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Chapter 158: An Early Visit
"It's already Friday!"
Adams sat opposite William, his expression deadly serious, as if he were delivering some kind of ultimatum.
"I know."
William waved a lazy hand, feigning nonchalance as he flipped through the copy of *Intermediate Transfiguration* in his hands.
"Be serious, William! We're not joking. Tomorrow, as in *tomorrow*, I have to test the Diadem!"
Adams looked fraught with anxiety.
"I'm aware, very aware. This is the twenty-third time you've repeated this—and that's just to me."
When his friend had first come to discuss it, William had genuinely been concerned. But Adams had talked the subject to death, eroding away any worry.
"Only twenty-three times? William, do you know how many times I dreamed about that Diadem when I was a student? No less than a hundred!"
Adams was completely serious, as if repeating himself twenty-three times was no big deal.
*It's over. No one who gets involved with the Diadem stays sane, do they?*
William couldn't help but press a hand to his forehead. The Diadem's history was too long, and its effects were too perfectly suited to a place like the school, causing even professors to have spent their entire academic and professional careers dreaming about what they would do if they ever got their hands on it.
*'This level of madness is understandable, but I need to cool this guy down. Going to experiment on the Diadem in this state is not a good idea. Emotion-affecting spells are a major part of the Dark Arts.'*
With this in mind, William made a decision, moving his Saturday plans to today.
"Let's go, Adams," William said, inserting a bookmark into his book and placing it on the table.
"Go? But the experiment isn't until tomorrow—"
"And you know it's tomorrow, don't you?" William straightened his robes in annoyance and called out into the room, "Bart, could you prepare a fruit basket for me? Add it to my account, and send the bill with my payslip at the beginning of next month."
In just three to five minutes, Bart appeared in the room, carrying a fruit basket.
It was an exquisitely wrapped fruit basket, the kind that most shops would be hard-pressed to produce. The house-elf's knack for domestic chores was no empty reputation.
"Professor, the fruit basket you requested. The kitchens are preparing the bill now," the house-elf said, placing the basket on the table. "Is there anything else Bart can do for you?"
"Help me book some—never mind, I'll take care of that myself." William smiled and nodded at the house-elf. "Thank you for your hard work, Bart."
"Of course, Professor." The house-elf bowed and left, leaving a stunned Adams behind.
"Wait," Adams said, looking from the fruit basket to William. "The kitchen offers this service? I've been at Hogwarts for seven full years, not counting my time teaching, and this is the first I've heard of the kitchen providing fruit baskets!"
"People always overlook things in the places they think they know best," William said, picking up the basket with one hand and turning to the mirror to check his appearance. "Everyone does, Adams."
"Alright, perhaps you're right."
Adams shrugged.
*'So this is all it's good for. I spent ages looking up information on that professor, and all I found was how they used facilities like the kitchen or the library to make life more convenient. It's not that there was nothing useful, but it was all buried under a flood of transaction records—'*
*'After all that investigation, it turned into a lesson from that professor on how to live better at Hogwarts. I thought a professor's life was already convenient enough, but apparently, it can be even better.'*
*'It's just—'* William pushed the door open and couldn't help but sigh. *How could there be a professor in the world so keen on socializing?*
—
"Where are we going? The Hospital Wing?"
Adams guessed, looking at the fruit basket in William's hand.
"Yes, the Hospital Wing."
He had originally planned to visit Miss Weasley, who was still in the hospital wing, over the weekend. Now, with Adams's situation, he had no choice but to move the visit up. It was also a chance to make Adams understand just how potent the dangers hidden within the Diadem were, so he wouldn't be so foolishly giddy about being able to wear it.
"To see Ginny Weasley?"
Adams wasn't stupid; he quickly realized what William intended to do. Rumors about the Diadem were flying all around the castle, and Ginny Weasley's name was now known throughout the school as the one who first discovered it.
"Yes," William nodded. "She is the victim in the Diadem incident. Although she isn't my student, as both the ultimate beneficiary and the initiator of the investigation, it's only right and proper that I go see her."
Although the Diadem still had all sorts of unidentified curses on it, the fact that Ravenclaw's daughter had personally gifted it to him was set in stone. Even when Professor McGonagall wanted a student to interact with it, she first had to bring the person to William to seek his consent.
"Makes sense. But what about me?"
"You're coming along to show the level of the School Authority's respect."
William replied perfunctorily.
—
The Hogwarts Hospital Wing wasn't large. After all, the standard of medical care in the Wizarding World was astonishingly high. Even an injury like a fracture could be easily fixed, making a stay in the hospital wing unnecessary for common injuries.
But this also meant that any injury that warranted a stay in the hospital was definitely not a minor injury.
"Madam Pomfrey, is Miss Weasley awake?"
William stood at the reception desk of the Hospital Wing, asking Madam Pomfrey. It was shameful to admit, but this was his first time meeting the school nurse.
There were two main reasons for this—
*'If I had a different post, I'd definitely have met her right away. But the Defense Against the Dark Arts course covers so much content that I can now handle common injuries myself. For more unusual injuries, I can manage most of them with potions. Did I learn the doctor's trade before properly learning the professor's?'*
"Of course, she's speaking with Mrs. Weasley right now," Madam Pomfrey said, her attitude toward William quite friendly. "However, Professor William, protocol requires me to go in and inform Mrs. Weasley first. Oh, and Professor Adams, I noticed during yesterday's inventory check that the hospital's Dittany reserves are running a bit low. Could you prepare some more in the next planting plan?"
"Of course, not a problem at all."
Adams readily agreed. "You won't find Dittany with better healing properties anywhere else in Britain than what's produced in the Hogwarts Greenhouses."
*'I'll second that,'* William silently cheered. He had just recently acquired a large batch of Dittany from Adams to stock in his classroom, along with other first aid potions.
In theory, his course was the most dangerous, so William had no qualms about taking them.
However, while he could say that to Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster, he felt a little guilty saying it in front of the matron before him.
But Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to have noticed this issue yet. She went inside and, a short while later, returned with a witch William had seen before.
"Mrs. Weasley, this is Professor William, and this is Professor Adams. They've come to visit Ginny."
Madam Pomfrey introduced them calmly.
(end of chapter)
"It's already Friday!"
Adams sat opposite William, his expression deadly serious, as if he were delivering some kind of ultimatum.
"I know."
William waved a lazy hand, feigning nonchalance as he flipped through the copy of *Intermediate Transfiguration* in his hands.
"Be serious, William! We're not joking. Tomorrow, as in *tomorrow*, I have to test the Diadem!"
Adams looked fraught with anxiety.
"I'm aware, very aware. This is the twenty-third time you've repeated this—and that's just to me."
When his friend had first come to discuss it, William had genuinely been concerned. But Adams had talked the subject to death, eroding away any worry.
"Only twenty-three times? William, do you know how many times I dreamed about that Diadem when I was a student? No less than a hundred!"
Adams was completely serious, as if repeating himself twenty-three times was no big deal.
*It's over. No one who gets involved with the Diadem stays sane, do they?*
William couldn't help but press a hand to his forehead. The Diadem's history was too long, and its effects were too perfectly suited to a place like the school, causing even professors to have spent their entire academic and professional careers dreaming about what they would do if they ever got their hands on it.
*'This level of madness is understandable, but I need to cool this guy down. Going to experiment on the Diadem in this state is not a good idea. Emotion-affecting spells are a major part of the Dark Arts.'*
With this in mind, William made a decision, moving his Saturday plans to today.
"Let's go, Adams," William said, inserting a bookmark into his book and placing it on the table.
"Go? But the experiment isn't until tomorrow—"
"And you know it's tomorrow, don't you?" William straightened his robes in annoyance and called out into the room, "Bart, could you prepare a fruit basket for me? Add it to my account, and send the bill with my payslip at the beginning of next month."
In just three to five minutes, Bart appeared in the room, carrying a fruit basket.
It was an exquisitely wrapped fruit basket, the kind that most shops would be hard-pressed to produce. The house-elf's knack for domestic chores was no empty reputation.
"Professor, the fruit basket you requested. The kitchens are preparing the bill now," the house-elf said, placing the basket on the table. "Is there anything else Bart can do for you?"
"Help me book some—never mind, I'll take care of that myself." William smiled and nodded at the house-elf. "Thank you for your hard work, Bart."
"Of course, Professor." The house-elf bowed and left, leaving a stunned Adams behind.
"Wait," Adams said, looking from the fruit basket to William. "The kitchen offers this service? I've been at Hogwarts for seven full years, not counting my time teaching, and this is the first I've heard of the kitchen providing fruit baskets!"
"People always overlook things in the places they think they know best," William said, picking up the basket with one hand and turning to the mirror to check his appearance. "Everyone does, Adams."
"Alright, perhaps you're right."
Adams shrugged.
*'So this is all it's good for. I spent ages looking up information on that professor, and all I found was how they used facilities like the kitchen or the library to make life more convenient. It's not that there was nothing useful, but it was all buried under a flood of transaction records—'*
*'After all that investigation, it turned into a lesson from that professor on how to live better at Hogwarts. I thought a professor's life was already convenient enough, but apparently, it can be even better.'*
*'It's just—'* William pushed the door open and couldn't help but sigh. *How could there be a professor in the world so keen on socializing?*
—
"Where are we going? The Hospital Wing?"
Adams guessed, looking at the fruit basket in William's hand.
"Yes, the Hospital Wing."
He had originally planned to visit Miss Weasley, who was still in the hospital wing, over the weekend. Now, with Adams's situation, he had no choice but to move the visit up. It was also a chance to make Adams understand just how potent the dangers hidden within the Diadem were, so he wouldn't be so foolishly giddy about being able to wear it.
"To see Ginny Weasley?"
Adams wasn't stupid; he quickly realized what William intended to do. Rumors about the Diadem were flying all around the castle, and Ginny Weasley's name was now known throughout the school as the one who first discovered it.
"Yes," William nodded. "She is the victim in the Diadem incident. Although she isn't my student, as both the ultimate beneficiary and the initiator of the investigation, it's only right and proper that I go see her."
Although the Diadem still had all sorts of unidentified curses on it, the fact that Ravenclaw's daughter had personally gifted it to him was set in stone. Even when Professor McGonagall wanted a student to interact with it, she first had to bring the person to William to seek his consent.
"Makes sense. But what about me?"
"You're coming along to show the level of the School Authority's respect."
William replied perfunctorily.
—
The Hogwarts Hospital Wing wasn't large. After all, the standard of medical care in the Wizarding World was astonishingly high. Even an injury like a fracture could be easily fixed, making a stay in the hospital wing unnecessary for common injuries.
But this also meant that any injury that warranted a stay in the hospital was definitely not a minor injury.
"Madam Pomfrey, is Miss Weasley awake?"
William stood at the reception desk of the Hospital Wing, asking Madam Pomfrey. It was shameful to admit, but this was his first time meeting the school nurse.
There were two main reasons for this—
*'If I had a different post, I'd definitely have met her right away. But the Defense Against the Dark Arts course covers so much content that I can now handle common injuries myself. For more unusual injuries, I can manage most of them with potions. Did I learn the doctor's trade before properly learning the professor's?'*
"Of course, she's speaking with Mrs. Weasley right now," Madam Pomfrey said, her attitude toward William quite friendly. "However, Professor William, protocol requires me to go in and inform Mrs. Weasley first. Oh, and Professor Adams, I noticed during yesterday's inventory check that the hospital's Dittany reserves are running a bit low. Could you prepare some more in the next planting plan?"
"Of course, not a problem at all."
Adams readily agreed. "You won't find Dittany with better healing properties anywhere else in Britain than what's produced in the Hogwarts Greenhouses."
*'I'll second that,'* William silently cheered. He had just recently acquired a large batch of Dittany from Adams to stock in his classroom, along with other first aid potions.
In theory, his course was the most dangerous, so William had no qualms about taking them.
However, while he could say that to Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster, he felt a little guilty saying it in front of the matron before him.
But Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to have noticed this issue yet. She went inside and, a short while later, returned with a witch William had seen before.
"Mrs. Weasley, this is Professor William, and this is Professor Adams. They've come to visit Ginny."
Madam Pomfrey introduced them calmly.
(end of chapter)
