From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

“Don’t be so angry, Filch, it’s not good for you,” William said as he passed by. “Just handle it the way it is. Those stories are just meant to make you angry. If you get too angry, you’ll fall for their tricks.”

"So, Professor William, you're pleading on their behalf?"

Filch stared at William like a goose guarding its food.

“Of course not,” William removed one hand from the book to indicate his innocence—if you’re caught talking badly about someone, you should accept the punishment. “Just please take care of yourself; you’ve only just been discharged from the hospital.”

"I'm in great health, enough to catch a hundred more brats like that!"

Filch announced this with a hint of skepticism.

"That's good. Please go ahead. They should be aware that they missed the party anyway."

William gestured and waved goodbye, showing no intention of saying anything more—putting himself in Filch's shoes, he felt he would be even angrier, so he could understand Filch's attitude.

-

Something still doesn't feel right.

William threw down the book in his hand, feeling a terrible headache coming on—the results of the investigation into those who had used the crown were in, and just like in the previous experiments, there were no problems.

He had witnessed it firsthand and reviewed Professor Snape's memory, confirming that nothing was wrong. Now, Professor Snape has reopened the investigation, and even Dumbledore may be involved, yet they still haven't found anything.

'Even curses leave traces; how could one be so miraculous as to leave no trace?'

"Moreover, the simultaneous onset a month later, and the fact that it only affected three students, is simply unbelievable—the Weasley brothers are already fourth graders. If they were controlled, why didn't Percy find any trace of it in his memories?"

'It's definitely not just a matter of magic. Even curses can be misdirected; who could activate them so precisely, almost simultaneously?! What on earth is hidden in that crown?!'

Thinking about this, he even felt a little resentful towards Ms. Helena, who had given him the crown—the lady hadn't even said a few words before continuing on her way, and hadn't even clearly explained who had given the crown to her before, just as ridiculous as she had been in the past.

'Before he died? Right, that blood-man Barrow!'

William suddenly remembered what Ms. Helena had said: to tell Barrow he deserved it.

Hopefully, we can get some useful clues from Barrow—he was sent by Ravenclaw to bring back her daughter; maybe he knows something…

'Oh right, I have an invitation to attend today! I'll go see Barro then!'

The long-planned itinerary flashed through William's mind. He had promised to attend this dinner long ago—and had even invited Ginny.

'I just happened to bring it with me.'

-

"professor?"

Ginny cautiously asked the professor beside her—although she had been discharged from the hospital, she still had no recollection of Hogwarts.

"Oh, what's wrong, Ginny?"

William snapped out of his reverie and responded to the little girl beside him.

Honestly, after serving his sentence in Azkaban, he felt he had become brave enough to face anything with ease when he arrived at Hogwarts.

Even encountering a ghost at Hogwarts didn't make him even flinch.

Compared to that damned Azkaban, even ghosts seem kind and lovable. A transparent, talking ghost is a million times cuter than those gray-skinned creatures.

But today was different. Although there was a living person next to him, he felt as if he were walking on an ice cave.

The small, dark candles, glowing with a bluish light when burning, filled the entire corridor. Their faint light did not even provide illumination when it shone on one's face; instead, it created an extremely gloomy atmosphere, reminiscent of classics like The Ring and The Haunted Village.

'It's not the environment, it's just really cold.'

As he took a step, the chill made William feel increasingly uncomfortable, but also increasingly clear-headed.

'Damn it, I forgot, it's a banquet, a den of ghosts!'

While these ghosts combined weren't even half as frightening as Azkaban, the combined chill was undeniable, instantly reminding William of the recent rainy season.

'There are still students around, we can't back down!'

William tried his best to maintain the perseverance he had shown in class, and casually popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth—freshly delivered by an owl.

"Want some, Ginny?"

"Thank you, Professor," the girl said, taking the package, quickly tearing it open, and stuffing it into her mouth. "It really works! Thank you, Professor."

[You have gained the approval (admiration) of a magical creature, and have received a treasure chest x1]

...

Why is this child so honest?

William could probably guess what the child was thinking—she must have sensed the chill he felt, and after eating the chocolate, the chill disappeared, so she naturally assumed the professor had given it to her specifically…

'I wonder if it's too late to go back and have another batch of students come over one by one?'

This thought suddenly popped into William's mind and wouldn't go away.

But that's all we can do. We're already here, we can't just leave the first-year students in this haunted house and then go find someone else, can we? This house really is haunted!

Besides, this child has just lost a large part of his memory and was just released from the hospital; other students might not be so honest…

"Professor, are those ghosts very fierce?"

"It depends on the situation. If someone had a good temper before they died, their ghost will likely have a good personality after death. If someone was vicious before they died, they probably won't be much better off afterward. By the way, remember not to say the word 'death' later, and don't ask about other people's cause of death abruptly. Some ghosts are wary of that."

William was halfway through his sentence when he remembered the most important thing and began to instruct the girl beside him.

"Okay, Professor."

Ginny nodded repeatedly. "Hermione never talks to me about this. She always thinks I'm stupid..."

...

William was somewhat speechless at Granger's antics.

This is a partner I specially found for you who might become your friend. What is that kid thinking? He says all sorts of nonsense.

"fool?"

"Yes, she tutored me, catching up on the lessons I missed in first grade, but she went through the material too fast..."

Ginny said in a wronged tone.

...

Okay, I misunderstood that child—she was probably making friends in her own way, even if it wasn't the right one.

"Wait, there are footsteps!"

William pulled the little girl beside him behind him and pointed his wand forward.

Even if he weren't the professor of self-defense, he would know very well that ghosts don't make any footsteps. Today is Halloween Eve at Hogwarts, and the school is very lively. Apart from him, who is investigating the matter, and Ginny, the unlucky girl who is looking for her memories, who would not go to the party and instead wander around?

After casting the spell on the shoe and confirming that no sound was heard, William cast the same spell on Ginny.

"Stay behind me and don't leave my sight."

He whispered words of comfort to Ginny, then ran quickly forward—today he either had to catch the culprit or send the students to Filch for solitary confinement; there were no other options.

-

"Why is it you guys?!"

William exclaimed in surprise, withdrawing his wand from its attack stance and adopting a more convenient one.

The three short people in front of him were clearly lower-grade students, but even before William saw their faces, he could tell who was who from their voices—'You three all have to check in at the place where the Hogwarts incident happened, right?'

"Hello, Professor."

The three greeted each other in unison, their movements a little awkward.

"Tell me, why aren't you going to the party tonight? What are you doing in the underground classroom?"

William stared at the three men—if these three unlucky kids claimed they were there to investigate a case, William would definitely give them a taste of solitary confinement.

He was truly cursed, and he knew what it would be like to investigate this thing a little deeper.

“Um, Professor, today is the anniversary of my death, and I promised Nick I would.”

Harry mustered his courage and answered.

Nick?

William remembered the banquet host whose name was incredibly hard to remember…

What Nick was it again?

“Okay,” William said, pretending not to have thought about it, “Looks like we’re in the same boat. I’ve been invited too—Ginny, come here for a second.”

Ginny, who had been hiding in the back, ran over quickly.

"Wait, didn't you say tonight's party was very important, so you didn't really want to attend the make-up class?"

Hermione looked puzzled.

"Um, I made an appointment with the professor to come and retrieve my memories..."

Ginny ran over, her voice lowered, her eyes darting around, but she stopped mid-sentence—she had lost her previous liveliness and become incredibly shy.

William glanced at her, puzzled, then noticed she was staring at Harry every now and then…

What is this!

I'm here to conduct an investigation, not to film a melodramatic prime-time soap opera!

You're only in first grade, don't think too far ahead!

Also, what do you mean by not wanting to participate in tutoring anymore? Didn't we agree to come and help you improve your memory?

So you've forgotten?

There were so many flaws that William didn't know what to complain about for a moment.

Hermione, however, didn't notice anything amiss. Although she initially seemed to be questioning Ginny, she ended up having a pleasant chat with her. As for the other two, they seemed more like explorers, walking at the front and even appearing to be leaving William and the others behind to go their own way.

Are all Gryffindors like this?

A question mark popped into William's mind—but he didn't have the energy to care anymore. As they went deeper, his discomfort became increasingly difficult to suppress.

"Harry, don't worry now, with the professor here, we can have some fun!"

Ron and Harry whispered to each other, their earlier fear of this ghost feast completely gone—what was there to be afraid of with the professor around?