From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

Are you kidding me? A problem that's been bothering me for a week was solved with just one search?

Professor McGonagall was equally stunned.

"Miss Weasley? She made it?"

"Of course, Professor. The child honestly told me everything and said he was willing to take responsibility for his mistakes, accept three months of confinement, and spend all his free time helping Hagrid."

"But she didn't say anything when she left Professor McGonagall's office not long ago—"

“You scared her, Professor. There are some things she only wants to talk to Professor McGonagall about, and your presence frightened her so much that she dared not say anything…”

Filch shook his head smugly; judging from his expression, he'd probably open a bottle of wine to treat himself soon.

'How was I supposed to know she was planning to turn herself in? The way she was acting so suspiciously, it wouldn't be a problem if she were trying to sneak into Professor McGonagall's office.'

William grinned speechlessly and spread his hands.

"Then what's the reason? She couldn't possibly have wanted to attack and kill the rooster for no reason, could she?"

"I'm sorry, Professor, I can't tell you that. I swore an oath that although she made some mistakes, her motives were forgivable."

Mr. Filch had the expression of a learned scholar who had seen through the vicissitudes of life.

This prompted William to secretly extend his wand.

"Professor McGonagall?"

William turned his head and gave Professor McGonagall a questioning look, but as he turned, a Stunning Spell flew out and hit the old administrator.

Professor McGonagall's timely spell caused the administrator, who was falling backward, to float in mid-air.

“You’re being too impulsive, Professor William.”

Professor McGonagall spoke in a slightly reproachful tone as she helped the unconscious administrator to a chair.

'You cooperated quite well too…'

Suppressing his urge to complain, William quickly walked over to the administrator and began to examine the room carefully.

Although he was severely unbalanced in magic, he had managed to handle the current situation, as it was one of the lessons he had prepared.

After a quick and abrupt examination, William looked up in confusion.

"No, it doesn't seem like a confusion curse, nor does it show any signs of being controlled by a spell like the Imperius Curse."

"Are you sure, Professor William?"

Professor McGonagall stared at William with a hint of surprise.

"It shouldn't be. I don't know the Imperius Curse, and all my knowledge of checking for signs comes from books—you know, Professor, checking for the Imperius Curse is inherently difficult, relying entirely on experience and subtle signs; otherwise, it wouldn't be the Unforgivable Curse. Just in case, you should check it too, Professor."

Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment before taking on the task—the Imperius Curse was a very important incantation, and she had to verify it. Each Unforgivable Curse was practically equivalent to a life sentence for Azkaban.

"No, there isn't."

After a careful examination, Professor McGonagall also looked up in confusion.

Then the two of them stared at Filch at the same time.

If you're not under the Soul-Stealing Curse, why are you behaving so strangely?

Chapter 138 The Game of Hide and Seek Begins

"If we can't detect it, then we'll have to ask Professor Snape for help."

Professor McGonagall frowned and suggested a name that William had anticipated.

'As expected, Professor Snape is widely recognized as a top student within the school.'

“Oh, Professor, we also need to keep an eye on Miss Weasley. If Mr. Filch is being controlled, then she—”

William was stumped; he didn't know how to describe it.

If the other party is a suspect, Filch, who is suspected of being under control, claims that Ginny Weasley has admitted to all her mistakes and is willing to accept punishment.

If you say it's not the other party, then all the suspicions point to Miss Weasley. Could it be that the other party controlled Filch to smear him? What kind of behavior is that?

It's very difficult to pronounce.

“Well, I’ll send a house-elf to watch over Mr. Filch and notify Professor Snape to come and examine him—Professor William, could you come with me to Hagrid’s house?”

"Of course, Professor, you think I'm well prepared."

William smiled and bowed in response.

-

"The Weasleys' little girl? You mean Ginny?"

Hagrid scratched his head. "I haven't seen her. I haven't seen her all day. What, did she do something strange?"

'Will Hagrid be controlled? I don't think so—and defeating a half-giant to test him seems like a pipe dream.'

William's hand hovered near his wand, but he ultimately abandoned the tempting idea in his mind—Professor McGonagall probably couldn't control a half-giant even if she tried; their magic resistance was too high.

Giants, magical creatures, are generally considered to be of low intelligence within the Ministry of Magic, but in reality, they're much like berserkers in games—completely immune to control effects…

Just as he hesitated, Professor McGonagall asked a rather terrifying question in a deliberately casual tone.

"Hagrid, what do you think if Albus decides to take over the Ministry of Magic today?"

"How could that be, Professor? You must be joking, Professor!"

Hagrid's eyes widened to a point that frightened William, and his loud voice caused the nearby cabins to tremble—clearly, Professor McGonagall's question had terrified him.

"Of course, I was just joking because you seemed to be in a bad mood."

The professor responded in a rather strained, lighthearted tone—the previous joke hadn't scared William, but this one really did.

But the joke was a bit lame, and the three of them looked at each other, none of them intending to laugh.

In the end, William chuckled awkwardly and tried to smooth things over.

"Um, Professor, since Miss Weasley isn't here, shall we go back to the castle and look for her? And while we're at it, let's also see what Professor Snape's investigation has to say?"

“That’s how it should be,” Professor McGonagall nodded, turning to the game field guard. “Hagrid, I’ll leave the Forbidden Forest to you. If Miss Weasley tries to come here or enter the Forbidden Forest, notify me immediately.”

"Of course, Professor, you can always trust me."

Hagrid's smile returned to normal—when Professor McGonagall told corny jokes, the half-giant looked so embarrassed he seemed to want to smash a tree in to relieve the awkwardness.

-

"Is Hagrid alright, Professor?"

On the way back to the castle, seeing Professor McGonagall's unusually relaxed expression, William couldn't help but ask her about it.

“It’s alright. If he’s under control, the answer will be either unwavering support or utter chaos. Hagrid trusts Albus just as Albus trusts him.”

William had heard of this theory before—regardless of the type of control spell, it either completely negates the other person's will, forcibly suppressing and controlling their actions with one's own magic, or it awakens the other person's subconscious and then influences their actions through the parts that the other person will not resist.

However, this method is almost useless for judging whether a person is being controlled. You can't see into someone's heart. Who knows what a person's true thoughts are, or what kind of question will awaken the part of the other person that they care about most?

Only Hagrid could ask such a question; the same method wouldn't work on Mr. Filch at all.

“Let’s head back to Filch’s office first. We can ask Professor Snape about the results of his investigation—hopefully he can bring us some good news.” Professor McGonagall arranged the itinerary as she walked briskly. “Afterward, I will instruct the portrait painters and prefects to search for Miss Weasley within the castle.”

“She might not be in the castle. I think we need to seal off the entrances and exits,” William added, speculating. “There are also secret passages; some of the castle’s secret passages lead directly outside the school.”

“This can probably only be done once Filch confirms that it’s not under control—many secret passages are only known to the administrators.” Professor McGonagall raised a hand and rubbed her forehead. “Attacking the administrators first is to buy time for escape; this is not a strategy that a first-year student could come up with.”

“One Weasley causes more trouble than the other,” William chimed in, “no matter how much.”

“Professor William, your view of those twin brothers is too one-sided—Bill and Charlie are both quite good…” Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, then realized that there seemed to be no problem.

Bill was excellent at interpersonal relationships and academically, while Charlie was an exceptionally good Seeker, even possessing national team potential. In Percy, their grades were good, but the students' opinions of them weren't so high. The twins were considered walking lawbreakers, Ron drove his car into a tree, and the youngest, Ginny…

"You see, right? Luckily, they didn't send any more children in."

William joked casually—what he feared was the unknown; once the murderer emerged, even if he couldn't handle it, he could completely rely on Headmaster Dumbledore. Did they really think the title of First White Wizard was meaningless?

The joke lightened Professor McGonagall's mood. "But Gryffindor isn't just about the Weasleys—the Owl House is almost here. Professor William, you should go back to the castle and find Filch. Once you've confirmed that he's out of control, have Filch set about sealing off the secret passages in the school."

"Should we have the students return to the lounge to wait?" William decided to play it safe—after all, Ginny might have taken down Filch, so her fighting ability was still commendable.

Professor McGonagall pondered for a moment and quickly gave her answer.

“No need, Professor William. If we have to close classes for this kind of emergency, Hogwarts will be unable to continue operating. We would have to close for half the year.”

Yeah, if first-year students get into trouble and have to be suspended from school, then those kids locked up in William's office could create three more summer vacations for the school...

"By the way, Professor William, I need to send a letter to Hogsmeade Village and ask them to inform the prefects to begin the search within the castle."

“No problem,” William waved and walked toward the castle.

The deduction game is over; now it's time for hide-and-seek.

Chapter 139 Weasley vs. Weasley vs. Weasley

"Go up the stairs—but why go up the stairs?"

"I shouldn't care about that. Eighth floor, I need to go to the eighth floor."

"Rooster, blood, that's right, it's resurrection, resurrection."

"Blood, eighth floor, resurrection?"

"The tapestry on the eighth floor, who am I?"

"Go around? Why should we go around?"

Countless conflicting thoughts swirled in Ginny's mind. She couldn't even tell who she was or what she was supposed to do—she just felt like she should be familiar with these things, but in reality, she wasn't at all.

After wandering aimlessly around the eighth floor, she grew tired of her current actions.

But a voice kept telling her that she should continue.

A door appeared on the wall as she was hesitating, and she instinctively walked in, continuing to walk steadily forward under the guidance of the voice in her mind.

“Take it, it is your most beloved treasure, just like you have in the past, just like you have picked it up in the past, pick up your most beloved treasure.”

Yes, that's mine. I discovered it when school started. It's the most precious treasure in the world. I used all sorts of methods to gain divine insights from it and mastered precious knowledge that others could never even imagine.

It started when school began. I've secretly walked this road countless times, haven't I?