of mischievous children combined.'
Although it was a bit unfair to the serious students, William knew very well that apart from the top tier of students, the average student who studied normally would be no match for these little rascals in a fight. Their daily lives had equipped them with more than enough spells for pranks, and these spells were quite useful in a fight.
'An evil ritual that only kills a rooster—it shouldn't be a big deal.'
Honestly, if it weren't for that curse, William himself couldn't be bothered with this affair. A dead rooster was nothing.
'Time for my investigation. Hmm, first I'll inquire about the state of the blood's coagulation, then determine the time of the crime. Add an hour to that to ask the portraits who entered or left the school during that period. I hope I'm just making a mountain out of a molehill. If possible, it would be best if the rooster was killed by a small animal that then ran into the castle.'
Although the Gryffindors all seemed to want to make a big news story out of this, William had no intention of blowing things up.
As the one bearing the curse, he preferred the matter to be as small as possible. If the investigation turned up a weasel or something, he would happily reduce the Gryffindors' detention.
——
"Did you see anyone pass through this corridor last night?"
"Sorry, Professor, no."
...
As the investigation progressed, William's mood became more and more relaxed. Following the knight portrait's advice, he questioned all the portraits along the main routes into and out of the castle, but their replies were all negative.
'Everything's fine.'
'Suspicion cleared. See, reading detective books is helpful. Watching too much Conan can make you a clumsy detective too. When I have money, I'll definitely get a house on Baker Street and number it Nine and Three-Quarters.'
"William, what are you doing here?"
Just as William finished questioning the last portrait, Adams suddenly appeared.
"A small investigation. Investigating who passed through these corridors."
"Is that useful? The last time Afra was invisible, these portraits didn't see her."
Adams asked curiously.
"Afra?"
"You forgot? She was born with a natural Disillusionment Charm."
William, who had been feeling a bit smug, instantly calmed down.
(end of chapter)
