Dumbledore's face was grim, his usually kind blue eyes smoldering with suppressed anger.
No one present had ever seen the old man in such a state. Even Snape, who was currently in a rage and had begun to lose rationality, stopped casting spells on William. Losing his wand affected him, but not too much.
"..."
Dumbledore took a deep breath, seemingly calming the fury within him.
"Minerva, I think it's time for the Gryffindor students to be in their dormitory," the old man's voice was slightly stiff as Professor McGonagall, wearing her light green checkered morning gown, stepped out from behind him.
McGonagall's face was taut, she didn't even look at the frozen Snape, but walked over to the three Gryffindor students, "You three, come with me." She said, turning towards Gryffindor Tower.
"But Professor..."
Harry looked up worriedly at the only non-Gryffindor student present. He thought William was standing up for him this time—if it weren't for his awful explanation, Snape might not have had a reason to give them a hard time...
"Potter, come with me—" Professor McGonagall emphasized again, much louder than before.
"William didn't..."
"Potter—"
"Let's go."
Hermione tugged on Harry's arm but didn't budge him; the boy still stubbornly stood his ground. It wasn't until William shook his head at him that the boy finally reluctantly turned and followed Professor McGonagall.
As they rounded the corridor, Harry instinctively looked back—
In the dim corridor, Snape's figure, leaning against the brick wall, seemed more hunched than before. He was still staring in William's direction, but his vacant eyes revealed his current state. Flecks of pink soap bubbles persistently trickled from the man's mouth, making him seem somewhat ridiculous... and pitiful.
...
"Severus, regardless, you shouldn't be casting spells at students in Hogwarts Castle." It wasn't until Professor McGonagall had completely disappeared with the group that Dumbledore finally spoke, breaking the silence between the three of them.
Snape didn't defend himself, silently taking back the wand the old man handed him, then turned and left.
"Half an hour later, I'll see you in your office."
"..."
"Severus?"
"...Understood."
The man's silhouette disappeared at the end of the corridor.
"...Quite the impressive Iron Armor Spell," Dumbledore turned his gaze from Snape and looked at William.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall taught me well." William nodded. Although Dumbledore acted quickly just now, Snape's spell had successfully hit his Iron Armor Spell, which had a noticeable impact—but it was far from tearing it apart.
Fortunately, Dumbledore acted quickly; otherwise, the next second, it would have been time for someone else to cast the Iron Armor Spell.
After all, William always believed in one truth—offense is the best defense.
Although it wasn't convenient to use those handy little mysterious spells in the castle, he was, after all, the 19th-century savior of the wizarding world, the terminator of the Goblin Rebellion, the guardian of ancient magic, the Hogwarts model student of the year 1889—how could he have just that level of means?
Moreover, just one Snape couldn't possibly defeat so many?
"Perhaps you'd like to help me escort Miss Warren to the Hospital Wing." Although it was phrased as a question, the old man spoke with the certainty of a statement.
...
Someone finally remembered Moaning Myrtle.
William didn't refuse, waving his wand gently to lift the petrified ghost from the ground, following behind the two of them.
The Headmaster led the way (William didn't know the way), and the two walked from one end of the castle's corridors to the other. After turning three corners, Dumbledore finally spoke again, "Professor Snape's actions tonight were inappropriate, and I'll have him apologize to you—"
You might as well just kill him...
Although he understood Dumbledore's intent to downplay the incident, William couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. He hadn't intended to directly provoke Snape, but the other's way of treating students reminded him of a certain Headmaster, making him instinctively uncomfortable...
But observing Snape's state when he left, William had a feeling he'd perhaps triggered some deep memory in him.
However, for tonight's incident, even if William initiated things, Snape was ultimately in the wrong. After all, a Hogwarts professor, an adult wizard, casting an aggressive curse on a fifth-year freshman—
In these peaceful times, that's headline news for the Prophet Daily.
Especially given Snape's special status, being a former Death Eater personally vouched for by Dumbledore. Any issue would be the best evidence for Dumbledore's enemies to use against him as "senile."
Once William declared this publicly, Snape could very likely be directly expelled from Hogwarts.
But for now, William wasn't thinking that far ahead, nor was he considering chasing Snape away, because while his teaching ethics were nearly zero, his expertise in magic potions was notable. However, in contrast, he thought—
"Let's forget the apology. After all, I was at fault initially tonight."
William lowered his stance a bit, though he came from a century ago and when he graduated, Dumbledore had just enrolled. But even having lived three and a half years in this magical world and having combined his experience from a past life of just over twenty years, he was still faced with this elder who had lived over a hundred years.
The differences in life and experience made William choose to speak less to err less.
And just as he expected, the elderly like to see their juniors showing humility. William's answer made the old man satisfied as his eyes squinted slightly.
"But I wanted to say, Headmaster..." William shifted the topic towards a certain inept individual, "Is there really a necessity for Hogwarts to continue the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts class is quite important for the students, I also once held a position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for a time..." Dumbledore didn't quite catch William's drift at once, pushing open the door to the hospital wing as he spoke earnestly.
Important? Important enough to hire an idiot as a professor?
William placed the petrified Moaning Myrtle on the bed next to Colin Creevey and, not very politely, said, "That idiot... that charlatan, he's turned the Defense Against the Dark Arts class into a theater club. Are we supposed to use acting techniques to deal with Dark Wizards in the future?"
"Uh, actually, Professor Lockhart does have some highlights..."
"Such as?"
"Such as his teeth; they're quite bright."