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Chapter 57: Shocking! The Professor Actually…
"Ha, Professor William, how was your first class?"
Inside the Staff Room, just as William pushed the door open, he was surrounded by Herbology Professor Adams and Alchemy Professor Singeade, who eagerly asked him about his very first class.
It was only the first day of school, and neither of them had a class. When William came here after his lesson, the two were in the middle of a game of Wizard's Chess.
Although every professor had their own office, unless they had personal matters to attend to, most of them would while away their free time here—staying alone in an office was just too boring.
A minute ago, when William opened the door to the Staff Room, Professor Singeade, who had been on the verge of losing, stood up with a look of surprise. He then "accidentally" knocked over half the chessboard and, amidst the quiet curses of the chess pieces, enthusiastically uttered the opening line.
Professor Adams, not wanting to concede, came over as well.
"Alright, mate, it's just one game of chess. It's more important to check on our new colleague now, don't you think?"
"Fine, I'll let it go this time. But if I recall correctly, isn't today Professor Lockhart's first class as well?"
Lockhart? That new professor?
William, who had been feeling a bit relaxed after a pleasant and easy first class, tensed up again. Over the past two days, he had begun to understand what kind of legend the talkative Professor Lockhart was.
Although that professor was constantly flaunting his smile and achievements as if his dentures had come to life, the accounts of his exploits were described in magnificent detail.
William swore on his two lifetimes of experience that it was absolutely impossible to write such vivid adventures by simply making up stories. He had briefly read one of the books, and every detail in the story was incredibly logical, far from the level of something fabricated for a novel.
Even the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, which people regarded as a legendary novel, was only able to give readers a sense of immersion because Luo Guanzhong had genuinely served as a strategist, and yet a lot of its content still seemed somewhat unrealistic. If anyone claimed that Lockhart's adventure stories, written with such realism, were fabricated, William would be the first to jump up and shut them down.
Some people sought fame, others pursued profit; it was all very normal. William had seen people who did charity and wanted the whole world to know about it, but they had indeed spent real money.
Therefore, William had no doubt that the new professor was genuinely skilled—being a show-off and being highly capable were two different things.
...
The Staff Room was a long room filled with mismatched old chairs.
Compared to the professors' private offices, the furnishings here were much more casual. There weren't even many tables, but the recreational facilities were quite complete, with a full range of chess sets, card games, and board games.
Although it was late summer, a low fire was crackling in the fireplace to drive out the dampness. No one was by the hearth, however. William was led back by the other two professors to the table with the chessboard, and they began to discuss the feeling of teaching students.
Evidently, Professor Adams was very interested in Professor Lockhart. As the three of them chatted idly about the students' little antics in class, Professor Adams would mention Professor Lockhart almost every few sentences.
But strangely, nearly half an hour had passed since class ended, yet Professor Lockhart still hadn't appeared in the Staff Room.
Most of the professors who had taught the first afternoon class and had no new courses to teach arrived one after another in the Staff Room. Every time a professor pushed the door open, Adams would lift his head and glance toward the entrance.
Just then, Professor Singeade asked with a hint of teasing:
"Adams, you worship Professor Lockhart?"
*I'm still here, you know? If you two are that close, you can talk in private—our relationship isn't at that level yet, is it?*
Not just Adams, but even William was startled by the question.
But to his surprise, Professor Adams actually admitted it honestly.
"I wouldn't say worship, but I do sometimes feel a bit envious of him. Although I love Herbology, and I'm willing to care for the plants in the greenhouse day after day, and even more willing to nurture students like I tend to my herbs, I still envy Professor Lockhart."
Adams said with a serious expression:
"You see, he can easily go on adventures in dangerous places, deal with those monsters, see herbs from different regions, and witness all sorts of scenery. I've been at Hogwarts for three years, and while I still love it here, I always imagine myself going on adventures like that, to see all the potions of the world."
He really saw Professor Lockhart as an idol—William was a bit surprised, but he quickly understood.
From the information he had gathered so far, Professor Lockhart had already become famous throughout the entire Wizarding World through his books. Returning to Hogwarts to teach was like a renowned alumnus taking on a professor's title—just without the word "honorary."
The man's main profession was adventuring; writing books was his side job. Judging by his achievements alone, he was more than qualified to be a professor. Now, he was just adding "professor" to his list of side jobs. It was understandable that he was seen as an idol.
But clearly, Professor Singeade beside them didn't think so. "That's not right. You're so good with your hands you can even fix problems in the greenhouse yourself. The holidays at Hogwarts aren't short; the summer holiday is long enough for you to go on an adventure!"
*You've hit the nail on the head!*
But Adams's face suddenly turned red. He glanced around before glaring fiercely at Professor Singeade. To be honest, the burly physique he'd developed from his labor in the greenhouse looked extremely intimidating at that moment.
"Keep your voice down! You haven't forgotten, have you? I only got an 'A' (Acceptable) in Defense Against the Dark Arts back in my fifth year. I don't have a N.E.W.T. certificate for it!"
He said to the two in a hushed voice, not shying away from William's presence at all.
Defense Against the Dark Arts... Acceptable...
William understood in an instant. *So, you look like a big, strong guy, but your combat power is probably on par with a few geese?*
In other words, apart from himself, who had been pulled in to be a professor, the other professors were likely all accomplished experts in the subjects they taught, but their skills in other subjects were a different story.
There was nothing wrong with that. Even at a top-tier high school, if the subject teachers were to take the final exams again, they would at best achieve mediocre results—unless they went back to the year they originally took them. At a place like Hogwarts, where certificates were calculated separately, their overall results would be even worse.
But Singeade suddenly let out a laugh. Although it was very quiet and quickly stifled, the highly attentive Professor Adams still noticed it.
"You bastard, what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I just thought of something funny."
William had been trying his best to hold back his laughter, but at that moment, he couldn't contain it any longer.
"Professor William, what are you laughing at?"
"I..."
William forcibly swallowed the rest of his sentence just as the door opened.
"I saw Professor Lockhart come in!"
PS: The bad news is, after scrapping two draft chapters, this is all that's left... The good news is, I won't be so busy next week...
(end of chapter)
"Ha, Professor William, how was your first class?"
Inside the Staff Room, just as William pushed the door open, he was surrounded by Herbology Professor Adams and Alchemy Professor Singeade, who eagerly asked him about his very first class.
It was only the first day of school, and neither of them had a class. When William came here after his lesson, the two were in the middle of a game of Wizard's Chess.
Although every professor had their own office, unless they had personal matters to attend to, most of them would while away their free time here—staying alone in an office was just too boring.
A minute ago, when William opened the door to the Staff Room, Professor Singeade, who had been on the verge of losing, stood up with a look of surprise. He then "accidentally" knocked over half the chessboard and, amidst the quiet curses of the chess pieces, enthusiastically uttered the opening line.
Professor Adams, not wanting to concede, came over as well.
"Alright, mate, it's just one game of chess. It's more important to check on our new colleague now, don't you think?"
"Fine, I'll let it go this time. But if I recall correctly, isn't today Professor Lockhart's first class as well?"
Lockhart? That new professor?
William, who had been feeling a bit relaxed after a pleasant and easy first class, tensed up again. Over the past two days, he had begun to understand what kind of legend the talkative Professor Lockhart was.
Although that professor was constantly flaunting his smile and achievements as if his dentures had come to life, the accounts of his exploits were described in magnificent detail.
William swore on his two lifetimes of experience that it was absolutely impossible to write such vivid adventures by simply making up stories. He had briefly read one of the books, and every detail in the story was incredibly logical, far from the level of something fabricated for a novel.
Even the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, which people regarded as a legendary novel, was only able to give readers a sense of immersion because Luo Guanzhong had genuinely served as a strategist, and yet a lot of its content still seemed somewhat unrealistic. If anyone claimed that Lockhart's adventure stories, written with such realism, were fabricated, William would be the first to jump up and shut them down.
Some people sought fame, others pursued profit; it was all very normal. William had seen people who did charity and wanted the whole world to know about it, but they had indeed spent real money.
Therefore, William had no doubt that the new professor was genuinely skilled—being a show-off and being highly capable were two different things.
...
The Staff Room was a long room filled with mismatched old chairs.
Compared to the professors' private offices, the furnishings here were much more casual. There weren't even many tables, but the recreational facilities were quite complete, with a full range of chess sets, card games, and board games.
Although it was late summer, a low fire was crackling in the fireplace to drive out the dampness. No one was by the hearth, however. William was led back by the other two professors to the table with the chessboard, and they began to discuss the feeling of teaching students.
Evidently, Professor Adams was very interested in Professor Lockhart. As the three of them chatted idly about the students' little antics in class, Professor Adams would mention Professor Lockhart almost every few sentences.
But strangely, nearly half an hour had passed since class ended, yet Professor Lockhart still hadn't appeared in the Staff Room.
Most of the professors who had taught the first afternoon class and had no new courses to teach arrived one after another in the Staff Room. Every time a professor pushed the door open, Adams would lift his head and glance toward the entrance.
Just then, Professor Singeade asked with a hint of teasing:
"Adams, you worship Professor Lockhart?"
*I'm still here, you know? If you two are that close, you can talk in private—our relationship isn't at that level yet, is it?*
Not just Adams, but even William was startled by the question.
But to his surprise, Professor Adams actually admitted it honestly.
"I wouldn't say worship, but I do sometimes feel a bit envious of him. Although I love Herbology, and I'm willing to care for the plants in the greenhouse day after day, and even more willing to nurture students like I tend to my herbs, I still envy Professor Lockhart."
Adams said with a serious expression:
"You see, he can easily go on adventures in dangerous places, deal with those monsters, see herbs from different regions, and witness all sorts of scenery. I've been at Hogwarts for three years, and while I still love it here, I always imagine myself going on adventures like that, to see all the potions of the world."
He really saw Professor Lockhart as an idol—William was a bit surprised, but he quickly understood.
From the information he had gathered so far, Professor Lockhart had already become famous throughout the entire Wizarding World through his books. Returning to Hogwarts to teach was like a renowned alumnus taking on a professor's title—just without the word "honorary."
The man's main profession was adventuring; writing books was his side job. Judging by his achievements alone, he was more than qualified to be a professor. Now, he was just adding "professor" to his list of side jobs. It was understandable that he was seen as an idol.
But clearly, Professor Singeade beside them didn't think so. "That's not right. You're so good with your hands you can even fix problems in the greenhouse yourself. The holidays at Hogwarts aren't short; the summer holiday is long enough for you to go on an adventure!"
*You've hit the nail on the head!*
But Adams's face suddenly turned red. He glanced around before glaring fiercely at Professor Singeade. To be honest, the burly physique he'd developed from his labor in the greenhouse looked extremely intimidating at that moment.
"Keep your voice down! You haven't forgotten, have you? I only got an 'A' (Acceptable) in Defense Against the Dark Arts back in my fifth year. I don't have a N.E.W.T. certificate for it!"
He said to the two in a hushed voice, not shying away from William's presence at all.
Defense Against the Dark Arts... Acceptable...
William understood in an instant. *So, you look like a big, strong guy, but your combat power is probably on par with a few geese?*
In other words, apart from himself, who had been pulled in to be a professor, the other professors were likely all accomplished experts in the subjects they taught, but their skills in other subjects were a different story.
There was nothing wrong with that. Even at a top-tier high school, if the subject teachers were to take the final exams again, they would at best achieve mediocre results—unless they went back to the year they originally took them. At a place like Hogwarts, where certificates were calculated separately, their overall results would be even worse.
But Singeade suddenly let out a laugh. Although it was very quiet and quickly stifled, the highly attentive Professor Adams still noticed it.
"You bastard, what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I just thought of something funny."
William had been trying his best to hold back his laughter, but at that moment, he couldn't contain it any longer.
"Professor William, what are you laughing at?"
"I..."
William forcibly swallowed the rest of his sentence just as the door opened.
"I saw Professor Lockhart come in!"
PS: The bad news is, after scrapping two draft chapters, this is all that's left... The good news is, I won't be so busy next week...
(end of chapter)
