chapter 178 part 2
"You have to look on the bright side," William cajoled. "If they're expelled, how can you get your revenge? One month of toilets, without using magic, only cleaning agents. You can even set a quota in advance. If you think they're slacking off, you can scold them. Could you do that if they were expelled?"
"Besides, there's another month of other detention. Send them to Professor Snape to process Potion ingredients. Think about it, what kind of good treatment will Professor Snape give two Gryffindors? Then have them pile up Dragon Dung in the Greenhouse, or feed the creatures in Care of Magical Creatures class—in short, send them to do whatever is unpleasant. Isn't that much more satisfying than expulsion?"
"Think about it, Mr. Filch. With those two troublemakers, can they really stay out of trouble? Impossible. From now on, just keep a close eye on those two little rascals. Their detention won't just be for one or two months, but for countless two-month stretches. They're a long way from graduation. You can use any detention method you can think of to punish them. Whenever you get a new idea, you can try it out. Expelling them would be letting them off easy, don't you think?"
William's string of arguments wasn't particularly brilliant, but Filch's expression began to change.
Finally, he sighed. "Alright. They were controlled, after all. But their detention is under my supervision, right?"
"That's right, without a doubt."
"Alright then. Those two little rascals will remember these two months!"
Filch's expression turned a bit savage, making William silently mourn for the two boys—but there was no helping it. Even if they were controlled, hanging the caretaker was going too far…
"Alright, Professor William, thank you for coming to inform me. I'd like to be alone to think about the detention for those two."
William stood up to leave—expulsion and detention were worlds apart, and the caretaker needed some time to accept it.
---
"May I come in?"
"Of course, Professor."
The voice of the last student came from within the door.
William calmly opened the door, entered the room, and found a chair to sit on.
"Still can't remember anything?"
"Yes, Professor. I can't remember anything at all. The only thing I can recall is being in the office, waiting to receive the Diadem. At that time, I was still thinking about how magical its effects would be."
"It's more than magical, and not in the way we'd hoped." William gave a helpless smile. "There were quite a few students in the experiment. I just hope none of the other participants run into trouble, or things will get more and more difficult to handle."
"What month is it now, Professor?"
"Hm, the end of October. Nearly a month has passed."
"Not only did I not get any help from it, but I've also forgotten nearly a month's worth of courses…"
A look of deep regret appeared on Hermione's face—for a top student, wasting a month of hard work was no small matter.
However, not only could William not comfort her, but he also had to twist the knife.
"I'm sorry, but that's not all, child."
William folded his hands and lowered his head slightly. "Although the School Authority is already telling the other students that you were under control when you attacked your classmates, the matter obviously can't end there. You attacked almost half of the students in your year. Considering their friendships, you've likely offended the entire year, both boys and girls."
"That's nothing. We didn't talk much anyway."
Granger gave a scornful smile—it was clear that her relationship with her classmates was already poor.
Unfortunately, she was being too naive.
"This time is different from before. An act like dangling someone over a toilet is enough to make a mortal enemy of them, especially when it looks like you were lucky enough to escape punishment. They will retaliate, child."
"Then let them!"
"Relax, child," William wasn't angry. With this child's temper, he'd bet a month's worth of chocolate that she was targeted on a daily basis.
It's just that as a top student, she was well-protected by Professor McGonagall. If she weren't number one, her books and notebooks would have probably all gone missing.
"School bullying isn't just about them ignoring you, not playing with you, or badmouthing you behind your back. They will be far worse than you can imagine," William said, handing her some chocolate. "Eat something. Calm down."
"Fortunately, you have two very good friends, but they can't always help you. After all, they're boys, and there are some places they can't easily go."
William's tone was gentle.
"Do you have any female friends you're close to?"
"No."
A blunt reply—clearly, the one answering didn't like the answer herself.
"Then find Ginny Weasley. That's your friend Ron's sister."
William crossed his arms. "She was just discharged from the hospital and has almost no memory of life at Hogwarts. You two have a connection, so it's a perfect opportunity for you to help her get familiar with the school, help her with remedial classes, and so on. You can complement each other."
"Complement each other?"
"At the very least, in the dormitory or other places, she can buy you enough time to draw your wand and prevent something more terrible from happening. You wouldn't want to be ambushed somewhere with a Petrification Charm and then have a crowd gather to watch, would you?"
William chose his words carefully, trying not to provoke the child before him.
He had heard stories in Azkaban. Someone was ambushed in the lavatory, and their body was floated out for everyone to see. Although the culprit was severely punished, the victim would have been shamed into dropping out if they weren't so thick-skinned.
"That won't happen to me!"
Miss Granger had quite a temper.
"I believe you're a good fighter, child. Not everyone can easily take down half a year's worth of students. But there are always times when you can't draw your wand, not to mention when you're asleep at night."
"That's why I suggest you take on a detention for yourself—cleaning the corridors, making sure everyone sees you being punished. And after you're discharged, apologize to everyone in the Common Room. A top student like you, willing to let go of your pride, would generally be forgiven."
"Time will help wash away some of the resentment, and you can probably return to your previous quiet life—"
William rambled on. "Of course, this is just the humble suggestion of a professor. It's the best method I could think of."
"I don't want to apologize."
"Which is why it's just a suggestion." William smiled, took a large handful of chocolate from his pouch, and placed it on the table beside the hospital bed.
"One should always bring something when visiting the sick, though I didn't have time to go buy anything."
"In any case, I hope you have a smooth recovery and can enjoy your school life."
William waved and took his leave.
After closing the door, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He had done his best to mitigate the aftereffects of the Diadem. He hoped everything would turn out alright…
(end of chapter)