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chapter 156 part 1
Chapter 153: Diadem, Diadem, Diadem (Large Chapter)
Although dinner had already started in the Great Hall, a sudden flash of inspiration made William temporarily set aside the thought of eating.
A dozen or so minutes later, he looked up in disappointment. 'There's still too little to compare, and I can't just give students corporal punishment based on my own speculation, can I?'
William believed that if he argued with Professor McGonagall a few times and then slacked off at work, he could definitely earn a negative reward chest—but what good would that do? Between drawing a one-time-use card and having a stable job as a professor, even a fool would know which to choose.
'This so-called System... I'll just treat it as a pleasant surprise for now,' he thought with a smile, disposing of the parchment with his speculations, along with the few sheets beneath it that bore indentations. 'Even if I drew a hundred more cards, wouldn't I still have to write the lesson plans myself?'
'Time to eat!' William cheered himself up and headed happily towards the Great Hall.
---
The staff table was exceptionally lively today, with several new faces William had never seen before.
Fortunately, Hogwarts was very generous with its funding for meals. After searching for a while, William finally found a seat—one that Adams had saved for him.
"William, over here!"
Adams called William over in a low voice. Before William could even sit down, he started whispering, "My god, Professor Flitwick didn't challenge you to a duel. How did you manage that?"
Without a doubt, his friend already knew about the Diadem.
"Shh, keep it down," William lowered his voice and formulated his response, avoiding the parts he couldn't mention—like Dumbledore's attempt to destroy the Diadem.
"Ravenclaw's ghost, the Grey Lady, her real identity is Helena Ravenclaw. She gave the Diadem to me."
This was the publicly agreed-upon explanation, and Professor Flitwick had no objections.
"Heavens! I even asked her about the Diadem before. Why wasn't I the one to receive it?"
Adams' quiet complaint couldn't help but remind William of what the lady had said earlier—Adams, my apologies, but I regret to inform you that you've been looked down upon along with the rest of the students...
---
William found this lunch rather unpleasant. The professors who rarely appeared at the staff table were all senior professors at the School, and their purpose for being there was obvious.
Although not a single one of them tried to approach him during lunch, no one could eat comfortably while being stared at by so many people.
After managing to eat until he was about half-full, William didn't even dare to speak much. He gave Adams a meaningful look and headed out of the Great Hall.
"Phew, good heavens," William exclaimed. "Those professors are terrifying. Adams, you said they were senior professors. What do they teach?"
"All sorts of different subjects, I suppose. To be precise, most of them don't teach classes anymore. They spend almost all their time at the School conducting research. Their meals are usually delivered by House-Elves."
Adams threw up his hands, indicating that he wasn't too clear on the details either.
"That's a thing?"
"Of course. Not all professors choose to retire. Professor Binns, for example, loves teaching. Others prefer research, so they just stay at the School." Adams said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Magic has to progress, William." Adams pointed in the direction of the Library. "It's impossible that all the books in Hogwarts' Restricted Section were donated. There's only one Hogwarts in all of Britain. If we don't do the research, are we supposed to count on the Ministry of Magic?"
This statement made William feel a bit ashamed. After researching some information about Hogwarts, he had started to see it as a vocational school. He had completely forgotten that it was also the only institution of higher learning in the British Wizarding World and naturally undertook research work.
'You're getting complacent, William!'
He warned himself again internally. 'You're only thinking about learning and excavating Ancient Magic, completely forgetting that Magic itself also evolves. Didn't Dumbledore's card tell you that? Even someone like Dumbledore is researching new uses for dragon's blood!'
'The curriculum for the Seventh Years could use some adjustments. Also, I should find out what new theories those research-focused professors have come up with.'
"Figured it out, have you?" Adams clapped William on the shoulder. "Actually, that unlucky fellow Singeade was just forced out to teach. It's because he's the youngest, isn't it?"
The fact that seniority was a thing here was a bit too realistic...
"Oh, right, I also saw, um—" William tried to recall the name but found he hadn't remembered it at all. "That witch who looked like a, uh, diviner—"
William carefully chose his words, forcing himself to swallow the term "charlatan."
"That would be the Divination professor. Professor Trelawney would probably love your guess," Adams understood the question without any issue. "But I suspect you won't like Professor Trelawney... she predicts the death of a student every year."
"A student dies every year?" William was startled by this claim. Although his university back in his old life occasionally had guaranteed post-grad admissions, having a curse hanging over his head here was a completely different matter.
"Are you kidding? Expulsion, sure. Many of the kids here are pure-bloods. If it were that serious, the school wouldn't be able to stay open. Professor Trelawney just uses that line to scare the students." Adams shrugged, expressing his lack of support for the ridiculous claim.
"Then?" William was still a bit curious. After all, this was the professor who had overseen his first interview after his release from prison. He hadn't seen her since, and as he had run into her today, he figured he might as well get a clear answer.
"I think I know what you mean, William. You're asking if Professor Trelawney is also a research-focused professor?"
Adams waved his hand, looked around, and then whispered, "Don't spread this around, but we all think that Professor Trelawney is a fraud who's just here for the salary. She acts all mystical and cryptic all day just to maintain her image as a seer, but she has absolutely no prophetic ability!"
So I'm not the only freeloader at this school?
William's first reaction was elation, but he quickly realized something was wrong. He was coasting because the School couldn't find another professor. What about her?
"That can't be right, can it? Does Professor McGonagall not know?"
As a professor who knew a bit about how the School was run, William ignored the Headmaster, who didn't involve himself in such matters.
"It's hard to say, but Professor McGonagall has never liked her." Adams glanced around again before responding. "I remember Professor McGonagall expressing her dissatisfaction with her in her own class more than once. You know how much someone with Professor McGonagall's personality values her own lessons."
That was true. Someone with Professor McGonagall's personality would never waste her precious class time on complaining.
"Right? But we suspect Professor McGonagall keeps Professor Trelawney around to get funds from the Ministry of Magic. You must know of Cassandra Trelawney, the great seer. Professor Trelawney is her descendant—a certified pure-blood, at that. With an identity like that, how much funding do you think she can secure for the Divination program each year?"
Pure-blood certification, a mystical Divination class... even before he came to Hogwarts, William knew how profitable this racket was. It wasn't a small number of people who ended up in Azkaban for posing as diviners...
'It can't be that one fraud hired another, can it?'
If Adams weren't still here, William would have definitely covered his face. This was just too magical...
"I'd better go to the staff room alone, William. I advise you not to go. Just stay in your office for the day. Those research professors aren't very social. At most, they'll go to the staff room to 'accidentally' run into you once. They definitely won't think of cornering you in your office. Once the news spreads that the Diadem is actually with Dumbledore, you'll be fine. Don't worry, leave it to me. It'll be much easier for me to explain if you're not there."
Chapter 153: Diadem, Diadem, Diadem (Large Chapter)
Although dinner had already started in the Great Hall, a sudden flash of inspiration made William temporarily set aside the thought of eating.
A dozen or so minutes later, he looked up in disappointment. 'There's still too little to compare, and I can't just give students corporal punishment based on my own speculation, can I?'
William believed that if he argued with Professor McGonagall a few times and then slacked off at work, he could definitely earn a negative reward chest—but what good would that do? Between drawing a one-time-use card and having a stable job as a professor, even a fool would know which to choose.
'This so-called System... I'll just treat it as a pleasant surprise for now,' he thought with a smile, disposing of the parchment with his speculations, along with the few sheets beneath it that bore indentations. 'Even if I drew a hundred more cards, wouldn't I still have to write the lesson plans myself?'
'Time to eat!' William cheered himself up and headed happily towards the Great Hall.
---
The staff table was exceptionally lively today, with several new faces William had never seen before.
Fortunately, Hogwarts was very generous with its funding for meals. After searching for a while, William finally found a seat—one that Adams had saved for him.
"William, over here!"
Adams called William over in a low voice. Before William could even sit down, he started whispering, "My god, Professor Flitwick didn't challenge you to a duel. How did you manage that?"
Without a doubt, his friend already knew about the Diadem.
"Shh, keep it down," William lowered his voice and formulated his response, avoiding the parts he couldn't mention—like Dumbledore's attempt to destroy the Diadem.
"Ravenclaw's ghost, the Grey Lady, her real identity is Helena Ravenclaw. She gave the Diadem to me."
This was the publicly agreed-upon explanation, and Professor Flitwick had no objections.
"Heavens! I even asked her about the Diadem before. Why wasn't I the one to receive it?"
Adams' quiet complaint couldn't help but remind William of what the lady had said earlier—Adams, my apologies, but I regret to inform you that you've been looked down upon along with the rest of the students...
---
William found this lunch rather unpleasant. The professors who rarely appeared at the staff table were all senior professors at the School, and their purpose for being there was obvious.
Although not a single one of them tried to approach him during lunch, no one could eat comfortably while being stared at by so many people.
After managing to eat until he was about half-full, William didn't even dare to speak much. He gave Adams a meaningful look and headed out of the Great Hall.
"Phew, good heavens," William exclaimed. "Those professors are terrifying. Adams, you said they were senior professors. What do they teach?"
"All sorts of different subjects, I suppose. To be precise, most of them don't teach classes anymore. They spend almost all their time at the School conducting research. Their meals are usually delivered by House-Elves."
Adams threw up his hands, indicating that he wasn't too clear on the details either.
"That's a thing?"
"Of course. Not all professors choose to retire. Professor Binns, for example, loves teaching. Others prefer research, so they just stay at the School." Adams said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Magic has to progress, William." Adams pointed in the direction of the Library. "It's impossible that all the books in Hogwarts' Restricted Section were donated. There's only one Hogwarts in all of Britain. If we don't do the research, are we supposed to count on the Ministry of Magic?"
This statement made William feel a bit ashamed. After researching some information about Hogwarts, he had started to see it as a vocational school. He had completely forgotten that it was also the only institution of higher learning in the British Wizarding World and naturally undertook research work.
'You're getting complacent, William!'
He warned himself again internally. 'You're only thinking about learning and excavating Ancient Magic, completely forgetting that Magic itself also evolves. Didn't Dumbledore's card tell you that? Even someone like Dumbledore is researching new uses for dragon's blood!'
'The curriculum for the Seventh Years could use some adjustments. Also, I should find out what new theories those research-focused professors have come up with.'
"Figured it out, have you?" Adams clapped William on the shoulder. "Actually, that unlucky fellow Singeade was just forced out to teach. It's because he's the youngest, isn't it?"
The fact that seniority was a thing here was a bit too realistic...
"Oh, right, I also saw, um—" William tried to recall the name but found he hadn't remembered it at all. "That witch who looked like a, uh, diviner—"
William carefully chose his words, forcing himself to swallow the term "charlatan."
"That would be the Divination professor. Professor Trelawney would probably love your guess," Adams understood the question without any issue. "But I suspect you won't like Professor Trelawney... she predicts the death of a student every year."
"A student dies every year?" William was startled by this claim. Although his university back in his old life occasionally had guaranteed post-grad admissions, having a curse hanging over his head here was a completely different matter.
"Are you kidding? Expulsion, sure. Many of the kids here are pure-bloods. If it were that serious, the school wouldn't be able to stay open. Professor Trelawney just uses that line to scare the students." Adams shrugged, expressing his lack of support for the ridiculous claim.
"Then?" William was still a bit curious. After all, this was the professor who had overseen his first interview after his release from prison. He hadn't seen her since, and as he had run into her today, he figured he might as well get a clear answer.
"I think I know what you mean, William. You're asking if Professor Trelawney is also a research-focused professor?"
Adams waved his hand, looked around, and then whispered, "Don't spread this around, but we all think that Professor Trelawney is a fraud who's just here for the salary. She acts all mystical and cryptic all day just to maintain her image as a seer, but she has absolutely no prophetic ability!"
So I'm not the only freeloader at this school?
William's first reaction was elation, but he quickly realized something was wrong. He was coasting because the School couldn't find another professor. What about her?
"That can't be right, can it? Does Professor McGonagall not know?"
As a professor who knew a bit about how the School was run, William ignored the Headmaster, who didn't involve himself in such matters.
"It's hard to say, but Professor McGonagall has never liked her." Adams glanced around again before responding. "I remember Professor McGonagall expressing her dissatisfaction with her in her own class more than once. You know how much someone with Professor McGonagall's personality values her own lessons."
That was true. Someone with Professor McGonagall's personality would never waste her precious class time on complaining.
"Right? But we suspect Professor McGonagall keeps Professor Trelawney around to get funds from the Ministry of Magic. You must know of Cassandra Trelawney, the great seer. Professor Trelawney is her descendant—a certified pure-blood, at that. With an identity like that, how much funding do you think she can secure for the Divination program each year?"
Pure-blood certification, a mystical Divination class... even before he came to Hogwarts, William knew how profitable this racket was. It wasn't a small number of people who ended up in Azkaban for posing as diviners...
'It can't be that one fraud hired another, can it?'
If Adams weren't still here, William would have definitely covered his face. This was just too magical...
"I'd better go to the staff room alone, William. I advise you not to go. Just stay in your office for the day. Those research professors aren't very social. At most, they'll go to the staff room to 'accidentally' run into you once. They definitely won't think of cornering you in your office. Once the news spreads that the Diadem is actually with Dumbledore, you'll be fine. Don't worry, leave it to me. It'll be much easier for me to explain if you're not there."
