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Chapter 63: William Reading
While Professor McGonagall's classroom was in an uproar, William was holed up in the school library.
He had come over with his books and a bag of exam papers not long after class was dismissed.
Although everything at Hogwarts had gone smoothly for him so far—including the fifth-years he thought would be the most difficult, over whom he had successfully established his authority in just one class—he was well aware of his own limitations.
Putting aside the wizarding knowledge accumulated from that messy, master-apprentice style of teaching, his understanding of the entire Wizarding World came only from the books he had read since his release from prison.
Aside from a few commonly used household spells, he hadn't put any effort into any magic that seemed interesting. Instead, he had focused all his energy on magic related to attack and self-defense. In fact, even his learning of these combat spells was propped up by his slightly above-average magical power and combat skills he had figured out on his own, with no way of knowing if they were actually effective.
But even so, William still hadn't managed to successfully master more than a few nonverbal spells, to say nothing of the even more demanding wandless magic that only ever appeared in the boasting of Azkaban prisoners.
Although William felt he was competent enough for the position of professor, thanks to the knowledge he'd overheard in Azkaban and his own years of experience with exam-oriented education, it didn't mean he had no desire to improve.
Even while sorting through the exam papers, he was greedily absorbing content from questions he had never encountered before, committing it all firmly to memory.
But that wasn't direct learning. Compared to the Hogwarts library, with its thousand-year legacy, all the books William had ever come across were but a small stream. Now that he had finally established his authority as a professor among the fifth-year students, William decided to reward himself with two class periods to soak in the library.
"Good morning, Madam Pince."
"Good morning, Professor William. Are you here to borrow books?"
The thin witch glanced at the paper bag William was carrying. After deliberating for a long moment, she finally couldn't help but add, "Professor, food is not permitted in the library."
"Not at all, just student exam papers—" William smiled, opening the paper bag to show her. Since she had clearly agonized over this regulation before asking, he wasn't the least bit offended.
"Oh, exam papers. My apologies, Professor," Madam Pince said quickly. "Are you looking for some reference books? The Restricted Section is over that way. Students aren't allowed to linger nearby, so the tables there are very quiet. If there are any books you need, you can ask me directly. I can find most of the books in the library's collection."
As she spoke that last sentence, the thin witch seemed to stand a few inches taller. It was clear she was quite confident in her words.
"I'm looking for some theoretical books on nonverbal spells. They're hard to find on the market, so I thought I'd try my luck in the library."
"Of course, we have those. Let me think… Oh, that's right. There's one in the Restricted Section that involves Dark Magic. In the seventh row, fourth bookshelf, third shelf, there are a few theoretical books on nonverbal spells. The fourth shelf has books more focused on practical application. In the same row, on the fifth bookshelf, the bottom shelf has a few books that discuss hexes."
To William's surprise, the librarian must have truly used some kind of magic to etch the location of every book into her memory. She effortlessly recited the locations of the books he was looking for.
"Shall I show you where they are, Professor?"
"No need, thank you. The sheer size of the Hogwarts Library is far beyond what I imagined."
"Of course. This is Hogwarts," Madam Pince replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
William found this perfectly reasonable. He accepted her words with a nod, waved goodbye, and headed to the bookshelves Madam Pince had indicated.
Luckily, none of the books he was looking for had been checked out, which put William in a great mood.
When he arrived at a desk near the Restricted Section carrying a stack of a dozen or so books, he was immediately taken with the spot, which was spacious and bathed in sunlight.
'This place is fantastic. If it weren't right next to the Restricted Section, it would probably be packed with students, wouldn't it?'
Looking at the sign by the bookshelf that read 'STUDENTS NOT PERMITTED (Note: 1)', William mused, unable to suppress a smug sense of pride that came with his special privileges.
He shook his head to clear the feeling, then settled down to seriously delve into the books before him.
In less than half an hour, William slapped the table in pleasant surprise—a movement that immediately reminded him of where he was.
Fortunately, there were no students nearby, and Madam Pince didn't seem inclined to call him out on the minor slip-up. He was thus spared the tragedy of being thrown out of the library less than a minute after his moment of joy.
William placed a bookmark in the book and then flipped to the first few pages.
The Hogwarts library stamp was clearly visible, followed by the donor's name and the date. There was no edition number, no print run—without a doubt, this was a non-commercial book impossible to purchase on the market, likely a privately written work from someone's personal collection.
'Even though I'm stuck with a curse, getting into Hogwarts is a good thing after all—'
William sighed, shaking his head as he flipped the book back to his original page.
He had known back in Azkaban that those prisoners all had their own treasured hexes or dark magic, each one hiding them away, never breathing a word to anyone else. Looking at the Wizarding World from Azkaban's perspective, it was likely the same everywhere. If Hogwarts alone had so many unique copies and restricted books, one could only imagine the quality of the collections held by the pure-blood families.
And he, by virtue of his title as a professor, could not only freely browse the library's collection, accessible only to the school's faculty and students, but could also get his hands on the entire collection of the Restricted Section without anyone's approval. He could even borrow them freely. To William, this was a benefit more precious than any salary.
A single unique copy had easily solved a problem with nonverbal spellcasting that had plagued him for a full month, to say nothing of the other reference books piled underneath it and the books he'd taken from the Restricted Section.
His mood soaring after solving the difficult problem, William took out his parchment and quill. As he read, he copied down notes he found useful—if this weren't a library book, he would have loved to write all his thoughts directly in its margins.
"This is a real treasure!"
After solving several difficult problems in a row, an overjoyed William couldn't help but exclaim.
And at that very moment, Professor McGonagall, having finally managed to calm her students, looked at her lesson plan and, for the first time, began to doubt herself—
'Is the Vanishing Spell a bit too difficult as the first spell for the fifth-years? Is it too discouraging for them?'
Note 1: Theoretically, books from the Restricted Section should require a signed note from a professor. Although Hermione claimed to have read books from the Restricted Section in her sixth year, it was very easy for her to get permission; Professor Slughorn was extremely fond of her. If older students could access the Restricted Section freely, its entire purpose would be defeated. Younger students would have too many ways to get restricted books from older students, making it unnecessary to go through the trouble of tricking someone for a signature.
(end of chapter)
While Professor McGonagall's classroom was in an uproar, William was holed up in the school library.
He had come over with his books and a bag of exam papers not long after class was dismissed.
Although everything at Hogwarts had gone smoothly for him so far—including the fifth-years he thought would be the most difficult, over whom he had successfully established his authority in just one class—he was well aware of his own limitations.
Putting aside the wizarding knowledge accumulated from that messy, master-apprentice style of teaching, his understanding of the entire Wizarding World came only from the books he had read since his release from prison.
Aside from a few commonly used household spells, he hadn't put any effort into any magic that seemed interesting. Instead, he had focused all his energy on magic related to attack and self-defense. In fact, even his learning of these combat spells was propped up by his slightly above-average magical power and combat skills he had figured out on his own, with no way of knowing if they were actually effective.
But even so, William still hadn't managed to successfully master more than a few nonverbal spells, to say nothing of the even more demanding wandless magic that only ever appeared in the boasting of Azkaban prisoners.
Although William felt he was competent enough for the position of professor, thanks to the knowledge he'd overheard in Azkaban and his own years of experience with exam-oriented education, it didn't mean he had no desire to improve.
Even while sorting through the exam papers, he was greedily absorbing content from questions he had never encountered before, committing it all firmly to memory.
But that wasn't direct learning. Compared to the Hogwarts library, with its thousand-year legacy, all the books William had ever come across were but a small stream. Now that he had finally established his authority as a professor among the fifth-year students, William decided to reward himself with two class periods to soak in the library.
"Good morning, Madam Pince."
"Good morning, Professor William. Are you here to borrow books?"
The thin witch glanced at the paper bag William was carrying. After deliberating for a long moment, she finally couldn't help but add, "Professor, food is not permitted in the library."
"Not at all, just student exam papers—" William smiled, opening the paper bag to show her. Since she had clearly agonized over this regulation before asking, he wasn't the least bit offended.
"Oh, exam papers. My apologies, Professor," Madam Pince said quickly. "Are you looking for some reference books? The Restricted Section is over that way. Students aren't allowed to linger nearby, so the tables there are very quiet. If there are any books you need, you can ask me directly. I can find most of the books in the library's collection."
As she spoke that last sentence, the thin witch seemed to stand a few inches taller. It was clear she was quite confident in her words.
"I'm looking for some theoretical books on nonverbal spells. They're hard to find on the market, so I thought I'd try my luck in the library."
"Of course, we have those. Let me think… Oh, that's right. There's one in the Restricted Section that involves Dark Magic. In the seventh row, fourth bookshelf, third shelf, there are a few theoretical books on nonverbal spells. The fourth shelf has books more focused on practical application. In the same row, on the fifth bookshelf, the bottom shelf has a few books that discuss hexes."
To William's surprise, the librarian must have truly used some kind of magic to etch the location of every book into her memory. She effortlessly recited the locations of the books he was looking for.
"Shall I show you where they are, Professor?"
"No need, thank you. The sheer size of the Hogwarts Library is far beyond what I imagined."
"Of course. This is Hogwarts," Madam Pince replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
William found this perfectly reasonable. He accepted her words with a nod, waved goodbye, and headed to the bookshelves Madam Pince had indicated.
Luckily, none of the books he was looking for had been checked out, which put William in a great mood.
When he arrived at a desk near the Restricted Section carrying a stack of a dozen or so books, he was immediately taken with the spot, which was spacious and bathed in sunlight.
'This place is fantastic. If it weren't right next to the Restricted Section, it would probably be packed with students, wouldn't it?'
Looking at the sign by the bookshelf that read 'STUDENTS NOT PERMITTED (Note: 1)', William mused, unable to suppress a smug sense of pride that came with his special privileges.
He shook his head to clear the feeling, then settled down to seriously delve into the books before him.
In less than half an hour, William slapped the table in pleasant surprise—a movement that immediately reminded him of where he was.
Fortunately, there were no students nearby, and Madam Pince didn't seem inclined to call him out on the minor slip-up. He was thus spared the tragedy of being thrown out of the library less than a minute after his moment of joy.
William placed a bookmark in the book and then flipped to the first few pages.
The Hogwarts library stamp was clearly visible, followed by the donor's name and the date. There was no edition number, no print run—without a doubt, this was a non-commercial book impossible to purchase on the market, likely a privately written work from someone's personal collection.
'Even though I'm stuck with a curse, getting into Hogwarts is a good thing after all—'
William sighed, shaking his head as he flipped the book back to his original page.
He had known back in Azkaban that those prisoners all had their own treasured hexes or dark magic, each one hiding them away, never breathing a word to anyone else. Looking at the Wizarding World from Azkaban's perspective, it was likely the same everywhere. If Hogwarts alone had so many unique copies and restricted books, one could only imagine the quality of the collections held by the pure-blood families.
And he, by virtue of his title as a professor, could not only freely browse the library's collection, accessible only to the school's faculty and students, but could also get his hands on the entire collection of the Restricted Section without anyone's approval. He could even borrow them freely. To William, this was a benefit more precious than any salary.
A single unique copy had easily solved a problem with nonverbal spellcasting that had plagued him for a full month, to say nothing of the other reference books piled underneath it and the books he'd taken from the Restricted Section.
His mood soaring after solving the difficult problem, William took out his parchment and quill. As he read, he copied down notes he found useful—if this weren't a library book, he would have loved to write all his thoughts directly in its margins.
"This is a real treasure!"
After solving several difficult problems in a row, an overjoyed William couldn't help but exclaim.
And at that very moment, Professor McGonagall, having finally managed to calm her students, looked at her lesson plan and, for the first time, began to doubt herself—
'Is the Vanishing Spell a bit too difficult as the first spell for the fifth-years? Is it too discouraging for them?'
Note 1: Theoretically, books from the Restricted Section should require a signed note from a professor. Although Hermione claimed to have read books from the Restricted Section in her sixth year, it was very easy for her to get permission; Professor Slughorn was extremely fond of her. If older students could access the Restricted Section freely, its entire purpose would be defeated. Younger students would have too many ways to get restricted books from older students, making it unnecessary to go through the trouble of tricking someone for a signature.
(end of chapter)
