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chapter 177 part 1
Chapter 174: The Aftermath
Filch was half-leaning against his hospital bed, his clothes riddled with holes torn by wood and glass. His face was deathly pale from reopening his freshly healed wounds when he tried to stand up too quickly. Paired with the sweat beading from the pain, he was a truly pathetic sight.
But that did nothing to diminish his towering rage.
"They must be dealt with, they must! I'm going to see Dumbledore! I want them expelled!"
Filch's furious roars filled the entire Hospital Wing. If he hadn't personally caused Filch's severe injuries, William would have doubted this was the same man he had just encountered.
"Mr. Filch, calm down. The most important thing right now isn't settling scores with the Weasley Twins, but getting better. You've just been seriously injured. What if you don't rest properly and develop a chronic problem?"
The two professors who had come with William to find him cautiously tried to persuade Filch. They, too, felt that the Weasley brothers had gone a bit too far.
"In mid-air, more than ten meters up the castle wall, I was petrified, with just the tips of my feet hooked onto the window sill—they were trying to murder me!"
Filch couldn't be calmed down at all; his anger was unquenchable.
"Expulsion, expulsion, they must be expelled! Those two tried to murder me!"
"Alright, alright, expulsion it is. We'll go discuss it with Professor Dumbledore right now. Don't be angry, just focus on healing. Once you've recovered, we can talk. We'll go find the Headmaster, find Professor McGonagall, and deal with those Weasley Twins."
Seeing that their attempts to calm him were futile, the two professors could only humor Filch, hoping to coax him into drinking his potion and resting until his injuries healed.
As for William—as the direct cause of Filch's injuries, he felt too awkward to say anything and quietly tried to be invisible.
Fortunately, the Hospital Wing had a professional like Madam Pomfrey. She gave Filch a few potions and put him to sleep—it was likely the Draught of Living Death.
"Poor Filch," Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head. "His physical injuries aren't the main problem, but he was terrified. It's best to let him sleep it off."
"How long will he be out?"
"I'm afraid he'll have to sleep for a whole day," Madam Pomfrey replied, putting away a vial. "Hanging the caretaker from the castle wall—in all my years working at Hogwarts, this is the first I've ever heard of such a thing."
…
After a brief chat with Madam Pomfrey, the professional school nurse subtly began to usher them out. William and the other two professors promptly took their leave—they still had to report to Professor McGonagall. Hanging the caretaker from the castle's outer wall was no small matter.
"Professor William, how are we supposed to report this—"
Not long after leaving the Hospital Wing, the two accompanying professors started to complain. "Those Weasley brothers were being controlled. Not just at Hogwarts, but even before the Wizengamot, a crime committed under control wouldn't stand. Detention is the most they'll get. How could they possibly be expelled?"
"But if they aren't expelled, it's hard to explain to Filch—he was hung on the outer castle wall for over half an hour, and while he was under the Petrification Charm! If those twins weren't being controlled, they'd have earned a one-way ticket to Azkaban and then some!"
That was true. Attempted murder, especially with such cruelty, was a serious crime.
"Let's just report it and let the School Authority explain. We'll have to find a way to persuade Filch—it might not even fall on us," William said, shaking his head. "Besides, I'm not familiar with the school rules on punishment. Let's just let things take their course."
——
When the three of them hurried to Professor McGonagall's office, there were even more professors gathered inside than they had expected. Even Dumbledore himself was present, not to mention all four Heads of House.
Professor McGonagall's office had been magically expanded to four or five times its normal size, yet it was still packed with professors.
"Professor William, Professor Campbell, Professor Hall, you've arrived."
Dumbledore greeted them kindly. "How are Filch's injuries?"
"His injuries are mostly healed, but Madam Pomfrey said the shock was too great, so he'll need a full day of rest to recover."
William was too embarrassed to speak, so one of the other professors responded.
"That is good news, rare as it is. It means our losses in this turmoil were not severe—" Dumbledore nodded, then turned his gaze to William. "Professor William, a splendid Summoning Charm—otherwise, poor Filch would have had to wait until students discovered him to be freed from his predicament."
William felt a bit awkward at the praise… To be honest, if it weren't for his Summoning Charm, a simple Petrification Charm wouldn't have landed Filch in the Hospital Wing…
"Come and help, our Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You can't expect Severus to do all the work. There are so many memories to investigate."
"Professor Dumbledore, I haven't done much in-depth research on Memory Magic. I've only just grasped the basics."
This was a serious matter. Although it was a bit embarrassing, William had to admit it.
"Excessive modesty is not a virtue, Professor William," Dumbledore said, completely unconcerned. "Severus cannot finish so much work on his own."
With it put that way, William found it hard to refuse. At the very least, he had read all the theory and remembered it clearly. If he worked meticulously, he was sure he wouldn't make any mistakes.
"I believe that's no longer necessary, Albus."
Just as William was mentally reviewing the key points from the books he had read, Professor Snape, who had been operating the Pensieve, looked up.
"The work was far simpler than I imagined. The memories of these three students after putting on the Diadem have completely vanished. They've been wiped clean, leaving only the memory of being controlled and then starting the attack."
"So they were being controlled, Professor Snape?" one of the professors present asked.
"It would seem so… They only committed these attacks because they were in a controlled state."
Although he was stating a fact, William could hear clear displeasure in his voice. Obviously, Professor Snape was not too pleased with this result.
It made sense. All three students were from Gryffindor. Given Professor Snape's attitude towards Gryffindor, it was hardly surprising this outcome made him unhappy.
"Very good, Severus," Dumbledore's voice rang out again. "Well, the situation is now clear. Miss Granger and the Weasley brothers were controlled, which is why they launched these indiscriminate attacks."
"Therefore, according to the school rules, these three children will not be expelled. After serving their detention, they will resume their studies—of course, this will be after the three of them are discharged from the hospital."
Dumbledore's tone was quite gentle. "At the same time, the professors who participated in the experiment may remain. We will need to re-examine your memories from that period to ensure that such an incident does not happen again."
A silence fell over the room, but ultimately, no one raised any objections.
William finally understood why so many professors were gathered here.
Even in the Wizarding World, where the management of Memory Magic was chaotic, personal memory was the highest form of privacy, not to be pried into by others. Among the reference books William had obtained, more than half mentioned Occlumency, a form of memory management magic.
Although practicing it on his own was slow, William had never stopped working on this magic, just like with Transfiguration. This was one of the reasons he had dared to accept Dumbledore's task just now.
'If it weren't for this incident, some of the professors would probably still be hesitating—after all, this is different from the experiment. Their lives over the past month would have to be exposed and examined bit by bit…'
Chapter 174: The Aftermath
Filch was half-leaning against his hospital bed, his clothes riddled with holes torn by wood and glass. His face was deathly pale from reopening his freshly healed wounds when he tried to stand up too quickly. Paired with the sweat beading from the pain, he was a truly pathetic sight.
But that did nothing to diminish his towering rage.
"They must be dealt with, they must! I'm going to see Dumbledore! I want them expelled!"
Filch's furious roars filled the entire Hospital Wing. If he hadn't personally caused Filch's severe injuries, William would have doubted this was the same man he had just encountered.
"Mr. Filch, calm down. The most important thing right now isn't settling scores with the Weasley Twins, but getting better. You've just been seriously injured. What if you don't rest properly and develop a chronic problem?"
The two professors who had come with William to find him cautiously tried to persuade Filch. They, too, felt that the Weasley brothers had gone a bit too far.
"In mid-air, more than ten meters up the castle wall, I was petrified, with just the tips of my feet hooked onto the window sill—they were trying to murder me!"
Filch couldn't be calmed down at all; his anger was unquenchable.
"Expulsion, expulsion, they must be expelled! Those two tried to murder me!"
"Alright, alright, expulsion it is. We'll go discuss it with Professor Dumbledore right now. Don't be angry, just focus on healing. Once you've recovered, we can talk. We'll go find the Headmaster, find Professor McGonagall, and deal with those Weasley Twins."
Seeing that their attempts to calm him were futile, the two professors could only humor Filch, hoping to coax him into drinking his potion and resting until his injuries healed.
As for William—as the direct cause of Filch's injuries, he felt too awkward to say anything and quietly tried to be invisible.
Fortunately, the Hospital Wing had a professional like Madam Pomfrey. She gave Filch a few potions and put him to sleep—it was likely the Draught of Living Death.
"Poor Filch," Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head. "His physical injuries aren't the main problem, but he was terrified. It's best to let him sleep it off."
"How long will he be out?"
"I'm afraid he'll have to sleep for a whole day," Madam Pomfrey replied, putting away a vial. "Hanging the caretaker from the castle wall—in all my years working at Hogwarts, this is the first I've ever heard of such a thing."
…
After a brief chat with Madam Pomfrey, the professional school nurse subtly began to usher them out. William and the other two professors promptly took their leave—they still had to report to Professor McGonagall. Hanging the caretaker from the castle's outer wall was no small matter.
"Professor William, how are we supposed to report this—"
Not long after leaving the Hospital Wing, the two accompanying professors started to complain. "Those Weasley brothers were being controlled. Not just at Hogwarts, but even before the Wizengamot, a crime committed under control wouldn't stand. Detention is the most they'll get. How could they possibly be expelled?"
"But if they aren't expelled, it's hard to explain to Filch—he was hung on the outer castle wall for over half an hour, and while he was under the Petrification Charm! If those twins weren't being controlled, they'd have earned a one-way ticket to Azkaban and then some!"
That was true. Attempted murder, especially with such cruelty, was a serious crime.
"Let's just report it and let the School Authority explain. We'll have to find a way to persuade Filch—it might not even fall on us," William said, shaking his head. "Besides, I'm not familiar with the school rules on punishment. Let's just let things take their course."
——
When the three of them hurried to Professor McGonagall's office, there were even more professors gathered inside than they had expected. Even Dumbledore himself was present, not to mention all four Heads of House.
Professor McGonagall's office had been magically expanded to four or five times its normal size, yet it was still packed with professors.
"Professor William, Professor Campbell, Professor Hall, you've arrived."
Dumbledore greeted them kindly. "How are Filch's injuries?"
"His injuries are mostly healed, but Madam Pomfrey said the shock was too great, so he'll need a full day of rest to recover."
William was too embarrassed to speak, so one of the other professors responded.
"That is good news, rare as it is. It means our losses in this turmoil were not severe—" Dumbledore nodded, then turned his gaze to William. "Professor William, a splendid Summoning Charm—otherwise, poor Filch would have had to wait until students discovered him to be freed from his predicament."
William felt a bit awkward at the praise… To be honest, if it weren't for his Summoning Charm, a simple Petrification Charm wouldn't have landed Filch in the Hospital Wing…
"Come and help, our Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You can't expect Severus to do all the work. There are so many memories to investigate."
"Professor Dumbledore, I haven't done much in-depth research on Memory Magic. I've only just grasped the basics."
This was a serious matter. Although it was a bit embarrassing, William had to admit it.
"Excessive modesty is not a virtue, Professor William," Dumbledore said, completely unconcerned. "Severus cannot finish so much work on his own."
With it put that way, William found it hard to refuse. At the very least, he had read all the theory and remembered it clearly. If he worked meticulously, he was sure he wouldn't make any mistakes.
"I believe that's no longer necessary, Albus."
Just as William was mentally reviewing the key points from the books he had read, Professor Snape, who had been operating the Pensieve, looked up.
"The work was far simpler than I imagined. The memories of these three students after putting on the Diadem have completely vanished. They've been wiped clean, leaving only the memory of being controlled and then starting the attack."
"So they were being controlled, Professor Snape?" one of the professors present asked.
"It would seem so… They only committed these attacks because they were in a controlled state."
Although he was stating a fact, William could hear clear displeasure in his voice. Obviously, Professor Snape was not too pleased with this result.
It made sense. All three students were from Gryffindor. Given Professor Snape's attitude towards Gryffindor, it was hardly surprising this outcome made him unhappy.
"Very good, Severus," Dumbledore's voice rang out again. "Well, the situation is now clear. Miss Granger and the Weasley brothers were controlled, which is why they launched these indiscriminate attacks."
"Therefore, according to the school rules, these three children will not be expelled. After serving their detention, they will resume their studies—of course, this will be after the three of them are discharged from the hospital."
Dumbledore's tone was quite gentle. "At the same time, the professors who participated in the experiment may remain. We will need to re-examine your memories from that period to ensure that such an incident does not happen again."
A silence fell over the room, but ultimately, no one raised any objections.
William finally understood why so many professors were gathered here.
Even in the Wizarding World, where the management of Memory Magic was chaotic, personal memory was the highest form of privacy, not to be pried into by others. Among the reference books William had obtained, more than half mentioned Occlumency, a form of memory management magic.
Although practicing it on his own was slow, William had never stopped working on this magic, just like with Transfiguration. This was one of the reasons he had dared to accept Dumbledore's task just now.
'If it weren't for this incident, some of the professors would probably still be hesitating—after all, this is different from the experiment. Their lives over the past month would have to be exposed and examined bit by bit…'
