HP: Professor From Azkaban

Three cards; while the effect of the first one wasn't particularly obvious, the second and third cards were astonishingly powerful.

If it had been an ordinary wizard, they would most likely have chosen the third card right away; a life-or-death card that exuded sheer strength. But William, on the other hand, knew the formula for brewing Felix Felicis. Even if the brewing conditions for Felix Felicis were twice as strict, its effects would still be worth the effort.

More importantly, learning the formula was a one-time thing, but Felix Felicis could be brewed repeatedly. Even with its severe side effects, it could be used again after six months or a year. Not to mention, William could sell the potion through his previous channels and exchange it for a large amount of Galleons.

However, the third card was undeniably strong; irrationally, overwhelmingly strong.

Even if it was just for one strike.

William hadn't fully mastered silent casting yet, let alone wandless casting.

Moreover, based on the description, this card was another one with no upper limit, something that could always serve as a trump card in any situation.

Compared to the potential high returns of the second card, the third card offered almost no economic benefit; it couldn't be learned, couldn't produce anything, and couldn't be used to build connections. On top of that, if even one extra enemy were present, using it could lead to immediate failure.

William listed out a myriad of flaws, then shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth to keep himself from regretting the decision as he chose the third card.

Though it had a pile of drawbacks, its sheer strength was undeniable.

Having made the difficult choice, William finally calmed down from the near breakdown he'd suffered earlier due to the two students who had skipped the school train and chased after it instead.

Looking on the bright side, he wasn't the Head of House. If he was already this upset, he couldn't imagine how Professor McGonagall would feel; would she suspend the two kids upside-down in her office for two days?

Thinking along these lines, William felt his mindset grow much calmer.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. The cool breeze near the platform gradually carried away the last traces of his frustration.

There was at least some good news; although the two students hadn't stayed where they were supposed to and waited for the school to handle the matter, they weren't too far from the train. At least they had been located.

Since he didn't have the means to fly, William decided to resort to the final solution; return to the school and leave the two troublemakers to their Head of House to deal with.

This was one of the perks of having the school at his back. When a situation exceeded his ability to handle, all he had to do was report it, and someone else would take over the headache.

That left just one last little problem.

What to do with the troublemaker trailing behind him?

Considering the high likelihood that she would cause problems on the return trip, he figured he'd better deal with it in advance.

***

William turned around and looked seriously at the Gryffindor girl he theoretically wasn't supposed to know.

"Hello, young lady of Gryffindor. We seem to have encountered a slight problem. Although you didn't see the letter, I can recount the matter for you here. I hope you'll patiently listen to the entire explanation."

"Mmph! Mmph!"

It was an energetic response, but William decided to ignore the girl's attempt to communicate her desire to speak.

"From what I know, your two friends, after failing to board the school train, chose to use a flying car to get to the school. Unfortunately, it seems they didn't consider bringing you along."

"Mmph!"

It was probably meant to convey 'don't try to sow discord' or 'I wasn't planning to join them anyway', but William didn't think it was important.

"According to the letter from the Ministry of Magic, they are now firmly following the school train. As for us, we've missed the train entirely, so shortly, we'll use the Floo Network to travel to Hogsmeade, the village closest to Hogwarts."

"This will be a long journey, and since you had the courage to sneak off the train, I felt it necessary to explain everything to you in advance. You left the train to look for your friends, but now that their location has been confirmed, there's no way you could catch up with them, not even if you managed to conjure a flying broomstick out of thin air."

"But if you obediently return to Hogwarts, you'll have the chance to reprimand the two of them in person for their reckless behavior."

"Besides, you don't have a wand. While you're with me, I can explain if any magic is used, but if you act on your own, any use of magic will trigger a notification, and you might even get expelled from school."

"And of course, the most important thing; given how quickly you left the train, you probably don't have much cash on you. Even if you do, there's no transportation--"

William suddenly paused mid-sentence.

He had just remembered the Knight Bus, a reliable option he often overlooked.

Compared to the Floo Network, which could easily get people lost, the Knight Bus was far more dependable.

Realizing this, he stopped explaining and raised his wand instead.

The Gryffindor girl, who had been eagerly waiting to speak after being silenced for nearly half an hour, looked at the wand with hope.

However, the professor's wand didn't cast any spell right away. It hovered in midair for about a minute.

Then, with a loud bang, a gigantic purple bus suddenly appeared in front of them.

"My apologies, young lady," William said with a sheepish smile. "Ever since I learned Apparition, I almost forgot; there's no need for Floo Powder when we can use the Knight Bus to get to Hogsmeade."

He looked genuinely apologetic.

The truth was, his last experience on the Knight Bus had been so unpleasant that he had subconsciously disregarded it as an option. But compared to the risks of using the Floo Network, the Knight Bus was a safer and more reliable choice for him; at least there was no risk of losing a student halfway through the journey.

Although it was highly unlikely, considering the adventurous spirit of the girl behind him, William didn't want to take any chances. If something akin to a London Great Escape happened, he'd be laughed at before he even truly started his job as a professor.

"Hogsmeade Village, two passengers," he said. Ignoring the murderous glare from behind him, William cheerfully addressed the Knight Bus conductor.

"What's this?" The conductor, Stan Shunpike, curiously glanced at the furious student behind William and raised an eyebrow.

"Hogwarts is starting up again. She ran off the train, so I'm taking her to school," William explained.

"Gryffindor?"

Shunpike asked in a tone that was half-surprised and half-admiring, as if marveling at why he hadn't thought of doing the same back in his school days.

"Yes, Gryffindor," William confirmed, inwardly lamenting how Gryffindor's reputation seemed to precede them. He then pointed happily toward the distant seating area.

"Go sit over there like a good girl. The Knight Bus is much faster than the Hogwarts Express, so we'll be there in no time." Of course, it's also much bumpier.

He kept the latter part to himself.

Once the reluctant young Gryffindor shuffled off to her seat, William patted Shunpike on the shoulder and asked, "Long time no see. How've you been lately?"

"Not bad. And you? Out from… that place?"

"That place?" William feigned surprise.

"You know, Azkaban."

"Ah, didn't you realize I was joking?"

"Joking?"

"It was just a joke. Surely you didn't take it seriously?"

"And now?"

"Me? I'm a professor at Hogwarts."

William noticed the look in Shunpike's eyes clearly saying; There you go, bragging again.

"Sigh, working on the Hogwarts Express as a train attendant. A student ran off, and here I am handling it," William said, suppressing the pang of guilt as he lied to Shunpike once more.

....

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