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Chapter 137: The Proud Filch and the Imperius Curse
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
William was startled by the little girl's high-pitched voice.
Although he had personally caught Percy on a date, he truly hadn't expected the Weasley family to meddle in each other's affairs to this extent.
‘Little girl, selling out your own family so ruthlessly… does your family even know about this?’
Not only William, but Professor McGonagall was also startled by the chattering little girl; her usually calm face was twitching uncontrollably.
Logically, she should have said something, but William was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Fortunately, Professor McGonagall's skill in controlling her emotions far surpassed William's. She pursed her lips and, with a clearly discernible expression of stifled laughter, said, “Miss Weasley, the school rules contain no sections regarding romance. And your brother, Percy, is nearly of age. The school has no right to punish him for who he socializes with.”
“Ah?”
The little girl's face was filled with disappointment, as if she were a child whose precious toy had been snatched away. Was this child really that possessive of her brother?
This pitiful, aggrieved look even moved Professor McGonagall. The professor, rarely showing such a gentle expression, reached out and ruffled her hair. “Alright, go on back now, Miss Weasley. Make more friends in the Common Room. Perhaps you could talk to your other brothers; they might quite like this news.”
Professor McGonagall's almost devilish suggestion nearly stunned William. *Professor, Percy is one of your prefects. Are you giving up on him just like that?*
But even such a terrifying suggestion did not free Miss Weasley from her dejection. She noticeably pouted, then absently looked around as she slowly left the classroom, her every movement a clear protest.
This aggrieved look made William burst into frantic laughter shortly after she had turned out of the office.
“Alright, Professor William, was there something you needed?”
Professor McGonagall also had an irrepressible smile on her face, but at least she hadn't forgotten why he was there.
“Nothing important, Professor. I was just passing by on my way to see Mr. Filch when I saw Miss Weasley lingering near your office. I was curious and about to ask what was wrong, but I never expected it to be about this.”
William chuckled as he explained the situation.
“To tattle about this, of all things,” Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head lightly. “I thought Mr. Filch had confiscated something precious of hers, and she had come to me to look for it.”
“Confiscating from a first-year? She's only a first-year, how could she—?”
William casually questioned, then something surfaced in his mind—it seemed he had seen that patch of red hair not long ago when he was leaving the Forbidden Forest.
‘At that time, Adams seemed to be suspecting the little girl of trying to steal roosters. Yes, roosters!’
‘She has two Weasley brothers; she could easily inquire about secret passages and the Confundus Charm from them. This pure-blood girl might have mastered them long ago!’
“Professor William?”
Professor McGonagall's voice startled William from his thoughts.
“I was lost in thought, Professor. I'm suspecting Miss Weasley.”
William directly voiced his suspicion.
“Miss Weasley?” Professor McGonagall frowned. “She’s only a first-year.”
She pondered for a moment, and her tone changed.
“Let's go take a look at Mr. Filch's office. What exactly did he confiscate from Miss Weasley? Even a first-year Gryffindor shouldn't be so silly as to report someone for being in a relationship.”
---
“Miss Weasley has been here?”
“Yes, and she admitted it.”
Filch replied to them with a proud expression.
“Admitted? Admitted what?”
“That she killed the rooster, of course, and that she's the culprit behind this series of disturbances.”
The old caretaker smiled very smugly, with an expression that seemed to say, "As expected of me." It was clear he was quite pleased with himself for discovering the true culprit with just one search.
Admitted?
What a joke—the incident that had troubled him for a week was resolved just because of one search?
Professor McGonagall was equally stunned.
“Miss Weasley? She did it?”
“Of course, Professor. The child honestly confessed everything to me and expressed her willingness to take responsibility for her mistakes, accepting three months of detention and spending all her free time helping Hagrid.”
“But she said nothing when she left my office just a short while ago—”
“You scared her, Professor. There are some things she only wishes to tell you. Your presence scared her so much she didn't dare say a word…”
Filch smugly shook his head. Judging by his demeanor, he would probably open a bottle of wine later to reward himself.
‘How was I supposed to know she intended to turn herself in? The way she was sneaking around, she looked for all the world like she was trying to break into your office, Professor.’
William gave a wry, silent smile and spread his hands.
“Then what's the reason? She couldn't have just attacked and killed the rooster for no reason, could she?”
“I'm sorry, Professor, I cannot tell you that. I've sworn an oath. Although she made some mistakes, her motive is a forgivable one.”
Mr. Filch wore the expression of a worldly sage who had seen it all.
This made William unable to resist discreetly drawing his wand.
“Professor McGonagall?”
William turned his face, giving Professor McGonagall an inquiring look. But as he turned, a Stunning Spell shot out and hit the old caretaker.
Professor McGonagall cast a timely spell, causing the falling caretaker to float in mid-air.
“You're too impulsive, Professor William.”
Professor McGonagall said with a slightly reproving tone, as she levitated the unconscious caretaker into a chair.
‘You coordinated with me pretty well, though…’
William suppressed the urge to retort, quickly walked to the caretaker's side, and began to inspect him carefully.
While his magical knowledge was heavily skewed, he had a grasp of the situation; after all, this was part of his planned lesson material.
After a quick and rough inspection, William looked up, puzzled.
“Nothing. It doesn’t look like a Confundus Charm, nor are there any signs of control from a spell like the Imperius Curse.”
“Are you sure, Professor William?”
Professor McGonagall stared at William, slightly surprised.
“I don't think so. I don't know the Imperius Curse myself, and all my knowledge of its signs comes from books. You know, Professor, detecting the Imperius Curse is notoriously difficult, relying entirely on experience and subtle signs. Otherwise, it wouldn't be one of the Unforgivable Curses. Just to be safe, you should check too, Professor.”
Professor McGonagall hesitated, then took over. A spell like the Imperius Curse was a serious matter. She had to verify it; nearly every Unforgivable Curse meant a prison sentence long enough to see you rot in Azkaban.
“Indeed, there isn't.”
After a thorough inspection, Professor McGonagall also looked up, puzzled.
Then they both stared at Filch.
If you're not under the Imperius Curse, why are you acting so strangely?
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
William was startled by the little girl's high-pitched voice.
Although he had personally caught Percy on a date, he truly hadn't expected the Weasley family to meddle in each other's affairs to this extent.
‘Little girl, selling out your own family so ruthlessly… does your family even know about this?’
Not only William, but Professor McGonagall was also startled by the chattering little girl; her usually calm face was twitching uncontrollably.
Logically, she should have said something, but William was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Fortunately, Professor McGonagall's skill in controlling her emotions far surpassed William's. She pursed her lips and, with a clearly discernible expression of stifled laughter, said, “Miss Weasley, the school rules contain no sections regarding romance. And your brother, Percy, is nearly of age. The school has no right to punish him for who he socializes with.”
“Ah?”
The little girl's face was filled with disappointment, as if she were a child whose precious toy had been snatched away. Was this child really that possessive of her brother?
This pitiful, aggrieved look even moved Professor McGonagall. The professor, rarely showing such a gentle expression, reached out and ruffled her hair. “Alright, go on back now, Miss Weasley. Make more friends in the Common Room. Perhaps you could talk to your other brothers; they might quite like this news.”
Professor McGonagall's almost devilish suggestion nearly stunned William. *Professor, Percy is one of your prefects. Are you giving up on him just like that?*
But even such a terrifying suggestion did not free Miss Weasley from her dejection. She noticeably pouted, then absently looked around as she slowly left the classroom, her every movement a clear protest.
This aggrieved look made William burst into frantic laughter shortly after she had turned out of the office.
“Alright, Professor William, was there something you needed?”
Professor McGonagall also had an irrepressible smile on her face, but at least she hadn't forgotten why he was there.
“Nothing important, Professor. I was just passing by on my way to see Mr. Filch when I saw Miss Weasley lingering near your office. I was curious and about to ask what was wrong, but I never expected it to be about this.”
William chuckled as he explained the situation.
“To tattle about this, of all things,” Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head lightly. “I thought Mr. Filch had confiscated something precious of hers, and she had come to me to look for it.”
“Confiscating from a first-year? She's only a first-year, how could she—?”
William casually questioned, then something surfaced in his mind—it seemed he had seen that patch of red hair not long ago when he was leaving the Forbidden Forest.
‘At that time, Adams seemed to be suspecting the little girl of trying to steal roosters. Yes, roosters!’
‘She has two Weasley brothers; she could easily inquire about secret passages and the Confundus Charm from them. This pure-blood girl might have mastered them long ago!’
“Professor William?”
Professor McGonagall's voice startled William from his thoughts.
“I was lost in thought, Professor. I'm suspecting Miss Weasley.”
William directly voiced his suspicion.
“Miss Weasley?” Professor McGonagall frowned. “She’s only a first-year.”
She pondered for a moment, and her tone changed.
“Let's go take a look at Mr. Filch's office. What exactly did he confiscate from Miss Weasley? Even a first-year Gryffindor shouldn't be so silly as to report someone for being in a relationship.”
---
“Miss Weasley has been here?”
“Yes, and she admitted it.”
Filch replied to them with a proud expression.
“Admitted? Admitted what?”
“That she killed the rooster, of course, and that she's the culprit behind this series of disturbances.”
The old caretaker smiled very smugly, with an expression that seemed to say, "As expected of me." It was clear he was quite pleased with himself for discovering the true culprit with just one search.
Admitted?
What a joke—the incident that had troubled him for a week was resolved just because of one search?
Professor McGonagall was equally stunned.
“Miss Weasley? She did it?”
“Of course, Professor. The child honestly confessed everything to me and expressed her willingness to take responsibility for her mistakes, accepting three months of detention and spending all her free time helping Hagrid.”
“But she said nothing when she left my office just a short while ago—”
“You scared her, Professor. There are some things she only wishes to tell you. Your presence scared her so much she didn't dare say a word…”
Filch smugly shook his head. Judging by his demeanor, he would probably open a bottle of wine later to reward himself.
‘How was I supposed to know she intended to turn herself in? The way she was sneaking around, she looked for all the world like she was trying to break into your office, Professor.’
William gave a wry, silent smile and spread his hands.
“Then what's the reason? She couldn't have just attacked and killed the rooster for no reason, could she?”
“I'm sorry, Professor, I cannot tell you that. I've sworn an oath. Although she made some mistakes, her motive is a forgivable one.”
Mr. Filch wore the expression of a worldly sage who had seen it all.
This made William unable to resist discreetly drawing his wand.
“Professor McGonagall?”
William turned his face, giving Professor McGonagall an inquiring look. But as he turned, a Stunning Spell shot out and hit the old caretaker.
Professor McGonagall cast a timely spell, causing the falling caretaker to float in mid-air.
“You're too impulsive, Professor William.”
Professor McGonagall said with a slightly reproving tone, as she levitated the unconscious caretaker into a chair.
‘You coordinated with me pretty well, though…’
William suppressed the urge to retort, quickly walked to the caretaker's side, and began to inspect him carefully.
While his magical knowledge was heavily skewed, he had a grasp of the situation; after all, this was part of his planned lesson material.
After a quick and rough inspection, William looked up, puzzled.
“Nothing. It doesn’t look like a Confundus Charm, nor are there any signs of control from a spell like the Imperius Curse.”
“Are you sure, Professor William?”
Professor McGonagall stared at William, slightly surprised.
“I don't think so. I don't know the Imperius Curse myself, and all my knowledge of its signs comes from books. You know, Professor, detecting the Imperius Curse is notoriously difficult, relying entirely on experience and subtle signs. Otherwise, it wouldn't be one of the Unforgivable Curses. Just to be safe, you should check too, Professor.”
Professor McGonagall hesitated, then took over. A spell like the Imperius Curse was a serious matter. She had to verify it; nearly every Unforgivable Curse meant a prison sentence long enough to see you rot in Azkaban.
“Indeed, there isn't.”
After a thorough inspection, Professor McGonagall also looked up, puzzled.
Then they both stared at Filch.
If you're not under the Imperius Curse, why are you acting so strangely?
(end of chapter)
