I originally thought the disappearance of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher on the first day was the most absurd development possible, but who knew there were actually experts in the little Hogwarts.
Just yesterday, he was calling the Witch Essence Party evil and Aurora a bad woman, and now he stunned Ian as well!
"My Hogwarts career didn't need to be this exciting!" Ian got up, rushed to the washroom to wash his face, and still hadn't recovered from today's extraordinary happenings.
William, with a panicked face, followed him into the washroom, standing behind Ian, at his wits' end, his voice carrying a whimpering tone, "Really, Ian, you have to help me. My father hasn't said anything, but my mother has already given my room to my brother."
William's words were becoming increasingly ridiculous.
"Isn't your mother a Muggle?" Ian remembered from the self-introductions in the dorm at the beginning of the school year that William's mother was supposed to be just a Muggle taking care of household affairs.
How could she be going crazy with those extremist wizards?
"My mother's name is Selma Goring."
Seeing Ian not reacting.
He continued speaking.
"Anyway, I'm really not lying to you. My mother hid in the Wizarding World because of the family's decline years ago, and she can control my father because she's really extreme in her personality."
"My father has had his hand chopped off by her three times."
The little green-haired boy's voice was noticeably tearful.
"If I don't join you, my family will definitely beat me to death. As my grandfather said last night, it's as if they've never had such a worthless grandchild who can't grasp opportunities."
"Even if an owl rode a Flying Broom, it wouldn't bring news this quickly." Ian muttered as he started brushing his teeth. The peppermint mouth cleanser he bought in Hogwarts Village was much better than the toothpaste he brought from the Muggle World.
In some respects, the Wizarding World seems quite backward, as if it hasn't kept pace with the times, but in other areas, the Muggle World might not be able to achieve such things even in decades.
Each has its own strengths.
"Go ahead, it's fine. Mine is much smaller." William, unsure of when he conducted a secret observation, was now entirely focused on showcasing his alchemical communicator.
It was a palm-sized object resembling a medicine box, and after William fiddled with it a bit, it was able to produce some lines by moving the small pills inside.
The lines would slowly fade away not long after they appeared.
"What is this?" Ian, unwilling to gamble on his roommate's decency, decided he could hold it for a while longer. The little trinket William brought over did indeed pique his interest.
[Ancient Alchemy (Level 1 76/100)]
He wasn't without study in Mara's alchemy classes, but the systematic knowledge he was learning now was clearly different from the techniques used in this little box of William's.
"Is it for encoding messages?"
Ian could only speculate as he spoke, seeing this spy-like mini alchemical creation, Ian's gaze at William grew increasingly peculiar.
This family's background seems quite complex!
Sure enough.
William nodded, "Yes, I always thought it was standard issue for German Aurors, a tool to communicate with teammates during missions."
"My father works at the British Ministry of Magic, and he doesn't have this... When I was little, I wondered why German Auror equipment was so much more advanced than ours in Britain."
From William's mournful expression, it was clear this wasn't any standard Auror gear, and though he didn't explicitly say it, Ian understood the implication behind his words.
"Was your grandfather actually a Witch Essence Party spy?" Ian tentatively asked. William was squeezed into the washroom, widening his eyes, surprisingly correcting Ian's wording.
"Shouldn't we refer to ourselves as glorious Saints? Witch Essence Party is really too easily misunderstood." He truly was thick-skinned.
The term Witch Essence Party was clearly something he had been the first to babble about yesterday.
"I'm not a Saint." Ian's words made William's eyes widen again, looking slightly panicked. He grabbed Ian's arm and began to plead.
"Don't lie to me. You're so familiar with Little Grindelwald, you must be a newly trained Saint, destined to assist Little Grindelwald in the future."
"My grandfather said you'd be at the core of power." Last night, William wrapped himself in a blanket to become a ball, clearly having conducted secret communications with his family all night.
He called him 'sir' quite fluently.
Genetic traits inherited indeed seemed to have something significant.
"I remember you saying last night that your family wasn't telling you how bad Grindelwald was?" Ian couldn't pull his arm free from William's grasp.
"Yeah, he told me Grindelwald's stories as a kid, and I thought they were cautionary tales, but it turns out they were reminiscing about glorious days."
William displayed an expression of shattered worldview and indifference to life. The blow he suffered was no small matter, as the mention of "they" clarified who was the odd one out in the family.
"I don't think you're suited to be a Saint..." Ian sincerely patted William's shoulder, considering he was raised in such a family yet maintained such a "correct" worldview until now.
If that's not talent, what is?
"No, I want to be a Saint. I hardly slept at all last night." He seemed afraid Ian would think he wasn't dark enough, so he hurriedly supplemented his family background.
"My father, although he's an Auror in the Ministry, always secretly informs those in Diagon Alley."
"My mother told me last night, urging me not to feel pressured because none of them are Heroes of Justice. I had wondered where the money for my Magic Wand suddenly came from."
William lowered his voice, fearful Michael outside would overhear.
Goodness!
This family is really keen on being spies!
Fallen so far, yet they've still created conditions to be spies with seemingly so little!
"You only realized your family's situation last night? Also, can't your grandfather endorse you?" Ian seemed to recognize his roommate anew.
"They originally thought I had the potential to become the family's first decent person, but after they heard about you last night, they're no longer intent on making me the first good guy."
"My grandfather was indeed a spy serving the Saints..."
William hesitated shyly for a moment, then spoke with a highly difficult-to-utter expression.
"But due to some deficiencies in his magic skills, he didn't successfully join the ranks of the Saints, so now he's pinning his lifelong aspirations on me..."
To think that he's a fervent, loyal follower fueled by pure love without recognition? It's hard to fathom how crazy the wizards in Europe must have been during those years.
"I'll try to write you a recommendation letter to see if it helps, but I'm really not a new-generation Saint, and Aurora and I are just friends with like-minded interests."
"I don't think she looks like someone eager to recruit new Saints."
Having said that, Ian shoved William out of the washroom.
Slam.
He shut the washroom door.
"Thank you, Ian, your recommendation letter will definitely work!" William seemed to still be standing by the washroom door, his tone one of excitement, as if he'd regained his vigor.
Separated by a door.
The sound seemed so close.
William was still expressing gratitude.
Ian suddenly found it difficult to pee...