Chapter 38 Written: Hogwarts. Read: Trouble.
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
Time flies when you're busy.
Making plans, obtaining and organizing past exam papers through various channels, buying new books, practicing magic—a whole pile of tasks fell upon him, keeping William's schedule packed.
In between, Hagrid came to the pub for a drink twice, and the month of preparation slipped by.
During this period, William did look for a house a few times but failed to find a suitable one—fireplaces connected to Hogwarts were closely monitored, and most people were unwilling.
Fortunately, a letter from the School Authority arrived, stating that a resting room would be prepared within the professor's office. Although it wasn't large, it would suffice for a temporary transition.
Seeing that time was running short, William simply gave up on his house search, planning to settle in at the school for the time being before considering renting a place off-campus.
On the last day of August, William completely abandoned his schedule, had a good round of drinks with everyone at the pub, then woke up punctually at eight the next morning. He smiled as he bid farewell to the friends he had made and settled his bill with Old Tom.
"Finally willing to come out of that little room of yours?"
"If you were willing to sell it, I wouldn't mind buying."
"Get outta here. If I were to sell, it'd be because I can't work anymore. Until I can no longer lift a goblet, nobody should even think about getting their hands on this pub."
"Wouldn't that take another seventy or eighty years? I'll definitely consider it when I retire from Hogwarts."
"Retire—alright, alright. Be careful at Hogwarts, and remember to come back for a drink when you're on holiday."
"You got it. See you around, then?" William ignored the half-sentence that was swallowed back, waved at Old Tom, and walked straight out of The Leaky Cauldron.
——
Using Muggle currency again was a novel experience; the Pound Sterling didn't bring William much of a sense of familiarity.
No Wi-Fi, no mobile phones. People on the subway held books, their journeys utterly dull. Having just left the Magical Society, William was already feeling nostalgic for it.
After finally reaching King's Cross Station, William got off the subway as quickly as possible and entered the station.
Yes, though it was a bit embarrassing, William had brazenly asked the School Authority for a train ticket.
He had no choice. Although he had mastered Apparition, considering the curse on him, William would absolutely not use his still-unpracticed Apparition over such a long distance.
Floo Powder was fast, but after his last trip to Hogsmeade, he had decided that if he had a choice, he would resolutely avoid this mode of travel, which was even worse than the Knight Bus.
The Hogwarts Express was free and comfortable, and also very safe. Aside from being a bit slow, William really couldn't think of an excuse not to take the train.
Pulling his trunk and humming a song, William began to look for the platform.
"Nine... ten... it's this way."
Noticing that no one nearby was paying attention, William walked quickly into the wall.
He subconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a whole new sky appeared before him.
A deep red steam engine was parked beside an empty platform. A sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, 11:00.
"So this is the Hogwarts Express? Not much different from a regular train."
After a quick glance and having reached his conclusion, William headed directly for the very back of the train.
He had arrived a bit early and hadn't slept well after drinking the night before. In theory, the rear of the train would stay quiet longer, which was a perfect opportunity to lie down for a while.
He took off his hat, covered his eyes with it, and fell asleep leaning against the chair. He vaguely heard the noisy chatter of a crowd at some point, but William simply ignored it until an anxious voice sounded in his ear.
"Wake up, Professor, wake up."
*Who's a professor? Don't bother me. I drank too much last night, and I still have a bit of a headache.*
William waved his hand away irritably.
The voice paused for a moment, and then William felt a small hand tentatively pushing his arm.
"Professor?"
*Professor? Who's a professor—oh, right. I am.*
He shook his head hard, trying to shake away the darkness before his eyes, only then remembering that he had placed his hat over his face.
Reaching out a hand, he removed the hat. The glaring light made William shut his eyes again.
Using the hat to block the light a little, he noticed that the ones trying to wake him were two students from the lower years.
One with brown hair, one with red hair. Both wore anxious expressions.
"What is it? Run into some trouble?"
William remembered his duties as a professor and asked patiently, without a trace of grumpiness from being woken up.
*They've probably lost something, or perhaps some students are fighting on the train,* William speculated.
"My friend and my brother didn't make it onto the train," they said in a rush.
*Didn't get on? Missed the train?*
"Don't panic, speak slowly. Weren't you all together? How are you sure they're not on the train? Have you checked if they're in another compartment or just playing a prank on you?"
William's string of questions flustered the little red-haired girl; she was so anxious she didn't even know how to explain.
The other, in contrast, was still thinking logically.
"I boarded the train early, but she—" the brown-haired girl pointed to the other, "—her family arrived a bit late, so they entered the station just as time was running out. But my two friends were at the very back and didn't come through the passageway before the train started moving."
"Have you notified the School Authority by owl?"
"We haven't had time yet. I found the conductor, and he said there was a professor at the back of the train, so I ran to find you."
"First, use an owl to notify the school. Tell Professor McGonagall that two new students have been delayed. I'll go to the station myself and see what's happened."
William put on his hat and stood up.
Apparition was forbidden on the Hogwarts Express. He would have to speak with the conductor to have the train stop temporarily, then return to the platform and go back through the wall to see what had happened to the two who missed the train.
"Wait, Professor, can you take me with you?"
"You go send the owl. I'll handle the matter of those two students."
William refused her. If he had an owl of his own, and if there wasn't a place to rent one on the train, he would have preferred to send the letter himself.
Having refused the hindrance, William strode directly toward the front of the train.
But just as William got off the train, watched the Hogwarts Express depart, and was preparing to Apparate, the girl from before appeared, running.
"Sorry, Professor. I told the conductor you agreed to take me to find my friends. I'm sorry, I'm just really worried about them."
The brown-haired girl said this with an apologetic smile.
She was quite cute, and her smile was very innocent.
But no matter how William looked at it, something felt off.
Beneath that smile, those two slightly-too-large front teeth gradually transformed into a single word.
Trouble.
William suddenly felt a tinge of worry about his future teaching career.
(end of chapter)