Who would have thought that a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher disappearing on the first day was already such an outrageous turn of events—yet in this small Hogwarts, another formidable individual has made his entrance.
Yesterday, the same someone had been ranting about the evil "wizard supremacists," calling Aurora a dangerous woman, and flaunting his righteous Auror lineage. Now, he's serving up a far more startling revelation to Ian.
"I really don't need my Hogwarts life to be so 'exciting!'"
After waking, Ian headed to the bathroom to splash water on his face, still unable to process the bizarre happenings of the day.
A worried William followed him in, looking panic-stricken. Standing behind Ian, he was at a complete loss, voice quavering with helplessness:
"Really, Ian, you have to save me. My dad hasn't spoken yet, but my mom's already given my bedroom to my younger brother."
The more William spoke, the more over-the-top it sounded.
"Wait, isn't your mother a Muggle?"
Ian recalled that, from their dorm introductions, William's mother was supposedly a regular Muggle who managed the family's day-to-day affairs.
How could a Muggle possibly throw in with radical wizards?
"My mom is Selma Göring."
Seeing Ian remain blank-faced,
he continued:
"Anyway, I'm not lying. After my family declined, she fled to the wizarding world. She only controls my dad because she's unbelievably extreme."
"She's even chopped off Dad's hands three times."
The green-haired boy's voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
"If I don't join your group, they'll absolutely kill me. My grandfather said last night they'd treat me like I never existed if I can't seize this opportunity."
"Even if an owl hopped on a broom, delivering the message right back to you, it couldn't be so fast,"
Ian retorted while brushing his teeth with a minty mouth-cleanser from Hogsmeade. It worked much better than his Muggle toothpaste.
In some ways, wizard society seems behind. In others, they've advanced to a stage Muggles might never reach.
Strengths differ.
"Grandpa has this Alchemical device,"
William went on.
He raced back to his bed, retrieving a small gadget. Ian, wanting to shut the bathroom door with his foot, discovered that William—moving swiftly—slipped in again through the gap.
"I need to pee,"
Ian said, mouth foaming with the minty paste.
"Oh, go ahead. Mine's smaller anyway,"
William remarked in all seriousness, apparently more desperate to show off his device than to maintain decency.
He clutched a palm-sized object resembling a pillbox. A small pill inside, when fiddled with, projected lines. Moments later, those lines faded.
"What is that?"
Ian asked, not trusting William's modesty enough to proceed. But the contraption did pique his interest.
[Alchemical Fundamentals (1),76/100]
[Alchemical Fundamentals (1), 76/100]
He had studied some of Mara's Alchemy, yet this device's methods clearly diverged from that system.
"A coded comms device?"
Ian could only guess, half speculating. The hush-hush style of the "little box" was extremely spy-like. His eyes on William grew wary. This family must be complicated indeed.
Sure enough,William nodded.
"Yes, I always assumed it was a standard piece of gear for German Aurors—a mission-communication aid."
"My dad, as an Auror for Britain's Ministry, doesn't have one... When I was small, I assumed German Aurors were way ahead of us Brits."
From William's mournful expression, it evidently was not standard Auror equipment. He never said so outright, but Ian already deduced the truth.
"So, your grandfather's actually a spy for that 'wizard supremacist group?'"
Ian guessed.
A cornered William, stuffed into the bathroom with him, widened his eyes and insisted:
"Shouldn't we call ourselves proud Saints? 'Wizard supremacist' is so easily misunderstood—"
This was the same boy who'd bandied that exact phrase the day before.
"But I'm not a Saint,"
Ian said.
William's eyes popped in alarm; he grabbed Ian's arm, clinging tight:
"Stop lying. You're so close to Lady Grindelwald. You must be a new-generation Saint, raised from childhood to assist her. Grandpa says you'll be at the center of power."
Apparently last night, William had spent hours huddled under the covers, communicating with family. Now he referred to "Lady Grindelwald" with reverence—clearly his family's mindset was quite extraordinary.
"Weren't you, just yesterday, calling Aurora a wicked woman?"
Ian reminded him, trying to pry free of William's grip.
"Right—Grandpa used to tell me all about Grindelwald. I assumed they were cautionary tales, but apparently they were reliving old glories."
William's world appeared thoroughly shattered. His mention of "them" revealed who the real minority was within his family.
"I don't think you're cut out to be a Saint..."
Ian said sincerely, patting his shoulder. If William had grown up hearing he must be righteous, yet remained rational until that morning, he was indeed something special.
A genuine talent!
"No, I want to join them. I barely slept,"
William insisted, perhaps wishing to prove he had no illusions about his family.
"Dad might be an Auror in the Ministry, but he constantly warns Knockturn Alley folks of raids,"
William confided in a whisper:
"Turns out he's not on the side of justice either. I used to wonder how we suddenly had money to buy me a wand..."
Ian realized:
They're truly enthusiastic about infiltration.
Even if impoverished, they still strove to be "insiders."
"You found out only last night? Couldn't your grandfather sponsor you?"
Ian asked, half in disbelief.
"At first, they wanted me to be the family's 'first do-gooder.' But after hearing about you, they changed their minds."
"Yes... Grandpa is an undercover agent for that group..."
William faltered a moment, face twisted with shame before continuing:
"But his insufficient magical prowess prevented him from joining the Saints, so now all his hopes rest on me to fulfill his lifelong dream."
He was apparently a fervent follower without official status. Europe must have gone mad in those days indeed.
"Fine—I can try drafting a referral, though I doubt it'll help. I'm really not any next-gen Saint. Aurora and I are simply likeminded friends—she's not planning to recruit."
"I honestly don't think she wants new Saints,"
Ian added, shoving William out of the bathroom,
Bang!
He shut the door.
"Thank you, Ian—your referral will definitely work!"
From behind that closed door, William's excited tone showed he was again full of life.
Only a door apart,
William still chattered in gratitude. Meanwhile, Ian found himself struggling—he suddenly could not pee...
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