Hagrid rushed over enthusiastically, grabbing Ron and placing him on the bed with the ease of handling a small chick.
Isn't one of Hagrid's punches likely more effective than a normal wizard's Stunning Spell?
With that thought in mind, William waved his wand to clean the bucket of spiders and other unidentifiable objects.
"Professor, is Ron going to be okay?"
Seeing William start tidying up, Harry couldn't wait to ask.
"He's fine. He just vomited too much, so he'll need to rest for a bit to recover."
Although the curse that had caused it theoretically should have only left Ron weak in the legs, it seemed the boy had fainted from either pain or fright. Nevertheless, William kindly withheld the truth; letting the boy sleep a little longer wouldn't do him any harm. Vomiting for so long was undoubtedly exhausting.
The Professor's assurance allowed the two nervous children to relax, though they soon found themselves feeling awkward. At the beginning of the school year, the trio had even celebrated the fact that this Professor wouldn't be teaching them Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Fortunately, William quickly broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Although you're not my students, I'm still curious; this curse is far more humiliating than harmful. On an adult, it would warrant a duel at the very least. What exactly happened that someone would resort to such a malicious spell?"
Making someone vomit slugs was far worse than just telling them to eat dirt. To some people, the curse's effect was akin to shoving a handful of filth into their mouth or smashing a dung bomb directly into their face.
It was, quite literally, making someone spew filth from their mouth. For anyone with a shred of dignity, such an insult could escalate into a life-or-death duel.
The two children, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again. After all, this Professor was known for docking points and handing out detentions across grade levels without hesitation!
Harry had heard the Weasley twins complain more than once about how Professor William had lured them out of the Hog's Head Inn, beaten them up, and then sentenced them to detention. The man's reputation was terrifying.
"It was Malfoy!"
Harry blurted out the name of the instigator as quickly as possible, then proceeded to recount the events of the morning at a rapid but crystal-clear pace.
"…"
"So, what you're saying is that this Malfoy fellow started the conflict, used extremely insulting language, and then Ron attempted to retaliate with the curse?"
William folded his hands and quickly recalled the name Malfoy. If memory served, this boy had always been at odds with Harry, hadn't he?
During the Triwizard Tournament, hadn't Malfoy even made a bunch of 'Potter-Stinks' badges?
"Hmm, this Malfoy fellow doesn't get along with you? He's academically successful but resents you for stealing his spotlight?"
"What are you talking about, William? Hermione's the top student in their year! She's universally recognized as the best!" Having placed the unconscious Ron down securely, Hagrid chimed in upon hearing William's question.
William noticed Hermione's face reddening. Apparently, Hagrid's words were true?
"It seems grades aren't the issue. Hagrid never lies. Though it might be a bit early to ask kids your age, I have to ask. Did you steal Malfoy's girlfriend?"
"Hahaha!" Hagrid let out a hearty laugh, stopping only when Harry's clearly embarrassed expression became too obvious. "William, Harry's only twelve years old."
"So what if he's twelve? Don't underestimate kids these days," William replied with a grin, countering Hagrid's remark before turning his attention back.
"If it's not about grades or a girlfriend, could it be because his family background is better, and he was once a popular figure at school, only to have his fame completely overshadowed by you?"
William noticed Harry showing signs of discomfort but still reluctantly nodding.
"Don't like the attention? Take a page from Professor Dumbledore. If he cared that much about fame, he'd probably be stricter than Professor McGonagall. Can you imagine how terrifying that would be?" William teased, making a light jab at their Headmaster.
Hagrid, leaning closer, tried not to laugh but ended up making a sound like air hissing out of a tire.
"So, to summarize, Malfoy was jealous of you, started something, and then Ron's curse backfired due to his own wand?"
"That's right, Professor."
"Then Ron was in the wrong here," William concluded.
"Professor?"
"Knowing his wand is faulty, why didn't he grab someone else's wand? From what you described, he was standing right next to you, wasn't he?"
The two children stood there, stunned. Is the professor suggesting how to properly start a fight?
"Look at your wand," William said, gesturing toward Harry's wand, which could easily be pulled out. "See how easy it is to get? You're friends, and he must have known that using your wand wouldn't cause any issues. Then, while everyone's distracted by the commotion, he could've used a Levitation Charm or something similar to cover it up and quietly slipped your wand back to you, all while pretending his own wand malfunctioned."
"Ahem ahem..."Hagrid coughed twice, snapping William out of his train of thought.
This wasn't Azkaban, where he could casually boast about how to land punches in a fight. This was a school, and he was supposed to be educating young minds.
Teaching students how to commit offenses more effectively? Absolutely unacceptable. As a professor, he should never be condoning fights.
"Of course, we're just speaking hypothetically. Fighting among students is never a good thing, especially considering how strict Professor McGonagall is with her own house." William quickly backpedaled.
"And you're lucky the curse didn't hit its target. Otherwise, if the victim reported it to a professor, the one who started the fight would definitely end up in detention. At most, you can only argue back verbally—"
Halfway through, William caught himself.
Back in Azkaban, the prisoners had plenty of creative ways to hurl insults, especially the former Hufflepuffs. With their sheer numbers, they had mastered colorful comebacks that could earn applause.
But as a professor, he couldn't use or teach those kinds of words.
It was frustrating.
William discreetly rolled his eyes. Three little Gryffindors who didn't even know how to insult someone properly. Same with the prisoners in Azkaban; always resorting to fists instead of words. Why not learn to exchange insults like civilized people?
"Anyway, what's done is done. It's unlikely Malfoy will go tattling to a professor. After all, no one actually got cursed. You've managed to avoid detention this time."
William finally managed to steer the conversation back on track, only to see the kids across from him looking utterly dejected.
"I still have detention tonight," Harry muttered.
Well, so much for conversation...
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