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Chapter 125: You Don't Understand Gryffindor
July 14, 2022 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Until he arrived at Professor McGonagall's Office, William was still a bit stunned.
'Not Gryffindor? Then who could it be?'
He wasn't surprised by the flaw in the investigation—having seen so many Prisoners in Azkaban, he had no stereotypes about any particular House; he'd met Prisoners from every single one.
Just as William was mentally calculating how to investigate the comings and goings in the other Houses' Common Rooms, Professor McGonagall, who had just ensured her Office door was shut, suddenly exploded with emotion.
"Unprecedented! Attacking the Common Room Guard! Using a Confundus Charm or similar spell to cover their tracks! What exactly do these Upperclassman bastards want?!"
"Late for the Start of School, flying in! Forming groups to cause trouble! Rummaging through the Caretaker's Office! It's barely been a month since the Start of School!"
…
"My apologies, Professor William, for letting you witness such a scene."
The already terrifyingly strict Deputy Headmaster gave William the impression of being unapproachable when she was in a rage—in that instant, he even felt he had discovered something more terrifying than a Dementor.
Fortunately, perhaps having been sufficiently exasperated by the Gryffindor Students, the Professor, after a loud outburst, finally began to calm down.
"Confundus Charm?"
William finally had the chance to voice his confusion.
It wasn't that he didn't know what a Confundus Charm was, but he genuinely couldn't understand how Professor McGonagall had figured it out.
Although traces of magic use could be found, this was clearly ineffective against the Common Room Guard—the sheer number of times the Common Room had been opened that day would be enough to obliterate all evidence. Perhaps a Wizard could discern it, but it certainly wasn't William.
"Of course, a Confundus Charm or some other spell, and it was cast from inside the Common Room. Unless Albus himself intervenes, no one can directly break the Common Room's Protective Magic."
Professor McGonagall, now fully composed, finally sat down. She used her Wand to pull another Chair opposite her for William.
"Please, sit, Professor William."
William sat down expectantly—he was incredibly curious how Professor McGonagall had detected a Confundus Charm whose traces would have been obscured by the portrait's constant movement.
This wasn't something that could be learned from any magic book; even if he were to self-study for another year, he wouldn't come across such high-level skills.
"Killing a Rooster, spilling its blood, an evil Ritual, Professor William, do you have any suspects in mind?"
"I initially suspected it was a Prank by the Weasley Brothers, but they have no motive for a repeat offense, and the recent questioning eliminated their timeframe for committing the act. However, if a Confundus Charm was involved, then those deductions are null and void. But, Professor—how did you deduce that the Fat Lady's Portrait had a Confundus Charm or similar magic cast on it?"
Professor McGonagall considered for a moment, then quickly came to a conclusion.
"It shouldn't be them. I know the Weasley Brothers' Strength; they couldn't cast such a powerful Confundus Charm. They are very clever, but their minds are elsewhere. As for the Confundus Charm, I can only say, Professor William, you don't quite understand Gryffindor."
Professor McGonagall offered a rather forced smile—clearly, she didn't seem proud of it.
'Don't understand? We had two right in our Prison Cell, one in the left, two in the right, and one in the Prison Cell opposite. I've been cooped up in Prison with them for over half a year, and you say I don't understand?'
Perhaps sensing William's confusion, Professor McGonagall elaborated on her statement.
"In Gryffindor, Students secretly sneaking out is a part of daily life. No one sneaking out would be what makes us curious. Those Children would even sneak out to roam the Castle on the eve of their Ordinary Wizarding Levels Exam. How could there be a night when no one snuck out?"
"What's more, Wood didn't leave my Office until lights out last night—that Child put in an application a week ago to buy several Nimbus brooms with House funds, saying that Nimbus 2000s would be enough!"
'Nimbus?'
William was startled for a moment, then immediately recalled that it was a famous Flying Broomstick brand—undoubtedly, Professor McGonagall hadn't approved it.
'I think I'm still using funds to treat Students to meals, this is a bit too…' An irrelevant thought drifted through William's mind—though he knew he should be serious right now, he simply couldn't feel nervous.
Although he was still at a loss regarding the Attack, Deputy Headmaster McGonagall had endorsed his investigation, which meant that Dumbledore, known as the foremost white wizard, would most likely become involved.
Even though he knew it was better to rely on oneself, William still felt as if he had suddenly found strong backing—surely, a Student killing a Chicken couldn't be harder to deal with than getting someone out of Azkaban, could it?
"Professor William, do you have other suspects?"
As William was lost in thought, Professor McGonagall, seeing his relaxed expression, couldn't help but ask.
"Other suspects? Hmm—if it's a Senior Student, then it's most likely a Sixth Year."
William, his musings interrupted, quickly replied. He had harbored suspicions ever since excluding the Weasley Brothers.
"Fifth Year Students shouldn't have had the time to commit the act. When assigning homework, I investigated the homework for other subjects, ensuring they had enough time to complete it. But after finishing all that homework, I don't believe they would have had the ability to do anything else—the homework has already been collected. While there was some minor mutual copying, it wasn't the kind where they copied everything. Fifth Years simply didn't have the time to commit the act."
"Copying?"
Professor McGonagall's gaze turned ice-cold.
"Just a small amount of understandable referencing, Professor."
William quickly explained, and Professor McGonagall's expression softened considerably.
"As for Seventh Years, they could easily put in an application by finding an internship. They certainly wouldn't need to take such a great risk to kill Hagrid's Chicken just to get Rooster blood. However, I don't rule out the possibility that someone might want to pull off something big before Graduation."
"So, Professor William, your opinion is that we should focus our investigation on Sixth Years and Seventh Years."
"Yes, Professor, that's correct. But I don't rule out the possibility of a Lower Years student committing the act."
William inexplicably thought of the description on the Professor Snape Card he'd drawn—that even before matriculating, he had mastered Curses that most Graduates had not.
"You mean, erasing everyone's records with a Confundus Charm might have been done by a Lower Years student who doesn't quite understand how the School works?"
"Yes, I don't rule out the existence of a genius. If it were Headmaster Dumbledore, I believe he would have had that Strength even in his First Year."
"But there's only one Albus—" Professor McGonagall rarely smiled, "However, if you insist, we can ask Professor Lockhart. There's a Lower Years Student who has shown astonishing Talent in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
(end of chapter)
July 14, 2022 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Until he arrived at Professor McGonagall's Office, William was still a bit stunned.
'Not Gryffindor? Then who could it be?'
He wasn't surprised by the flaw in the investigation—having seen so many Prisoners in Azkaban, he had no stereotypes about any particular House; he'd met Prisoners from every single one.
Just as William was mentally calculating how to investigate the comings and goings in the other Houses' Common Rooms, Professor McGonagall, who had just ensured her Office door was shut, suddenly exploded with emotion.
"Unprecedented! Attacking the Common Room Guard! Using a Confundus Charm or similar spell to cover their tracks! What exactly do these Upperclassman bastards want?!"
"Late for the Start of School, flying in! Forming groups to cause trouble! Rummaging through the Caretaker's Office! It's barely been a month since the Start of School!"
…
"My apologies, Professor William, for letting you witness such a scene."
The already terrifyingly strict Deputy Headmaster gave William the impression of being unapproachable when she was in a rage—in that instant, he even felt he had discovered something more terrifying than a Dementor.
Fortunately, perhaps having been sufficiently exasperated by the Gryffindor Students, the Professor, after a loud outburst, finally began to calm down.
"Confundus Charm?"
William finally had the chance to voice his confusion.
It wasn't that he didn't know what a Confundus Charm was, but he genuinely couldn't understand how Professor McGonagall had figured it out.
Although traces of magic use could be found, this was clearly ineffective against the Common Room Guard—the sheer number of times the Common Room had been opened that day would be enough to obliterate all evidence. Perhaps a Wizard could discern it, but it certainly wasn't William.
"Of course, a Confundus Charm or some other spell, and it was cast from inside the Common Room. Unless Albus himself intervenes, no one can directly break the Common Room's Protective Magic."
Professor McGonagall, now fully composed, finally sat down. She used her Wand to pull another Chair opposite her for William.
"Please, sit, Professor William."
William sat down expectantly—he was incredibly curious how Professor McGonagall had detected a Confundus Charm whose traces would have been obscured by the portrait's constant movement.
This wasn't something that could be learned from any magic book; even if he were to self-study for another year, he wouldn't come across such high-level skills.
"Killing a Rooster, spilling its blood, an evil Ritual, Professor William, do you have any suspects in mind?"
"I initially suspected it was a Prank by the Weasley Brothers, but they have no motive for a repeat offense, and the recent questioning eliminated their timeframe for committing the act. However, if a Confundus Charm was involved, then those deductions are null and void. But, Professor—how did you deduce that the Fat Lady's Portrait had a Confundus Charm or similar magic cast on it?"
Professor McGonagall considered for a moment, then quickly came to a conclusion.
"It shouldn't be them. I know the Weasley Brothers' Strength; they couldn't cast such a powerful Confundus Charm. They are very clever, but their minds are elsewhere. As for the Confundus Charm, I can only say, Professor William, you don't quite understand Gryffindor."
Professor McGonagall offered a rather forced smile—clearly, she didn't seem proud of it.
'Don't understand? We had two right in our Prison Cell, one in the left, two in the right, and one in the Prison Cell opposite. I've been cooped up in Prison with them for over half a year, and you say I don't understand?'
Perhaps sensing William's confusion, Professor McGonagall elaborated on her statement.
"In Gryffindor, Students secretly sneaking out is a part of daily life. No one sneaking out would be what makes us curious. Those Children would even sneak out to roam the Castle on the eve of their Ordinary Wizarding Levels Exam. How could there be a night when no one snuck out?"
"What's more, Wood didn't leave my Office until lights out last night—that Child put in an application a week ago to buy several Nimbus brooms with House funds, saying that Nimbus 2000s would be enough!"
'Nimbus?'
William was startled for a moment, then immediately recalled that it was a famous Flying Broomstick brand—undoubtedly, Professor McGonagall hadn't approved it.
'I think I'm still using funds to treat Students to meals, this is a bit too…' An irrelevant thought drifted through William's mind—though he knew he should be serious right now, he simply couldn't feel nervous.
Although he was still at a loss regarding the Attack, Deputy Headmaster McGonagall had endorsed his investigation, which meant that Dumbledore, known as the foremost white wizard, would most likely become involved.
Even though he knew it was better to rely on oneself, William still felt as if he had suddenly found strong backing—surely, a Student killing a Chicken couldn't be harder to deal with than getting someone out of Azkaban, could it?
"Professor William, do you have other suspects?"
As William was lost in thought, Professor McGonagall, seeing his relaxed expression, couldn't help but ask.
"Other suspects? Hmm—if it's a Senior Student, then it's most likely a Sixth Year."
William, his musings interrupted, quickly replied. He had harbored suspicions ever since excluding the Weasley Brothers.
"Fifth Year Students shouldn't have had the time to commit the act. When assigning homework, I investigated the homework for other subjects, ensuring they had enough time to complete it. But after finishing all that homework, I don't believe they would have had the ability to do anything else—the homework has already been collected. While there was some minor mutual copying, it wasn't the kind where they copied everything. Fifth Years simply didn't have the time to commit the act."
"Copying?"
Professor McGonagall's gaze turned ice-cold.
"Just a small amount of understandable referencing, Professor."
William quickly explained, and Professor McGonagall's expression softened considerably.
"As for Seventh Years, they could easily put in an application by finding an internship. They certainly wouldn't need to take such a great risk to kill Hagrid's Chicken just to get Rooster blood. However, I don't rule out the possibility that someone might want to pull off something big before Graduation."
"So, Professor William, your opinion is that we should focus our investigation on Sixth Years and Seventh Years."
"Yes, Professor, that's correct. But I don't rule out the possibility of a Lower Years student committing the act."
William inexplicably thought of the description on the Professor Snape Card he'd drawn—that even before matriculating, he had mastered Curses that most Graduates had not.
"You mean, erasing everyone's records with a Confundus Charm might have been done by a Lower Years student who doesn't quite understand how the School works?"
"Yes, I don't rule out the existence of a genius. If it were Headmaster Dumbledore, I believe he would have had that Strength even in his First Year."
"But there's only one Albus—" Professor McGonagall rarely smiled, "However, if you insist, we can ask Professor Lockhart. There's a Lower Years Student who has shown astonishing Talent in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
(end of chapter)
