As time passed, the once empty and desolate castle gradually came to life.
By the end of August, many professors had ended their holidays and returned to Hogwarts one after another. The aroma of black tea and ginger biscuits once again wafted through the staff room.
William saw many familiar faces who had once taught him, such as the ever-cheerful Herbology professor, Pomona Sprout, and Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, who, despite missing an arm and half a leg, remained as enthusiastic as ever about dangerous creatures.
Of course, there were also colleagues William was meeting for the first time, like the Divination professor, Sybill Trelawney, who wore thick magnifying glasses and a glittering shawl, looking altogether like a giant dragonfly.
Upon meeting William, she immediately made a mystic pronouncement that he was "surrounded by a mist." William simply offered a few polite platitudes and didn't take her words to heart.
Soon, September 1st arrived.
As night fell, the familiar whistle of the Hogwarts Express sounded from the far side of the Black Lake.
Inside the Great Hall, thousands of candles floated in mid-air, illuminating the entire hall in golden splendor. The four long house tables were set with glittering golden plates and goblets, awaiting the arrival of the young wizards.
At the High Table, most of the professors were already seated. Only the massive figure of Hagrid was missing, as he was responsible for ferrying the first-years across the Black Lake.
William sat in the seat designated for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Coincidentally, the seat to his left belonged to the Potions professor.
At this moment, Snape had his arms crossed, his black robes wrapped tightly around his body. His greasy black hair hung down on either side of his cheeks, and his complexion was as sullen as if he had just swallowed a whole, uncooked toad.
From the moment William sat down, Snape stared at the empty plate in front of him, refusing to even glance at William. It was as if the person sitting next to him wasn't a colleague, but a cloud of polluted air.
William didn't mind in the slightest; he was even in the mood to pour himself a cup of tea.
Snape had possessed this twisted personality even back in school. If he had a falling out with someone, he would happily go a lifetime without speaking to them.
Aside from James Potter and his sworn enemies—who could prompt him to actively spew venom—his preferred method of dealing with others was the silent treatment.
Of course, this applied to equals. If a student provoked him, the consequences would certainly be more severe than mere silence.
So, William turned his head and chatted happily with Professor Sprout on his right.
"Oh, William, I never expected you'd come back to teach," Professor Sprout said with a kindly smile as she helped straighten William's napkin. "I remember when you were in school, you didn't seem to put much effort into Herbology."
"You always dressed impeccably for class, terrified of getting a speck of dirt on you. Yet to my surprise, you managed to get an 'O' in both your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s for Herbology."
"Just good luck," William smiled humbly. "Probably because I memorized the textbooks before the exams and reviewed every testing point carefully."
This wasn't false modesty on William's part; it was his honest opinion.
In his view, subjects like Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and even History of Magic—widely considered the dullest subject—presented absolutely no difficulty.
The habits of plants, their dangers, methods of care; the weaknesses of magical creatures, feeding taboos; the years of goblin rebellions, the clauses of signed treaties... These things were written plainly in the books, in black and white.
As long as one had a functioning brain, was willing to spend some time reading the book once through, and followed the professor's practical instructions in class, how could anyone fail?
Especially History of Magic—you didn't even need to wave a wand. The answers were all verbatim from the book. To put it bluntly, even a Squib could get an 'O' if they worked hard enough. Yet every year, plenty of students still managed to get 'P', 'D', or even 'T'.
Based on the past transcripts William had reviewed in the archives over the last few days, the exam performance of Hogwarts students was simply a mess.
"An attitude problem," William silently evaluated.
The young wizards' attitude toward learning was far too lax; they studied entirely based on interest. If they liked a class, they listened; if they didn't, they slept.
Changing this lazy school atmosphere certainly couldn't be done overnight. But for the sake of System points, improving their test-taking abilities was urgent.
"Especially the fifth and seventh years facing major exams this year..." William took a sip of water, a strict glint flashing in his eyes. "Luckily, the 'Pre-Exam Sprint' package I prepared for them will soon be put to use."
Not long after, the sounds of noisy footsteps and laughter drifted in from the Entrance Hall.
The doors to the Great Hall were pushed open, and the older students surged in like a tide. Friends separated for the summer excitedly huddled together, chattering away about their holiday experiences. The entire hall instantly became incredibly rowdy.
The professors watched this scene with smiles, making no move to stop the liveliness of the first day of school.
Soon, sharp-eyed students noticed the new face at the High Table.
"Hey, look over there." A Hufflepuff girl pointed in William's direction, lowering her voice as she spoke to her companion. "Who's that? The one sitting next to Professor Snape?"
"Must be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Her companion covered her mouth in excitement. "Merlin's beard, he's so handsome. Much better than the one last year."
"What use is being handsome?" A Ravenclaw boy nearby pushed up his glasses, analyzing rationally. "That subject is cursed. I hope this new professor is reliable and doesn't leave after a few months for some weird reason. I have my O.W.L.s this year."
Whispers spread among the four long tables.
Suddenly, at the Gryffindor table, someone voiced a suspicion: "Wait... why does this new professor look somewhat familiar? I feel like I've seen him in the Daily Prophet before?"
"Do you really not recognize who that is?"
A boy with red hair and horn-rimmed glasses straightened his back, speaking in a profound tone as if he held top-secret information.
"Oh, Percy, stop keeping us in suspense," someone urged. "Just tell us."
Percy cleared his throat, enjoying the gazes of those around him, and said reservedly, "That is Mr. William Shafiq. He was the former Head of the Committee on Experimental Charms at the Ministry of Magic, a true high-ranking official. My father mentioned him to me; it's absolutely true."
"Really?" someone asked skeptically. "Why would a high-ranking Ministry official come to teach?"
"Of course it's true!" Percy got a little agitated and turned to look at Charlie Weasley not far away. "Charlie knows too, right?"
Charlie was busy discussing the summer Quidditch matches with friends. Hearing this, he said without looking up, "Yeah, Dad said he was quite famous at the Ministry."
With confirmation, the young lions instantly exploded in chatter.
Soon, a belated gasp rang out: "Merlin, I remember now! Is he the one who... blew the Minister for Magic and the Senior Undersecretary up to the ceiling and left them as balloons for hours?"
"What? He inflated Fudge?"
"That's so cool!"
"I heard it happened not long before Fudge was elected."
Once this news was out, it spread as if on wings, the versions becoming increasingly outrageous.
Sitting at the High Table, William naturally noticed quite a few young wizards staring at him with surprise, adoration, or curiosity while whispering among themselves.
He calmly held his water glass, pretending not to see anything.
Soon, the doors to the Great Hall opened again.
Professor McGonagall led a group of nervous first-years inside. They stumbled in a line like a group of ducklings following their mother.
The Sorting Ceremony began.