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Chapter 82: What is This Light Novel Development?
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Harry earned his detention alongside Ron, who was lying in bed—crashing a car into one of the school's trees was unjustifiable no matter where in the world you were.
Seeing that the topic could go no further and that Harry had no new stories to tell, William bid a swift farewell to Hagrid, preparing to head to The Leaky Cauldron alone.
Considering both safety and cost-effectiveness, he ultimately surrendered to the soot and chose Floo powder.
"Ahem, ahem..."
As William emerged from the one-way fireplace, the surprised voice of Old Tom reached his ears.
"Well, look who it is!"
"Nobody, just a passing traveler. Please give me a glass of clear water. A few drops of lemon juice would be even better."
William replied in a monotone, dusting the ash from his clothes.
"Clear water? One Galleon a glass, non-negotiable."
"Your heart is blacker than a Ministry of Magic tax collector's. In that case, I'll have a beer."
Old Tom cheerfully slid a beer over and made a hushing gesture. "Keep your voice down. The tax collectors are actually coming over in the next few days."
"So soon? School has only just started."
"What else? They wish they could collect taxes once a week. How are you doing at Hogwarts, William?"
William thought back carefully and came to a rather cheerful conclusion: "I don't know what the students think, but I'm quite happy."
——
While William was delivering a speech that would make fifth-year boys fall silent and girls weep, over in the school's Great Hall, Ron and Harry, who had just regained consciousness, were dealt a heavy blow.
Professor McGonagall had finally found the time to deal with this pair of little scoundrels who had damaged public property.
"Why couldn't that professor's magic have been a little stronger? If I had stayed unconscious in Hagrid's hut for a whole day, would I have been able to escape this punishment?"
After Professor McGonagall announced the terms of their detention and turned to leave, the unlucky Ron sighed, clapping Harry on the shoulder.
"A little stronger? Ron, you already passed out!"
"Yeah, I passed out, but I'm not throwing up anymore, am I?" Ron shrugged and laughed, then began to recall why he had lost consciousness in the first place.
A huge copper basin... a churning stomach... a dense mass of vomit, with something strange writhing within.
What was it?
Ron grew curious. Although his intuition told him not to think about it, he couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Wriggling? Wriggling...
It was spiders.
Spiders, huh?
Spi— Ron suddenly felt a powerful wave of nausea. Something began to surge violently up his throat as the terrifying image from his memory resurfaced.
And then...
"Ah! Ron!"
"Ron!"
The two screams almost overlapped. Professor McGonagall, who hadn't gone far, immediately turned her head, just in time to witness her own student collapse to the ground.
——
"A magical creature has acknowledged you more deeply (Awe). You have obtained a Treasure Chest."
William, who was describing the amusing events at Hogwarts to Old Tom, was interrupted by a sudden notification. Ignoring it, he continued with his previous topic.
"It's something like that. The stairs at Hogwarts never behave. I think the second-year students know their way around better than I do. Fortunately, the portraits are quite friendly to professors. They're always happy to help when I get lost."
"You're just like a new student, young William."
"Perhaps. A first-year student starts a new life, and so do I—really, if I had stayed in that godforsaken place any longer, I might have killed myself."
William took a hearty swig of beer and then stated this conclusion.
"Alright, I get it. You're doing well and have been accepted by the school's teachers and students. Finish your drink and get out of here. What kind of professor gets drunk on a weekend?"
Old Tom scolded him with a laugh, pulling the bottles on the bar that were within William's reach further back.
"Kicking me out already?"
William drank the last mouthful with a smile. "Alright, showing up drunk back at school during my first week on the job would indeed be improper. I'll come see you next week, then. I'm off."
Striding toward the flames, William tossed in the Floo powder, waving goodbye to Old Tom as he stylishly stepped into the fireplace.
——
"Ahem, ahem..."
Emerging from the fireplace once more, William began some self-reflection—for instance, cover your mouth and nose before entering a fireplace, and don't try to be cool.
Because of its prolonged use, the fireplace in Hogsmeade had even more ash than the one in The Leaky Cauldron.
Most of the fireplaces at Hogwarts were not connected to the Floo Network. The fires in the professors' rooms were also one-way; you could go out but not in. Unless the Headmaster granted permission, no one could evade the controls.
Unless William submitted an application for a temporary connection, he could only return via Hogsmeade—but the form required Professor McGonagall's approval, which would be far too much trouble.
'Yesterday I was debating whether to order some snacks. Since I'm in the area today anyway, why not take a stroll through Honeydukes?'
On his way back to Hogwarts, William popped a peppermint candy into his mouth and had this thought.
And so, he immediately acted on it.
Before William reached his destination, he suddenly saw a familiar figure on the road—Adams and a group of students were discussing something, their faces beaming with a joy that could be felt from a distance.
"Adams, what are you up to? Holding a remedial class on the weekend?"
William called out from afar.
"William! Get over here!"
Adams's voice was just as loud. The students around him were also chattering nonstop, completely free of their usual in-school restraint.
"What's going on? Holding a remedial class for students on a weekend?"
"It's not a remedial class, it's a club activity. (Note)"
Adams said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A club activity? This was Hogwarts, not a university, and certainly not a Japanese high school. Where would a club activity come from? Were they going to start a Light Music Club or a Service Club or something? The vibe is completely off!
"A club is perfectly normal—there's the Gobstones Club, the Wizard's Chess Club, Quidditch..."
"Wait, a Quidditch Club? Isn't that the House Team?"
"Not exactly—a House team only accepts seven people. With so many wizards who love Quidditch, how could there only be the House Team? Student clubs are just small groups organized by the students themselves."
"I think I understand."
Although he didn't understand at all why there was such a light novel-like development, William nodded anyway.
"Glad you understand. I'm the supervising teacher for this club. William, are you interested in joining? It just so happens that sometimes I need to tend to the greenhouse on the weekend and don't have time to come guide the students."
"I'll pass on guiding them. My knowledge of herbs isn't that deep. I'd just be leading the students astray if I were their supervising teacher."
William refused with a good deal of self-awareness.
"It's fine. Our club is the Sweet Herb Club. We mainly research using herbs in candy to achieve a unique sweetness. There won't be any accidents. The supervising teacher's main responsibility is to score the students' arguments, otherwise they'll just start shouting at each other."
What kind of god-tier club is this?
William, who hadn't been able to live without candy since getting out of Azkaban, surrendered without a moment's hesitation.
Note: In the fifth book, Umbridge issues Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four—its main purpose being that no student organization, association, team, or club may exist without the approval of the High Inquisitor.
In the same source, the existence of the Gobstones Club is confirmed.
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Harry earned his detention alongside Ron, who was lying in bed—crashing a car into one of the school's trees was unjustifiable no matter where in the world you were.
Seeing that the topic could go no further and that Harry had no new stories to tell, William bid a swift farewell to Hagrid, preparing to head to The Leaky Cauldron alone.
Considering both safety and cost-effectiveness, he ultimately surrendered to the soot and chose Floo powder.
"Ahem, ahem..."
As William emerged from the one-way fireplace, the surprised voice of Old Tom reached his ears.
"Well, look who it is!"
"Nobody, just a passing traveler. Please give me a glass of clear water. A few drops of lemon juice would be even better."
William replied in a monotone, dusting the ash from his clothes.
"Clear water? One Galleon a glass, non-negotiable."
"Your heart is blacker than a Ministry of Magic tax collector's. In that case, I'll have a beer."
Old Tom cheerfully slid a beer over and made a hushing gesture. "Keep your voice down. The tax collectors are actually coming over in the next few days."
"So soon? School has only just started."
"What else? They wish they could collect taxes once a week. How are you doing at Hogwarts, William?"
William thought back carefully and came to a rather cheerful conclusion: "I don't know what the students think, but I'm quite happy."
——
While William was delivering a speech that would make fifth-year boys fall silent and girls weep, over in the school's Great Hall, Ron and Harry, who had just regained consciousness, were dealt a heavy blow.
Professor McGonagall had finally found the time to deal with this pair of little scoundrels who had damaged public property.
"Why couldn't that professor's magic have been a little stronger? If I had stayed unconscious in Hagrid's hut for a whole day, would I have been able to escape this punishment?"
After Professor McGonagall announced the terms of their detention and turned to leave, the unlucky Ron sighed, clapping Harry on the shoulder.
"A little stronger? Ron, you already passed out!"
"Yeah, I passed out, but I'm not throwing up anymore, am I?" Ron shrugged and laughed, then began to recall why he had lost consciousness in the first place.
A huge copper basin... a churning stomach... a dense mass of vomit, with something strange writhing within.
What was it?
Ron grew curious. Although his intuition told him not to think about it, he couldn't suppress his curiosity.
Wriggling? Wriggling...
It was spiders.
Spiders, huh?
Spi— Ron suddenly felt a powerful wave of nausea. Something began to surge violently up his throat as the terrifying image from his memory resurfaced.
And then...
"Ah! Ron!"
"Ron!"
The two screams almost overlapped. Professor McGonagall, who hadn't gone far, immediately turned her head, just in time to witness her own student collapse to the ground.
——
"A magical creature has acknowledged you more deeply (Awe). You have obtained a Treasure Chest."
William, who was describing the amusing events at Hogwarts to Old Tom, was interrupted by a sudden notification. Ignoring it, he continued with his previous topic.
"It's something like that. The stairs at Hogwarts never behave. I think the second-year students know their way around better than I do. Fortunately, the portraits are quite friendly to professors. They're always happy to help when I get lost."
"You're just like a new student, young William."
"Perhaps. A first-year student starts a new life, and so do I—really, if I had stayed in that godforsaken place any longer, I might have killed myself."
William took a hearty swig of beer and then stated this conclusion.
"Alright, I get it. You're doing well and have been accepted by the school's teachers and students. Finish your drink and get out of here. What kind of professor gets drunk on a weekend?"
Old Tom scolded him with a laugh, pulling the bottles on the bar that were within William's reach further back.
"Kicking me out already?"
William drank the last mouthful with a smile. "Alright, showing up drunk back at school during my first week on the job would indeed be improper. I'll come see you next week, then. I'm off."
Striding toward the flames, William tossed in the Floo powder, waving goodbye to Old Tom as he stylishly stepped into the fireplace.
——
"Ahem, ahem..."
Emerging from the fireplace once more, William began some self-reflection—for instance, cover your mouth and nose before entering a fireplace, and don't try to be cool.
Because of its prolonged use, the fireplace in Hogsmeade had even more ash than the one in The Leaky Cauldron.
Most of the fireplaces at Hogwarts were not connected to the Floo Network. The fires in the professors' rooms were also one-way; you could go out but not in. Unless the Headmaster granted permission, no one could evade the controls.
Unless William submitted an application for a temporary connection, he could only return via Hogsmeade—but the form required Professor McGonagall's approval, which would be far too much trouble.
'Yesterday I was debating whether to order some snacks. Since I'm in the area today anyway, why not take a stroll through Honeydukes?'
On his way back to Hogwarts, William popped a peppermint candy into his mouth and had this thought.
And so, he immediately acted on it.
Before William reached his destination, he suddenly saw a familiar figure on the road—Adams and a group of students were discussing something, their faces beaming with a joy that could be felt from a distance.
"Adams, what are you up to? Holding a remedial class on the weekend?"
William called out from afar.
"William! Get over here!"
Adams's voice was just as loud. The students around him were also chattering nonstop, completely free of their usual in-school restraint.
"What's going on? Holding a remedial class for students on a weekend?"
"It's not a remedial class, it's a club activity. (Note)"
Adams said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A club activity? This was Hogwarts, not a university, and certainly not a Japanese high school. Where would a club activity come from? Were they going to start a Light Music Club or a Service Club or something? The vibe is completely off!
"A club is perfectly normal—there's the Gobstones Club, the Wizard's Chess Club, Quidditch..."
"Wait, a Quidditch Club? Isn't that the House Team?"
"Not exactly—a House team only accepts seven people. With so many wizards who love Quidditch, how could there only be the House Team? Student clubs are just small groups organized by the students themselves."
"I think I understand."
Although he didn't understand at all why there was such a light novel-like development, William nodded anyway.
"Glad you understand. I'm the supervising teacher for this club. William, are you interested in joining? It just so happens that sometimes I need to tend to the greenhouse on the weekend and don't have time to come guide the students."
"I'll pass on guiding them. My knowledge of herbs isn't that deep. I'd just be leading the students astray if I were their supervising teacher."
William refused with a good deal of self-awareness.
"It's fine. Our club is the Sweet Herb Club. We mainly research using herbs in candy to achieve a unique sweetness. There won't be any accidents. The supervising teacher's main responsibility is to score the students' arguments, otherwise they'll just start shouting at each other."
What kind of god-tier club is this?
William, who hadn't been able to live without candy since getting out of Azkaban, surrendered without a moment's hesitation.
Note: In the fifth book, Umbridge issues Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four—its main purpose being that no student organization, association, team, or club may exist without the approval of the High Inquisitor.
In the same source, the existence of the Gobstones Club is confirmed.
(end of chapter)
