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chapter 169 part 1
Chapter 166: The Disgraced Potioneer (4k-word chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"How do you feel, Adams?"
As Adams lifted the Diadem from his head, William kept his wand pointed firmly at him and asked loudly.
"Better than ever, William—" Adams replied with a smile. "I don't think I could be better."
"That's good," Dumbledore interjected gently. "Professor Adams, are you ready?"
"Ready. May I get my wand now?"
"You may. Place the extracted memory over there, Professor Adams."
Adams slowly picked up his wand, then proceeded to extract the memory from his own mind—a procedure they had all agreed upon before the experiment. It was the most effective method for detecting any control exerted by the Diadem.
William watched Adams's movements with rapt attention. If Adams showed the slightest sign of anything being amiss, he wouldn't hesitate to hit him with a Stunning Spell.
But no such incident occurred. After extracting the memory, Adams quickly put down his wand. Professor Snape, who was in charge of the inspection, strode forward and began to process and interpret the memory within the Pensieve.
'I still have so much to learn, but I have to take it one step at a time—' William thought, glancing at Professor Snape out of the corner of his eye. However, his grip on his wand didn't loosen in the slightest as he kept his eyes fixed on Adams.
Finally, after triple-checking, Professor Snape gave an all-clear gesture.
"Very good, Professor Adams. Please stand over there in the room and wait for a period of observation. If there are no issues by this evening, you may have your wand back."
"No problem, Professor McGonagall. Could I have some paper and a pen? I've just had some wonderful ideas!"
Adams was grinning from ear to ear. It seemed that in the short time he had worn the Diadem, he had successfully solved at least one problem that had troubled him for a long time.
'This must be the so-called extraordinary wisdom the Diadem grants. But it probably isn't this miraculous every time. Both Adams and Professor Kettleburn have accumulated knowledge over many years. It's like water building up high behind a dam; the Diadem suddenly created an opening, and everything burst through the sturdy embankment uncontrollably.'
'Still, even so, the effect of this Diadem is terrifyingly powerful—extraordinary wisdom. For a wizard, is there anything more precious than this?'
At that moment, Dumbledore was already getting the next professor ready. It seemed he had no intention of letting the students begin the test until all the professors had verified its safety.
The testing proceeded in an orderly fashion. By the time the last professor had finished, there were still no issues.
The disarmed professors showed no concern about being without their wands. They cheerfully divided up the quills in Professor McGonagall's office. When they ran out of quills, they even started raiding the phoenix feathers in Professor McGonagall's collection.
"Minerva, Fawkes is molting anyway. Dumbledore won't be stingy!" the professors said as they fought over the ink.
The professors whose problems had been solved were quite cheerful, but the four professors on guard duty, including William, and Dumbledore had no trace of a smile on their faces.
It was a dead certainty that the Diadem had been bewitched. Betting that a bomb wouldn't explode was not a wise idea.
Compared to the professors, the experiment was far more dangerous for the students, who had a much lower awareness of the Diadem's perils.
"Professor, shall I go and ask them one more time?" William asked, looking at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded and told the others to lower their wands and take a break. Aside from William, the remaining professors were not young. After such high-intensity monitoring, they wouldn't be able to concentrate later without a rest.
While those professors were resting, William walked over to the students.
"The professors have all finished testing. We're certain there's a problem with the Diadem, but after so many tests, we still haven't found anything—"
William stared at them. "I'm asking you all one last time. If any of you wish to withdraw, you can do so now. Knowing when to give up is a virtue."
The three Gryffindors William had brought, the one Gryffindor Professor McGonagall had brought, and the two Ravenclaws brought by Professor Flitwick after consulting with William all shook their heads in unison—clearly, not one of them was willing to give up.
"Alright, then. We'll start with you, Percy," William said, pointing at him. "You're a Prefect. With power comes responsibility. You're up first."
Percy stepped forward with an excited look on his face, only to be pulled back by William, who grabbed the collar of his robes.
"Stop! Calm your mind! Or I'll disqualify you!" William shouted sternly. "Think about what you want to use that wisdom for, what problems you want to solve. Don't let your thoughts scatter everywhere!"
"Yes, Professor!"
Percy was so startled that even his tone of voice changed.
"Put down your wand, go over there, calm your mind, and prepare for the test!"
"Yes, Professor!"
Under William's stern reprimand, Percy slowly walked over, carefully lifted the Diadem, and placed it on his head.
"A magical creature has acknowledged you (Awe). You have obtained a treasure chest."
Who had time to think about drawing a card now?
William didn't spare it a thought, his gaze firmly locked on Percy's face. Unlike the professors, an unconcealable joy appeared on Percy's face, as if he had just won the lottery.
'Is something wrong?'
William's hand tightened slightly on his wand, ready to cast a spell if anything went awry.
"A magical creature has acknowledged you (Worship). You have obtained a treasure chest."
William completely ignored the notification, staring intently at Percy.
But Percy soon took off the Diadem without any trouble. Although his face was filled with irrepressible joy, he showed no signs of being under control.
"How do you feel, Percy?" William asked, staring into Percy's eyes.
"Great, Professor! I even thought of a new spell!" Percy's voice was a little higher than usual.
"Good. Slowly pick up your wand and extract the memory for Professor Snape to inspect!"
William felt a bit guilty as he shouted this. The testing had been going on for a long time, and Snape was still the only one doing the memory inspection. Although Professor Snape was indeed very capable, he looked genuinely exhausted now.
Soon, Percy's test report came back: safe.
"Next," William said, looking at the Diadem and calling to the students behind him. "The sixth-year from Ravenclaw, come forward for the test."
That child wasn't his student, although the admission standard for the advanced class had been at its lowest this year...
"Yes, Professor."
Chapter 166: The Disgraced Potioneer (4k-word chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"How do you feel, Adams?"
As Adams lifted the Diadem from his head, William kept his wand pointed firmly at him and asked loudly.
"Better than ever, William—" Adams replied with a smile. "I don't think I could be better."
"That's good," Dumbledore interjected gently. "Professor Adams, are you ready?"
"Ready. May I get my wand now?"
"You may. Place the extracted memory over there, Professor Adams."
Adams slowly picked up his wand, then proceeded to extract the memory from his own mind—a procedure they had all agreed upon before the experiment. It was the most effective method for detecting any control exerted by the Diadem.
William watched Adams's movements with rapt attention. If Adams showed the slightest sign of anything being amiss, he wouldn't hesitate to hit him with a Stunning Spell.
But no such incident occurred. After extracting the memory, Adams quickly put down his wand. Professor Snape, who was in charge of the inspection, strode forward and began to process and interpret the memory within the Pensieve.
'I still have so much to learn, but I have to take it one step at a time—' William thought, glancing at Professor Snape out of the corner of his eye. However, his grip on his wand didn't loosen in the slightest as he kept his eyes fixed on Adams.
Finally, after triple-checking, Professor Snape gave an all-clear gesture.
"Very good, Professor Adams. Please stand over there in the room and wait for a period of observation. If there are no issues by this evening, you may have your wand back."
"No problem, Professor McGonagall. Could I have some paper and a pen? I've just had some wonderful ideas!"
Adams was grinning from ear to ear. It seemed that in the short time he had worn the Diadem, he had successfully solved at least one problem that had troubled him for a long time.
'This must be the so-called extraordinary wisdom the Diadem grants. But it probably isn't this miraculous every time. Both Adams and Professor Kettleburn have accumulated knowledge over many years. It's like water building up high behind a dam; the Diadem suddenly created an opening, and everything burst through the sturdy embankment uncontrollably.'
'Still, even so, the effect of this Diadem is terrifyingly powerful—extraordinary wisdom. For a wizard, is there anything more precious than this?'
At that moment, Dumbledore was already getting the next professor ready. It seemed he had no intention of letting the students begin the test until all the professors had verified its safety.
The testing proceeded in an orderly fashion. By the time the last professor had finished, there were still no issues.
The disarmed professors showed no concern about being without their wands. They cheerfully divided up the quills in Professor McGonagall's office. When they ran out of quills, they even started raiding the phoenix feathers in Professor McGonagall's collection.
"Minerva, Fawkes is molting anyway. Dumbledore won't be stingy!" the professors said as they fought over the ink.
The professors whose problems had been solved were quite cheerful, but the four professors on guard duty, including William, and Dumbledore had no trace of a smile on their faces.
It was a dead certainty that the Diadem had been bewitched. Betting that a bomb wouldn't explode was not a wise idea.
Compared to the professors, the experiment was far more dangerous for the students, who had a much lower awareness of the Diadem's perils.
"Professor, shall I go and ask them one more time?" William asked, looking at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded and told the others to lower their wands and take a break. Aside from William, the remaining professors were not young. After such high-intensity monitoring, they wouldn't be able to concentrate later without a rest.
While those professors were resting, William walked over to the students.
"The professors have all finished testing. We're certain there's a problem with the Diadem, but after so many tests, we still haven't found anything—"
William stared at them. "I'm asking you all one last time. If any of you wish to withdraw, you can do so now. Knowing when to give up is a virtue."
The three Gryffindors William had brought, the one Gryffindor Professor McGonagall had brought, and the two Ravenclaws brought by Professor Flitwick after consulting with William all shook their heads in unison—clearly, not one of them was willing to give up.
"Alright, then. We'll start with you, Percy," William said, pointing at him. "You're a Prefect. With power comes responsibility. You're up first."
Percy stepped forward with an excited look on his face, only to be pulled back by William, who grabbed the collar of his robes.
"Stop! Calm your mind! Or I'll disqualify you!" William shouted sternly. "Think about what you want to use that wisdom for, what problems you want to solve. Don't let your thoughts scatter everywhere!"
"Yes, Professor!"
Percy was so startled that even his tone of voice changed.
"Put down your wand, go over there, calm your mind, and prepare for the test!"
"Yes, Professor!"
Under William's stern reprimand, Percy slowly walked over, carefully lifted the Diadem, and placed it on his head.
"A magical creature has acknowledged you (Awe). You have obtained a treasure chest."
Who had time to think about drawing a card now?
William didn't spare it a thought, his gaze firmly locked on Percy's face. Unlike the professors, an unconcealable joy appeared on Percy's face, as if he had just won the lottery.
'Is something wrong?'
William's hand tightened slightly on his wand, ready to cast a spell if anything went awry.
"A magical creature has acknowledged you (Worship). You have obtained a treasure chest."
William completely ignored the notification, staring intently at Percy.
But Percy soon took off the Diadem without any trouble. Although his face was filled with irrepressible joy, he showed no signs of being under control.
"How do you feel, Percy?" William asked, staring into Percy's eyes.
"Great, Professor! I even thought of a new spell!" Percy's voice was a little higher than usual.
"Good. Slowly pick up your wand and extract the memory for Professor Snape to inspect!"
William felt a bit guilty as he shouted this. The testing had been going on for a long time, and Snape was still the only one doing the memory inspection. Although Professor Snape was indeed very capable, he looked genuinely exhausted now.
Soon, Percy's test report came back: safe.
"Next," William said, looking at the Diadem and calling to the students behind him. "The sixth-year from Ravenclaw, come forward for the test."
That child wasn't his student, although the admission standard for the advanced class had been at its lowest this year...
"Yes, Professor."
