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chapter 178 part 1
"Half her year?"
The Weasley Twins sounded surprised.
“I think so,” William said, his tone uncertain. “Maybe some from the year above or below too?”
He knew this girl was a strong fighter even before he started working here, but he never imagined she was this powerful—it’s one thing to be top of her class in grades, but to be this capable in practical combat is just ridiculously strong.
'A learning ability like that is terrifying,' William couldn't help but think. 'As long as this child doesn't hit a bottleneck with her talent, she'll continue to crush her peers to dust.'
“She’s just too strong.”
The Weasley Twins praised her sincerely. They didn't even struggle anymore, just floated in mid-air and started chatting. "By the way, Professor, what's Hermione's punishment?"
The question made William a little embarrassed. As far as he knew, after Professor Lockhart went, he had carefully consoled the victims. By the time the professors from the Staff Room arrived, the attacked children had more or less emotionally stabilized.
In other words, Professor Lockhart had settled the matter without resorting to his usual methods. Up until now, Hermione hadn't received a single punishment…
“Professor, don’t keep us in suspense. The three of us are all being punished anyway, so there's nothing to hide. Tell us while no one else is around.”
“Yeah, Professor, just tell us.”
The Weasley Twins went back and forth with their gags.
"Comparing what! Is getting punished something to compete over?"
Seeing them press on relentlessly, William had no choice but to imitate one of his own former teachers. "If you want to compete, compete over grades, compete over honor. Who competes over punishments? Your whole mindset is wrong! You will reflect properly in the Hospital Wing! If you haven't reflected well enough by the time you're discharged, you'll each write me a two-thousand-word self-reflection essay!"
This sudden change of face successfully subdued the Weasley Twins.
“Professor, you can’t do this—the only thing we can remember right now is helping you find the Diadem!”
The two cried out in unison.
“It’s not set in stone yet. It depends on your behavior. Now, keep your mouths shut and don't speak out of turn,” William warned them. “Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your detention won't be extended!”
The two looked at each other, realizing something was amiss, and finally reined in their usual liveliness.
---
“I’ll have to trouble you, Madam Pomfrey. Please put these two boys in a place furthest away from Mr. Filch. And please arrange a separate room for Miss Granger. Unless her friends come to visit, don't allow anything to be sent to her.”
William, keeping the three of them floating in mid-air, quietly gave his instructions to Madam Pomfrey.
“Three children hospitalized at once? What happened?”
“It's the same as what happened to Ginny Weasley. It’s a problem with the Diadem. Their memories vanished from the moment they put it on. The three of them need to be hospitalized for observation now.”
William lowered his voice, responding to the head nurse and briefly explaining what had happened that day.
“Alright, I understand, Professor William.” Madam Pomfrey nodded slightly. “You understand Hogwarts better than I thought.”
This wasn't flattery, but a statement of fact.
The reason for preparing a separate room for Hermione Granger was to prevent potential school bullying.
William hadn't spent his time in Azkaban for nothing. The Confession Game he invented, in particular, had given him insight into just how vicious a part of the school's social environment could be—the open attacks and hidden schemes were impossible to guard against.
Whispering in small circles was the mildest form of it.
A bit more severe, and they'd hide your important things—your potion-brewing tools, the textbook you need for your next class, your clothes, socks, shoes, and all sorts of other belongings.
Even more serious, all kinds of foul language would be thrown around, ganging up to verbally abuse someone, personal attacks—as long as a professor didn't hear, they wouldn't even get detention.
Worse still, they'd find a corner without a professor, pull out their wands, and attack. The Petrification Charm, Stupefying Charm, Levicorpus—all sorts of spells were far more useful for bullying than for daily life. They might get detention, but it still couldn't be controlled.
Azkaban was the destination for the worst of Hogwarts, and it had never hidden its chaotic nature from William.
William would bet that if Miss Granger wasn't given a separate room, countless people would show up under the pretext of visiting the Weasleys, either to slip her something or to 'accidentally' say something nasty.
On the other hand, William didn't need to worry about the twins. Although it was unfair to the caretaker, from what William knew, the act of hanging Filch on the castle wall alone would be enough to ensure the twins wouldn't lack for candy during their hospital stay…
“You two will stay put in the Hospital Wing for me. If any more pranks happen while you're here, I think you can spend the rest of your time copying materials in your hospital beds!”
After settling the twins in, William put on a stern face and issued his warning.
“Yes, Professor, we wouldn’t be so unwise—by the way, what about our homework during our hospitalization…”
William was so exasperated he laughed. “Don’t even think about it. Do it during self-study and hand it in!”
“But Professor, we don’t remember anything we’ve learned.”
The two feigned pitifulness.
Although the act was obvious, William's heart softened. While it wasn't his fault—the matter with the Diadem was even a reward—the fact that the two had lost their memories was real.
“Alright, I’ll go discuss it with Professor McGonagall and see if I can get you an extension.”
His tone softened as he waved his hand. “Remember to do your self-study. Don’t fall behind this early in the school year. This is already equivalent to missing a month’s worth of courses…”
---
“Madam Pomfrey, could you please take Miss Granger to a quiet ward first? I’m going to check on Mr. Filch.”
Having dealt with the twins’ hospitalization, William entrusted Granger directly to the head nurse.
There were still a lot of loose ends to tie up regarding the Weasley brothers, especially with the caretaker. It wouldn't do not to placate him—after all, the twins were to blame for the caretaker being hung on the outer wall of the castle.
“Mr. Filch, how are you feeling now?”
“Much better.”
The caretaker lay in his hospital bed, complaining, “I could have returned to my post already, but they keep advising me to stay hospitalized for observation. It’s completely unnecessary.”
“It’s better to stay a while longer. You were injured, after all. Speaking of which, it’s my fault. I used the Summoning Charm with too much force.”
William voluntarily took the blame.
“Why blame you? If it weren’t for your Summoning Charm, I’d probably still be hanging from the castle. By the way, how were those Weasleys dealt with?”
He couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning the Weasleys—William felt a headache coming on, but he could understand.
“They were being controlled by the Diadem,” William said, then quickly added, “but I gave them two months of detention, one month of which will be spent scrubbing toilets under your supervision.”
Filch’s expression immediately soured—clearly, two months of detention wasn’t in line with his plans.
"Half her year?"
The Weasley Twins sounded surprised.
“I think so,” William said, his tone uncertain. “Maybe some from the year above or below too?”
He knew this girl was a strong fighter even before he started working here, but he never imagined she was this powerful—it’s one thing to be top of her class in grades, but to be this capable in practical combat is just ridiculously strong.
'A learning ability like that is terrifying,' William couldn't help but think. 'As long as this child doesn't hit a bottleneck with her talent, she'll continue to crush her peers to dust.'
“She’s just too strong.”
The Weasley Twins praised her sincerely. They didn't even struggle anymore, just floated in mid-air and started chatting. "By the way, Professor, what's Hermione's punishment?"
The question made William a little embarrassed. As far as he knew, after Professor Lockhart went, he had carefully consoled the victims. By the time the professors from the Staff Room arrived, the attacked children had more or less emotionally stabilized.
In other words, Professor Lockhart had settled the matter without resorting to his usual methods. Up until now, Hermione hadn't received a single punishment…
“Professor, don’t keep us in suspense. The three of us are all being punished anyway, so there's nothing to hide. Tell us while no one else is around.”
“Yeah, Professor, just tell us.”
The Weasley Twins went back and forth with their gags.
"Comparing what! Is getting punished something to compete over?"
Seeing them press on relentlessly, William had no choice but to imitate one of his own former teachers. "If you want to compete, compete over grades, compete over honor. Who competes over punishments? Your whole mindset is wrong! You will reflect properly in the Hospital Wing! If you haven't reflected well enough by the time you're discharged, you'll each write me a two-thousand-word self-reflection essay!"
This sudden change of face successfully subdued the Weasley Twins.
“Professor, you can’t do this—the only thing we can remember right now is helping you find the Diadem!”
The two cried out in unison.
“It’s not set in stone yet. It depends on your behavior. Now, keep your mouths shut and don't speak out of turn,” William warned them. “Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your detention won't be extended!”
The two looked at each other, realizing something was amiss, and finally reined in their usual liveliness.
---
“I’ll have to trouble you, Madam Pomfrey. Please put these two boys in a place furthest away from Mr. Filch. And please arrange a separate room for Miss Granger. Unless her friends come to visit, don't allow anything to be sent to her.”
William, keeping the three of them floating in mid-air, quietly gave his instructions to Madam Pomfrey.
“Three children hospitalized at once? What happened?”
“It's the same as what happened to Ginny Weasley. It’s a problem with the Diadem. Their memories vanished from the moment they put it on. The three of them need to be hospitalized for observation now.”
William lowered his voice, responding to the head nurse and briefly explaining what had happened that day.
“Alright, I understand, Professor William.” Madam Pomfrey nodded slightly. “You understand Hogwarts better than I thought.”
This wasn't flattery, but a statement of fact.
The reason for preparing a separate room for Hermione Granger was to prevent potential school bullying.
William hadn't spent his time in Azkaban for nothing. The Confession Game he invented, in particular, had given him insight into just how vicious a part of the school's social environment could be—the open attacks and hidden schemes were impossible to guard against.
Whispering in small circles was the mildest form of it.
A bit more severe, and they'd hide your important things—your potion-brewing tools, the textbook you need for your next class, your clothes, socks, shoes, and all sorts of other belongings.
Even more serious, all kinds of foul language would be thrown around, ganging up to verbally abuse someone, personal attacks—as long as a professor didn't hear, they wouldn't even get detention.
Worse still, they'd find a corner without a professor, pull out their wands, and attack. The Petrification Charm, Stupefying Charm, Levicorpus—all sorts of spells were far more useful for bullying than for daily life. They might get detention, but it still couldn't be controlled.
Azkaban was the destination for the worst of Hogwarts, and it had never hidden its chaotic nature from William.
William would bet that if Miss Granger wasn't given a separate room, countless people would show up under the pretext of visiting the Weasleys, either to slip her something or to 'accidentally' say something nasty.
On the other hand, William didn't need to worry about the twins. Although it was unfair to the caretaker, from what William knew, the act of hanging Filch on the castle wall alone would be enough to ensure the twins wouldn't lack for candy during their hospital stay…
“You two will stay put in the Hospital Wing for me. If any more pranks happen while you're here, I think you can spend the rest of your time copying materials in your hospital beds!”
After settling the twins in, William put on a stern face and issued his warning.
“Yes, Professor, we wouldn’t be so unwise—by the way, what about our homework during our hospitalization…”
William was so exasperated he laughed. “Don’t even think about it. Do it during self-study and hand it in!”
“But Professor, we don’t remember anything we’ve learned.”
The two feigned pitifulness.
Although the act was obvious, William's heart softened. While it wasn't his fault—the matter with the Diadem was even a reward—the fact that the two had lost their memories was real.
“Alright, I’ll go discuss it with Professor McGonagall and see if I can get you an extension.”
His tone softened as he waved his hand. “Remember to do your self-study. Don’t fall behind this early in the school year. This is already equivalent to missing a month’s worth of courses…”
---
“Madam Pomfrey, could you please take Miss Granger to a quiet ward first? I’m going to check on Mr. Filch.”
Having dealt with the twins’ hospitalization, William entrusted Granger directly to the head nurse.
There were still a lot of loose ends to tie up regarding the Weasley brothers, especially with the caretaker. It wouldn't do not to placate him—after all, the twins were to blame for the caretaker being hung on the outer wall of the castle.
“Mr. Filch, how are you feeling now?”
“Much better.”
The caretaker lay in his hospital bed, complaining, “I could have returned to my post already, but they keep advising me to stay hospitalized for observation. It’s completely unnecessary.”
“It’s better to stay a while longer. You were injured, after all. Speaking of which, it’s my fault. I used the Summoning Charm with too much force.”
William voluntarily took the blame.
“Why blame you? If it weren’t for your Summoning Charm, I’d probably still be hanging from the castle. By the way, how were those Weasleys dealt with?”
He couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning the Weasleys—William felt a headache coming on, but he could understand.
“They were being controlled by the Diadem,” William said, then quickly added, “but I gave them two months of detention, one month of which will be spent scrubbing toilets under your supervision.”
Filch’s expression immediately soured—clearly, two months of detention wasn’t in line with his plans.
