"It's already Friday!" Adams sat opposite William, his expression serious, as if he were delivering an ultimatum. "I know." William lazily w
"It's already Friday!"
Adams sat opposite William, his expression serious, as if he were delivering an ultimatum.
"I know."
William lazily waved his hand, feigning indifference, as he flipped through the copy of 'Intermediate Transfiguration' in his hands.
"Be serious, William, we're not joking around. Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, I have to test the diadem!"
Adams looked nervous.
"I know, I know very well. This is the twenty-third time you've repeated this topic—and that's just to me."
When his friend first came to discuss it, William was indeed worried, but Adams talked about the topic to such an extent that any worry he had was worn away.
"Only twenty-three times, William? Do you know how many times I dreamed of that diadem when I was in school? No less than a hundred!"
Adams looked earnest, as if twenty-three repetitions were no big deal.
Oh no, everyone who gets involved with the diadem loses their mind, don't they?
William couldn't help but cover his forehead—the diadem had such a long history, and its effects were so perfectly suited to the school, that even professors had dreamed of how they would use it if they ever got their hands on it, from their student days to their current positions.
'This madness is understandable, but I need to cool this kid down. It's not a good state to be in when experimenting with that diadem. Emotional magic is a big deal in dark magic.'
Thinking of this, William made up his mind and moved what was originally scheduled for Saturday to today.
"Let's go, Adams," William put the bookmark in the book and placed it on the table.
"Go? But the experiment is tomorrow—"
"You know it's tomorrow?" William grumbled, straightening his robes, and shouted towards the empty space in the room, "Butt, could you prepare a fruit basket for me? Charge it to my account, and send it with my paycheck at the beginning of next month."
In just three to five minutes, Butt appeared in the room with a fruit basket.
It was an exquisitely packaged fruit basket; most shops couldn't even produce such a product—house-elves' proficiency in housework was not just an empty boast.
"Professor, here is the fruit basket you requested. The kitchen is preparing the bill," the house-elf placed the fruit basket on the table. "Is there anything else Butt can do?"
"Help me book some—never mind, I'll do that myself," William smiled and nodded at the house-elf. "Thank you for your hard work, Butt."
"Yes, Professor," the house-elf bowed and left, leaving a surprised Adams.
"No," Adams looked at the fruit basket, then at William, "The kitchen offers this service? I spent seven full years at Hogwarts, not counting my teaching, and this is the first time I've known the kitchen provides fruit baskets!"
"People always make mistakes in places they think they know best," William picked up the fruit basket with one hand and turned his head to the mirror to check if anything was amiss. "Everyone does, Adams."
"Alright, maybe you're right."
Adams shrugged.
'This is all it's useful for. After half a day of searching for information about that professor, it's all about using facilities like the kitchen or library to make life easier. There isn't nothing useful, but it's all buried under a flood of billing information—'
'After half a day of searching, it turned into learning from that professor how to live better at Hogwarts. I originally thought a professor's life was convenient enough, but it can actually be like this.'
'It's just—' William pushed open the door and couldn't help but sigh—how could there be a professor so enthusiastic about socializing?
—
"Where are we going? The Hospital Wing?"
Adams looked at the fruit basket in William's hand and made a guess.
"Yes, the hospital."
He had originally planned to visit Miss Weasley, who was still hospitalized, this weekend. Now that Adams's matter had come up, he had to move the trip forward. It would also let Adams understand how dangerous the diadem truly was, so he wouldn't foolishly think he could just wear it.
"To visit Miss Ginny Weasley?"
Adams wasn't stupid and quickly realized what William intended—rumors about the diadem were rampant in the castle, and Miss Ginny Weasley's name, as the diadem's first discoverer, was already known throughout the school.
"Yes," William nodded, "She was a victim in the diadem incident. Although she isn't my student, both as the ultimate beneficiary and the initiator of the investigation, it's only right that I visit her."
Although there were still various uncleared curses on the diadem, it was a sure thing that Ravenclaw's daughter had personally gifted the diadem to him. Even Professor McGonagall would send students over to seek William's consent before letting them interact with it.
"That makes sense, but what about me?"
"You're an extra, to show the school's level of respect."
William casually brushed him off.
—
Hogwarts' Hospital Wing wasn't large—after all, the magical world's medical standards were incredibly high. Even injuries like broken bones could be easily handled, and there was no need for hospitalization for common injuries.
But this also meant that any injury requiring hospitalization was definitely not minor.
"Madam Pomfrey, is Miss Ginny Weasley awake?"
William stood at the hospital's reception, asking Madam Pomfrey, the matron—it was a bit embarrassing, as it was his first time meeting the school healer.
There were two main reasons—
'If I had a different job, I would have met her immediately, but the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum contains too much content. I can handle most minor injuries myself now, and with potions, I can manage about seventy to eighty percent of special injuries. Does this mean I learned how to be a doctor before being a good professor?'
"Of course, she's talking with Mrs. Weasley," Madam Pomfrey's attitude towards William was quite good. "However, Professor William, by rule, I must go in first and inform Mrs. Weasley. Oh, by the way, Professor Adams, I checked yesterday and found the hospital's dittany reserves are a bit low. Could you prepare more in the next planting schedule?"
"Of course, no problem at all."
Adams readily agreed, "You won't find anywhere in all of Britain that produces dittany with better healing effects than the Hogwarts greenhouses."
'I wholeheartedly agree with that,' William silently supported him—he had recently gotten a bunch of dittany from Adams to keep in his classroom, along with other emergency potions from the same batch.
Theoretically, his course was the most dangerous, and William took no chances.
However, he could say this to Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster, but he felt a bit guilty saying it to the matron in front of him.
But Madam Pomfrey probably hadn't noticed the problem yet. She went in for a short while and soon returned with a witch William had seen before.
"Mrs. Weasley, this is Professor William, and this is Professor Adams. They've come to visit Miss Ginny."
Madam Pomfrey introduced them calmly.
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