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chapter 170 part 1
Shady or not, Felix Felicis was still amazing stuff.
William was certain that he couldn't crack this at his current level, and Adams, who had given him the potion, was definitely not skilled enough either. This bottle was undoubtedly the most precious item in Adams's private collection.
'Adams is probably still kicking himself over it,' William thought, staring at the potion that shimmered like molten gold. He began to wonder what kind of revelation Adams had experienced to make him so overjoyed.
"Should I try a little?"
William stared at the Felix Felicis, his heart in turmoil, but ultimately abandoned the tempting thought.
He was too busy right now, his mind not on Potions at all. Even if he drank this entire small vial, it would only produce the potion's intended effect—for a former Potions Master, this would be the most shameful waste.
If he had enough time and energy, coupled with the feeling of brewing Potions returning to him over a period, plus the potential luck boost from consuming the potion, William felt he would have at least a seventy percent chance of solving the puzzle of brewing Felix Felicis.
This was all on the condition that he could resist touching a single drop until then—the first exposure to a potion has the greatest impact on a wizard, bringing with it the most profound insights.
'Put it away,' William squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself not to look at the vial. 'A brief stroke of luck won't help the current situation. What I lack right now isn't luck, it's time.'
'Why can't adult wizards use a Time-Turner?'
William sighed, shoving the bottle into the deepest part of his drawer. He had learned about the heaven-defying existence of the Time-Turner after becoming a professor, but the device was severely limited by one's magical power. A normal wizard approaching the magical level of an adult would be at risk of getting trapped in the currents of time, let alone someone like him whose magical power hadn't been depleted by the school's enrollment ritual.
'But that makes sense. If Dumbledore could use a Time-Turner, the Dark Lord would never have had a chance to rise—the moment the Dark Lord appeared, Dumbledore could have tried all sorts of methods to stop him for good.'
'No more overthinking. Let's see what the second letter says, then I'll look up the information.'
William casually unfolded the second letter and saw it was from Hagrid.
"William;
Are you free tomorrow?
I'm planning a grand celebration for Harry's victory in the recent Quidditch match.
I really hope you can come. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
—Hagrid."
Such a simple letter was indeed Hagrid's style—but wasn't celebrating a single match a bit much?
William glanced at the itinerary he had made for himself and checked the next day's date.
'Tomorrow is Halloween?'
'No wonder. They're happening at the same time. I was wondering why Hagrid suddenly wanted to celebrate. Turns out he's combining the two events, which makes it much more understandable.'
William sighed and picked up his quill.
Just moments ago he was complaining about not having enough time, wishing he could wear a Time-Turner to look through information, and now he had to make time for Hagrid's celebration.
'And tomorrow night I promised the ghosts I'd join their activity, and I promised to bring Ginny... why is Halloween on the 1st, has the child recovered enough to see ghosts?'
Unfamiliar with Western holidays, William had a new little problem—he wasn't going to have to stand the student up, was he?
"I'll ask Madam Pomfrey. I have to follow her medical advice. And the feast," William sighed as he tied the note to an owl's leg. "No new exam papers this week. Good thing I have some saved up, there are still enough for next week."
William grumpily revised his schedule, then noticed something was wrong—why was the page for October missing?
A moment later, he remembered why it was gone. He had been thinking about the long National Day holiday, tearing out the page to plan for a long time how to use the break, only to remember that Britain doesn't celebrate National Day. In his disappointment, he had forgotten to put it back.
"Go on, take this note to Hagrid."
William opened the window with a sense of grievance and let the owl fly out—he was angry with himself.
---
The Sunday sun was beautiful, and what made it even better was that no bastard professor by the name of Adams had come to wake him before eight o'clock.
This made William, who had been researching until nearly one in the morning, extremely happy, even allowing him to ignore the frustration of having found nothing useful last night.
'A balance of work and rest. Even without a statutory holiday, I should still give myself a proper day off.'
William hummed a cheerful tune as he popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth.
Although Professor McGonagall would certainly never approve a long holiday for him, he was determined to enjoy this day to the fullest, not even planning to prepare a single exam paper.
'This robe, it looks casual…'
For this rare proper day off, William chose a robe he would never normally wear, carefully styled his hair, and then, wand in hand, cheerfully opened his office door.
'I'm heading for a formal visit to Hagrid's. Although the invitation wasn't very formal, I should still be proper. I'll go to Hogsmeade to buy some candy as a gift. Hagrid said the celebration is at noon, so there's enough time.'
'This is a rare opportunity, so I won't use the Floo Network to go out. That thing isn't a great experience. I'll walk.'
The one-way Floo Network connection Dumbledore had set up last time was still active, but William had no intention of using it.
---
"Good morning, Professor."
"Hello."
"Morning, Professor William."
"Morning to you too."
Hogsmeade was exceptionally lively when students were around. The regulation that only third-year students and above could visit meant that the proportion of students who knew William was much higher. He had barely walked a few steps before he had exchanged greetings with several students.
'It's just strange, why aren't there any fifth-year students?'
Finally reaching a more secluded area, William mulled over this sudden question as he headed toward his destination via a small path. The route was longer, but if he had continued on his previous path, he was afraid his face would have frozen from smiling so much.
"Morning, Professor!"
Almost at the exact moment William realized something was amiss, two flashes of red hair appeared around the corner, shattering the tranquility.
'Why are there Weasleys on such a beautiful day!'
"Morning. What are you two doing over here?"
He stared at the brothers—they still had unfinished detention. Yesterday's situation was special, so they still had to serve it tonight...
At this thought, William's mood soured even more.
"Professor, George and I had a great idea yesterday, so we came out today to work towards making it a reality."
William began to eye the brothers with suspicion. Ever since he had received the record of the Weasley Twins' transgressions from Mr. Filch, he had gained a healthy appreciation for their talent for trouble.
A great discovery?
More like a new prank.
But it wasn't appropriate to voice such a suspicion. In any case, the twins' pranks were usually within limits. He'd deal with points deduction when he caught them. He couldn't stop them beforehand, especially since they weren't his students.
"Alright, I wish you success. If you make any progress, you can show me. Maybe I can offer some advice."
"That's great, Professor! But this experiment requires quite a bit of time—you see?"
The twins seized the opportunity to press their advantage.
"Don't even think about it," William said with an exceptionally cheerful smile. "And I can tell you this: if you two make any more serious mistakes, I will personally request you both from Mr. Filch."
The two of them deflated instantly, which made William feel much better.
Shady or not, Felix Felicis was still amazing stuff.
William was certain that he couldn't crack this at his current level, and Adams, who had given him the potion, was definitely not skilled enough either. This bottle was undoubtedly the most precious item in Adams's private collection.
'Adams is probably still kicking himself over it,' William thought, staring at the potion that shimmered like molten gold. He began to wonder what kind of revelation Adams had experienced to make him so overjoyed.
"Should I try a little?"
William stared at the Felix Felicis, his heart in turmoil, but ultimately abandoned the tempting thought.
He was too busy right now, his mind not on Potions at all. Even if he drank this entire small vial, it would only produce the potion's intended effect—for a former Potions Master, this would be the most shameful waste.
If he had enough time and energy, coupled with the feeling of brewing Potions returning to him over a period, plus the potential luck boost from consuming the potion, William felt he would have at least a seventy percent chance of solving the puzzle of brewing Felix Felicis.
This was all on the condition that he could resist touching a single drop until then—the first exposure to a potion has the greatest impact on a wizard, bringing with it the most profound insights.
'Put it away,' William squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself not to look at the vial. 'A brief stroke of luck won't help the current situation. What I lack right now isn't luck, it's time.'
'Why can't adult wizards use a Time-Turner?'
William sighed, shoving the bottle into the deepest part of his drawer. He had learned about the heaven-defying existence of the Time-Turner after becoming a professor, but the device was severely limited by one's magical power. A normal wizard approaching the magical level of an adult would be at risk of getting trapped in the currents of time, let alone someone like him whose magical power hadn't been depleted by the school's enrollment ritual.
'But that makes sense. If Dumbledore could use a Time-Turner, the Dark Lord would never have had a chance to rise—the moment the Dark Lord appeared, Dumbledore could have tried all sorts of methods to stop him for good.'
'No more overthinking. Let's see what the second letter says, then I'll look up the information.'
William casually unfolded the second letter and saw it was from Hagrid.
"William;
Are you free tomorrow?
I'm planning a grand celebration for Harry's victory in the recent Quidditch match.
I really hope you can come. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
—Hagrid."
Such a simple letter was indeed Hagrid's style—but wasn't celebrating a single match a bit much?
William glanced at the itinerary he had made for himself and checked the next day's date.
'Tomorrow is Halloween?'
'No wonder. They're happening at the same time. I was wondering why Hagrid suddenly wanted to celebrate. Turns out he's combining the two events, which makes it much more understandable.'
William sighed and picked up his quill.
Just moments ago he was complaining about not having enough time, wishing he could wear a Time-Turner to look through information, and now he had to make time for Hagrid's celebration.
'And tomorrow night I promised the ghosts I'd join their activity, and I promised to bring Ginny... why is Halloween on the 1st, has the child recovered enough to see ghosts?'
Unfamiliar with Western holidays, William had a new little problem—he wasn't going to have to stand the student up, was he?
"I'll ask Madam Pomfrey. I have to follow her medical advice. And the feast," William sighed as he tied the note to an owl's leg. "No new exam papers this week. Good thing I have some saved up, there are still enough for next week."
William grumpily revised his schedule, then noticed something was wrong—why was the page for October missing?
A moment later, he remembered why it was gone. He had been thinking about the long National Day holiday, tearing out the page to plan for a long time how to use the break, only to remember that Britain doesn't celebrate National Day. In his disappointment, he had forgotten to put it back.
"Go on, take this note to Hagrid."
William opened the window with a sense of grievance and let the owl fly out—he was angry with himself.
---
The Sunday sun was beautiful, and what made it even better was that no bastard professor by the name of Adams had come to wake him before eight o'clock.
This made William, who had been researching until nearly one in the morning, extremely happy, even allowing him to ignore the frustration of having found nothing useful last night.
'A balance of work and rest. Even without a statutory holiday, I should still give myself a proper day off.'
William hummed a cheerful tune as he popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth.
Although Professor McGonagall would certainly never approve a long holiday for him, he was determined to enjoy this day to the fullest, not even planning to prepare a single exam paper.
'This robe, it looks casual…'
For this rare proper day off, William chose a robe he would never normally wear, carefully styled his hair, and then, wand in hand, cheerfully opened his office door.
'I'm heading for a formal visit to Hagrid's. Although the invitation wasn't very formal, I should still be proper. I'll go to Hogsmeade to buy some candy as a gift. Hagrid said the celebration is at noon, so there's enough time.'
'This is a rare opportunity, so I won't use the Floo Network to go out. That thing isn't a great experience. I'll walk.'
The one-way Floo Network connection Dumbledore had set up last time was still active, but William had no intention of using it.
---
"Good morning, Professor."
"Hello."
"Morning, Professor William."
"Morning to you too."
Hogsmeade was exceptionally lively when students were around. The regulation that only third-year students and above could visit meant that the proportion of students who knew William was much higher. He had barely walked a few steps before he had exchanged greetings with several students.
'It's just strange, why aren't there any fifth-year students?'
Finally reaching a more secluded area, William mulled over this sudden question as he headed toward his destination via a small path. The route was longer, but if he had continued on his previous path, he was afraid his face would have frozen from smiling so much.
"Morning, Professor!"
Almost at the exact moment William realized something was amiss, two flashes of red hair appeared around the corner, shattering the tranquility.
'Why are there Weasleys on such a beautiful day!'
"Morning. What are you two doing over here?"
He stared at the brothers—they still had unfinished detention. Yesterday's situation was special, so they still had to serve it tonight...
At this thought, William's mood soured even more.
"Professor, George and I had a great idea yesterday, so we came out today to work towards making it a reality."
William began to eye the brothers with suspicion. Ever since he had received the record of the Weasley Twins' transgressions from Mr. Filch, he had gained a healthy appreciation for their talent for trouble.
A great discovery?
More like a new prank.
But it wasn't appropriate to voice such a suspicion. In any case, the twins' pranks were usually within limits. He'd deal with points deduction when he caught them. He couldn't stop them beforehand, especially since they weren't his students.
"Alright, I wish you success. If you make any progress, you can show me. Maybe I can offer some advice."
"That's great, Professor! But this experiment requires quite a bit of time—you see?"
The twins seized the opportunity to press their advantage.
"Don't even think about it," William said with an exceptionally cheerful smile. "And I can tell you this: if you two make any more serious mistakes, I will personally request you both from Mr. Filch."
The two of them deflated instantly, which made William feel much better.
