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Chapter 42: You See, I Seem to Have Forgotten
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Of the three cards, aside from the first card's effect being less than obvious, the second and third were astonishingly powerful.
An ordinary wizard would most likely choose the third card, a high-stakes play that looked powerful on its face, but William just so happened to know the formula for Felix Felicis. Even if the conditions for brewing Felix Felicis were twice as strict, its effect would be well worth the effort.
Even with the card's stipulation that an "intentional failure" meant the brewing implements couldn't be too absurd, this was still a cauldron full of Felix Felicis six months from now.
Even if he couldn't replicate this success using the same method or learn the finer details of the brewing process, it was still a potion more precious than gold. What's more, William could even invest a Meal Coupon into it, allowing him to reuse the card.
But the third card was powerful—unreasonably, invincibly so.
Even if it was only for a single strike.
William hadn't even fully grasped nonverbal magic, let alone wandless magic.
Moreover, from its description, this card also had no upper limit, making it something that could serve as a trump card at any time.
Compared to the high returns of the second card, this one offered almost no economic benefit. It had no output, nor could he use it to build a network by spending Meal Coupons on it. It also came with a negative side effect—if he faced even one extra enemy, he would be instantly defeated.
William thought of a whole host of drawbacks, then closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and chose the third card, determined not to regret it.
Though it had a pile of disadvantages, it was just too strong.
More importantly, no matter how difficult Felix Felicis was, William still had a chance of succeeding through self-study. But a trump card like this, one that could turn the tide in a desperate situation, would be incredibly difficult to make up for if he missed this opportunity.
Having made the difficult decision, William finally regained his composure, which had nearly been shattered by the two students who missed the train and decided to chase after it.
Looking on the bright side, he wasn't their Head of House. If he was this upset, just imagine Professor McGonagall's reaction—wouldn't she hang the two children upside down in her office for a couple of days?
With that thought, William felt much more at peace.
Deep breath, deep breath. The cool breeze near the platform carried away the last traces of his anxiety.
There was still good news. Although the two of them hadn't stayed put to wait for the School Authority to handle the situation, they couldn't be too far from the train. At least they had been located.
Considering he had no means of flight, William decided to resort to the ultimate solution—go to the school first and let the Head of House of those two mischievous children deal with the headache.
This was one of the benefits of having the school's backing. When a matter exceeded his ability to handle, he just had to report it, and someone else would naturally take on the headache for him.
There was just one last small problem.
How should he deal with the mischievous child behind him?
Considering she was very likely to cause trouble on the way back, he felt he had to handle this problem first.
William turned his head and looked seriously at the mischievous child whom he, in theory, shouldn't recognize.
"Hello, young lady of Gryffindor. We've encountered a small problem."
"Although you haven't seen the letter, I can relay its contents to you. I hope you'll have the patience to listen."
"Mmph!"
It was a spirited response, but William decided to ignore her obvious intent to be allowed to speak.
"As I understand it, after failing to board the train, your two friends chose to use a flying car to get to the school. Unfortunately, it seems they had no intention of bringing you along."
"Mmph!"
*That probably means 'don't try to sow discord' or 'I never planned to go with them anyway,' but it's not important.*
"According to the letter from the Ministry of Magic, they are now following the train closely. As for us, we can no longer catch up to it. Therefore, we will be using Floo Powder shortly to travel to Hogsmeade, the village closest to Hogwarts."
"This will be a long journey. Given that you had the courage to sneak off the train, I feel I must explain everything to you in advance."
"You got off the train to find your friends, and now their location has been confirmed. Even if you were to conjure a broomstick, you have no chance of catching them."
"However, if you return to Hogwarts properly, you can be at the school to denounce their reckless behavior."
"Furthermore, you don't have a wand. If you use magic while you're with me, I can explain it. But if you act alone, the moment you use magic, the Ministry will be notified, and you could even face expulsion from the school."
"Of course, there's also the most important point. Due to your hasty departure, you probably don't have much cash on you. Even if you did, there isn't any transportation that could—"
William suddenly paused.
He remembered the Knight Bus, which he always seemed to forget.
Compared to Floo Powder, which could easily get someone lost, that thing was far more reliable.
Thinking of this, he stopped his explanation and raised his wand.
The Gryffindor girl, who had only heard half of his speech, looked at the wand with anticipation—she hadn't been able to speak properly for nearly half an hour.
However, the professor's wand didn't come down, instead remaining raised in mid-air for a full minute.
Then, she saw a massive bus suddenly appear with a loud BANG.
"My apologies, young lady. I nearly forgot after learning Apparition. We don't need Floo Powder; the Knight Bus can also take us to Hogsmeade."
William said with an apologetic look on his face.
The main reason was that his last ride on the Knight Bus had been so unpleasant that he had subconsciously ignored this form of transportation.
Compared to the risks of using Floo Powder, the Knight Bus was more advantageous for him; at least the student wouldn't get lost halfway.
Although it was unlikely, considering her adventurous spirit, he was unwilling to risk it. If they accidentally ended up starring in a film like *The Great London Escape*, he would truly become a laughingstock before he even started his professorship.
"Two to Hogsmeade."
Ignoring the murderous glare from behind him, William said to the conductor with a smile.
"And who's this?"
The conductor, Stan Shunpike, looked curiously at the furious student behind William and asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The Hogwarts term is starting. She ran off the train, so I'm taking her back to school."
"A Gryffindor?"
Stan Shunpike asked in a tone that was half surprise and half admiration, as if lamenting, *Why didn't I think of that when I was in school?*
"Yes, a Gryffindor."
William lamented the damage to Gryffindor's reputation while cheerfully pointing to a bed in the distance.
"Go over there and sit properly. The Knight Bus is much faster than the Hogwarts Express. We'll be there soon."
*Of course, it's also much bumpier.*
William didn't say the second part out loud.
After the little Gryffindor behind him reluctantly shuffled over, he patted Stan Shunpike's shoulder and asked, "Long time no see. How have you been lately?"
"Not bad. And you? You got out of—that place?"
"That place?"
William feigned surprise.
"You know, Azkaban."
"Er, you couldn't tell I was boasting?"
"Boasting?"
"It was just a joke. You didn't actually believe me, did you?"
"So, what about now?"
"Me? I'm a professor at Hogwarts."
William noticed the look in the other man's eyes clearly said, *Why are you boasting again?*
"Nah, I'm an attendant on the Hogwarts Express. A student ran off, so I'm just dealing with it."
With a guilty conscience, William lied to him once more.
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Of the three cards, aside from the first card's effect being less than obvious, the second and third were astonishingly powerful.
An ordinary wizard would most likely choose the third card, a high-stakes play that looked powerful on its face, but William just so happened to know the formula for Felix Felicis. Even if the conditions for brewing Felix Felicis were twice as strict, its effect would be well worth the effort.
Even with the card's stipulation that an "intentional failure" meant the brewing implements couldn't be too absurd, this was still a cauldron full of Felix Felicis six months from now.
Even if he couldn't replicate this success using the same method or learn the finer details of the brewing process, it was still a potion more precious than gold. What's more, William could even invest a Meal Coupon into it, allowing him to reuse the card.
But the third card was powerful—unreasonably, invincibly so.
Even if it was only for a single strike.
William hadn't even fully grasped nonverbal magic, let alone wandless magic.
Moreover, from its description, this card also had no upper limit, making it something that could serve as a trump card at any time.
Compared to the high returns of the second card, this one offered almost no economic benefit. It had no output, nor could he use it to build a network by spending Meal Coupons on it. It also came with a negative side effect—if he faced even one extra enemy, he would be instantly defeated.
William thought of a whole host of drawbacks, then closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and chose the third card, determined not to regret it.
Though it had a pile of disadvantages, it was just too strong.
More importantly, no matter how difficult Felix Felicis was, William still had a chance of succeeding through self-study. But a trump card like this, one that could turn the tide in a desperate situation, would be incredibly difficult to make up for if he missed this opportunity.
Having made the difficult decision, William finally regained his composure, which had nearly been shattered by the two students who missed the train and decided to chase after it.
Looking on the bright side, he wasn't their Head of House. If he was this upset, just imagine Professor McGonagall's reaction—wouldn't she hang the two children upside down in her office for a couple of days?
With that thought, William felt much more at peace.
Deep breath, deep breath. The cool breeze near the platform carried away the last traces of his anxiety.
There was still good news. Although the two of them hadn't stayed put to wait for the School Authority to handle the situation, they couldn't be too far from the train. At least they had been located.
Considering he had no means of flight, William decided to resort to the ultimate solution—go to the school first and let the Head of House of those two mischievous children deal with the headache.
This was one of the benefits of having the school's backing. When a matter exceeded his ability to handle, he just had to report it, and someone else would naturally take on the headache for him.
There was just one last small problem.
How should he deal with the mischievous child behind him?
Considering she was very likely to cause trouble on the way back, he felt he had to handle this problem first.
William turned his head and looked seriously at the mischievous child whom he, in theory, shouldn't recognize.
"Hello, young lady of Gryffindor. We've encountered a small problem."
"Although you haven't seen the letter, I can relay its contents to you. I hope you'll have the patience to listen."
"Mmph!"
It was a spirited response, but William decided to ignore her obvious intent to be allowed to speak.
"As I understand it, after failing to board the train, your two friends chose to use a flying car to get to the school. Unfortunately, it seems they had no intention of bringing you along."
"Mmph!"
*That probably means 'don't try to sow discord' or 'I never planned to go with them anyway,' but it's not important.*
"According to the letter from the Ministry of Magic, they are now following the train closely. As for us, we can no longer catch up to it. Therefore, we will be using Floo Powder shortly to travel to Hogsmeade, the village closest to Hogwarts."
"This will be a long journey. Given that you had the courage to sneak off the train, I feel I must explain everything to you in advance."
"You got off the train to find your friends, and now their location has been confirmed. Even if you were to conjure a broomstick, you have no chance of catching them."
"However, if you return to Hogwarts properly, you can be at the school to denounce their reckless behavior."
"Furthermore, you don't have a wand. If you use magic while you're with me, I can explain it. But if you act alone, the moment you use magic, the Ministry will be notified, and you could even face expulsion from the school."
"Of course, there's also the most important point. Due to your hasty departure, you probably don't have much cash on you. Even if you did, there isn't any transportation that could—"
William suddenly paused.
He remembered the Knight Bus, which he always seemed to forget.
Compared to Floo Powder, which could easily get someone lost, that thing was far more reliable.
Thinking of this, he stopped his explanation and raised his wand.
The Gryffindor girl, who had only heard half of his speech, looked at the wand with anticipation—she hadn't been able to speak properly for nearly half an hour.
However, the professor's wand didn't come down, instead remaining raised in mid-air for a full minute.
Then, she saw a massive bus suddenly appear with a loud BANG.
"My apologies, young lady. I nearly forgot after learning Apparition. We don't need Floo Powder; the Knight Bus can also take us to Hogsmeade."
William said with an apologetic look on his face.
The main reason was that his last ride on the Knight Bus had been so unpleasant that he had subconsciously ignored this form of transportation.
Compared to the risks of using Floo Powder, the Knight Bus was more advantageous for him; at least the student wouldn't get lost halfway.
Although it was unlikely, considering her adventurous spirit, he was unwilling to risk it. If they accidentally ended up starring in a film like *The Great London Escape*, he would truly become a laughingstock before he even started his professorship.
"Two to Hogsmeade."
Ignoring the murderous glare from behind him, William said to the conductor with a smile.
"And who's this?"
The conductor, Stan Shunpike, looked curiously at the furious student behind William and asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The Hogwarts term is starting. She ran off the train, so I'm taking her back to school."
"A Gryffindor?"
Stan Shunpike asked in a tone that was half surprise and half admiration, as if lamenting, *Why didn't I think of that when I was in school?*
"Yes, a Gryffindor."
William lamented the damage to Gryffindor's reputation while cheerfully pointing to a bed in the distance.
"Go over there and sit properly. The Knight Bus is much faster than the Hogwarts Express. We'll be there soon."
*Of course, it's also much bumpier.*
William didn't say the second part out loud.
After the little Gryffindor behind him reluctantly shuffled over, he patted Stan Shunpike's shoulder and asked, "Long time no see. How have you been lately?"
"Not bad. And you? You got out of—that place?"
"That place?"
William feigned surprise.
"You know, Azkaban."
"Er, you couldn't tell I was boasting?"
"Boasting?"
"It was just a joke. You didn't actually believe me, did you?"
"So, what about now?"
"Me? I'm a professor at Hogwarts."
William noticed the look in the other man's eyes clearly said, *Why are you boasting again?*
"Nah, I'm an attendant on the Hogwarts Express. A student ran off, so I'm just dealing with it."
With a guilty conscience, William lied to him once more.
(end of chapter)
