From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

William told only half the truth.

Aside from his self-study in Azkaban, he could be considered to have received almost no magical education. His current seriousness was not due to review, but rather self-study.

But this answer pleased Dumbledore.

The professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts—now called Wizarding Self-Defense Magic—is, in a sense, not far removed from Azkaban, since someone who doesn't understand dark magic simply cannot be qualified for this position.

Even if a wizard who is an adult and can support himself in the wizarding world is not very strong, he can still barely get close to this course. In particular, the curse that has caused the professor to leave the school, which has been impossible to get rid of, has made the selection criteria for the professor of this course much lower.

In such circumstances, a professor who was willing to work hard in teaching and was humble and not arrogant could hardly please Dumbledore—especially when compared to the newly hired professor.

"Here's the situation: when we were learning the course on black magic—oh, wizarding self-defense magic—we received a new job application from a wizard. Considering that it's really a bit much for one person to teach seven years (Note 1), we decided to accept his application."

"A newcomer?" William was taken aback.

Perhaps the professors' previous experiences of being injured the most made the school underestimate the curse, or perhaps the fact that the Dark Lord didn't resurrect greatly reduced the curse's power, but William knew very well that this course was now a deep pit, and whoever jumped in would be in trouble.

“I believe I am capable of this, Professor Dumbledore.”

William said sincerely.

If the curse's power were reduced if the other party came in, he might hesitate for a long time before refusing, but in the current situation, there's absolutely no need to drag others down with him.

“Of course I trust you, especially after seeing these documents on the table. But Professor McGonagall and I have discussed it, and if any other wizards are willing to try, we will not refuse their applications for the sake of the students—seventh-grade coursework would wear down a young professor.”

Dumbledore explained kindly.

"What about the curse? This isn't an ordinary position; every year, professors get into trouble because of the curse."

“In the past, we have tried everything to deal with the curse. Although we have not been able to erase it, we have done our best to reduce the danger. The new professor is just as aware of this as you are. The curse is not a problem.”

The curse you suffered has found a symbiotic partner; you have received a blessed chest.

There were no more excuses, nor was there any need for them—if he wasn't mistaken, Professor McGonagall should have been signing a contract with another applicant at the same time Dumbledore came to inform him.

Note: 1. Based on the widely accepted online course schedule, Defense Against the Dark Arts is basically one long class per week, lasting half a day. Each year is taught by two houses together, meaning each year needs a full day of class. Even if the seventh year is on internship and doesn't need to attend classes, and the sixth year is an elective course not divided by house, these courses still take five and a half days. Even if evenings are used, assuming three classes a day, eleven long classes would still take nearly four days. This doesn't include preparation time. In other words, including preparation time, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor needs a time converter to teach normally, which is even more demanding than working 996.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Bar Doesn't Serve Hot Chocolate

A vibrant green box slowly opened in the void, and a shimmering card popped out.

[The bewitching one of the curses; after the last curse completely killed the victim and backfired on the caster, this curse fell into a strange state, and the new cursed you confused the name of the cursed object. After a new cursed person became the target of this curse, the curse completely fell into chaos.]

Confusion (Passive): When there are more than two targets to curse, the Curse Kill effect cannot take effect, and all other effects are greatly weakened. This card is destroyed when the first victim of the curse in this round dies.

Is the second sentence unnecessary?

William pretended to be silent and opened the box immediately.

The result surprised him somewhat—the message that he had been cursed to death last time was completely different from what Dumbledore had told him.

The information he received before entering the school was that the most seriously injured student had been hospitalized for a year and a half.

The fact that the newly tricked professor wouldn't be cursed to death, and that the curse he received was greatly reduced, were both good things. However, he simply couldn't ignore the news that the curse was meant to kill the victim.

Feigning silence, he raised his head and casually asked Dumbledore:

"Professor Dumbledore, I'd like to know who my professor before me was. There are still many things I don't know, and I'd like to ask him some questions by owl—I hope he won't mind. Also, if possible, could you tell me how that professor died last year?"

As a successor, it was perfectly normal for him to consult with the former professor, but since the matter of the curse was a matter of life and death, he wanted to find out more about it.

Although it wasn't obvious, Dumbledore's expression changed several times, and after a moment of silence, he finally spoke in response to William:

"That professor from two years ago, I'll contact him after you arrive at Hogwarts to see if he'd like to contact you..."

As for last year, I originally intended to keep this a secret because it would cause panic throughout the magical community. However, I think we will encounter that person more and more frequently in the future. I believe, William, you will become our partner. I can tell you all this, but you must swear not to reveal it.

"Okay, I swear."

William held out his hand and pointed his wand at it—the concoction of some illegal potions on the black market often required oaths of varying levels of secrecy.

A pale yellow beam of light flowed, and after a vow to pay out three thousand Galleons, William received the answer he wanted.

"Your previous professor was Professor Quirrell. Unfortunately, he died during his term, but not because of the curse. He was killed by the one who released the curse."

"The liberator?"

"Yes, my former student, Voldemort, was furious that I hadn't hired him as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so he cursed the position. Although I have some knowledge of the Dark Arts, I'm not good at it, and I can't remove the curse."

William glanced at the Teka [Dumbledore the Dark Wizard] in his bag and gave up trying to interrupt.

"Wait, Professor Dumbledore, if I remember correctly, that Dark Lord was defeated ten years ago. How could he possibly appear at Hogwarts and kill the previous professor?"

“I said ten years ago that he would eventually come back. He bewitched Professor Quirrell and used him to infiltrate Hogwarts. After being defeated, he killed Professor Quirrell.”

William recalled the scene of Voldemort's rebirth that he had witnessed, and realized that Hogwarts was probably far more dangerous than he had imagined.

The Dark Lord, whom the Azkaban prisoners called the Mysterious Man, didn't secretly and meticulously plot his resurrection. Instead, he began attacking Hogwarts before his actual resurrection and ultimately succeeded in doing so. If William hadn't been cursed, he would most likely have escaped abroad.

"That's all I can tell you for now. Many things are just my guesses, and I'm still looking for evidence to prove them. I hope this information will dispel your doubts. Professor Quirrell's affairs cannot be disclosed to the outside world. I don't want you to think we've deceived you after you learn about him in the future."

"Dumbledore said sincerely."

"I will, Principal."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After seeing Dumbledore off, William spent an unusually long time in a daze.

There was nothing he could do; the information he had just received was too overwhelming.

Thinking about it carefully, he was just asking about the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Even if he wanted to talk about it, was it necessary to be so open and honest with a temporary professor like him?

Although bound by an oath, it was not worth Dumbledore's great effort to do something so unnecessary.

When you offer a gift, you must have something in mind.

According to what he learned from the prisoners and Old Tom, Dumbledore didn't have any granddaughters of marriageable age. So the only one who might need his help was the mysterious man's return, which Dumbledore supposedly predicted ten years ago.

This uninspiring speculation made him dislike the notes he had made on the table, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.

Now that he's been targeted by that troublesome curse, he's determined to kill Voldemort.

Even though the new card hinted at a nerf to the curse effect, he was still extremely cautious about the curse—nerf? What kind of effect would be considered a nerf?

Will I be in a wheelchair in my next life?

To have an arm or a leg permanently lost by dark magic?

Losing an ear or an eye?

Sorry, he's been enjoying using these organs quite a bit and has no intention of donating them just because some guy called the Mysterious Man wants to use them.

With that in mind, he decided to forgo his rest, turned to the page marked with a bookmark, and prepared paper and pen to continue studying.

Killing Voldemort wasn't just talk; although it was almost impossible to kill Voldemort through reading, reading could bring him closer to that mysterious man.

Then, relying on the system, relying on the prophet whose prophecy might come true at any time, and relying on the power of that first white wizard, they killed that guy named Voldemort.

"Dong dong dong."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, the door's unlocked," William called out impatiently toward the door.

No need to ask, it must be Old Tom.

Sure enough, the guy William pointed his wand at after the other person pushed open the door was Old Tom, who was coming for the fourth time—ever since discovering the curse, William had always pulled out his wand immediately.

The tea, hot chocolate, nuts, and other things that shouldn't be in a bar were all brought over by old Tom, just so he could see Dumbledore.

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore is gone?"

"Let's go, he might not be able to hold on much longer if we don't leave. You've managed to gather so many snacks at the bar, you're really something."

"Snacks? I almost forgot. The rest is on me. You can have your hot chocolate for ten dollars."

"The bar doesn't have this food; it's from another place."

William rolled his eyes at him.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Apparition Requires a Large Amount of Healing Potions

Although William still doesn't know who the wizard who was cursed with him was, the wizard had indeed done him a great favor.

Thanks to the other party, William was able to take a short break from his busy studies—although the bomb was still hanging over his head, having an extra layer of protection always made him feel more at ease.

After estimating that he could make enough to cover his first year's salary, William decided to focus his energy on magic, which he was most interested in.

Apparition.

Both its name and its effects are incredibly cool.

As a form of witchcraft that is only permitted to be used by adult wizards, this spell, which allows one to move almost unrestricted to another place in your perception, is frighteningly difficult to learn.

However, the rewards of mastering this magic far outweigh those of other wizards. Whether traveling or escaping, this spell is so excellent that it is beyond reproach. Its only drawback is that it is too difficult.

"You've been an adult for so long, and you still can't Apparate."

Old Tom, who had been dragged out by William, looked disdainful, but had no intention of going back—the bar was usually empty at two o'clock in the afternoon, and he often came out to sunbathe there.

"Look, this distance should be enough from here to there."

Old Tom muttered as he drew lines with his foot in the open space behind the bar.

"Keep your distance from trash cans and walls. I don't want my guests coming into my bar smelling like garbage."

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to kick the purebloods out, otherwise I'll file a complaint based on what you said."

William replied with a joke often used in prisons—most of the prisoners in the deepest parts of Azkaban are purebloods.

"You have too much prejudice against purebloods, kid. Bloodline doesn't determine whether a person is good or bad."

Old Tom used magic to conjure a rocking chair, lay down on it, and responded lazily, but soon after, he playfully told a Slytherin joke.

"But Slytherin is okay; there aren't many good people who graduate from there."

The two laughed together—Slytherin has three houses, so Slytherin jokes are always in high demand, especially in pubs.

"Alright, let's start training, kid. There aren't many white-haired guys in this bar, although I don't think you can even do the split-body part today."

"Goal, determination, composure—the three elements of Apparition. Spin around, kid."

Old Tom leaned back, and the rocking chair began to sway.