Dinner had passed, and the night outside the castle grew darker.
William sat on a comfortable sofa, making the final adjustments to the surveillance book.
The internal spatial structure of the castle was far more complex than a simple forest. With crisscrossing corridors, the number of stone statues required far exceeded those on the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest.
After determining the optimal surveillance density of one statue every ten meters, to prevent the display from becoming too cluttered, William categorized the surveillance feeds in detail by floor, tower, and public area.
"That should do it."
Looking at the clear and orderly real-time feeds on the pages, William nodded with satisfaction. Just as he closed the book and prepared to get up to find Filch, there was a rude pounding on his door.
Thump, thump, thump.
The knocking didn't sound like a polite visit; it sounded more like venting frustration. It seemed the visitor was not friendly.
William waved his wand to open the door, revealing Severus Snape standing outside.
Snape's complexion looked even more sullen than usual, his sallow skin appearing somewhat greenish under the dim corridor lights.
"You accepted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Snape got straight to the point, his tone slightly agitated.
William walked over, leaned against the doorframe, and nodded. "Yes, it was decided in the Headmaster's office just now."
"Weren't you supposed to be the Alchemy professor?" Snape gritted his teeth, as if squeezing every word out through them. "How can you possibly handle two professorships at once? Alchemy requires a vast amount of experimentation, and Defense Against the Dark Arts..."
"Alchemy only has four classes a week, Severus," William interrupted with a shrug. "As long as the schedule is managed properly, holding both positions isn't an impossible task."
"Did you ask Dumbledore for it?" Snape took a step forward, his black robes billowing. "You have no idea how burdensome the Defense Against the Dark Arts course is, having to deal with students as stupid as trolls. Taking on two subjects? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you dropped dead from exhaustion on the podium one day."
Facing Snape's warning, which sounded more like a curse, William merely smiled lightly.
"On the contrary, it was Dumbledore who warmly invited me to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It was hard to refuse such hospitality." William looked at Snape's twisted face and responded in a gentle tone. "However, I must thank you for coming all this way to show concern for my health, Severus."
"It seems that despite not seeing each other for years, our friendship remains as deep as ever..."
Bang!
Before William could finish speaking, the door in front of him was slammed shut heavily. The loud noise echoed in the empty corridor, shaking the doorframe.
Immediately after, the sound of furious footsteps could be heard from outside, heading—judging by the direction—straight for the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
William looked at the closed door without anger.
"Anger is a Fiendfyre; eventually, it will burn everything down."
He softly recited an old wizarding proverb, then shook his head.
Actually, he could completely understand Snape's feelings. It was like the goddess you had loved unrequitedly for years suddenly throwing herself into another man's arms—especially when that man had done nothing but stand there and win. No one would feel good about that kind of discrepancy.
Moments later, on the eighth floor, in the Headmaster's office.
No sooner had the password "Chocolate Frog" been spoken than Snape pushed open the oak door and stormed in furiously.
"Why him?" Snape stood before the desk, planting both hands on its surface, demanding an answer. "Why did you actively ask William to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?"
Dumbledore was not angered by Snape's rudeness. He merely looked up over his half-moon spectacles at the furious professor and said gently, "Ah, Severus. Would you like to sit down for a drink?"
Before Snape could refuse, a glass of chilled beverage floated in front of him.
"I don't..."
"Try it. This is a new way of drinking tea that William told me about just now." Dumbledore raised his own cup in a toast. "Icing lemon black tea makes the taste exceptionally refreshing. It's very suitable for summer, and it can also help one calm down."
Upon hearing the name "William," Snape's face visibly darkened a few shades more, as if a dead fly had just dropped into the drink before his eyes.
He didn't even glance at the tea.
"Since you searched all over Britain and couldn't find a suitable candidate, why didn't you tell me?" Snape's voice was filled with resentment. "Instead, you went to great lengths to invite William Shafiq?"
"You have a more important task, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "You are teaching Potions, a subject equally demanding. You don't have time to take on another course."
"I could teach Defense Against the Dark Arts exclusively!" Snape retorted immediately, his voice trembling slightly. "This was the position I applied for from the beginning. Besides, you know about that bloody curse. Those people aren't willing to teach because they're afraid of dying, but Potions doesn't have a curse."
"You could easily find a Potions Master willing to retire at Hogwarts, instead of letting me watch this position fall into someone else's hands without my knowledge."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then gently set down his teacup.
"There is no need to discuss this now, Severus." The old man's voice remained calm. "William has already agreed to serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The appointment letter is effective; what's done is done. I cannot go back on my word."
"If this situation arises again in the future... or if a suitable candidate for Potions professor appears, you may come to me again." Dumbledore took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If there is nothing else, please return. This old man has talked too much today and needs to rest soon."
Snape stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving violently. He stared at Dumbledore for a long time before slowly straightening up, returning to that cold, hollow expression.
"You think I'm not suited for this position..." A sarcastic sneer curled the corner of Snape's mouth. "Then do you think William Shafiq is suited?"
"He's not much better than I am, Dumbledore. William Shafiq... he isn't as honest as you think."
Listening to Snape's words, Dumbledore showed no sign of wavering. He interlaced his fingers on the desk and gazed calmly at Snape through his half-moon spectacles.
"If you are referring to the time in his fourth year when William briefly associated with that small Slytherin group you joined and studied the Dark Arts for a time..."
Dumbledore shook his head, his tone gentle. "Then I actually think it speaks well of him. After all, William stayed in it for only two months before voluntarily withdrawing. Since then, he has shown no excessive obsession with the Dark Arts or dangerous tendencies."
"You must realize that there are very few wizards, especially underage ones, who can pull themselves out of the mire of the Dark Arts through sheer self-control after falling in. Think of the members of your little group."
"Moreover, during the war, although the Shafiq family funded Death Eaters, not a single family member truly sided with Voldemort. As for William himself..." Dumbledore recited as if listing family treasures, "After graduation, he didn't immediately join the Ministry of Magic. Instead, he interned at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for a year."
"During that time, both Healers and patients spoke highly of him, with no record of misconduct."
"After leaving St. Mungo's, he unexpectedly lived in Muggle society for two years. In the bustling districts of London, he lived like an ordinary person, strictly adhering to the Statute of Secrecy, and never used malicious magic against Muggles."
"Only after that did he join the Ministry of Magic based on his outstanding results."
Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Snape's gloomy face for the first time.
Many of the things Dumbledore had just said about William were unknown even to him.