Reading settings
Chapter 67: You're in for It Now
"Scourgify."
William waved his wand, clearing away the mess on the table, then conjured a glass of water and handed it to Adams.
But by now, Adams was already slumped motionlessly on the table, a pathetic sight. William couldn't help but grimace. Such a lightweight, yet he loved to drink. What gave him the courage to go from table to table making toasts?
Annoyed, William cleaned the floor and waited for the owner to come over and give him a warning—after all, vomiting directly onto a table, and nearly into a glass at that, was going too far in any pub.
However, after a long wait, not only did the owner show no signs of approaching, but even the people around them hadn't reacted in the slightest to what had just happened—as if someone vomiting on a table was the most normal thing in the world.
William's face paled slightly—damn it, the floor of this wretched pub had felt sticky when he'd come in, but he had clearly confirmed it was made of stone when he cleaned it!
The Alchemy Professor at his side seemed determined to enjoy his solitary time. He had been about to take out his wand, but upon seeing that William could handle the situation perfectly well, he simply made himself inconspicuous, as if he were just a stranger who had come to share their table.
‘If I remember correctly, we came here to drink as a group, right?’
William looked at the one who had passed out drunk and the one who had actively withdrawn into himself. Then he looked at his own bottle, which was only half-empty. He was suddenly plunged into a state of existential doubt.
Nearly all the customers in this place came with their faces covered. Finding someone to chat and boast with like at The Leaky Cauldron was clearly impossible here.
Out of sheer boredom, William could only watch what others were doing while raising his glass to pass the time. Back in Azkaban, the prisoners loved to kill time by guessing what new inmates were in for. Of course, there was always a wager involved. Having spent so much time with them, William had picked up the habit himself.
At the table to the far left, William could tell at a glance that the items the wizard was pulling out to sell were fakes. Things of that price range simply wouldn't appear in a dump like this pub.
At the next table over, William wasn't quite sure if the witch flirting with a wizard was actually a witch—William was very aware of the existence of Polyjuice Potion, and the wizards who came to a place like this were unlikely to care whether that stuff was illegal or not.
The table to the right was obviously occupied by newcomers. The two of them were looking around nervously, probably on their first visit to this kind of underground pub.
They were also rather short, and their builds didn't look like girls'—clearly underage kids looking for a thrill.
And over there…
Wait!
William snapped back to his senses. Underage, in this kind of underground pub?
On a Wednesday?
Considering how close this place was to Hogwarts, William instantly identified the pair as students from the school.
‘Skipping class, leaving campus illegally, underage drinking.’
As someone who had diligently read the entire teacher's handbook, William knew very well that these offenses alone were enough to land these two students in detention for half a term.
‘So, should I catch them?’
According to William's original personality, he definitely wouldn't have bothered with such a thing. But now, he found himself hesitating. Perhaps it was because he'd seen too much negativity in prison and didn't want to see young people go astray, or maybe his fledgling sense of responsibility as a new teacher was kicking in.
"I'll just give them a warning—they look like first-timers, probably used a secret passage. If they're cooperative, I'll just persuade them to go back to school."
After much consideration, William stood up and, holding his glass, walked over to their table.
"Newcomers?"
His voice, filtered through the bandages, came out as a strange, muffled tone.
"Of course not, we're regulars."
The two retorted in unison, an almost subconscious denial.
They were definitely two students skipping class—William could tell from their voices that they were absolutely not of age.
He just didn't know if they were his students. It was quite normal for fifth-year students to come to this sort of underground pub to blow off steam due to the pressure from their exams—especially since William had just failed every single one of them.
But normal or not, they still had to be caught.
"Regulars? Regulars who don't recognize me? Have I been coming less often this year, causing newcomers to disrespect me?"
William followed up almost instinctively—a common tactic in Azkaban. He was a bit rusty, but when it came out in a flash, it was as effective as ever.
"Right, right, we only started coming around this year," the two picked up his cue, playing along. They poured some drinks with an extremely clumsy gesture and made to toast him. "But aren't we getting acquainted now?"
With the mentality of catching a thief red-handed, William solemnly drank with them before saying in a deliberately mysterious tone:
"Alright, it's fate that we met today. Come outside with me, I'll show you something eye-opening, so you'll know why I get by so well at the Hog's Head Inn."
They'd drunk the alcohol, and their identities were confirmed. Lure them out of the pub, catch them, and force these two miscreants to write a written apology. If they still wouldn't listen, it would be straight to detention!
---
Five minutes earlier.
"Fred, the Hog's Head Inn isn't all that great. What a waste of our time."
"Don't be so hasty. This is the biggest black market at Hogwarts. I heard even Hagrid bought a dragon egg here!"
The two clutched the drinks that were strictly forbidden for their age, pretending to be nonchalant as they surveyed their surroundings and whispered to each other.
"We just need some uncommon magical ingredients. Was it really necessary to skip class to come here?"
"What else could we do, wait to trade with other students? We've already spent more than enough money this year buying Lockhart's textbooks. Ginny's textbooks were second-hand, and we still have to save up for Christmas gifts. This is the place to spend the least amount of money."
The two weighed their money pouches, solidifying their determination to do their shopping here.
"Hey, Fred, look over there. Yes, right there!"
The two exchanged glances. Where their gazes met, a person with their entire face covered had begun to look around.
"That should be him. Who else would be looking all around while drinking in a pub? Who could it be but a smuggler?"
"How should we approach him?"
"Wait, don't rush, George. We haven't confirmed his identity yet. The Hog's Head Inn has plenty of people selling fakes. Have you forgotten what Dad always says about the counterfeiters they catch?"
"If he is selling fakes, we could turn him in for some pocket money. Didn't Dad say that Hit-Wizards have a bounty for counterfeiters?"
"It's not a bounty, they just use it to pad their list of achievements. But it makes no difference, we can still get some money for ingredients either way."
"It's all the same. But not in the pub. From what I've heard, the owner here doesn't like people starting a conflict in his pub. Besides, if it gets out that we were skipping class, I don't want to receive a Howler like Ron did."
The two involuntarily broke off their conversation and shivered.
"Hey, he's coming. Get ready!"
(end of chapter)
"Scourgify."
William waved his wand, clearing away the mess on the table, then conjured a glass of water and handed it to Adams.
But by now, Adams was already slumped motionlessly on the table, a pathetic sight. William couldn't help but grimace. Such a lightweight, yet he loved to drink. What gave him the courage to go from table to table making toasts?
Annoyed, William cleaned the floor and waited for the owner to come over and give him a warning—after all, vomiting directly onto a table, and nearly into a glass at that, was going too far in any pub.
However, after a long wait, not only did the owner show no signs of approaching, but even the people around them hadn't reacted in the slightest to what had just happened—as if someone vomiting on a table was the most normal thing in the world.
William's face paled slightly—damn it, the floor of this wretched pub had felt sticky when he'd come in, but he had clearly confirmed it was made of stone when he cleaned it!
The Alchemy Professor at his side seemed determined to enjoy his solitary time. He had been about to take out his wand, but upon seeing that William could handle the situation perfectly well, he simply made himself inconspicuous, as if he were just a stranger who had come to share their table.
‘If I remember correctly, we came here to drink as a group, right?’
William looked at the one who had passed out drunk and the one who had actively withdrawn into himself. Then he looked at his own bottle, which was only half-empty. He was suddenly plunged into a state of existential doubt.
Nearly all the customers in this place came with their faces covered. Finding someone to chat and boast with like at The Leaky Cauldron was clearly impossible here.
Out of sheer boredom, William could only watch what others were doing while raising his glass to pass the time. Back in Azkaban, the prisoners loved to kill time by guessing what new inmates were in for. Of course, there was always a wager involved. Having spent so much time with them, William had picked up the habit himself.
At the table to the far left, William could tell at a glance that the items the wizard was pulling out to sell were fakes. Things of that price range simply wouldn't appear in a dump like this pub.
At the next table over, William wasn't quite sure if the witch flirting with a wizard was actually a witch—William was very aware of the existence of Polyjuice Potion, and the wizards who came to a place like this were unlikely to care whether that stuff was illegal or not.
The table to the right was obviously occupied by newcomers. The two of them were looking around nervously, probably on their first visit to this kind of underground pub.
They were also rather short, and their builds didn't look like girls'—clearly underage kids looking for a thrill.
And over there…
Wait!
William snapped back to his senses. Underage, in this kind of underground pub?
On a Wednesday?
Considering how close this place was to Hogwarts, William instantly identified the pair as students from the school.
‘Skipping class, leaving campus illegally, underage drinking.’
As someone who had diligently read the entire teacher's handbook, William knew very well that these offenses alone were enough to land these two students in detention for half a term.
‘So, should I catch them?’
According to William's original personality, he definitely wouldn't have bothered with such a thing. But now, he found himself hesitating. Perhaps it was because he'd seen too much negativity in prison and didn't want to see young people go astray, or maybe his fledgling sense of responsibility as a new teacher was kicking in.
"I'll just give them a warning—they look like first-timers, probably used a secret passage. If they're cooperative, I'll just persuade them to go back to school."
After much consideration, William stood up and, holding his glass, walked over to their table.
"Newcomers?"
His voice, filtered through the bandages, came out as a strange, muffled tone.
"Of course not, we're regulars."
The two retorted in unison, an almost subconscious denial.
They were definitely two students skipping class—William could tell from their voices that they were absolutely not of age.
He just didn't know if they were his students. It was quite normal for fifth-year students to come to this sort of underground pub to blow off steam due to the pressure from their exams—especially since William had just failed every single one of them.
But normal or not, they still had to be caught.
"Regulars? Regulars who don't recognize me? Have I been coming less often this year, causing newcomers to disrespect me?"
William followed up almost instinctively—a common tactic in Azkaban. He was a bit rusty, but when it came out in a flash, it was as effective as ever.
"Right, right, we only started coming around this year," the two picked up his cue, playing along. They poured some drinks with an extremely clumsy gesture and made to toast him. "But aren't we getting acquainted now?"
With the mentality of catching a thief red-handed, William solemnly drank with them before saying in a deliberately mysterious tone:
"Alright, it's fate that we met today. Come outside with me, I'll show you something eye-opening, so you'll know why I get by so well at the Hog's Head Inn."
They'd drunk the alcohol, and their identities were confirmed. Lure them out of the pub, catch them, and force these two miscreants to write a written apology. If they still wouldn't listen, it would be straight to detention!
---
Five minutes earlier.
"Fred, the Hog's Head Inn isn't all that great. What a waste of our time."
"Don't be so hasty. This is the biggest black market at Hogwarts. I heard even Hagrid bought a dragon egg here!"
The two clutched the drinks that were strictly forbidden for their age, pretending to be nonchalant as they surveyed their surroundings and whispered to each other.
"We just need some uncommon magical ingredients. Was it really necessary to skip class to come here?"
"What else could we do, wait to trade with other students? We've already spent more than enough money this year buying Lockhart's textbooks. Ginny's textbooks were second-hand, and we still have to save up for Christmas gifts. This is the place to spend the least amount of money."
The two weighed their money pouches, solidifying their determination to do their shopping here.
"Hey, Fred, look over there. Yes, right there!"
The two exchanged glances. Where their gazes met, a person with their entire face covered had begun to look around.
"That should be him. Who else would be looking all around while drinking in a pub? Who could it be but a smuggler?"
"How should we approach him?"
"Wait, don't rush, George. We haven't confirmed his identity yet. The Hog's Head Inn has plenty of people selling fakes. Have you forgotten what Dad always says about the counterfeiters they catch?"
"If he is selling fakes, we could turn him in for some pocket money. Didn't Dad say that Hit-Wizards have a bounty for counterfeiters?"
"It's not a bounty, they just use it to pad their list of achievements. But it makes no difference, we can still get some money for ingredients either way."
"It's all the same. But not in the pub. From what I've heard, the owner here doesn't like people starting a conflict in his pub. Besides, if it gets out that we were skipping class, I don't want to receive a Howler like Ron did."
The two involuntarily broke off their conversation and shivered.
"Hey, he's coming. Get ready!"
(end of chapter)
