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Chapter 74: When William Gets Caught in the Crossfire
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
It's not poverty but inequality that breeds discontent.
The meaning is simple. When you're about to lose a game, and everyone's score is 0/8, the team atmosphere is quite harmonious. But when the degree of everyone's failure is different, arguments naturally follow.
Nearing noon in the Hufflepuff Common Room, a Fifth Year student named Dennis had just returned from a busy morning of classes when he saw two acquaintances playing Gobstones.
"Dennis, care for a game of Gobstones?"
The two Seventh Year students warmly extended an invitation.
"Forget it, I'm about to go crazy. What time do I have for Gobstones? I just had History of Magic, and I didn't understand a single thing the whole lesson, but Professor Binns still assigned an essay!"
Professor Binns was the only ghost professor at Hogwarts who could work non-stop. Aside from occasionally forgetting things, his course had never received a complaint, because as long as the students weren't too out of line in class, the old professor would ignore them. For some students, the best thing about this professor was when he forgot to assign homework.
"It's the Fifth Year, just endure it. Not many people at Hogwarts continue with History of Magic anyway. You can drop it later; not many professions require a certificate in it. But for Professor Binns to actually remember to assign homework, it seems the passing rate for History of Magic might improve this year."
"I hope so. By the way, how was this morning's Dark Magic—alright, the Wizarding Self-Defense class? How many failed?"
Dennis asked, feigning nonchalance.
He had been tormented by History of Magic for so long this morning that he desperately needed some of others' negative emotions to replenish his happiness. *Come on, share your misery and make my day.*
"How many failed?"
The two Seventh Year students playing Gobstones looked at each other, finally recalling the morning's discussion about how many of them would fail the exam if they had one like the Fifth Years.
At that, smiles quickly spread across their faces—this was far more interesting than Gobstones.
"Exam? There was no exam at all. Not only was there no exam, but we also had an incredibly lively lesson. We didn't open our textbooks from beginning to end. I think it was the best Wizarding Self-Defense class I've ever had at Hogwarts!"
The Seventh Year student spoke without a hint of a blush, saying something that would have made even William shy—in truth, they hadn't even taken out their wands during the lesson, let alone performed any advanced magic.
But compared to the Fifth Year's first class, as long as there was no exam, it was paradise.
Happiness is born from comparison, especially when his Fifth Year friend was right there complaining about a newly assigned essay. And so, the other student swiftly twisted the knife.
"Yeah, not only was the course excellent, but there was no homework assigned, no essay, and no magic practice."
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Not at all. There's no benefit in tricking you. You can ask anyone else. It seems that among the three years Professor William teaches, you're the only ones who had an exam for the first class. The Sixth Year's course was just as interesting, though they got an essay."
"Huh? Dennis? Where are you going?"
"To the dormitory, to get a head start on that damn essay before lunch!"
Dennis left his two Seventh Year friends behind without a backward glance. The other Fifth Year students who had been listening in for information also dispersed dejectedly, filled with utter resentment for the blasted O.W.L. exams.
Damn exams! If it weren't for them, our class wouldn't have been like this!!!
---
"William, you look very happy."
"A little—this week's work is done. Just a bit of lesson preparation, and then it's the weekend."
"You should see Singeade. He's free for the week after his class on Tuesday..."
Adams gestured with his chin toward the Alchemy Professor nearby, indicating that William had seen nothing yet.
...
"You have to learn to adapt, Adams. People are different. There's no need to be so petty about everything. If you learn to look at things from a different perspective, you'll find that life suddenly seems much brighter."
William replied in a perfectly serious tone.
"You're being a bit roundabout. A different perspective?"
"Exactly, Adams. When I think about you having to get up early on Friday to work in the Greenhouse, I'm not filled with jealousy at all anymore."
Adams's response to William was an extremely crude gesture.
"Students are watching you. I don't think you want to go and explain yourself to Professor McGonagall."
The Alchemy Professor landed a perfectly timed blow—when he wasn't at the pub, his words were remarkably sharp.
As the three of them were bantering, Professor Snape walked through the Entrance Hall, his face ashen.
"Why does Professor Snape have that look on his face again—did another cauldron explode in Potions class?"
"Isn't an exploding cauldron a normal occurrence? How many beginners don't blow one up?"
William retorted with the foundational knowledge of his own profession—never mind a new student, even those who made a living from Potions had accidents when experimenting with a new potion. Unless one wanted to rest on their laurels forever, blowing up a few cauldrons during an experiment was perfectly normal.
"An exploding cauldron wouldn't make him look like that. Perhaps he was pestered by Professor Lockhart—sorry, Adams."
The Alchemy Professor stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake. Although it hadn't even been a week, most of the professors in the castle already knew how much Professor Lockhart loved to show off. Being around him could make a normal wizard feel like they were about to suffocate.
But Adams admired Lockhart. The Herbology Professor yearned for adventure but could not have it, so he could only live vicariously through those books.
"It's fine. There's no such thing as a perfect wizard. If he preferred to be unknown, I probably would never have gotten to read such a wonderful adventure story. But speaking of which, why is Professor Snape so angry?"
"It's definitely not me—everyone knows Professor Snape dislikes any Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and I'm no exception."
William used self-deprecation to shift the topic—when it came to things like idols, it was best not to argue unless there was a fundamental conflict.
"I think that makes sense. Professor Snape even deliberately sits on the other side of the table during meals. How could it be you—huh? What's going on with Gryffindor today?"
"What's going on?"
William followed Adams's gaze toward the Gryffindor table. A small group of students was conspicuously dressed in formal attire, making that little section of the table look incredibly strange.
"Those kids, it's not the start of school, nor is it a holiday. Why are they dressed so formally?"
Adams grumbled casually, but William suddenly had a bad feeling.
Those faces... they looked very familiar.
And when Professor Snape's ashen face swept over those students, his expression turning even fouler, William suddenly realized something was wrong.
PS: The second chapter will be out during the day.
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
It's not poverty but inequality that breeds discontent.
The meaning is simple. When you're about to lose a game, and everyone's score is 0/8, the team atmosphere is quite harmonious. But when the degree of everyone's failure is different, arguments naturally follow.
Nearing noon in the Hufflepuff Common Room, a Fifth Year student named Dennis had just returned from a busy morning of classes when he saw two acquaintances playing Gobstones.
"Dennis, care for a game of Gobstones?"
The two Seventh Year students warmly extended an invitation.
"Forget it, I'm about to go crazy. What time do I have for Gobstones? I just had History of Magic, and I didn't understand a single thing the whole lesson, but Professor Binns still assigned an essay!"
Professor Binns was the only ghost professor at Hogwarts who could work non-stop. Aside from occasionally forgetting things, his course had never received a complaint, because as long as the students weren't too out of line in class, the old professor would ignore them. For some students, the best thing about this professor was when he forgot to assign homework.
"It's the Fifth Year, just endure it. Not many people at Hogwarts continue with History of Magic anyway. You can drop it later; not many professions require a certificate in it. But for Professor Binns to actually remember to assign homework, it seems the passing rate for History of Magic might improve this year."
"I hope so. By the way, how was this morning's Dark Magic—alright, the Wizarding Self-Defense class? How many failed?"
Dennis asked, feigning nonchalance.
He had been tormented by History of Magic for so long this morning that he desperately needed some of others' negative emotions to replenish his happiness. *Come on, share your misery and make my day.*
"How many failed?"
The two Seventh Year students playing Gobstones looked at each other, finally recalling the morning's discussion about how many of them would fail the exam if they had one like the Fifth Years.
At that, smiles quickly spread across their faces—this was far more interesting than Gobstones.
"Exam? There was no exam at all. Not only was there no exam, but we also had an incredibly lively lesson. We didn't open our textbooks from beginning to end. I think it was the best Wizarding Self-Defense class I've ever had at Hogwarts!"
The Seventh Year student spoke without a hint of a blush, saying something that would have made even William shy—in truth, they hadn't even taken out their wands during the lesson, let alone performed any advanced magic.
But compared to the Fifth Year's first class, as long as there was no exam, it was paradise.
Happiness is born from comparison, especially when his Fifth Year friend was right there complaining about a newly assigned essay. And so, the other student swiftly twisted the knife.
"Yeah, not only was the course excellent, but there was no homework assigned, no essay, and no magic practice."
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Not at all. There's no benefit in tricking you. You can ask anyone else. It seems that among the three years Professor William teaches, you're the only ones who had an exam for the first class. The Sixth Year's course was just as interesting, though they got an essay."
"Huh? Dennis? Where are you going?"
"To the dormitory, to get a head start on that damn essay before lunch!"
Dennis left his two Seventh Year friends behind without a backward glance. The other Fifth Year students who had been listening in for information also dispersed dejectedly, filled with utter resentment for the blasted O.W.L. exams.
Damn exams! If it weren't for them, our class wouldn't have been like this!!!
---
"William, you look very happy."
"A little—this week's work is done. Just a bit of lesson preparation, and then it's the weekend."
"You should see Singeade. He's free for the week after his class on Tuesday..."
Adams gestured with his chin toward the Alchemy Professor nearby, indicating that William had seen nothing yet.
...
"You have to learn to adapt, Adams. People are different. There's no need to be so petty about everything. If you learn to look at things from a different perspective, you'll find that life suddenly seems much brighter."
William replied in a perfectly serious tone.
"You're being a bit roundabout. A different perspective?"
"Exactly, Adams. When I think about you having to get up early on Friday to work in the Greenhouse, I'm not filled with jealousy at all anymore."
Adams's response to William was an extremely crude gesture.
"Students are watching you. I don't think you want to go and explain yourself to Professor McGonagall."
The Alchemy Professor landed a perfectly timed blow—when he wasn't at the pub, his words were remarkably sharp.
As the three of them were bantering, Professor Snape walked through the Entrance Hall, his face ashen.
"Why does Professor Snape have that look on his face again—did another cauldron explode in Potions class?"
"Isn't an exploding cauldron a normal occurrence? How many beginners don't blow one up?"
William retorted with the foundational knowledge of his own profession—never mind a new student, even those who made a living from Potions had accidents when experimenting with a new potion. Unless one wanted to rest on their laurels forever, blowing up a few cauldrons during an experiment was perfectly normal.
"An exploding cauldron wouldn't make him look like that. Perhaps he was pestered by Professor Lockhart—sorry, Adams."
The Alchemy Professor stopped mid-sentence, realizing his mistake. Although it hadn't even been a week, most of the professors in the castle already knew how much Professor Lockhart loved to show off. Being around him could make a normal wizard feel like they were about to suffocate.
But Adams admired Lockhart. The Herbology Professor yearned for adventure but could not have it, so he could only live vicariously through those books.
"It's fine. There's no such thing as a perfect wizard. If he preferred to be unknown, I probably would never have gotten to read such a wonderful adventure story. But speaking of which, why is Professor Snape so angry?"
"It's definitely not me—everyone knows Professor Snape dislikes any Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and I'm no exception."
William used self-deprecation to shift the topic—when it came to things like idols, it was best not to argue unless there was a fundamental conflict.
"I think that makes sense. Professor Snape even deliberately sits on the other side of the table during meals. How could it be you—huh? What's going on with Gryffindor today?"
"What's going on?"
William followed Adams's gaze toward the Gryffindor table. A small group of students was conspicuously dressed in formal attire, making that little section of the table look incredibly strange.
"Those kids, it's not the start of school, nor is it a holiday. Why are they dressed so formally?"
Adams grumbled casually, but William suddenly had a bad feeling.
Those faces... they looked very familiar.
And when Professor Snape's ashen face swept over those students, his expression turning even fouler, William suddenly realized something was wrong.
PS: The second chapter will be out during the day.
(end of chapter)
