Looking at the tattered Sorting Hat singing its terrible song, and the expressions of surprise or dismay on the first-years' faces as they put it on, William felt a wave of long-lost nostalgia.
Back then, he had sat down there just like them. The Sorting Hat had debated between Slytherin and Ravenclaw for quite a while before finally sorting him into the latter.
"..."
"Katie Bell!"
"Gryffindor!"
"..."
"Cho Chang!"
"Ravenclaw!"
"..."
After the Sorting Ceremony concluded, with the last first-year joining Hufflepuff, the applause gradually died down.
Albus Dumbledore rose from his high-backed golden chair. He opened his arms, beaming as if nothing pleased him more than seeing the students fill the hall.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I have a few words to say."
"First, let us welcome two professors who are joining our staff."
Dumbledore's gaze swept across the hall. "As Professor Quirinus Quirrell, who teaches Muggle Studies, has some personal matters to attend to and has requested a year's leave, this year, Professor Arif Sikander will be taking his place to teach the subject."
Not far from William, a wizard stood up and bowed somewhat formally to everyone. Applause rippled through the hall as the young wizards politely welcomed the new professor.
"Next..." Dumbledore's voice rose slightly. "I am also very pleased to introduce Professor William Shafiq."
"He was once one of our school's finest graduates. This year, he has agreed to my request and will serve as professor for both Defense Against the Dark Arts and Alchemy."
As William stood up and smiled at the students below, there was a second of silence in the Great Hall before enthusiastic applause erupted.
However, this applause was mixed with a great deal of whispering as many young wizards looked at each other.
"Two subjects?"
"Merlin, he's teaching two subjects by himself? Can he manage that?"
"Alchemy? That's a sixth-year subject, isn't it? I didn't expect him to know alchemy in addition to Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"See, I told you the information was reliable!" Percy said happily to his companions, pulling at them.
Meanwhile, William faintly heard proud voices from the direction of the Ravenclaw table saying things like "Professor Shafiq is from our house," which made the corners of his mouth twitch involuntarily.
Confirmed beyond a doubt: pure Ravenclaw.
Many young wizards looked at William with the gaze reserved for a "madman." Holding two positions, one of which was the compulsory Defense Against the Dark Arts for the whole school—this was extremely rare in Hogwarts history.
"Now, that's all the important news," Dumbledore said, seemingly satisfied with everyone's reaction. He sat down again and announced loudly, "Let the feast begin!"
The next second, the empty golden plates were instantly piled high with all kinds of food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steaks, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding...
As the enticing aroma of food filled the air, the gazes focused on William finally lessened. After all, for growing children, nothing was more important than filling their stomachs.
William looked at the sizzling medium-rare steak in front of him and felt his appetite surge.
He picked up his knife and fork, cut a piece, and put it in his mouth.
Still the familiar taste; still the familiar Hogwarts.
"Eat your fill, children," William thought silently as he chewed, watching the young wizards gorging themselves below. "After all, starting tomorrow, you might not be in the mood to enjoy your food."
The joyous feast ended quickly. Following Dumbledore's dismissal, the students stood up amidst the noise and, led by their respective house prefects, returned to their common rooms.
On the corridor leading to the Ravenclaw common room.
A few older students who had eaten too much were walking leisurely at the back of the group. Suddenly, one of them stopped and pointed to a shadow high up on the wall.
"Hey, look at that."
His companion followed his finger and saw a gray stone bust clinging quietly to the top of the wall amidst the flickering shadows of the torches.
It was expressionless, dusty gray, and looked completely unremarkable.
"Hogwarts actually got some new decorations?" The student frowned, examining it carefully in the light, then pursed his lips in judgment. "But honestly, the carving skill is really average. The features are almost blurred together. It looks less detailed than the armor over there."
"Maybe it's some ancient artistic style?" another student guessed.
However, not ten meters further, at the next corner, they saw an identical stone statue. Then, a few steps later, another one.
These statues were like some mass-produced cheap ornaments, appearing at intervals with absolutely no aesthetic appeal.
"Why are they everywhere?"
Someone couldn't help their curiosity and quickly caught up with the prefect at the front, Robert Hilliard, asking, "Hilliard, do you know what those stone statues on the wall are? Whose work is this?"
Robert looked up, appearing somewhat bewildered as well. He shook his head and said, "I'm not sure. Maybe Filch is up to something again, or it's a new arrangement from one of the professors. Never mind the stones; keep up with the group, and be careful you don't fail to answer the riddle and get locked out of the common room."
Meanwhile, in the staff dormitory.
William was sunk into a soft armchair, holding the surveillance book in his hands.
The pages were broadcasting real-time footage of various corridors. Watching the young wizards engaging in staring contests with the stone statues one after another, William found it very amusing.
"Be curious all you want, you little brats," he said in a good mood, closing the surveillance book and tossing it aside. "I wonder how long it'll take you to discover their real purpose."
However, this good mood lasted less than two minutes. When William picked up his finalized schedule for the term from the table, the smile on his face froze, replaced by a look of worry.
"Is this a schedule meant for a human being?"
By the candlelight, he saw the parchment densely filled with black ink.
From Monday to Friday, both morning and afternoon were completely filled with the words [Defense Against the Dark Arts].
After all, this was a compulsory subject for all seven years. Even if the four houses had joint classes, the workload was staggering.
And the so-called "only four classes" of Alchemy were squeezed into the slots where only Astronomy usually appeared—evening classes.
William's fingers trembled as he did a simple calculation.
This meant that from Monday to Thursday, he had to teach from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning until the end of the Alchemy class late at night.
Although there were no evening classes on Friday, the daytime Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were also fully booked.
The weekends were for staying alive, but they didn't entirely mean relaxation. Besides normal teaching, he needed to prepare lessons, grade hundreds of assignments, handle student disputes, create exam papers... Oh right, as an Alchemy professor, he also had to squeeze in time for experiments now and then.
William suddenly felt that the ominous nature of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position might not come from Tom Riddle's curse, but from the position itself.
Slap!
William slammed the schedule heavily onto the table, then fell back onto the large bed behind him, sinking into the quilt in a starfish shape.
Maybe he should stock up on some potions.
"Invigoration Draughts must be kept in stock to prevent sudden death on the podium; Calming Draughts and Elixir to Induce Euphoria by the dozen, to prevent a mental breakdown..."
Without potions to keep him going, William felt he might become the first professor in Hogwarts history to perish from overwork.
He certainly didn't want to go down in school history that way.