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**Chapter 132: The Great Lama Wang Stationed at Wudang Mountains**
"Help!!!"
A shrill scream woke William from his sleep. He instinctively drew his wand and crouched behind the table.
He quickly pulled out a small silver mirror from his pocket and angled it to see the doorway, finding no one had broken in.
‘Safe, not a trap—’
Breathing a sigh of relief, William quickly cast a Shield Charm on himself, ready to rush out and see what had happened. But just as he took a step, he chuckled and stopped—the scream rang out again, coming from inside the classroom walls.
‘I’m always telling others that walls aren't foolproof protection, and today I almost made that very mistake.’
After warning himself inwardly, William slowly walked toward the ghost calling for help from within the wall. If the ghost were to attack suddenly, he could easily handle it at this speed.
Where William was looking, inside a seemingly ordinary wall common throughout the castle, a ghost was stuck. It was struggling vigorously, its ethereal form flickering as it exerted a great deal of effort.
‘It’s good to listen to others’ experience, especially about protective charms that should be used when camping. Once a full set is applied, sleeping in the classroom feels secure.’
"Professor William?"
The ghost stopped struggling, its slightly plump face fixed on William. Though it was a normal greeting, the combination of its voice and tone conveyed an intense joy, as if to say, "Thank heavens, someone can save me!"
Being looked at with such expectant eyes, William felt as if not helping would be a mistake—even though he was the one who had set the trap.
"Oh, Professor, I'm stuck in the wall. Can you help me?"
The question almost made the culprit himself blush. "Of course, of course, no problem at all."
A few minutes later, under the ghost's grateful gaze, the professor, who had experimented with several counter-curses, successfully dispelled the trap on the wall and rescued him.
"Wonderful, thank you, Professor—it must be one of Peeves's pranks again. He's always tirelessly setting all sorts of traps around the castle."
The rescued ghost complained as it dusted off non-existent dirt, making William turn his face away slightly.
This was another unfamiliar ghost, and it was dressed very strangely. Most ghosts in the castle wore wizard robes, but this one was actually wearing a friar's habit!
"Hello, I'm William, the Self-Defence Professor."
William was genuinely curious about the ghost's identity, so he introduced himself directly.
"Professor William, hello." Perhaps because it had been so long since he was formally introduced, the ghost fumbled for a while before introducing himself with awkward formality. "Pardon me, it's been so long that I've forgotten my name—they all call me the Fat Friar, Professor, and if you don't mind, please call me that too."
"Friar?"
There were so many things to mock about that title that William unconsciously repeated it impolitely.
"Of course, of course, I am a friar, an ordained clergyman, a professional friar—I have served the Lord ever since I graduated from Hufflepuff."
This statement was even more ridiculous—although William's pragmatic studying meant his knowledge of History of Magic was worse than a third-year's, he still knew very well that the Church had indeed hunted wizards.
And even if he switched careers halfway through, how did you change from a friar to a ghost?!
However, this Fat Friar finally made William understand what "Hufflepuff takes all sorts" truly meant. He figured if Hogwarts ever recruited centaurs or veela as students, they would probably end up in Hufflepuff; the House's inclusivity was almost too strong.
But these sarcastic thoughts clearly couldn't be voiced aloud. William suppressed his curiosity and began to ask the ghost about this week's rooster incident.
"Roosters?"
The Fat Friar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Didn't see anything, Professor. Actually, most ghosts wouldn't notice."
"Most? Why?"
"Only wizards become ghosts, and they linger where they once walked. Though I can't remember when the Forbidden Forest became forbidden, most ghosts never went there when they were alive."
"Most?"
William couldn't help but ask in retort. Although he hadn't been teaching for long, he was already quite aware of how many people in this school enjoyed wandering into the Forbidden Forest. He'd believe it if most first-years hadn't gone, but the number of students who graduated without ever visiting the Forbidden Forest had to be smaller than the number of girls in STEM majors!
"Of course, most, Professor. Students brave enough to go into the Forbidden Forest usually don't choose to become ghosts."
The Fat Friar's voice dropped slightly, losing its previous cheerfulness.
"Sorry…"
"It's alright, Professor. So your problem is to find the students who snuck out on Monday and Friday to kill the roosters?"
"Yes."
Although Professor McGonagall had already taken over the task, if there was a lead, William wouldn't mind looking into it himself. Hogwarts Castle held too many secrets. Investigating wasn't just to deal with this incident, but also to avoid being completely clueless when incidents suddenly occurred in the future.
"Hmm... let me think, Professor, let me think."
The Fat Friar began to float in circles, a serious expression on his face.
"I've got it! Professor, do you know Nick? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."
How could I possibly know him!
"Uh," seeing William's slightly bewildered gaze, the Fat Friar quickly added, "He's Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. He's about to celebrate his five-hundredth Deathday Party. On that day, almost half the ghosts in the British wizarding world will attend, and all the ghosts from Hogwarts will be there. If you're willing to go, I'm sure Nick would be very happy. Then you can ask all the guests present and get to the bottom of everything."
Five hundred years old, a Deathday Party?
So you count a 'new life' from the day you die? You ghosts certainly know how to have fun.
However, this news was indeed excellent. Compared to questioning them one by one, the efficiency would be much higher with the host's permission.
"Excellent, thank you, Fat Friar. When is the party? If possible, I'd like to talk to Nicholas—er, Sir Nick first."
That name was too long; William couldn't recall it.
"Soon, but I think you'll have plenty of time to talk—the party is at the end of October, on Halloween."
The Fat Friar's voice was filled with the joy of being helpful.
"It's only September now..."
"It'll be here in the blink of an eye, Professor. Sometimes I'll just space out while looking at a painting for a month or two."
The Fat Friar replied cheerfully, which sparked a feeling of unease in William.
"Are other ghosts like this too?"
"Of course. Time holds no meaning for us. Once we come to terms with things, perhaps we'll calmly accept death."
What was the point in asking then? If they were all pondering the meaning of life, William would likely be searching until the end of the term.
‘Forget it, this will be a backup plan. Relying on the ghosts for this investigation is hopeless. But if things go smoothly with Professor McGonagall, it probably won't be necessary anyway.’
"Alright then, please discuss it with Sir Nick. I will attend the party."
"That's wonderful, wonderful! Nick will be so happy. I'll go find him right away and tell him the good news," the Fat Friar said with a smile, then began to float toward the wall.
‘What a helpful ghost. He probably only got stuck in the wall because he heard I was looking for ghosts and came over. Otherwise, what a coincidence.’
P.S. I'm alive! Double updates resume tomorrow!
(end of chapter)
"Help!!!"
A shrill scream woke William from his sleep. He instinctively drew his wand and crouched behind the table.
He quickly pulled out a small silver mirror from his pocket and angled it to see the doorway, finding no one had broken in.
‘Safe, not a trap—’
Breathing a sigh of relief, William quickly cast a Shield Charm on himself, ready to rush out and see what had happened. But just as he took a step, he chuckled and stopped—the scream rang out again, coming from inside the classroom walls.
‘I’m always telling others that walls aren't foolproof protection, and today I almost made that very mistake.’
After warning himself inwardly, William slowly walked toward the ghost calling for help from within the wall. If the ghost were to attack suddenly, he could easily handle it at this speed.
Where William was looking, inside a seemingly ordinary wall common throughout the castle, a ghost was stuck. It was struggling vigorously, its ethereal form flickering as it exerted a great deal of effort.
‘It’s good to listen to others’ experience, especially about protective charms that should be used when camping. Once a full set is applied, sleeping in the classroom feels secure.’
"Professor William?"
The ghost stopped struggling, its slightly plump face fixed on William. Though it was a normal greeting, the combination of its voice and tone conveyed an intense joy, as if to say, "Thank heavens, someone can save me!"
Being looked at with such expectant eyes, William felt as if not helping would be a mistake—even though he was the one who had set the trap.
"Oh, Professor, I'm stuck in the wall. Can you help me?"
The question almost made the culprit himself blush. "Of course, of course, no problem at all."
A few minutes later, under the ghost's grateful gaze, the professor, who had experimented with several counter-curses, successfully dispelled the trap on the wall and rescued him.
"Wonderful, thank you, Professor—it must be one of Peeves's pranks again. He's always tirelessly setting all sorts of traps around the castle."
The rescued ghost complained as it dusted off non-existent dirt, making William turn his face away slightly.
This was another unfamiliar ghost, and it was dressed very strangely. Most ghosts in the castle wore wizard robes, but this one was actually wearing a friar's habit!
"Hello, I'm William, the Self-Defence Professor."
William was genuinely curious about the ghost's identity, so he introduced himself directly.
"Professor William, hello." Perhaps because it had been so long since he was formally introduced, the ghost fumbled for a while before introducing himself with awkward formality. "Pardon me, it's been so long that I've forgotten my name—they all call me the Fat Friar, Professor, and if you don't mind, please call me that too."
"Friar?"
There were so many things to mock about that title that William unconsciously repeated it impolitely.
"Of course, of course, I am a friar, an ordained clergyman, a professional friar—I have served the Lord ever since I graduated from Hufflepuff."
This statement was even more ridiculous—although William's pragmatic studying meant his knowledge of History of Magic was worse than a third-year's, he still knew very well that the Church had indeed hunted wizards.
And even if he switched careers halfway through, how did you change from a friar to a ghost?!
However, this Fat Friar finally made William understand what "Hufflepuff takes all sorts" truly meant. He figured if Hogwarts ever recruited centaurs or veela as students, they would probably end up in Hufflepuff; the House's inclusivity was almost too strong.
But these sarcastic thoughts clearly couldn't be voiced aloud. William suppressed his curiosity and began to ask the ghost about this week's rooster incident.
"Roosters?"
The Fat Friar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Didn't see anything, Professor. Actually, most ghosts wouldn't notice."
"Most? Why?"
"Only wizards become ghosts, and they linger where they once walked. Though I can't remember when the Forbidden Forest became forbidden, most ghosts never went there when they were alive."
"Most?"
William couldn't help but ask in retort. Although he hadn't been teaching for long, he was already quite aware of how many people in this school enjoyed wandering into the Forbidden Forest. He'd believe it if most first-years hadn't gone, but the number of students who graduated without ever visiting the Forbidden Forest had to be smaller than the number of girls in STEM majors!
"Of course, most, Professor. Students brave enough to go into the Forbidden Forest usually don't choose to become ghosts."
The Fat Friar's voice dropped slightly, losing its previous cheerfulness.
"Sorry…"
"It's alright, Professor. So your problem is to find the students who snuck out on Monday and Friday to kill the roosters?"
"Yes."
Although Professor McGonagall had already taken over the task, if there was a lead, William wouldn't mind looking into it himself. Hogwarts Castle held too many secrets. Investigating wasn't just to deal with this incident, but also to avoid being completely clueless when incidents suddenly occurred in the future.
"Hmm... let me think, Professor, let me think."
The Fat Friar began to float in circles, a serious expression on his face.
"I've got it! Professor, do you know Nick? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."
How could I possibly know him!
"Uh," seeing William's slightly bewildered gaze, the Fat Friar quickly added, "He's Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. He's about to celebrate his five-hundredth Deathday Party. On that day, almost half the ghosts in the British wizarding world will attend, and all the ghosts from Hogwarts will be there. If you're willing to go, I'm sure Nick would be very happy. Then you can ask all the guests present and get to the bottom of everything."
Five hundred years old, a Deathday Party?
So you count a 'new life' from the day you die? You ghosts certainly know how to have fun.
However, this news was indeed excellent. Compared to questioning them one by one, the efficiency would be much higher with the host's permission.
"Excellent, thank you, Fat Friar. When is the party? If possible, I'd like to talk to Nicholas—er, Sir Nick first."
That name was too long; William couldn't recall it.
"Soon, but I think you'll have plenty of time to talk—the party is at the end of October, on Halloween."
The Fat Friar's voice was filled with the joy of being helpful.
"It's only September now..."
"It'll be here in the blink of an eye, Professor. Sometimes I'll just space out while looking at a painting for a month or two."
The Fat Friar replied cheerfully, which sparked a feeling of unease in William.
"Are other ghosts like this too?"
"Of course. Time holds no meaning for us. Once we come to terms with things, perhaps we'll calmly accept death."
What was the point in asking then? If they were all pondering the meaning of life, William would likely be searching until the end of the term.
‘Forget it, this will be a backup plan. Relying on the ghosts for this investigation is hopeless. But if things go smoothly with Professor McGonagall, it probably won't be necessary anyway.’
"Alright then, please discuss it with Sir Nick. I will attend the party."
"That's wonderful, wonderful! Nick will be so happy. I'll go find him right away and tell him the good news," the Fat Friar said with a smile, then began to float toward the wall.
‘What a helpful ghost. He probably only got stuck in the wall because he heard I was looking for ghosts and came over. Otherwise, what a coincidence.’
P.S. I'm alive! Double updates resume tomorrow!
(end of chapter)
