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chapter 172 part 2
“Yeah. I suspect Snape is poisoning him. He would do something like that. There's no one in Hogwarts Castle who knows more about poison than him!”
“Hard to say, but I’m more inclined to believe he’s been creating exam papers for the sixth-years, which is why he’s not resting well—”
“Eh? Sixth-year exam papers? Doesn’t that mean we’re doomed when it’s our turn?”
“What’s there to worry about? We’re all about to start our internships soon. We can even take leave from class. What’s the big deal? Just pass the graduation exams and we’re done.”
The students’ conversation strayed further and further off-topic. By the time William pushed open the door and entered, the group was chatting with great excitement.
“Sorry, I’m a bit late today. Had to do some prep work.”
William slowly stepped onto the podium. “What are you all talking about that’s so cheerful?”
But unlike usual, today the group of students had no intention of answering him. They couldn't; they could barely recognize the Professor standing before them.
The Professor on the podium looked to have gained two or three sizes. Only his face was the same. His body was so bulky, they had no idea what was underneath—
“Professor, why are you wearing a raincoat?”
‘It’s not just a raincoat, there’s a grass cape over it too. The rain gear the House-elf found for me is so comprehensive… even if it’s all old…’
In William’s stereotypical view, the wizarding world shouldn’t have so many measures against rain. It was too convenient for Wizards to travel, there were several spells to block rain, and cleaning clothes was easy. Having an umbrella was already pretty good; things like raincoats were only used by people in specialized jobs…
“The raincoat isn’t important. What’s important is that we’re having a Practical Class today. Interested?”
“Of course!” the students exclaimed in unison, but someone quickly raised their hand. Seventh-year students, being close to graduation, were the most mischievous.
“Professor, we heard that a fifth-year student received prize money from you. Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true,” William replied with a smile and an exaggerated tone. “Hey, I just got paid yesterday. You kids are about to do internships and join the workforce. You’re not planning to inflict a second round of damage on my wallet, are you?”
He held up a finger and wagged it. “Don’t even think about it. Unless half of you get an E or higher on your N.E.W.T.s at the end of the term. Then I’ll treat you all to a feast or something. But as for prize money, forget it.”
The gesture, combined with his bulky attire, looked particularly comical, and the students below burst into laughter.
“Alright, that’s enough laughing. Let’s go. We don’t have that much time—” William led the way out of the classroom, casually casting a Bubble-Head Charm on himself. “Keep up!”
His voice, now muffled and booming from the Bubble-Head Charm, reached the ears of the students behind him. Laughing and joking, they followed closely behind William, beginning to look forward to this practical lesson—they were quite satisfied with this course.
But as they walked, the students realized something was wrong. This wasn't the way to the Practice Classroom; they were heading toward the school’s main door.
“Professor, are we going off-campus for an internship?”
“It’s still early. Although you’re all of age, it’s a bit too soon for you to go out for internships. But today’s lesson will be very interesting—” William said to the students behind him without turning his head.
What a joke. Taking students off campus without prior registration was not something a professor should do. Although the seventh-year students were of age, a large-scale off-campus activity was not something to be taken lightly. Students who hadn't left school were very obedient; three or four professors with large classes could easily take a group of adult students and start a war, especially the students in his course, who were widely recognized for their high combat power.
‘I just got my salary yesterday, how could I make such a mistake? The salary at Hogwarts is not low. While it's not enough to get rich, when you do the math, it's much higher than a civil servant's salary…’
‘Speaking of which, why was yesterday payday? Did all the happy things have to be used up at once?’
Muttering to himself, William’s steps forward came to a halt. They were about to exit the Castle's main door. The sound of heavy rain lashing against the door was already reaching his ears.
‘I have to teach this class!’
After checking his gear one more time, William gritted his teeth and walked straight ahead.
“Don’t fall behind, keep up!”
He gave the students one last instruction, then stepped through the Castle’s main door.
Once he was fully standing in the rain, the anxiety he’d been holding back subsided. The multiple layers of protection were far more effective than he had imagined. The umbrella he had just summoned temporarily shielded even the grass cape, let alone the raincoat he was wearing underneath.
This scene left the students following him completely stunned. Wait, so the Professor wore all those layers just to come outside the Castle?
“What are you standing around for? Come on out!”
With his free hand, William drew his wand, letting the umbrella float on its own to shield him from the wind and rain. “Today’s practical lesson is Spellcasting under extreme conditions. When you’re in a duel with someone, you’re not going to just drop your wands and surrender because it’s about to rain, are you?”
“Of course not, but—”
“But what? I was just worrying about how to create an extreme environment, and now, isn't this perfect?”
William’s smiling face, distorted by the Bubble-Head Charm, was reflected in the eyes of every seventh-year student. But every single one of them felt that his face was more twisted than usual. They understood the logic, but Professor, what’s the deal with wearing a raincoat and holding an umbrella?
“It seems I’ll have to give you a hand,” William said, shaking his head. The wand in his hand pointed almost without pause at a plot of land beside the Castle. From the ground, already waterlogged from days of rain, a large mass of murky, muddy water rose up. Then, before the students could react, it came crashing down on them.
“Ah!”
“Merlin!”
“Heavens!”
The moment the muddy water hit, these kids hadn't even had time to draw their wands. The Professor's attack struck them squarely, splattering muddy water all over the Entrance Hall and befouling everyone’s robes, faces, hair, and everything else.
‘Only three tried to cast a Shield Charm, but they didn't succeed in time. This year’s students have self-studied too much; their practical skills are lacking…’
‘I should consider doing this with the fifth-years, too. Otherwise, they might be even slower to react than these students in the future…’
“Alright, your clothes are all dirty now, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?” William began to say things that barely sounded human. “Come on out. Practicing magic in the rain is a brand-new experience, a limited-time October course.”
‘It seems that splattering the students is good for the mind and body. This feeling is only a little less satisfying than sunbathing yesterday…’
This joy, coming from the bottom of his heart, made William feel like he was back in Azkaban, struggling to find happy things to keep himself from going mad. So he quickly shut his mouth—if he said something he shouldn't, he really wouldn't be able to continue as a professor…
“Let’s go, let’s go, time for class!”
He gestured for the students to come outside with one hand while returning to the Entrance Hall. Waving his wand at the splattered mud, he began to clean up the mess he had made.
‘Seriously, Professor? We have it on us too, you know! Would you at least look at us?!’
Filled with resentment and adopting a what-the-hell attitude, the students walked out into the rain without even casting a Bubble-Head Charm. Since their hair was already dirty, maybe a rinse in the rain would make it a little better…
“Cheer up,” William said, finishing his work quickly and standing among the crowd in his full gear. “We still have a ways to go. Remember to cast the Bubble-Head Charm—be careful not to catch a cold.”
PS: The power went out. I finished writing this on the last of my laptop battery. I’m so awesome…
(end of chapter)
“Yeah. I suspect Snape is poisoning him. He would do something like that. There's no one in Hogwarts Castle who knows more about poison than him!”
“Hard to say, but I’m more inclined to believe he’s been creating exam papers for the sixth-years, which is why he’s not resting well—”
“Eh? Sixth-year exam papers? Doesn’t that mean we’re doomed when it’s our turn?”
“What’s there to worry about? We’re all about to start our internships soon. We can even take leave from class. What’s the big deal? Just pass the graduation exams and we’re done.”
The students’ conversation strayed further and further off-topic. By the time William pushed open the door and entered, the group was chatting with great excitement.
“Sorry, I’m a bit late today. Had to do some prep work.”
William slowly stepped onto the podium. “What are you all talking about that’s so cheerful?”
But unlike usual, today the group of students had no intention of answering him. They couldn't; they could barely recognize the Professor standing before them.
The Professor on the podium looked to have gained two or three sizes. Only his face was the same. His body was so bulky, they had no idea what was underneath—
“Professor, why are you wearing a raincoat?”
‘It’s not just a raincoat, there’s a grass cape over it too. The rain gear the House-elf found for me is so comprehensive… even if it’s all old…’
In William’s stereotypical view, the wizarding world shouldn’t have so many measures against rain. It was too convenient for Wizards to travel, there were several spells to block rain, and cleaning clothes was easy. Having an umbrella was already pretty good; things like raincoats were only used by people in specialized jobs…
“The raincoat isn’t important. What’s important is that we’re having a Practical Class today. Interested?”
“Of course!” the students exclaimed in unison, but someone quickly raised their hand. Seventh-year students, being close to graduation, were the most mischievous.
“Professor, we heard that a fifth-year student received prize money from you. Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true,” William replied with a smile and an exaggerated tone. “Hey, I just got paid yesterday. You kids are about to do internships and join the workforce. You’re not planning to inflict a second round of damage on my wallet, are you?”
He held up a finger and wagged it. “Don’t even think about it. Unless half of you get an E or higher on your N.E.W.T.s at the end of the term. Then I’ll treat you all to a feast or something. But as for prize money, forget it.”
The gesture, combined with his bulky attire, looked particularly comical, and the students below burst into laughter.
“Alright, that’s enough laughing. Let’s go. We don’t have that much time—” William led the way out of the classroom, casually casting a Bubble-Head Charm on himself. “Keep up!”
His voice, now muffled and booming from the Bubble-Head Charm, reached the ears of the students behind him. Laughing and joking, they followed closely behind William, beginning to look forward to this practical lesson—they were quite satisfied with this course.
But as they walked, the students realized something was wrong. This wasn't the way to the Practice Classroom; they were heading toward the school’s main door.
“Professor, are we going off-campus for an internship?”
“It’s still early. Although you’re all of age, it’s a bit too soon for you to go out for internships. But today’s lesson will be very interesting—” William said to the students behind him without turning his head.
What a joke. Taking students off campus without prior registration was not something a professor should do. Although the seventh-year students were of age, a large-scale off-campus activity was not something to be taken lightly. Students who hadn't left school were very obedient; three or four professors with large classes could easily take a group of adult students and start a war, especially the students in his course, who were widely recognized for their high combat power.
‘I just got my salary yesterday, how could I make such a mistake? The salary at Hogwarts is not low. While it's not enough to get rich, when you do the math, it's much higher than a civil servant's salary…’
‘Speaking of which, why was yesterday payday? Did all the happy things have to be used up at once?’
Muttering to himself, William’s steps forward came to a halt. They were about to exit the Castle's main door. The sound of heavy rain lashing against the door was already reaching his ears.
‘I have to teach this class!’
After checking his gear one more time, William gritted his teeth and walked straight ahead.
“Don’t fall behind, keep up!”
He gave the students one last instruction, then stepped through the Castle’s main door.
Once he was fully standing in the rain, the anxiety he’d been holding back subsided. The multiple layers of protection were far more effective than he had imagined. The umbrella he had just summoned temporarily shielded even the grass cape, let alone the raincoat he was wearing underneath.
This scene left the students following him completely stunned. Wait, so the Professor wore all those layers just to come outside the Castle?
“What are you standing around for? Come on out!”
With his free hand, William drew his wand, letting the umbrella float on its own to shield him from the wind and rain. “Today’s practical lesson is Spellcasting under extreme conditions. When you’re in a duel with someone, you’re not going to just drop your wands and surrender because it’s about to rain, are you?”
“Of course not, but—”
“But what? I was just worrying about how to create an extreme environment, and now, isn't this perfect?”
William’s smiling face, distorted by the Bubble-Head Charm, was reflected in the eyes of every seventh-year student. But every single one of them felt that his face was more twisted than usual. They understood the logic, but Professor, what’s the deal with wearing a raincoat and holding an umbrella?
“It seems I’ll have to give you a hand,” William said, shaking his head. The wand in his hand pointed almost without pause at a plot of land beside the Castle. From the ground, already waterlogged from days of rain, a large mass of murky, muddy water rose up. Then, before the students could react, it came crashing down on them.
“Ah!”
“Merlin!”
“Heavens!”
The moment the muddy water hit, these kids hadn't even had time to draw their wands. The Professor's attack struck them squarely, splattering muddy water all over the Entrance Hall and befouling everyone’s robes, faces, hair, and everything else.
‘Only three tried to cast a Shield Charm, but they didn't succeed in time. This year’s students have self-studied too much; their practical skills are lacking…’
‘I should consider doing this with the fifth-years, too. Otherwise, they might be even slower to react than these students in the future…’
“Alright, your clothes are all dirty now, so there’s nothing to worry about, right?” William began to say things that barely sounded human. “Come on out. Practicing magic in the rain is a brand-new experience, a limited-time October course.”
‘It seems that splattering the students is good for the mind and body. This feeling is only a little less satisfying than sunbathing yesterday…’
This joy, coming from the bottom of his heart, made William feel like he was back in Azkaban, struggling to find happy things to keep himself from going mad. So he quickly shut his mouth—if he said something he shouldn't, he really wouldn't be able to continue as a professor…
“Let’s go, let’s go, time for class!”
He gestured for the students to come outside with one hand while returning to the Entrance Hall. Waving his wand at the splattered mud, he began to clean up the mess he had made.
‘Seriously, Professor? We have it on us too, you know! Would you at least look at us?!’
Filled with resentment and adopting a what-the-hell attitude, the students walked out into the rain without even casting a Bubble-Head Charm. Since their hair was already dirty, maybe a rinse in the rain would make it a little better…
“Cheer up,” William said, finishing his work quickly and standing among the crowd in his full gear. “We still have a ways to go. Remember to cast the Bubble-Head Charm—be careful not to catch a cold.”
PS: The power went out. I finished writing this on the last of my laptop battery. I’m so awesome…
(end of chapter)
