"Teach, what else could it be?"
The moment he locked eyes with Snape's angry black gaze, William couldn't help but curl his lips—perhaps some kind of perverse pleasure? Every time he saw Snape looking like he wanted to get rid of him but had no way to do it, he couldn't help but want to laugh—
And this situation had probably been foreshadowed since the first time they met.
After all, no one could hit his three sore spots in the very first meeting, not to mention the way things developed afterward... Just thinking of what Dumbledore had said, Snape couldn't hide his disgust for this guy in front of him.
"I told you, I'll be watching you—"
Snape took a few steps closer. At this moment, he seemed unconcerned about the awkwardness between them—no, perhaps there wasn't any awkwardness at all. He simply hated William, always feeling he might lose control and take action against him, stimulated by the other party. His years of studying the Dark Arts in his youth had weakened the man's self-control a bit.
Just like how he would still make efforts, knowing full well that Harry Potter couldn't and shouldn't leave Hogwarts.
More so, there was always a subconscious feeling in Snape that William somehow knew some of his secrets, even though Snape had almost completely forgotten about that dream concerning Harry.
"Yes, I know I'm good-looking, don't worry, Professor, you don't need to keep emphasizing, I don't charge for portraits."
William still had a smile, his tone gentle, but the sarcasm in his words was obvious even to the deaf.
"Pfft... Ahem."
Beside them, noticing Snape's rage-filled yet speechless fluster, Hermione couldn't help but laugh, though she immediately covered her mouth. Still, in the next moment, she felt the unison of three pairs of eyes focusing on her, making her face instinctively go pale—
It didn't matter with Professor Flitwick and William, but Snape's attention...
Clearly, Hermione's premonition was correct. Snape's eyes bore down on her like knives, and he sneered, the iconic elongated sentence slipped through the gap of his mouth, "Ah, it's our know-it-all Hermione..."
"Go busy, Cedric might be overwhelmed—"
William's quick intervention left Snape without a chance to press on, even making him forget an excuse to find fault. Hearing this, Hermione seemed to sigh in relief, quickly agreeing before rushing to the classroom entrance.
A brief interlude, but quickly eased the previously tense atmosphere among the three... Oh, a certain Head of Ravenclaw had always stayed out of it, even stepping a bit aside when Snape approached—
After all, human relationships, liking one student and working with a colleague for nearly a decade, aren't difficult to maintain.
The old Goblin watched the crowd gathered on the grass nearby with a smiling, silent gaze.
"..."
And after this interlude, Snape subconsciously turned to leave, but just before he stepped forward, he paused, surprised as he glanced around the classroom—he had been so focused on finding William when he entered, he hadn't noticed the changes around.
The originally narrow and cramped underground fifth classroom now appeared spacious and bright... Oh no, now the classroom environment wasn't just spacious and bright; besides the stone wall by the door, the other three sides had disappeared completely.
Snape looked up at the sky, only a few wispy clouds hung against the deep blue dome. The little wizards entering the room were gathering on a lawn some distance from the door under Cedric's guidance, and on the other side of the grass was a green "ocean," swaying gently under the quiet breeze.
At the forest's end, as far as the eye could see, white snowy peaks reflected blinding light in the sunlight—
What... terrifying Extension and Atmospheric Charms.
Snape's expression was peculiar; he knew the original look of the fifth classroom all too well. It seemed linked to another space altogether, most crucially, the Potions Classroom and his office were next door, and he hadn't heard a peep all this time—
But, Snape clearly remembered, yesterday morning, there had been no changes here.
"Stop looking, that snowy mountain is just a picture—"
Seeing Snape's gaze, William interrupted his thoughts, pointing at the snowy mountain not far away—he wasn't an Immortal, and while the Hogwarts magic system was miraculous, molding these things by hand was impossible. Not only the snowy mountain, but he had also just created an illusion for the nearby forest (Blinding Technique).
As for how to keep these little wizards in check, that was too simple.
In the distance, the always restless Weasley Twins seized the opportunity to slip away from the crowd, exchanged glances, and dashed toward the nearby woods, but before they got close, they were blocked by a transparent light shield, leaving them dazed from the impact—
Yes, that's right, he added an air wall.
"A very ingenious magic—"