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chapter 172 part 1
Chapter 169: What the Professor Said Today Barely Sounded Human…
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
“Ingredients for an Elixir of Joy? Given your current state, are you really sure you can handle brewing this Potion?”
Adams placed a large bag of herbal ingredients on the table, pulled over a chair, and sat down, looking at William with a concerned expression.
“It probably won’t be a major problem—” William slouched lazily over the table, feeling no motivation to do anything. “Maybe brewing a Potion will help me get back on my feet.”
“But the sun’s finally out today. Aren’t you going to go for a walk?”
Adams pointed to the sun barely peeking out from behind the clouds. “Are you planning to just sunbathe at your desk all day?”
“If it weren’t for this bit of sun, I wouldn’t have even remembered the Elixir of Joy. A walk sounds nice, but I don’t feel like moving at all right now.” William shifted his chair, making sure to position himself to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. He had never found the sun so lovely.
“Alright, fine. Soaking up some sun isn’t bad either,” Adams said with a look of resignation, moving his own stool into the sunlight as well. He leaned back and propped his feet up. “But seriously, though the rain has been a bit heavy this year, isn’t it still within the normal range? For you to fall into such a slump over it, you’re hardly like someone from Britain.”
“So what if I’m not? I’d never been a teacher before, but haven’t I been doing a good job?”
As he spoke, William lazily rummaged through his snacks and tossed a bag to Adams.
“That’s not—what does being a teacher have to do with being like someone from Britain?”
“Exactly. So what does not liking the rain have to do with being British?” William asked, a question that struck at the soul. “I’ve hardly ever had to deal with rainy days before. In the past, whenever the weather in Britain turned bad, my teacher would just take me to Australia.”
“But in October, you have to be at Hogwarts for school. What student doesn’t go through this?”
“That’s you, Adams.” William laid his whole upper body on the table. The rare October sun warmed the tabletop, a heat that spread from his skin to his heart after being tormented for half a month. “With a master-apprentice style of teaching, it was very convenient for the two of us to travel.”
“To be more precise, we never had a fixed classroom. Moving the books was easy enough, and for a laboratory, we just had to find any quiet place. It was just a matter of reinforcing the room with a few spells, which wasn't difficult at all.”
…
Serves you right for suffering now!
William had killed the conversation dead—but he couldn't exactly make up a story about this experience. Falsifying one's resume was a very serious matter.
——
The brief arrival of a sunny day finally allowed William’s mood to return to normal. Measures to improve his condition that he couldn't think of before finally came to mind.
Casting spells on his room to keep it dry, increasing the fire in the fireplace to raise the indoor temperature, lighting magical flames in his office for warmth—if not for the fear of oxygen deprivation or carbon monoxide poisoning, William would have even considered sealing off the ventilation.
‘I should get more done while the sun is out today. I can’t let this damp air affect me all the time.’
The thought sounded good, but putting it into practice was incredibly difficult. William simply couldn't ignore his body’s craving for sunlight; he was unwilling to leave its warmth for even a minute.
Over half a month of rain had made every corner of the Castle incredibly damp, and this humidity was practically lethal to him. The moment he moved even slightly away from the sun, the dampness would make him recall those grey-skinned prisoners in Azkaban.
“Damn it all to hell!”
Fortunately, the window in his office was large enough, and a Professor’s room was sufficiently well-appointed, providing his room with ample sunlight.
‘Thank goodness this isn’t the era when they taxed you based on window size, or I really wouldn't be able to do anything. Then again, I think that wasn't in Britain, was it?’
William forced himself to maintain this state, using sarcastic thoughts to lift his spirits while doing what little he could in the sunlight.
‘The investigation has made almost no progress. Is this damn rain really not a curse from the Dark Lord?’
Even that blasted curse wasn't this vicious. The continuous rain had completely thrown William off his work game. If the House-elf hadn't helped by drying his comforter and making it toasty warm, William would have felt like he was being stuffed into a Dementor's mouth every night when he went to sleep.
——
“Achoo!”
As William climbed out from under his comforter, a cold draft mixed with damp air hit him directly.
“Damn it,” he muttered, quickly getting dressed before pulling a vial from his nightstand—the Elixir of Joy he had just brewed yesterday.
After gulping down the entire remedy, he looked out the window with a semblance of normalcy. Unsurprisingly, it was raining again.
‘This damn rain, when will it ever stop?’
The Elixir of Joy had its intended effect, more or less. Although William didn't achieve the expected result of becoming deliriously happy, he was at least able to function normally.
‘Look on the bright side. At least the Elixir of Joy is working. If my mood sinks any lower, it will start to affect my teaching.’
“I have a class today, for the seventh-years… Am I really going to make them fight in the muddy water?”
William was a bit conflicted. Fighting in the mud wasn't the issue, and their safety could likely be guaranteed. The problem was his own emotional control. He was already like this just staying inside the dry Castle; if he went out and got soaked in the rain, he felt like he couldn't handle it.
‘They’ll have fun. I’ll just make sure I’m well-protected from the rain—’
In the end, William made up his mind. He would take the students outside for some combat practice. He just had to overcome his own aversion; it shouldn't be a major problem.
“Bart, are you there?”
William called for the House-elf.
——
“It’s time for class!”
The seventh-year students were in high spirits. Unlike the fifth-years, they thoroughly enjoyed their Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons and even wished they had more.
“Did you hear? One of the fifth-year students got an Outstanding. Not only did they win twenty House points, but they also got a prize of thirty Galleons from the Professor!”
“How could I not have heard? Thirty Galleons! My weekly salary for my internship is only five Galleons!”
“You’ve got a job already?”
“Of course,” the speaker said with considerable pride. “At Gringotts. But I’m still in the training phase, so the weekly salary is pitifully low.”
That was quite a humblebrag, but no one present was overly envious. Those who could get into the Advanced Class for Defense Against the Dark Arts through self-study at Hogwarts were already the best of their academic year.
“I wonder what this week’s course will be. The Professor hasn’t been in a good state lately—he looks so listless, like he has a cold.”
“You noticed too?”
Chapter 169: What the Professor Said Today Barely Sounded Human…
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
“Ingredients for an Elixir of Joy? Given your current state, are you really sure you can handle brewing this Potion?”
Adams placed a large bag of herbal ingredients on the table, pulled over a chair, and sat down, looking at William with a concerned expression.
“It probably won’t be a major problem—” William slouched lazily over the table, feeling no motivation to do anything. “Maybe brewing a Potion will help me get back on my feet.”
“But the sun’s finally out today. Aren’t you going to go for a walk?”
Adams pointed to the sun barely peeking out from behind the clouds. “Are you planning to just sunbathe at your desk all day?”
“If it weren’t for this bit of sun, I wouldn’t have even remembered the Elixir of Joy. A walk sounds nice, but I don’t feel like moving at all right now.” William shifted his chair, making sure to position himself to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. He had never found the sun so lovely.
“Alright, fine. Soaking up some sun isn’t bad either,” Adams said with a look of resignation, moving his own stool into the sunlight as well. He leaned back and propped his feet up. “But seriously, though the rain has been a bit heavy this year, isn’t it still within the normal range? For you to fall into such a slump over it, you’re hardly like someone from Britain.”
“So what if I’m not? I’d never been a teacher before, but haven’t I been doing a good job?”
As he spoke, William lazily rummaged through his snacks and tossed a bag to Adams.
“That’s not—what does being a teacher have to do with being like someone from Britain?”
“Exactly. So what does not liking the rain have to do with being British?” William asked, a question that struck at the soul. “I’ve hardly ever had to deal with rainy days before. In the past, whenever the weather in Britain turned bad, my teacher would just take me to Australia.”
“But in October, you have to be at Hogwarts for school. What student doesn’t go through this?”
“That’s you, Adams.” William laid his whole upper body on the table. The rare October sun warmed the tabletop, a heat that spread from his skin to his heart after being tormented for half a month. “With a master-apprentice style of teaching, it was very convenient for the two of us to travel.”
“To be more precise, we never had a fixed classroom. Moving the books was easy enough, and for a laboratory, we just had to find any quiet place. It was just a matter of reinforcing the room with a few spells, which wasn't difficult at all.”
…
Serves you right for suffering now!
William had killed the conversation dead—but he couldn't exactly make up a story about this experience. Falsifying one's resume was a very serious matter.
——
The brief arrival of a sunny day finally allowed William’s mood to return to normal. Measures to improve his condition that he couldn't think of before finally came to mind.
Casting spells on his room to keep it dry, increasing the fire in the fireplace to raise the indoor temperature, lighting magical flames in his office for warmth—if not for the fear of oxygen deprivation or carbon monoxide poisoning, William would have even considered sealing off the ventilation.
‘I should get more done while the sun is out today. I can’t let this damp air affect me all the time.’
The thought sounded good, but putting it into practice was incredibly difficult. William simply couldn't ignore his body’s craving for sunlight; he was unwilling to leave its warmth for even a minute.
Over half a month of rain had made every corner of the Castle incredibly damp, and this humidity was practically lethal to him. The moment he moved even slightly away from the sun, the dampness would make him recall those grey-skinned prisoners in Azkaban.
“Damn it all to hell!”
Fortunately, the window in his office was large enough, and a Professor’s room was sufficiently well-appointed, providing his room with ample sunlight.
‘Thank goodness this isn’t the era when they taxed you based on window size, or I really wouldn't be able to do anything. Then again, I think that wasn't in Britain, was it?’
William forced himself to maintain this state, using sarcastic thoughts to lift his spirits while doing what little he could in the sunlight.
‘The investigation has made almost no progress. Is this damn rain really not a curse from the Dark Lord?’
Even that blasted curse wasn't this vicious. The continuous rain had completely thrown William off his work game. If the House-elf hadn't helped by drying his comforter and making it toasty warm, William would have felt like he was being stuffed into a Dementor's mouth every night when he went to sleep.
——
“Achoo!”
As William climbed out from under his comforter, a cold draft mixed with damp air hit him directly.
“Damn it,” he muttered, quickly getting dressed before pulling a vial from his nightstand—the Elixir of Joy he had just brewed yesterday.
After gulping down the entire remedy, he looked out the window with a semblance of normalcy. Unsurprisingly, it was raining again.
‘This damn rain, when will it ever stop?’
The Elixir of Joy had its intended effect, more or less. Although William didn't achieve the expected result of becoming deliriously happy, he was at least able to function normally.
‘Look on the bright side. At least the Elixir of Joy is working. If my mood sinks any lower, it will start to affect my teaching.’
“I have a class today, for the seventh-years… Am I really going to make them fight in the muddy water?”
William was a bit conflicted. Fighting in the mud wasn't the issue, and their safety could likely be guaranteed. The problem was his own emotional control. He was already like this just staying inside the dry Castle; if he went out and got soaked in the rain, he felt like he couldn't handle it.
‘They’ll have fun. I’ll just make sure I’m well-protected from the rain—’
In the end, William made up his mind. He would take the students outside for some combat practice. He just had to overcome his own aversion; it shouldn't be a major problem.
“Bart, are you there?”
William called for the House-elf.
——
“It’s time for class!”
The seventh-year students were in high spirits. Unlike the fifth-years, they thoroughly enjoyed their Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons and even wished they had more.
“Did you hear? One of the fifth-year students got an Outstanding. Not only did they win twenty House points, but they also got a prize of thirty Galleons from the Professor!”
“How could I not have heard? Thirty Galleons! My weekly salary for my internship is only five Galleons!”
“You’ve got a job already?”
“Of course,” the speaker said with considerable pride. “At Gringotts. But I’m still in the training phase, so the weekly salary is pitifully low.”
That was quite a humblebrag, but no one present was overly envious. Those who could get into the Advanced Class for Defense Against the Dark Arts through self-study at Hogwarts were already the best of their academic year.
“I wonder what this week’s course will be. The Professor hasn’t been in a good state lately—he looks so listless, like he has a cold.”
“You noticed too?”
