"In this lesson, we introduced magical creatures you might encounter while venturing outside and the commonly used spells to ward them off. Of course, this isn't exhaustive; it's just the most common ones."
"You should have an idea of what to write for your essays," William said with a lazy smile at the students. "That's all for today's class. See you next week."
The students filed out of the classroom one by one, still discussing the lesson as they left.
For kids of their age, the idea of adventure always sparked a longing. Although they were slightly disappointed that their Professor hadn't brought in a dragon, simply hearing stories related to adventures was enough to excite them.
Though William didn't consider himself as experienced or well-traveled as Professor Lockhart, who had countless legendary adventures worthy of a book, his time in Azkaban dealing with smugglers wasn't that far off. Smugglers, eager to avoid the Ministry of Magic's hospitality, often camped out in the wilderness at night.
"Speaking of which, being an adventurer isn't a bad job," he mused to himself. At least you don't have to worry about Ministry hit wizards showing up to make trouble while you sleep. And when someone points a wand at you, you can calmly say, 'You've got the wrong person; the smuggler is sleeping by the next campfire.'
As William packed up his lecture notes, he chuckled at the joke that had popped into his head. It was only then that he noticed a student still standing at the classroom door.
Have I grown too comfortable and let my guard down? He wondered to himself.
Feeling slightly self-critical, William stepped out of the classroom and saw that there were actually two students waiting for him at the door; both of whom he recognized. After all, they had met just last night.
"What's the matter, Percy? Do you need something?" William asked, maintaining an expression that betrayed nothing.
"Professor… I… I… about last night…"
It was clear that the boy had summoned all his courage to come and confess. He was obviously a student who had never been in trouble before.
William had heard about Percy from other professors. In fact, Professor McGonagall, the boy's Head of House, had gone out of her way to personally introduce Percy to him.
This kid was considered a top student among the sixth-years, a true academic prodigy. Back in his third year, he had already demonstrated remarkable learning abilities, and by the time he took his fifth-year exams, he had achieved certifications in twelve subjects.
That was no small feat. Some of those classes weren't just once a week; the scheduling conflicts among the twelve subjects were severe. To sit for all twelve exams, he even had to apply for special assistance from the Ministry of Magic to complete his coursework on time.
Looking at Percy Weasley's hesitant and awkward demeanor, William couldn't help but suspect that all of Percy's rule-breaking abilities had somehow been passed down to his younger brothers.
"Last night? Did something happen, Percy?"
This question successfully threw Percy off balance. William smiled at him and said, "The stars were beautiful last night; that's all I noticed."
"Yes, Professor."
To William's surprise, not punishing Percy seemed to be the harshest punishment of all. After William refused to acknowledge that he had seen anything last night, the boy left in low spirits.
Could this kid really be one of those rigid rule-followers? The type who believes that making a mistake must be punished, even if it's himself?
William locked the classroom door and pondered as he walked away.
***
"William, finished your class?"
In the staff lounge, Adams was sprawled lazily on a rocking chair, exuding an air of exhaustion.
But William knew better. The greenhouse herbs had been harvested recently, and Adams had pulled an all-nighter with the seventh-year students to finish gathering them. He was purely worn out.
There was no helping it. Professor Sprout was getting on in years and clearly couldn't stay up all night anymore.
"Yeah, I'm done. It went pretty well. Though I went slightly off-topic, the students seemed to enjoy it. It also helped set the stage for my planned syllabus. By the way, why is the staff lounge so empty today?"
"Quidditch." Adams, in his usual laconic style, could barely muster the effort to keep his eyes open.
"Quidditch?"
"Yes, the first-years have their flying lessons starting soon. Madam Hooch is inspecting the brooms ahead of time, and the other professors used it as an excuse to go help. They're out on the lawn in front." Adams, looking utterly sleep-deprived, rattled off a long string of words, almost as if he wished William would head straight to the lawn and join the Quidditch activities.
Understanding that Adams might have slept less than three hours, William chuckled, shook his head, and left the lounge as Adams had hoped.
The truth was, William was also quite interested in flying brooms. Theoretically, he'd been caught and sent to Azkaban while on a flying broom.
Flying is one of those things that even wizards have to rely on brooms for. It's neither scientific nor magical, he thought as he left the castle.
At that moment, though, he didn't care about the distinction between science and magic. Since arriving in the wizarding world, he hadn't had the chance to try flying on a broom himself!
***
The September sunshine was warm enough without being scorching. With no recent rain, the temperature at Hogwarts was perfectly comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold, just right for humans.
On Monday, the castle grounds were quiet, with no students in sight. The neatly manicured lawns, maintained by house-elves, were a visual delight, almost tempting one to lie down and lazily waste an entire morning in luxury.
However, William wasn't there to idle away his time. Compared to the allure of flying on a broomstick, the lawn held little appeal.
After all, it's flying! If I don't take advantage of this opportunity, I'll have to buy a broom myself later. Knowing my procrastination, who knows when that'll actually happen?
As William walked toward the lawn, his mind drifted off.
Just as he was lost in thought, a voice suddenly called out to him from ahead.
"Professor William! Professor William!"
It was Professor Singed. When not frequenting the pub, he was an exceptionally lively fellow.
"Over here!" William called back with a smile. "I heard you were inspecting things. Thought I'd come by to see if there's anything I could help with."
"You're late. We've finished the inspection. No major issues. We're about to test-fly the brooms, but honestly, that sounds boring, so we're setting up a quick Quidditch match instead," said Professor Kettleburn, beaming brightly.
However, from his expression, William could tell the last part was the real point.
Clearly, these professors had come out purely to have fun.
Even Madam Hooch, who was technically in charge, looked cheerful and excited. William began to suspect he had underestimated the appeal of Quidditch.
Could it be that even the Headmaster would enthusiastically join if he showed up?
As for Deputy Headmistress McGonagall; William had heard that she had once been on the school Quidditch team herself.
"Perfect timing! We're short one person to make up a team. Come join us, William," Professor Kettleburn said with a cheerful grin, clearly already assigning himself the role of referee. "You'll be a Chaser. And since we're short on time, we'll skip the Golden Snitch."
Uh… this…
Believe it or not, flying on a broomstick had once been part of how I earned a living. But now? I haven't even touched a broom since then…
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