From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

Before William could react, the office lights went out—only the fireworks swirled and leaped in the air without stopping.

Then the situation got out of control, and the students started attacking the fireworks above other people's heads, and then, when they fell, they used the "Clear Water Like a Spring" technique to shove them in the face.

Who splashed water on me?

"Damn it, who stepped on my foot?"

"Alas!"

"Hurrah!!!"

……

A jumble of noises filled the room, and fearing something might happen, William simply used the "Clear Water Like a Spring" technique without any control—a huge jet of water began to rush towards everyone under his control.

After estimating that he had rinsed everything once, William shouted loudly into his throat.

"Everyone is forbidden from casting spells! Stay where you are! What just happened will be forgiven, but anyone who casts spells after this will be locked up in solitary confinement!"

First, calm them down—the proportion of these kids is too high. If we don't tell them to drop the matter, they might gang up and make a big scene. If someone gets hurt, it will escalate even further.

A minute later, after hearing some movement, William used a stream of clear water to make a circular cut around what he guessed was the chest area.

This method was exceptionally effective, and the crowd quickly quieted down.

"Next, everyone must remain in place, refrain from making any unnecessary noise, raise your wands, and use Glow Flash—"

Theoretically, lighting all the candles with a wave of the hand would be the optimal solution, but William couldn't do that, so he had to settle for second best.

The numerous fluorescent lights provided a great light source, and with everyone crouching down, William could clearly see that everyone was safe and sound—if anyone was injured, it was because he had splashed them with the clear water.

"The group on the far left, stand up and line up in order. The rest of you are not allowed to make a sound!"

William began to take charge; the most important thing at the moment was to get all the students out. This wasn't too difficult, though; his authority was sufficient, and he could ensure communication with everyone.

"Second pile, get up and head towards the door!"

……

A line of people left, and the Weasley brothers were prominently featured in the middle of the line.

Don't act impulsively just because you promised not to pursue the matter...

William shook his head and waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

Then, the chattering students outside became several degrees more excited.

It's clear that everyone had a great time because of the final big show.

'Of course, except for me.'

William lit a candle and examined the scene by its light—it was, without a doubt, a complete mess.

"My dinner party!"

Chapter 135 Mr. Filch Has Gone Mad

On Monday of the last week of September, William arrived at his classroom looking sleepy.

This weekend was not good—not only did the investigation make no progress, but the banquet I was looking forward to was ruined by the two Weasleys.

Although he was essentially freeloading off Adams and the school in every way, this was indeed the first party he hosted as the protagonist.

'Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore, it gives me a headache!'

William yawned and began tidying up his lesson plans and other things—it had taken him more than half a day to clean up the mess from Saturday's banquet, and with his regular exercise and self-study time, he had gone to bed very late after reviewing papers.

'Stay strong, William!'

William put down his lesson plan, rubbed his palms together, and then vigorously rubbed his face with his slightly warm hands.

William, you need to pull yourself together and face your students. If you don't care, how can you expect them to care?

While encouraging myself, I popped a mint into my mouth; the slightly stimulating coolness chased away the last trace of drowsiness.

William strode to the classroom door and began waiting for the students.

'Hmm, the Weasleys' performance on Saturday was supposedly based on Professor Lockhart's first lesson—were those elves really that dangerous?'

'Never heard of them—do they have some other magical ability besides causing trouble?'

With his expression remaining normal, William's thoughts began to race—he hadn't even had time to go to the restaurant that morning, just grabbed a quick sandwich before coming over, and now he finally had time to think about what had happened on Saturday night.

'You need to restrain William. The weekend is over, and it's not something we can do now to tighten their lockdown...'

The magic bell promptly disrupted William's chaotic thoughts.

But to everyone's surprise, no students came.

Did I get the class schedule wrong?

William hesitated for a moment, then quickly confirmed that he hadn't misremembered.

'Did I inform the students in advance that this class would be changed to a practical lesson?'

No, where are they?

Several thoughts floated up and fell in William's mind, leaving him momentarily confused about what he was thinking.

'It can't be that the students are on strike, can it?'

A bad thought suddenly popped into my head and, along with my heartbeat, rode the roller coaster.

'That's not right—sixth graders don't have much homework, and there aren't any tests. Fifth graders didn't boycott class, so why are sixth graders boycotting?'

After telling himself to stay calm and observe what was happening, William took several deep breaths to compose himself.

William walked a few steps toward the oil painting not far away and politely knocked on the surrounding wall, waking up the person who was still catching up on sleep.

"Good morning—excuse me for interrupting, do you know what happened at school?"

The soldier in the painting rubbed his eyes and shouted angrily, "I only slept for a little while, and you—"

“Oh, Professor, I’m sorry, Professor, I didn’t know it was you. I was on duty too late yesterday, and Mr. Filch was worried something might happen, so he instructed some of the painters guarding the main roads to keep watch.”

"Keep watch? Keep watch is useless. The other side is either invisible, knows how to use illusion spells, or knows some strange secret passages. We've investigated several times and found nothing. No matter how hard we work, it's pointless."

But these words obviously cannot be said to the soldiers who have been on guard all night.

"You've worked hard. So, what interesting things happened at school today?"

"Something new?" The soldier thought for a moment. "Nothing much. The students just finished eating, and even the most mischievous troublemaker wouldn't have the energy to do anything on a Monday morning. Oh—Professor, your students have arrived."

"Yes, I heard you. Thank you. Please continue to rest."

William waved goodbye and then walked quickly toward the corner of the corridor—being late for class on Monday was somewhat forgivable, but being late as a group was going too far.

-

"That wretched Filch!"

"And that cat!"

"That's right—even my dissenting opinions were confiscated, what about yours?"

"Posters, brochures, and a book called 'Walking with Meiwa'."

"This sounds a bit like one of Professor Lockhart's books—wait, 'Walking with the Messe'?"

"Don't make a fuss. I put it in that pile of books, and I didn't write my name on it."

A low chuckle came from the boys, earning a barrage of eye rolls from the girls walking behind.

There's no way around it; boys can just write their names anywhere, while most girls have to compare their signatures with those of other students to see if theirs is as fancy as theirs.

"Good morning, Professor!"

The boy at the front gave a loud greeting, causing the girls behind him to squeeze past him.

-

"So, you think it's unfair?"

After listening to the students' statements for a long time, William finally understood what these sixth-grade students were trying to express.

The situation they encountered was roughly as follows: after obtaining the consent of the principal and the four deans, Mr. Filch blocked everyone who was about to attend class at the entrance of the cafeteria and checked them using a detector.

Logically speaking, this shouldn't be a very serious matter. Although it's a bit out of line with William's usual habits, the wizarding world generally wouldn't object.

But Filch went a bit too far today; he confiscated all non-textbook publications, including periodicals, illustrated magazines, pamphlets, magic books, and everything like that.

The items that were seized were allowed to be left with the individuals' names and were returned after passing inspection—which is why students who are usually punctual for class are collectively late today.

William finally understood why Mr. Filch had been so adamant about catching the man during Saturday's conversation.

'He probably spent the whole weekend trying to persuade the principal to accept this. I don't know why the principal agreed to something that's clearly against the rules.'

He now sincerely wanted to apologize to Mr. Filch—although he still felt Mr. Filch was unfit to fight, there was no doubt that this move was quite brilliant.

Putting aside whether this matter is in accordance with the rules of the magical world, his decisive action far surpasses his, and his use of the rules is far better than his.

Unless the other party can recite all the contents from memory, Mr. Filch will most likely take away the book containing forbidden knowledge today.

'People who readily believe what they read in a book or magazine are unlikely to be willing to throw valuable documents back into the break room.'

'Of course, it's most likely a book; magazines aren't that easy to fool. Hagrid's rooster is safe—well, he ate it faster than the students killed it.'

This news truly relieved William, and he was even a little impatient to go see the administrator to see what he had confiscated.

"professor?"

The students interrupted William's thoughts, staring at him with curious eyes—well, the aftermath of the hat incident last time.

No student would like such a near-body search; they probably want to repeat the Gryffindor hat incident from last time.

'hiss'

William felt a slight headache.

Chapter 136 The Good Moments Ended When Weasley Wasn't Met

William had no intention of inciting students to riot at the school castle and then seeking personal gain.

He had only heard of similar unconventional tactics, but he had neither the experience nor the desire to do so.