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chapter 151 part 2
“That little fellow Flitwick will be mad with jealousy,” the old Professor chuckled, reaching with his remaining arm for the Diadem placed on the Headmaster's desk. “Serves him right for retiring so early!”
Even in this urgent moment, William still couldn't help but be amused by Professor Kettleburn's teasing.
‘Professor Flitwick is so old, you should really cut him some slack...’
“I have to say, the things Hufflepuff left behind are still better. Look at the state of Ravenclaw's Diadem...” the old Professor mumbled, putting the Diadem on his head—William noticed that Dumbledore had already drawn his wand, ready to cast magic at any moment.
“Albus,” the old Professor's voice rang out.
“Silvanus, how are you feeling?” Dumbledore's tone showed a clear tension William had never witnessed before.
“You promised me a raise last year, and I still haven't gotten one!”
‘At a time like this, Professor, you still have the nerve to talk about that!’
But Dumbledore's expression visibly relaxed. “And?”
“Oh, right, I've been teaching for sixty-three years. Don't let Minerva complain every year about my retention review!”
“Splendid, Silvanus, I'll speak with Minerva,” Dumbledore couldn't hide his delight. “Is there anything else important?”
“Those Weasley Brothers stole a Fire Salamander from my class today! They kept asking questions while I was taking inventory, which made me mix up the numbers!”
‘Why is it always you two?’
William, who had been pondering the Diadem's effects, was stunned by the words the Professor blurted out—if he remembered correctly, although he had reduced their Detention by a week, weren't they still serving Detention?
It wasn't just William who had a headache; Dumbledore's smile also stiffened.
“Minerva was even talking to me today about whether to get those two a little Trophy or something,” Dumbledore's hand, not holding his wand, involuntarily went to his forehead. Without turning his head, he said to William, “Professor William, if nothing else, maybe you can go and retrieve that Fire Salamander later...”
“Yes, Professor.”
Considering Professor McGonagall's reaction upon hearing this news—she was quite pleased with the Weasley Brothers turning over a new leaf—William agreed exceptionally readily.
“That's enough, Silvanus,” Dumbledore's wand was clutched tightly. “I think you can put it down now.”
The old Professor reluctantly put down the Diadem, his expression relaxed. “It seems I can now accept Flitwick's envy.”
“We still need to do a check, Silvanus,” Dumbledore's expression was relaxed, but his wand was still clutched tightly. “Professor William, could I trouble you to do it?”
“Of course,” William drew his wand and placed it on the desk. “Professor Kettleburn, please, if you truly lose control, don't hit my face.”
The old Professor chuckled, offering no reply.
William stared at the old Professor's wooden hand, performing the basic detection with the most stable checking method. “No problem, I'm going to use my wand to test now, Professor.”
The spellcasting detection still showed no issues.
“No controlled signs were found, but it was the same with Mr. Filch's last check.”
“Severus only checked his memory,” Dumbledore explained. “Professor Kettleburn, could you first use William's wand to extract your memory?”
Without any problems, Professor Kettleburn extracted his memory and placed it in the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office.
William naturally became the memory detection specialist. If they ran into trouble, no one in the Wizarding World would dare claim their rescue could be more timely than Dumbledore's. But if Dumbledore himself was afflicted, William felt he wouldn't even be able to escape Hogwarts.
——
William tapped the surface of the water with his wand, and the Pensieve's memory instantly unfolded. Although it was memory from only a few minutes ago, looking at it from a different perspective was quite novel.
But when the old Professor put on the Diadem, the previously calm memory suddenly became chaotic, the images fragmented into countless pieces—this immediately caused William to raise an alarm.
“Professor Dumbledore! The memory has changed!”
The instant he called out, countless straps extended from the chair Professor Kettleburn was sitting on, firmly holding him in place. A bubble-like membrane immediately rose around the Diadem.
“Impossible, Albus, I feel perfectly fine!”
The old Professor was bound quite securely, and he complained to the two of them in a dissatisfied tone.
“I informed Severus and Minerva; they'll be here shortly. Just bear with it for a bit, Professor Kettleburn.”
While comforting the old Professor, Dumbledore instructed William, “Professor William, please check if any strange commands have been imbued into that Diadem.”
“I'm afraid I can't, Professor,” William replied with a wry smile. The memory was so fragmented, it was utterly incomprehensible—how could anyone make sense of that?
Soon enough, however, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape arrived together. The moment they stepped in, they discovered Professor Kettleburn tied to the chair.
“Oh, dear,” Professor McGonagall sighed. “Professor Kettleburn, what are you planning to feed that Phoenix now?”
Professor McGonagall quickly scanned the office. “Nothing's been burned down—so this time, you tried to make a Phoenix hatch a Dragon Egg?”
“Or did you bring some dangerous bird, attempting to breed a new species?”
‘I think I just heard something incredible.’
William silently swallowed. He had almost forgotten the old Professor's profession!
Professor of Care of Magical Creatures—William wasn't sure what a professional old Professor could raise, but he had heard several versions of how Hagrid's amateur dog had bitten Professor Snape, leaving him limping for half a month!
“Ahem, Minerva, that's all in the past,” the old Professor's expression showed no sign of embarrassment about being tied up. “I called you here this time to prove my innocence. Little William said my memory was problematic, but I don't feel like I have any problems.”
Professor McGonagall didn't reply. Professor Snape, however, quickly walked over, standing opposite William with a disdainful look. He stared at the image, shattered into countless pieces, and thought for a moment, then tentatively touched his wand to the image.
Nothing happened.
After several more spells and attempts—it was unclear which one finally worked—the chaotic fragments finally transformed into countless pieces of memory flowing according to normal time.
Then William received another disdainful look.
“The memory was accelerated, and hundreds of segments were being processed simultaneously, Dumbledore,” Professor Snape announced his discovery with a tone that implied it was an obvious, effortless find. “If I'm not mistaken, it should be the influence of that Diadem.”
(end of chapter)
“That little fellow Flitwick will be mad with jealousy,” the old Professor chuckled, reaching with his remaining arm for the Diadem placed on the Headmaster's desk. “Serves him right for retiring so early!”
Even in this urgent moment, William still couldn't help but be amused by Professor Kettleburn's teasing.
‘Professor Flitwick is so old, you should really cut him some slack...’
“I have to say, the things Hufflepuff left behind are still better. Look at the state of Ravenclaw's Diadem...” the old Professor mumbled, putting the Diadem on his head—William noticed that Dumbledore had already drawn his wand, ready to cast magic at any moment.
“Albus,” the old Professor's voice rang out.
“Silvanus, how are you feeling?” Dumbledore's tone showed a clear tension William had never witnessed before.
“You promised me a raise last year, and I still haven't gotten one!”
‘At a time like this, Professor, you still have the nerve to talk about that!’
But Dumbledore's expression visibly relaxed. “And?”
“Oh, right, I've been teaching for sixty-three years. Don't let Minerva complain every year about my retention review!”
“Splendid, Silvanus, I'll speak with Minerva,” Dumbledore couldn't hide his delight. “Is there anything else important?”
“Those Weasley Brothers stole a Fire Salamander from my class today! They kept asking questions while I was taking inventory, which made me mix up the numbers!”
‘Why is it always you two?’
William, who had been pondering the Diadem's effects, was stunned by the words the Professor blurted out—if he remembered correctly, although he had reduced their Detention by a week, weren't they still serving Detention?
It wasn't just William who had a headache; Dumbledore's smile also stiffened.
“Minerva was even talking to me today about whether to get those two a little Trophy or something,” Dumbledore's hand, not holding his wand, involuntarily went to his forehead. Without turning his head, he said to William, “Professor William, if nothing else, maybe you can go and retrieve that Fire Salamander later...”
“Yes, Professor.”
Considering Professor McGonagall's reaction upon hearing this news—she was quite pleased with the Weasley Brothers turning over a new leaf—William agreed exceptionally readily.
“That's enough, Silvanus,” Dumbledore's wand was clutched tightly. “I think you can put it down now.”
The old Professor reluctantly put down the Diadem, his expression relaxed. “It seems I can now accept Flitwick's envy.”
“We still need to do a check, Silvanus,” Dumbledore's expression was relaxed, but his wand was still clutched tightly. “Professor William, could I trouble you to do it?”
“Of course,” William drew his wand and placed it on the desk. “Professor Kettleburn, please, if you truly lose control, don't hit my face.”
The old Professor chuckled, offering no reply.
William stared at the old Professor's wooden hand, performing the basic detection with the most stable checking method. “No problem, I'm going to use my wand to test now, Professor.”
The spellcasting detection still showed no issues.
“No controlled signs were found, but it was the same with Mr. Filch's last check.”
“Severus only checked his memory,” Dumbledore explained. “Professor Kettleburn, could you first use William's wand to extract your memory?”
Without any problems, Professor Kettleburn extracted his memory and placed it in the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office.
William naturally became the memory detection specialist. If they ran into trouble, no one in the Wizarding World would dare claim their rescue could be more timely than Dumbledore's. But if Dumbledore himself was afflicted, William felt he wouldn't even be able to escape Hogwarts.
——
William tapped the surface of the water with his wand, and the Pensieve's memory instantly unfolded. Although it was memory from only a few minutes ago, looking at it from a different perspective was quite novel.
But when the old Professor put on the Diadem, the previously calm memory suddenly became chaotic, the images fragmented into countless pieces—this immediately caused William to raise an alarm.
“Professor Dumbledore! The memory has changed!”
The instant he called out, countless straps extended from the chair Professor Kettleburn was sitting on, firmly holding him in place. A bubble-like membrane immediately rose around the Diadem.
“Impossible, Albus, I feel perfectly fine!”
The old Professor was bound quite securely, and he complained to the two of them in a dissatisfied tone.
“I informed Severus and Minerva; they'll be here shortly. Just bear with it for a bit, Professor Kettleburn.”
While comforting the old Professor, Dumbledore instructed William, “Professor William, please check if any strange commands have been imbued into that Diadem.”
“I'm afraid I can't, Professor,” William replied with a wry smile. The memory was so fragmented, it was utterly incomprehensible—how could anyone make sense of that?
Soon enough, however, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape arrived together. The moment they stepped in, they discovered Professor Kettleburn tied to the chair.
“Oh, dear,” Professor McGonagall sighed. “Professor Kettleburn, what are you planning to feed that Phoenix now?”
Professor McGonagall quickly scanned the office. “Nothing's been burned down—so this time, you tried to make a Phoenix hatch a Dragon Egg?”
“Or did you bring some dangerous bird, attempting to breed a new species?”
‘I think I just heard something incredible.’
William silently swallowed. He had almost forgotten the old Professor's profession!
Professor of Care of Magical Creatures—William wasn't sure what a professional old Professor could raise, but he had heard several versions of how Hagrid's amateur dog had bitten Professor Snape, leaving him limping for half a month!
“Ahem, Minerva, that's all in the past,” the old Professor's expression showed no sign of embarrassment about being tied up. “I called you here this time to prove my innocence. Little William said my memory was problematic, but I don't feel like I have any problems.”
Professor McGonagall didn't reply. Professor Snape, however, quickly walked over, standing opposite William with a disdainful look. He stared at the image, shattered into countless pieces, and thought for a moment, then tentatively touched his wand to the image.
Nothing happened.
After several more spells and attempts—it was unclear which one finally worked—the chaotic fragments finally transformed into countless pieces of memory flowing according to normal time.
Then William received another disdainful look.
“The memory was accelerated, and hundreds of segments were being processed simultaneously, Dumbledore,” Professor Snape announced his discovery with a tone that implied it was an obvious, effortless find. “If I'm not mistaken, it should be the influence of that Diadem.”
(end of chapter)
