HP: Professor From Azkaban

"Good morning, Professor."

"Mm, morning to you too."

Another unfamiliar student greeted him, and William returned a standard adult smile.

After Professor Lockhart's class was exposed last night, William suddenly became quite popular. Even though he had only taught one lesson and had barely interacted with the students outside of the opening ceremony.

But why were the younger students approaching him too?

You'll fall into my hands soon enough!

By the time William finally managed to sit down at the dining table, he felt his face stiff from all the smiling.

It's only been a few minutes!

Exhaling to release some tension, he relaxed his facial muscles and began piling food onto his plate.

Perhaps this is why older professors like McGonagall always keep a stern face. Smiling is far more tiring than scowling.

As he pondered whether to adopt a cool, aloof demeanor to reduce the frequency of smiling at students, Adams, smelling strongly of soil, plopped down in front of him.

The tall, slightly mischievous man slapped William's shoulder with a loud thwack and declared dramatically, "Merlin's beard, I'm alive! You have no idea how terrifying Professor Sprout was today. It took me nearly an hour to inspect the herbs the second-years planted yesterday, and during that whole time, Sprout didn't smile even once!"

"Was it really that bad? Professor Sprout seems like she'd have a pretty good temper."

"She usually does, but today was different. Lockhart went to the greenhouse this morning, saying he wanted to check on how the Whomping Willow was recovering after his 'help' yesterday."

"Huh?!" William couldn't help but exclaim.

Lockhart's lesson had caused such a mess just yesterday, and now he had the nerve to observe the Whomping Willow's recovery?

Is this the strength of a professional adventurer? No matter the setbacks, they always face life with optimism?

Apparently, Adams misinterpreted William's reaction, likely thinking he assumed there had been a conflict between Lockhart and Sprout.

"No, it wasn't a fight or anything. Professor Sprout is a very kind person, and she's always patient with students. But she doesn't like people who talk too much; She prefers those who focus on their work. And since Lockhart loves showing off, Professor Sprout isn't too fond of him."

Are you sugarcoating this?

From your description, Professor Sprout must have been stewing in frustration all morning.

Adams seemed torn, unsure of which side to favor; his respected Professor or his idol.

"Alright, stop dwelling on that. Professor Sprout definitely has more experience handling these things than you do. It's more important to focus on taking care of the herbs in the greenhouse."

"That's true. Professor Sprout has managed so many Hufflepuff students with no issues; this should be fine too," Adams replied, starting to make himself a sandwich.

"Oh, by the way, William," Adams casually dropped the title, "I heard from some students that you can make wands disappear just like that. Is it true?"

What kind of bizarre rumor is this? If I had such an ability, would I have stayed locked up in Azkaban for so long?

"Of course not! If the rumor was about the Headmaster, I'd believe it. Me?" William pointed to himself and spoke with confident sarcasm, "Someone like me? The Headmaster could take on ten of me without breaking a sweat. Do you believe that?"

"Well, that's what the students are saying. They're quite detailed about it too. Apparently, it's a hot topic among the upper years. They claim you made a wand disappear with ease."

Made a wand disappear?

The students said that?

Who's out here spreading such nonsense?

Then it dawned on William; the students must have exaggerated the incident where he disarmed a wand from a student.

After all, getting their wands snatched by a professor made them look foolish, but hyping it up as the professor being exceptionally skilled at making wands vanish with magic? That made the professor seem impressive and had nothing to do with their own carelessness.

Considering the homework he had assigned the day before, it wasn't surprising those stuck writing essays would embellish the story.

"Ah, the students just exaggerated. It was only a nonverbal Disarming Charm with a slight modification. They hadn't seen it before, so they were surprised. Honestly, it's nothing special." William decided against explaining it as a technique resembling theft, opting instead to brush it off. After all, the end result was the same.

"By the way, I didn't see you in class yesterday afternoon or evening. What were you up to?"

"Oh, late at night. I was with the seventh-year students. They said there was a batch of Udumbara flowers blooming in the greenhouse. You have to collect them at midnight for the best results, so I figured it was a good opportunity for them to witness something special," Adams said.

"The school greenhouse has something like that?" William's eyes widened in surprise.

He knew about the plant; it was a crucial ingredient in many advanced potions.

The Muggle world had its own myths about similar plants, though they were exaggerated, much like the tales of dragons. Still, this didn't diminish the value of this herb in the slightest.

"Of course, we do! This is Hogwarts, after all!" Adams replied matter-of-factly, his face brimming with pride. It was always more enjoyable to share stories with someone who understood their significance.

Indeed, this is Hogwarts.

Hagrid had bundles of wand core materials hanging in his hut, so it was only natural for the herbology greenhouses to cultivate rare and precious plants that were nearly impossible to find elsewhere.

"Could you sell me a bit? I'll pay the market price. Is it possible to get some?"

Even though they hadn't known each other for long, the allure of such rare ingredients made William cast aside any reservations about their lack of familiarity. After all, this kind of material was almost perpetually out of stock on the black market.

"Six flowers, max. Professor Snape and Professor Sprout need them too, so there's only a small amount left that can be sold to the market. Twenty Galleons per flower. I'll use the money to buy fertilizer and other supplies."

That was already an absurdly low price. On the open market, people would fight tooth and nail over it.

It was only then that William realized Adams wasn't just an ordinary teacher; he was likely one of the top herbologists in the entire magical world.

Maybe every professor at this school, except me, could rank among the top ten in their field nationwide; William thought to himself.

He then realized he really was just here to make up the numbers. Even if Professor Lockhart couldn't teach, he was still a first-rate adventurer.

"Professor William, what's wrong? Too expensive? Or is the quantity too little?"

"No, no, the quantity is more than enough. Actually, it's beyond my expectations. I just don't have enough cash on me. I'll head to Diagon Alley this weekend to withdraw some and settle it with you."

"Alright then. I'll set the herbs aside for you. There's no rush for the money. I won't need to purchase supplies until next month. As long as the accounts balance, we're good. If you don't feel like going to withdraw cash, you could just hand me this month's salary slip, and I'll handle it during my trip."

Adams's generosity only made William feel even more inadequate. Determined, he silently vowed to himself; I'll add more questions for the fifth years. I'll make sure they achieve great results and prove that I'm not just here to make up the numbers!

...

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