"Crack."
With a dull sound, the oak door with the Gryphon knocker slowly opened.
Willy carried his suitcase and walked down the spiral staircase. Just as he turned the corner, he found two people already standing in the corridor.
The two were talking in low voices, seemingly waiting for someone. They were the short Professor Flitwick and the stern-faced Professor McGonagall.
"Oh, it seems our new colleague has emerged." Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses and looked at Willy coming down. "The moment you entered the Headmasters Office, Filius rushed to find me, asking if you had arrived."
Willy immediately quickened his pace and approached the male Wizard who was only waist-high to a normal person.
He showed no pretense of superiority but naturally squatted down, giving the other a warm and enthusiastic hug.
"Long time no see, Professor Flitwick."
As the Dean of Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick had always regarded Willy as one of his most outstanding students in his teaching career. Seeing his former student return, the Professor, who possessed Goblin blood, was so happy his face turned bright red, and he exclaimed with a sharp laugh:
"Haha, Minerva is right, it has indeed been a long time, Willy."
After releasing the hug, Flitwick continued to observe Willy with a smile, sighing, "I must say, your performance in the 1983 All-England Wizard Duelling Championship was absolutely brilliant."
"A champion in his twenties—that was almost unprecedented in history. It's just a pity that I had matters to attend to then and couldn't witness it live."
"That was just good luck, Professor." Willy smiled modestly, "That was only a few years after the war ended, and many truly skilled competitors didn't participate. If we talk about true merit, your duelling championship from when you were young is far more convincing."
These words pleased Flitwick so much that he beamed, causing even his little mustache to curl upwards.
After exchanging pleasantries in the corridor for a while, Willy suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, both of you, could you tell me where Mr. Filch's office is? I need to see him about something."
"Looking for Argus?"
Both Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were stunned, clearly surprised. New Professors usually go to the staff lounge or tour the Great Hall first; who comes in and immediately looks for the caretaker?
"Willy just showed me some very interesting little inventions."
Just then, Dumbledore's voice came from above the spiral staircase. He walked down with a light step, his bright blue eyes sparkling.
"I believe these items can help us resolve some perennial issues with school rules, and of course, they further confirm that inviting Willy to be the Professor of Alchemy was a wise choice."
McGonagall and Flitwick exchanged a look, seeing curiosity in each other's eyes.
A moment later, the first floor of the Castle.
In the dimly lit caretaker's office, Argus Filch was sitting on a worn wooden chair.
He held a stack of yellowed disciplinary reports, gently stroking the emaciated cat on the desk, murmuring in a hoarse voice: "...Casting Dungbombs in the corridor, detention for a week... I have a feeling, Madam Norris, that this year's batch of new students will be another group of annoying brats..."
Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open.
Filch snapped his head around, his cloudy eyes glaring at the doorway. However, when he saw the handsome and tall male Wizard leading the way in, the words he had prepared suddenly caught in his throat.
Instinct told Filch that he knew this person; this face reminded him of some unpleasant memories, but this person should not have appeared before him at this time.
Filch hesitantly extended a withered finger, pointing at Willy: "Willy... Shafik?"
"Your memory is quite good, Mr. Filch." Willy stepped into the office with a smile, not minding the faint smell of fried fish lingering there. "However, starting today, I think it would be better if you called me Professor Shafik."
"Pro... Professor?" Filch was dumbfounded, his eyeballs nearly popping out.
"That's right, Argus." Dumbledore, following behind, explained with a smile, "Willy is the newly hired Professor of Alchemy this year, and he will also concurrently serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."
"He has come specifically to bring you some alchemical items, hoping to help you Enforce School Rules more effectively."
Upon hearing "Enforce School Rules," the ashen look on Filch's face instantly regained color.
The few people followed Willy back into the corridor. Under everyone's gaze, Willy raised his left hand and gently stroked a silver ring with an ancient design worn on his index finger.
With a flash of light, a finely carved bust Statue appeared out of thin air in his hand.
"Undetectable Extension Charm... and solidified onto such a small object?" Professor McGonagall's eyes lit up. "This is an alchemy ring capable of storing items? That's not very common in the Wizarding World."
"It certainly took me some effort," Willy replied casually, then waved his wand.
The Statue instantly seemed to come alive, flying to the highest point on the corridor walls. With a faint "click," the base of the Statue perfectly merged with the wall, looking just like one of the Castle's original decorations, blending in seamlessly within the ancient building.
Immediately afterward, Willy took out a heavy book from the silver ring. Complex alchemical patterns flowed across the book's cover, clearly indicating it was no ordinary book.
Willy opened it and showed it to the group. The first page was not text, but a clear, moving image.
It was the current moment: the few people surrounding Willy in the corridor. As they curiously looked up at the Statue in reality, the figures in the image simultaneously looked up as well.
"Merlin's beard..." Professor Flitwick stood on his tiptoes to look at the page, murmuring, "Although Magical Portraits can also serve a surveillance function, well... oh, this is clearly clearer, and the angles are more comprehensive."
"Portraits have their own thoughts, Professor Flitwick," Willy interjected with a smile, explaining, "They visit each other, sleep, drink, and might even lie to cover for students in their own house."
"And they usually only report to the Principal when something major happens. For'small matters' like sneaking out at night or casting spells in the corridor, they often turn a blind eye."
Saying this, Willy looked at the excited Filch.
"But these Alchemy Statues are different. They have no emotions, don't need rest, and cannot be bribed. They will only loyally execute the mission of surveillance, twenty-four hours a day without interruption."
"So, starting today, Mr. Filch, you no longer need to rush around the entire Castle carrying a lantern trying to catch people. This one book is enough for you to sit in your office, sip tea, and check the movements of all the Young Witches and Wizards in the corridors. Once you find someone breaking the rules, you can strike precisely."
Filch stared at the book in Willy's hand as if it were a rare treasure. His eyes shone with fanatical light, as if he could already see the wonderful scene of countless Young Witches and Wizards being locked up by him.
"But, Professor Shafik..." Although Professor McGonagall was also amazed by this invention, she quickly raised a practical question, "Hogwarts Castle is so large, with corridors crisscrossing everywhere. If we rely solely on these Statues to build a network without portraits... the required number must be enormous, right?"
"That's absolutely no need to worry."
Willy smiled confidently, then gestured for everyone to step back two paces. He raised his left hand again and gently stroked the silver ring.
"Rumble--!"
Accompanied by a sound like an avalanche, countless gray shadows poured out of the ring.
In just a few seconds, a small mountain made of Alchemy Statues appeared out of thin air before the group, completely blocking half the corridor and nearly burying the short Professor Flitwick.
Facing the stunned group with their mouths agape, Willy brushed off non-existent dust from his hands, turned to the stupefied Filch, and maintained his smiling demeanor:
"Mr. Filch, you can start working now. Please take the trouble to hang one Statue every twenty meters along all the corridors of the Castle. For dead corners and turns, you can hang an extra one to ensure there are no blind spots."
"Oh, right, just hang them in public areas like corridors and staircases. Be careful not to put them where they can see inside restrooms or student dormitories, otherwise the Young Witches and Wizards will protest."
Willy thought for a moment and added this supplementary note.