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Chapter 159: The Vanished Memory
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
Mrs. Weasley showed none of the nervousness she had during their last meeting—after all, when William last saw her, her daughter was facing the risk of expulsion.
After thanking the matron, she turned to William to express her sincere gratitude—
"Professor William, thank you for visiting. Fred and George have told me a lot about you. Thank you for taking care of them at school..."
He had no idea how to respond to that.
What care?
William racked his brain. Since he wasn't the two brothers' professor for any of their classes, his only interaction with them had been giving them detention—what kind of care was that...?
At this thought, William could only manage a socially acceptable, non-awkward smile.
"Oh," Mrs. Weasley, having said quite a bit in one breath, finally realized that William and Adams were still standing in the Hospital Wing's reception area. "I'm so sorry, Professor. Please, come in and sit down. I've been so rude..."
"It's quite alright, Mrs. Weasley. Every parent is very concerned about their child's studies and life; it's perfectly normal." Although this was William's first time being a professor, thanks to some ridiculous school regulations back in the day, he had attended many parent-teacher conferences and was quite clear on how a teacher should speak with a parent.
'I used to complain about how it could be called a parent-teacher conference when students were required to be present, but now that experience is coming in handy... I just don't know if experience from the East is applicable in the West, and what's more, this is the Wizarding World...'
While complaining inwardly again, William changed the subject without batting an eye.
"Besides, you graduated from Hogwarts yourself. You don't need to worry too much about life here. We have Dumbledore, don't we?"
In any case, Dumbledore was the gold standard, the Wizarding World's greatest mascot. As a member of the faculty, William had no qualms about using the Headmaster as a guarantee.
"Of course, no one is more trustworthy than Dumbledore. It's just that George and Fred are such a handful..."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head, clearly troubled by the Weasley Twins.
"They'll be better when they're older. Besides, they're very hands-on. If they cram the fundamentals, they can easily catch up. Magic isn't a theory class, after all."
William said these nice things against his better judgment—he couldn't very well add to the patient's family's worries during a visit, could he?
"I hope so. Percy has never been a cause for worry..."
Mrs. Weasley complained, shaking her head.
"Percy is quite excellent. His performance at school is fantastic. To be precise, he's probably the most outstanding student in the Sixth Year."
William was familiar with this topic and praised him without reservation—and then he caught sight of a flash of bright red hair.
Ginny Weasley was currently half-propped up on her bed, looking at what appeared to be a magazine.
'Why did I suddenly remember the scene of this child running to Professor McGonagall's office to tattle on Percy?'
William tried his best to delete that image from his mind—he was afraid that in the future, he wouldn't be able to help but recall it whenever he saw Percy. Percy was a very capable assistant, and if he associated the two things, he was afraid he would want to laugh the moment he saw him...
"Ginny, the professors are here."
Mrs. Weasley spoke softly to her daughter, then took the magazine from her hands. Only then did William notice the magazine was being held upside down.
'As expected! I need to be wary of the Weasleys!'
Without a doubt, the child hadn't been seriously reading just now. It was very likely she had started eavesdropping intently the moment she heard that professors were visiting; the magazine was merely a cover.
'A child's little schemes—'
William smiled, not pointing it out. He sat down on a nearby hospital bed and spoke in a gentle tone, "Ginny, how are you feeling now?"
"I'm fine, Professor, just a little dizzy—" The little girl put on an obedient expression, but William didn't believe it for a second.
"Madam Pomfrey said it's a side effect of having a large part of her memory erased and altered," Mrs. Weasley said, sitting on the opposite bed with a helpless expression. "She only remembers receiving her Acceptance Letter; she can't recall anything else."
This gentle, complaint-free account made William and Adams, who was sitting beside him, feel a little guilty. Although it wasn't stipulated in the school rules, the vast majority of professors were unwilling to see their students get hurt and considered protecting them their mission.
"It's also thanks to you, Professor. If you hadn't kept investigating with Fred and George, who knows how this child would have completed that so-called ritual—losing only a piece of her memory is already the best possible outcome."
As Mrs. Weasley spoke, she ruffled her daughter's fiery red hair, her doting expression mixed with the helpless frustration of one disappointed in her child. "How many times have I told you not to touch strange old artifacts and books? You could lose your life!"
"I've always remembered that, Mom!"
Ginny shook her head, freeing her hair from Mrs. Weasley's hand. "Did I really get into Gryffindor?"
William was a little moved, but Adams at his side became a bit unsettled—he tugged on William's robe.
"Because of her, I ended up docking my own House thirty points! I spent a whole day writing a report on it!"
...
William suddenly remembered. They had caught Ginny Weasley back then—'She must have been after Hagrid's roosters even then, right? If only we had paid more attention.'
"The real deal," William nodded, emphasizing his confirmation. "I saw it with my own eyes at the Sorting ceremony."
"I have no memory of it at all. I can only vaguely remember taking a diadem from a room hidden behind a wall—but I've completely forgotten when it happened."
Ginny closed her eyes to think for a moment, then finally shook her head, a disappointed look on her face.
"If it comes to it, how about a do-over?" Adams suddenly spoke up. "The Sorting Hat is in the Headmaster's Office. You just need to put it on again. Dumbledore will agree. Of course, it can only be a small-scale one in the office—"
It could be done so casually? The System even said it was a grand ritual...
William was startled by Adams's suggestion.
"Is that really possible?"
Ginny's voice was filled with excitement.
"If Dumbledore has no objections, there shouldn't be a problem. The Sorting Hat would be very happy too—" Adams nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll go talk to Dumbledore and see when we can schedule the ceremony."
Adams's confident words made William instantly realize the difference between a temporary worker like himself and a full-fledged professor like Adams. Compared to William, Adams was much more adept at using the school's resources. If William had come alone, he would never have even thought about the Sorting Hat.
"That's wonderful, Professor—can you tell me anything else?"
Ginny let out a cheer, but she quickly looked at William and the others with pleading eyes, trying to glean more memories about herself from their words.
But unfortunately, neither William nor Adams was one of her professors.
William found her gaze a little hard to bear—he suddenly recalled his agreement with the ghosts.
"If you don't mind, there's a ghosts' banquet on Halloween. I think they'd be more than happy to tell you what happened during your first month at school—you know, they have excellent memories."
William considered for a moment before making the promise.
(end of chapter)
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
Mrs. Weasley showed none of the nervousness she had during their last meeting—after all, when William last saw her, her daughter was facing the risk of expulsion.
After thanking the matron, she turned to William to express her sincere gratitude—
"Professor William, thank you for visiting. Fred and George have told me a lot about you. Thank you for taking care of them at school..."
He had no idea how to respond to that.
What care?
William racked his brain. Since he wasn't the two brothers' professor for any of their classes, his only interaction with them had been giving them detention—what kind of care was that...?
At this thought, William could only manage a socially acceptable, non-awkward smile.
"Oh," Mrs. Weasley, having said quite a bit in one breath, finally realized that William and Adams were still standing in the Hospital Wing's reception area. "I'm so sorry, Professor. Please, come in and sit down. I've been so rude..."
"It's quite alright, Mrs. Weasley. Every parent is very concerned about their child's studies and life; it's perfectly normal." Although this was William's first time being a professor, thanks to some ridiculous school regulations back in the day, he had attended many parent-teacher conferences and was quite clear on how a teacher should speak with a parent.
'I used to complain about how it could be called a parent-teacher conference when students were required to be present, but now that experience is coming in handy... I just don't know if experience from the East is applicable in the West, and what's more, this is the Wizarding World...'
While complaining inwardly again, William changed the subject without batting an eye.
"Besides, you graduated from Hogwarts yourself. You don't need to worry too much about life here. We have Dumbledore, don't we?"
In any case, Dumbledore was the gold standard, the Wizarding World's greatest mascot. As a member of the faculty, William had no qualms about using the Headmaster as a guarantee.
"Of course, no one is more trustworthy than Dumbledore. It's just that George and Fred are such a handful..."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head, clearly troubled by the Weasley Twins.
"They'll be better when they're older. Besides, they're very hands-on. If they cram the fundamentals, they can easily catch up. Magic isn't a theory class, after all."
William said these nice things against his better judgment—he couldn't very well add to the patient's family's worries during a visit, could he?
"I hope so. Percy has never been a cause for worry..."
Mrs. Weasley complained, shaking her head.
"Percy is quite excellent. His performance at school is fantastic. To be precise, he's probably the most outstanding student in the Sixth Year."
William was familiar with this topic and praised him without reservation—and then he caught sight of a flash of bright red hair.
Ginny Weasley was currently half-propped up on her bed, looking at what appeared to be a magazine.
'Why did I suddenly remember the scene of this child running to Professor McGonagall's office to tattle on Percy?'
William tried his best to delete that image from his mind—he was afraid that in the future, he wouldn't be able to help but recall it whenever he saw Percy. Percy was a very capable assistant, and if he associated the two things, he was afraid he would want to laugh the moment he saw him...
"Ginny, the professors are here."
Mrs. Weasley spoke softly to her daughter, then took the magazine from her hands. Only then did William notice the magazine was being held upside down.
'As expected! I need to be wary of the Weasleys!'
Without a doubt, the child hadn't been seriously reading just now. It was very likely she had started eavesdropping intently the moment she heard that professors were visiting; the magazine was merely a cover.
'A child's little schemes—'
William smiled, not pointing it out. He sat down on a nearby hospital bed and spoke in a gentle tone, "Ginny, how are you feeling now?"
"I'm fine, Professor, just a little dizzy—" The little girl put on an obedient expression, but William didn't believe it for a second.
"Madam Pomfrey said it's a side effect of having a large part of her memory erased and altered," Mrs. Weasley said, sitting on the opposite bed with a helpless expression. "She only remembers receiving her Acceptance Letter; she can't recall anything else."
This gentle, complaint-free account made William and Adams, who was sitting beside him, feel a little guilty. Although it wasn't stipulated in the school rules, the vast majority of professors were unwilling to see their students get hurt and considered protecting them their mission.
"It's also thanks to you, Professor. If you hadn't kept investigating with Fred and George, who knows how this child would have completed that so-called ritual—losing only a piece of her memory is already the best possible outcome."
As Mrs. Weasley spoke, she ruffled her daughter's fiery red hair, her doting expression mixed with the helpless frustration of one disappointed in her child. "How many times have I told you not to touch strange old artifacts and books? You could lose your life!"
"I've always remembered that, Mom!"
Ginny shook her head, freeing her hair from Mrs. Weasley's hand. "Did I really get into Gryffindor?"
William was a little moved, but Adams at his side became a bit unsettled—he tugged on William's robe.
"Because of her, I ended up docking my own House thirty points! I spent a whole day writing a report on it!"
...
William suddenly remembered. They had caught Ginny Weasley back then—'She must have been after Hagrid's roosters even then, right? If only we had paid more attention.'
"The real deal," William nodded, emphasizing his confirmation. "I saw it with my own eyes at the Sorting ceremony."
"I have no memory of it at all. I can only vaguely remember taking a diadem from a room hidden behind a wall—but I've completely forgotten when it happened."
Ginny closed her eyes to think for a moment, then finally shook her head, a disappointed look on her face.
"If it comes to it, how about a do-over?" Adams suddenly spoke up. "The Sorting Hat is in the Headmaster's Office. You just need to put it on again. Dumbledore will agree. Of course, it can only be a small-scale one in the office—"
It could be done so casually? The System even said it was a grand ritual...
William was startled by Adams's suggestion.
"Is that really possible?"
Ginny's voice was filled with excitement.
"If Dumbledore has no objections, there shouldn't be a problem. The Sorting Hat would be very happy too—" Adams nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll go talk to Dumbledore and see when we can schedule the ceremony."
Adams's confident words made William instantly realize the difference between a temporary worker like himself and a full-fledged professor like Adams. Compared to William, Adams was much more adept at using the school's resources. If William had come alone, he would never have even thought about the Sorting Hat.
"That's wonderful, Professor—can you tell me anything else?"
Ginny let out a cheer, but she quickly looked at William and the others with pleading eyes, trying to glean more memories about herself from their words.
But unfortunately, neither William nor Adams was one of her professors.
William found her gaze a little hard to bear—he suddenly recalled his agreement with the ghosts.
"If you don't mind, there's a ghosts' banquet on Halloween. I think they'd be more than happy to tell you what happened during your first month at school—you know, they have excellent memories."
William considered for a moment before making the promise.
(end of chapter)
