From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

He's a ruthless person.

"No, are there really students this bold?"

“What do you think, William? They can cause quite a bit of trouble in front of Dumbledore, let alone the Minister of Magic.”

...

'The Minister of Magic has probably had a very unpleasant year, and if even the professors think so, how many graduates will feel that the Ministry of Magic's authority is greater than Dumbledore's?'

"See? It's not that I didn't try, it's just that, how could I possibly stop them? Who could have imagined that kid would be so ruthless? The auditorium was completely unusable!"

Singid shook his head and tossed the lighter over. "Frictionally strike it a few times; if you can get a flame, you've succeeded. It's like Felix Felicis, but the success rate is low. Hopefully, we won't run into anything too outrageous today..."

"It's alright, the weather's nice today, so we're not afraid of any dung balls in the stands. Besides, we have William here today; he's the expert at handling these kinds of unexpected incidents."

Adams cheerfully planted the flag—which startled William, who wondered if it was really appropriate to plant a flag like that before he had even started his speech.

“We still need to be careful, we can’t afford any major problems,” William tried to reassure his two somewhat overconfident companions. “That’s funding for a long time to come. You must have some savings. I haven’t even finished purchasing some equipment for my self-defense classroom yet!”

Magic lessons can't just be about reading books; you still need to buy the necessary experimental animals. No matter how big Hogwarts is, it can't produce just any random stuff. You can't keep catching rabbits from the Forbidden Forest as your imaginary enemies, can you?

"clatter!"

With a crisp click, the lighter William had been holding finally produced a flame—Adams and Singed both beamed with joy.

"That's it? I didn't feel anything?"

William pondered the sensations, but he certainly didn't feel like he had drunk Felix Felicis; none of the sensations described in the formula were present.

"Of course not. After all, it's a replica. It's permanent, requires no materials, and will eventually succeed as long as you keep pressing it. If it has all these advantages, then we can only sacrifice the effect. But doesn't that already show that we're lucky enough?"

Singed replied matter-of-factly, "Here you go. It's a prototype, still under development."

...

'Was the Ministry of Magic's spending of 50,000 Galleons really worthwhile...?'

Chapter 162 Quidditch When in doubt

Although Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore had been angry for a long time about the funding issue, fifty thousand Galleons was still a considerable sum—by 10 a.m., a fairly complete venue had been set up at Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch.

"It seems like all the students have come."

William glanced around and found that the number of people was no less than on the first day of school.

“Of course,” Adams next to William replied matter-of-factly. “Hogwarts doesn’t charge a single nut in tuition. Most of its funding comes from the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic. Since the Minister of Magic and the Board of Governors are here, they should naturally be present.”

I understand the logic, but the reason the three of us are sitting here is to prevent these students from trying to create a big scandal, right?

William glanced around and noticed that the three professors who weren't from Gryffindor were all crammed into the Gryffindor stands—a spot that Professor McGonagall had prepared for them. The location wasn't ideal, but it allowed them to have a perfect view of the Gryffindor stands while also keeping an eye on the surrounding Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff stands.

"This location?"

"That has always been the case." Before William could ask any more questions, Adams succinctly stated the facts.

Then the three professors all fell silent—it would be too hurtful to reveal the truth when surrounded by Gryffindors.

-

Important people usually arrive very late—this is an experience William learned from his previous life.

Especially when we were students, if the school organized an activity that required us to gather at seven o'clock, those sitting in the first row would basically arrive at ten o'clock.

Given the efficiency of British civil servants, William had expected it to be a party at night—but the welcome party today came unexpectedly early.

Almost immediately after the venue and students were ready, a commotion arose at the school gate.

"Adams, how do you think the Minister of Magic will come?"

William couldn't help but think of the Filo Network that had made him very unhappy, and curiously inquired about it.

"They should Apparate to Hogwarts and then walk or ride Yeqi through the gate. After all, it's an official visit, and the board of directors is coming with them. It's impossible that it's FlooNet."

“That makes sense.” William glanced at the people around him. “So how will this event be organized? It can’t just be a bunch of people staring blankly at the crown, can it?”

"Silly?"

Adams glanced at William, instinctively reaching for his wand, then letting go under William's gaze. "Only a bastard like you would dare say that. If that crown were really left out in the sun for two hours, no one, except those clueless first-years, would utter a single complaint!"

I feel like you're targeting me.

But that doesn't matter. What he's more concerned about right now is whether his time will be wasted. "Am I really going to watch for two hours?"

"Of course not. The Daily Prophet is here. Why would they do something so stupid? It's just a Quidditch match brought forward, and then they'll mention the crown when they win, show it off, and maybe give the winning team some crown-related reward, like allowing them to take a picture with the winner—"

Adams spoke so logically and persuasively that William was completely bewildered.

Why does this look so familiar?

"How could I not be familiar with it? It's the same procedure whenever someone from the Ministry of Magic or the Board of Governors comes in and shows their face. But before, they would give some kind of bonus—this time, they're adding more incentives." Singed complained lazily, pulling out another lighter and fiddling with it idly.

"Quidditch?"

William was surprised—just how much do people in the wizarding world love Quidditch?

"Otherwise, it would be too tiring to put together a show. Besides, theatrical performances are not allowed in Hogwarts. Quidditch is the only suitable sport, and the house team has been practicing it all along."

Singed's criticisms were both accurate and scathing.

"No, Quidditch is clearly more popular! You're just prejudiced against Quidditch because you can't play broomsticks in flying class!"

“Tch,” Hinged ignored Adams’s provocation, “I can also tell you which two teams are playing, William, believe it or not, the participating teams are definitely—”

"As if everyone knows, the Gryffindor team and the Slytherin team."

Adams responded irritably.

You two should watch yourselves! There's a bunch of students around. Maintain some semblance of professorial authority!

William looked around and, finding no one paying attention or making any suspicious movements, felt relieved and casually asked, "Why are these two academies competing?"

"That's too easy. Just think about who's on both sides."

……

"So realistic?"

"Of course, they paid for it, and if the team wins this competition, they can get funds to replace their brooms, which is a good thing."

William was simply not used to the ways of the magical world; once Adams explained the intricacies of it all, he understood what was going on.

Slytherin is a must-participate team—pure-bloods make up the largest proportion of the Board of Governors, and Slytherin has the most pure-bloods. They've spent so much money, so it's only natural that they show their faces.

Gryffindor's group is quite newsworthy. Although it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that the Minister of Magic is trying to ride the coattails of the situation, any news involving a savior is bound to generate buzz. As a member who enjoys a free education at Hogwarts, it's only natural that Harry would appear at this time—after all, news about the Ministry of Magic is generally positive, and even Dumbledore, who usually protects the boy, wouldn't have any objections.

While the three were talking, the huge procession arrived. Professor Lockhart was wearing his most prized pink robe today, and his smile was even more eye-catching than usual. He looked so good that he wouldn't be overshadowed even if he stood next to the Minister of Magic.

"As expected of Professor Lockhart!"

William became excited upon hearing Adams' voice beside him.

'I almost forgot, Adams does admire Professor Lockhart a bit—but this scene is certainly not offensive.'

Although William had heard many rumors about Professor Lockhart's terrible teaching and had personally experienced the professor's weaknesses in teaching, those rumors, and even the partially confirmed facts, were insignificant in the face of the scene before him where Lockhart and the Minister of Magic were chatting and laughing.

'You need to work harder, William. The effort you put into teaching is far less than what you're seeing now. Even if it's a huge difference, at least you shouldn't be getting crushed like this, right?'

Just as William made up his mind, the Daily Prophet staff who were with him started working, constantly adjusting their angles to film Lockhart's conversation with the Minister of Magic.

Dumbledore had already stood up from the stands, his face beaming with a smile, showing none of the expression that Professor McGonagall had rumored he'd been scolded for being wasteful. He extended his hand to Fudge.

"Ah, good day, Headmaster Dumbledore."

The Minister of Magic warmly extended his hand and shook Dumbledore's hand, smiling broadly.

The flashbulbs of the Daily Prophet's accompanying reporters went off like crazy.

Chapter 163 Even Those Who Don't Understand Quidditch Can Watch the Game

As the Minister of Magic arrived, William and the other two professors focused their attention—this was the most dangerous moment. If any student were to recklessly attempt something, the funding for their upcoming experiments would be in serious trouble.

There's no way around it; seniority is important in any job. We can't expect William and the other new teachers to just sit there while the deans stand guard in the back, can we?

'Nothing seems amiss—it appears the Minister of Magic's sudden visit has some advantages; at least the students who wanted to cause trouble had no time to prepare because they weren't given prior notice.'

William looked around and felt a little more at ease.

However, after he looked around, the Minister of Magic and the members of the Board of Governors had already taken their seats.

'Hmm, even in the magical world, it still feels familiar. Next, we'll introduce the guests, have the guests speak, the headmaster speak, and then proceed with the performance—'

William amused himself by making sarcastic remarks while pressing the lighter Singed had given him—whether it worked well or not was another matter, but it was definitely a good stress reliever. He couldn't just pop chocolate into his mouth whenever he was upset, could he?

But things quickly took an unexpected turn for William. Dumbledore said a few words, and then both teams came up.

"Hey Adams, isn't the Minister of Magic talking?"

"Of course not now. The Minister of Magic will speak after the competition is over. What's the point of talking about the welcoming ceremony if it's not finished yet?"

"And what about the board of directors? Will they speak after them?"

“The board isn’t speaking—” Adams glanced at William with a look that said, “Are you still half asleep?” “The board just needs to show up. The Daily Prophet will take a picture of it, and that picture will explain everything.”

"Hmm, I see."

William nodded—even though he didn’t understand a word of it.

As they spoke, both teams mounted their flying brooms and prepared for the competition.

'This lineup looks really reassuring,' William breathed a sigh of relief, finally putting his mind at ease.

"Professor McGonagall even asked me to move my detention time. I completely forgot! Those twins are contestants; how could they possibly be causing trouble?"

He finally understood where his previous unease came from—it was because he hadn't seen the Weasleys.

That being said, could this be the reason they were allowed to join the school team?

When important events are taking place, the two people need to prepare for the competition, so they won't play pranks, thus reducing the risk of the competition.

William silently complained—anyway, he didn't understand Quidditch very well, and his broomstick flying training hadn't improved due to all sorts of miscellaneous things. At present, he could only fly steadily, and he couldn't do any high-difficulty moves, let alone reach the level of broomstick competition.

But he soon discovered that his guess was wrong—even from his perspective as a complete layman, the Weasley brothers performed exceptionally well.

'But allowing people to hit each other with the ball in this competition is a bit too much. If someone really aimed correctly, they could break an arm in one hit, right?'