The dinner tonight was as sumptuous as always; the golden platters were piled high with sizzling steaks and tempting puddings.
William cut his steak absent-mindedly, his gaze glancing to his side at the Potions Professor's seat.
Snape was mechanically gnawing on a piece of dry, hard bread, his movements resembling a half-finished alchemy golem that hadn't been properly tuned.
"How is the inquiry about the Runespoor going?" William leaned in closer and asked in a hushed voice.
Snape's chewing paused; it was unclear whether he had choked or was pondering the question.
William very kindly handed him a glass of iced pumpkin juice, helping him catch his breath and clear his mouth.
After drinking the pumpkin juice, Snape's expression softened slightly, though it remained gloomy.
"I went to Knockturn Alley this afternoon," Snape said coldly, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "I asked quite a few shopkeepers who deal in black market goods, but regrettably, there were no results."
"Live Runespoors are a rarity even there." Snape frowned. "I only found a few snake eggs that looked like they had been sitting for a long time in one shop."
"Even so, that greedy shopkeeper jacked up the price on the spot, claiming that if I didn't buy at his price, they would soon be snapped up by another buyer."
"That statement is likely true," William nodded thoughtfully. "Runespoor eggs have always been hard currency in the market for brain-enhancing potions; supply never meets demand."
However, William wasn't anxious about this, nor did he plan to get personally involved.
After all, it was agreed back then that Snape would handle getting the mother snake, so he left full responsibility to him.
He had finally reached his two-day weekend break where he could properly recharge. Since he already had to spend one afternoon hosting those studious class representatives, he wasn't going to look for extra trouble unless absolutely necessary.
After the banquet ended, William didn't linger and stood up to return to his office.
As he reached the first floor, he saw the door to the caretaker's office open.
An exhausted figure walked out. It was Tonks, who had just finished her detention. She looked covered in dust and grime, her hair a dull, earthy brown.
Tonks touched her rumbling stomach and looked toward the Great Hall, harboring a sliver of hope that the feast hadn't completely ended.
Actually, given Hufflepuff traditions, she could totally sneak into the kitchen and ask the house-elves for some food.
But ever since she blew a hole in the kitchen wall last time and scared the house-elves out of their wits, she really didn't have the face to sneak back in for a snack.
While she was conflicted, she turned her head and saw William walking slowly toward her.
Tonks froze for a moment, her subconscious reaction was to say hello and then rush to the Great Hall. But just as they were about to pass each other, she suddenly remembered something important.
Her alchemy golem had turned into scattered clumps of clay in the previous explosion.
Dumbledore had used the Mending Charm to restore the common room, and those clay crumbs mixed with dragon dung had been magically fused into the castle walls, becoming a permanent part of Hogwarts.
After thinking for two seconds, Tonks stopped, stepped forward somewhat awkwardly, and greeted him.
"Good evening, Professor..."
"Good evening, Miss Tonks. It seems Mr. Filch didn't give you too hard a time?" William responded gently.
"It was okay, just polishing trophies was a bit tiring..." Tonks scratched her hair, her eyes darting around. "Um... Professor, could I apply to you for another golem? Mine... well, it's gone."
William naturally wouldn't refuse this request.
In fact, when preparing teaching materials, he had made more than the number of students in the alchemy class. He had long anticipated that some little wizards in this group would definitely scrap their golems and then brazenly come to him for new ones.
"Follow me."
William took Tonks to his private alchemy laboratory on the fourth floor.
Upon entering, Tonks was immediately attracted by the dazzling array of high-end equipment and various semi-finished alchemy creations. She couldn't help but click her tongue in wonder; this place looked much more impressive than their dated Alchemy classroom.
William walked to a storage cabinet and came back carrying a brand-new silver-grey golem.
"Take it."
William handed the golem to Tonks and said half-jokingly, "But if this one explodes too, and you come for a new one next time, I'll have to charge you the cost price. Trust me, it's not cheap."
"It won't! It absolutely won't explode this time!"
Tonks pouted and swore a solemn guarantee, though she felt a bit defiant inside.
She looked at the brand-new golem in her hands, then at the professor in front of her. Thinking about how William was previously a high-ranking Ministry official with a broad perspective—and since he looked young and not like those old-fashioned types—she made a decision.
After weighing it in her mind for a moment, Tonks decided to be bold.
"Professor, actually..." Tonks mustered her courage and explained her original concept to William in full detail: a plan to use the golem to replace Aurors, infiltrating and assassinating high-risk targets.
After finishing, she looked at William somewhat nervously, awaiting his verdict.
William didn't respond immediately. Instead, he rubbed his chin, seemingly in deep thought.
After a few seconds of silence, William finally spoke.
"This is a very bold and creative idea," William evaluated fairly. "If translated into practice during a brutal war, this kind of 'suicide attack' golem could play a huge role, perhaps even changing the outcome of local battles."
Hearing this, Tonks' eyes lit up instantly, her face beaming with joy: "Right?! That's exactly why I did the experiment! And the results that night proved that the explosion power is indeed very large; it even blew open the castle wall!"
"However..."
William's tone shifted, pouring a bucket of cold water on the excited Tonks. "There are also many limitations here."
"First, there would be many troubles in practical application. Currently, this type of golem can only execute simple infiltration and kill missions. But in this time of peace, what is the Auror code of conduct?"
"It is arrest and judgment, not summary execution," William looked at Tonks. "Even when capturing heinous Dark Wizards, the priority is to take them alive. Your self-destructing golem cannot achieve this at all."
"Secondly, assassination via explosive runes is too extreme and cruel. It causes not only the death of the target but likely affects innocent bystanders, creating massive collateral damage. This method would face tremendous resistance and moral questioning, whether in the Ministry's internal review or in the court of public opinion."
"Furthermore, during implementation, the golem is easily obstructed by terrain, counter-spells, and various magical traps. If it explodes halfway to the target, wouldn't you fail to achieve the desired effect and alert the enemy instead?"
Hearing this, the smile on Tonks' face froze. She recalled telling Mad-Eye Moody this idea two days ago; he hadn't supported or opposed it, just thoughtfully said he "would consider it."
It seemed Moody had the same concerns.
"Then... I can improve it!" Tonks said unwillingly. "The explosive rune was just a preliminary experiment. I can adjust it later..."
"Instead of obsessing over assassination," William interrupted her, offering his own insight, "why not change your thinking? Why not turn the research direction toward 'stealth reconnaissance'?"
"Stealth reconnaissance?" Tonks paused.
"Exactly," William guided her. "Currently, making a golem perform complex stealth arrests or combat is still quite difficult with our level of alchemy. But what if it simply acts as an 'eye'?"
"If it can achieve complete silence and invisibility, it can penetrate the most dangerous lairs on behalf of Aurors, listen for intelligence, map out areas, and even mark enemy positions." William smiled. "Wouldn't that be of much higher value to Auror operations than a giant firecracker that only knows how to explode?"
As Tonks listened, her eyes grew wider and wider.
That sounded logical! This really seemed to have potential.
"I understand," Tonks nodded heavily. "That direction sounds amazing."
"Then go back and try it," William assigned the specific task. "Go back and research the runic circuits first. Aim to make the golem's movement completely silent and achieve invisibility."
"Once you've achieved these two points, come find me again, and I'll help you plan the next steps."
"Okay! Thank you, Professor!"
Hearing that the professor not only didn't criticize her whimsical idea but actually expressed support and gave guidance, Tonks was overjoyed. Unintentionally, her dull brown hair turned a bubblegum pink.
Carrying the heavy golem, she agreed happily and left the laboratory with a brisk step.
Watching Tonks' retreating figure, William waved his wand to close the door, then summoned the system interface.
Intuition told him that if he could guide Tonks to complete this "Auror Reconnaissance Golem" project, it would be an opportunity to earn a sum of points in the "Special Contribution" section of the [Student Level] module.