William Shafiq walked in. Just as he lowered his gold pocket watch, which pointed to six fifty-nine, he noticed that the students he had invited were standing in a cluster, staring fixedly at the corner as if facing a formidable enemy.
Following their gaze to Otto, William spoke in a relaxed tone, "Oh, don't worry, he doesn't bite—as long as you don't try to pet the head on the right."
Seeing that the students did not seem particularly comforted by this statement, William waved his wand helplessly.
In the corner, Otto—snake, nest, and all—was instantly lifted into the air and deposited into a wooden trunk nearby. As the lid snapped shut with a thud, the young wizards finally seemed to relax.
"Alright, everyone sit down."
William pointed to the circle of chairs that had been arranged in front of his desk.
Only Charlie Weasley, as he sat down, continued to stare at the trunk with keen interest. He couldn't help but ask, "Professor, is that a Runespoor? I've seen illustrations of them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
"Good eye, Mr. Weasley." William nodded approvingly. "Yes, his name is Otto. Cool, isn't he?"
"So cool!" Charlie's eyes lit up; it was his first time seeing such a rare pet.
William smiled and waved his wand again. Several plates of exquisite tea snacks and a pot of steaming black tea appeared out of thin air on the table.
"Help yourselves. I just bought them from Honeydukes this afternoon. Don't be nervous; we're just here to chat."
William poured himself a cup of tea, signaling for the somewhat stiff group to relax. "I won't beat around the bush. I invited the seven of you here today because, based on my observations over the past week, in my opinion, you are the most outstanding students in each of your respective years at Hogwarts."
Hearing this evaluation, Percy Weasley instantly straightened his back, a look of reserved smugness appearing on his face as he even adjusted his tie.
While Cho Chang was surprised, a wave of happiness at being recognized welled up in her heart. She really hadn't expected to receive such high praise from a professor after only being at Hogwarts for a week.
The reactions of the others were largely similar, their faces showing varying degrees of delight.
However, William's statement wasn't entirely accurate.
Originally, he had planned to select students strictly based on the final exam results from the previous school year. However, Nymphadora Tonks, who had the best grades in the seventh year, was simply too busy lately. Between Auror training and detention for blowing up her common room, she was nowhere to be found.
So, William had settled for the next best thing and picked Charlie Weasley, whose grades were also among the best and who performed excellently in class.
As for the first year, since they had just enrolled and had no grades to reference, he simply relied on his intuition to pick a clever little witch from his own house, Ravenclaw.
"Since you are the most outstanding, I wish to entrust you with a special duty." William set down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over the group. "I intend to select one 'Class Representative'—or perhaps an academic monitor—for Defense Against the Dark Arts from each year."
"On a daily basis, you will be responsible for helping me collect and distribute homework, as well as assisting me with preliminary grading and recording."
Hearing that there was work involved, their expressions didn't change much. They sensed that there would be a sweetener to follow; the new professor surely wouldn't be brazen enough to make them work for free.
Sure enough, William continued, "Correspondingly, in return, I will set aside a fixed time each week to hold a seminar for the seven of you."
"Regarding any difficulties you encounter in your studies, whether theoretical or practical, or even if you have doubts about your understanding of magic, I will personally guide you."
This was a tangible benefit.
In a school where professors were generally busy, receiving private tutoring from a former high-ranking Ministry official and a double-subject professor was incredibly tempting for students who craved power or pursued high grades.
Watching the light flickering in their eyes, William took a sip of tea and added leisurely, "Of course, this 'Class Representative' status is not permanent. In the future, if other students perform better than you and apply for the position, adhering to the principle of fair competition, I will select the best candidate."
William wasn't worried about this point at all.
Although there were many slackers at Hogwarts, one could always find a few overachievers in every year. This was especially true for students in fifth year and above facing the pressure of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s; having a professor give them special coaching was an opportunity they couldn't ask for.
"Everyone here today is a top-ranking student. Coupled with the convenience this position brings, I believe that as long as you maintain a normal study routine, it won't be hard to keep your spot."
William put down his teacup and leaned back comfortably in his chair. "So, if you've thought it over, please raise your hand to let me know."
As soon as the words fell, fourth-year Percy Weasley raised his hand high, as if afraid someone would beat him to it. "I'm willing, Professor. This is exactly what I want to do."
Close behind him was second-year Cedric, who smiled and raised his hand. "I'm willing too, Professor."
Charlie, Truman, and the others also raised their hands in succession.
Cho Chang had wanted to be a bit more reserved—after all, she hadn't fully adapted to school life yet, and suddenly taking on extra responsibility made her feel she should consider it further.
But seeing everyone around her raising their hands, and remembering the professor's words about inviting "only the most outstanding students," her competitive spirit instantly took the upper hand, and she hurriedly raised her hand as well.
"Very good."
William nodded with satisfaction, his smile becoming a few degrees more sincere. "It seems I chose the right people."
Afterward, he briefly discussed the process for handing in homework and the specific time for their "private coaching sessions," gave a few instructions on things to note, and then waved his hand to dismiss them.
As the office door closed, the room returned to silence.
William let out a long sigh of relief and waved his wand to release Otto from the trunk.
"Finally done."
He felt light all over. Heaven knows, how could he, already tired to death, personally handle boring, repetitive, and meaningless activities like grading hundreds of homework assignments?
This class representative system was simply perfect: it stimulated the young wizards' competitive spirit and boosted their academic performance, while liberating him from the pile of homework. It was a win-win.
Or rather, he won twice.
"Why not do it?" William hummed a little tune, took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet under his desk, and prepared to reward himself.
Meanwhile, outside the office.
Marietta Edgecombe, who had been waiting in the third-floor corridor for a long time, checked her pocket watch again and stamped her foot anxiously.
Just as she was about to go to the office door to check the situation, a sound of light footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.
She looked up and was surprised to find her best friend, Cho Chang, walking over while chatting and laughing with a strange boy. The boy was tall and had a very sunny smile.
"We've already learned the Lighting Charm this week," Cho said, her smile looking radiant. "I think, following the order in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, we probably won't get to the Levitation Charm until Halloween."
"If you're ahead of schedule, Professor Flitwick won't mind giving you some extra coaching," Cedric said, tapping his wand lightly. "He has always liked smart students, and I'm sure you'll be very popular with him."
Seeing Marietta, Cho stopped and turned to say goodbye to the boy with a smile.
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Marietta leaned in curiously and asked, "Who was that?"
"Oh, that's Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff." Cho Chang's eyes were sparkling. "I just met him in the office."
"Just met?" Marietta looked at her friend suspiciously, then at the distant figure. "Why does it feel like you two are already quite close?"
Cho didn't answer the question.
She thought of the Levitation Charm from earlier, and that reassuring smile.
"Let's go, it's getting late. We should head back."
Humming a song in a very good mood, Cho Chang linked arms with her friend and walked briskly toward the Ravenclaw common room.