Early the next morning, a brand-new notice was posted on the most prominent notice boards in the common rooms of each house.
The content of the notice was brief, essentially stating that several new regulations regarding alchemical items had been added to the school rules. For instance, "It is strictly prohibited to use any alchemical items to assist in casting magic in corridors, staircases, or public areas," and "Alchemical golems are restricted to use within classrooms or practice grounds designated by professors," among others.
In summary, the school's stance was clear: actions that wizards were previously forbidden from doing personally under school rules also constituted a violation if one attempted to do them indirectly by exploiting "loopholes" through alchemical items.
However, most students merely treated it as a curiosity, glancing at it briefly before moving on.
After all, students who would actually debug golems in the corridors were few and far between; these new rules had no impact on the daily lives of the average student.
Time passed quickly, and the weekend arrived.
On Sunday afternoon, the village of Hogsmeade near Hogwarts was bustling with activity.
William had received an invitation from Professor Flitwick to join a few familiar professors for a drink at the "Three Broomsticks."
The gathering had originally been scheduled for Saturday, but considering William had to host the study committee members on Saturday afternoon, Professor Flitwick had thoughtfully rescheduled it to Sunday.
When William pushed open the heavy oak door of the Three Broomsticks, which served as a barrier against the wind, a warm scent of Butterbeer wafted toward him, accompanied by the din of voices.
At a round table in the corner, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Snape were already seated.
"Oh, William! Over here!"
Seeing William approach, Professor Flitwick shifted over to make space, smiling as he spoke. "As soon as I saw that paper aeroplane fly into my office yesterday, I knew it must be your reply. I must say, it has a very distinct style."
"It's mostly because I spent some years at the Ministry of Magic; I got used to that method of communication," William said as he sat down in the empty seat. "Compared to owls, it's more efficient over short distances."
"We haven't been here long either," Professor McGonagall said with a hint of regret. "We originally invited Pomona as well, but the batch of Venomous Tentacula in Greenhouse Three is teething these past few days. She's been tending to them day and night and really couldn't get away."
After chatting for a while about trivial school matters, the conversation naturally drifted to the copy of the Daily Prophet lying on the table.
In a corner of the front page, a regrettable piece of news was published.
"I heard it was an accident while experimenting with spells?" Professor Flitwick pointed at the report, his tone heavy. "Right near Ottery St. Catchpole."
"Yes," Professor McGonagall sighed, speaking with lament. "That's the old Lovegood family. His wife passed away in the accident."
"It's a pity... I heard their daughter was right there when it happened," Professor McGonagall shook her head, a trace of compassion in her eyes. "Poor little girl, only nine years old, witnessing the entire accident of her mother's death."
William glanced at Snape, who was sitting to the side listening without speaking. Just as he was debating whether to join Flitwick and McGonagall's discussion on the safety of spell experimentation or to start a new topic with Snape, a curvaceous and attractive figure walked over.
"Professors, would you like anything else?"
Madam Rosmerta, the landlady of the Three Broomsticks, approached. She skillfully refilled their drinks, and when her gaze turned to William to ask what this unfamiliar guest would like to drink, she suddenly paused.
"William... Shafiq?"
Rosmerta called out his name, then laughed in pleasant surprise. "Merlin's beard, I didn't expect to see you here. I remember you went to work at the Ministry of Magic after graduation?"
"Long time no see, Rosmerta." William nodded with a polite smile. "I've resigned. I just returned to Hogwarts to teach this term."
"Oh? It seems you two know each other?" Professor Flitwick interjected with interest.
"Of course we do."
Rosmerta smiled, clutching her serving tray to her chest as she recalled, "Back then, I was just a barmaid here, having just graduated and started working not long before. At that time, William was considered one of the most prominent figures in all of Hogwarts—handsome and with excellent grades. I often saw girls gathering together just to discuss him."
"We chatted a few times back then; you could say we're old acquaintances." Rosmerta winked at William.
Hearing his former star pupil being praised, Professor Flitwick immediately puffed out his chest with pride. "Naturally. William was the most excellent student in Ravenclaw at the time... no, perhaps the most excellent student in all of Hogwarts."
"Filius, the evaluation of 'most excellent' is still somewhat debatable."
Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses. Although she wore a smile, she clearly wasn't prepared to concede on this topic. "Don't forget, Gryffindor was teeming with talent back then; there were quite a few excellent students."
"That's true," Rosmerta seemed to have her memories triggered as well. She looked out the window and sighed, "I had just started working then, so I have a particularly deep impression of the students from those years. I remember those few from Gryffindor... James Potter, and Sirius Black."
"They were discussed very frequently among the students. Every time they came to the pub, they were noisy, but they certainly drew attention."
"And Potter's girlfriend at the time, who later became his wife, Lily Evans... That girl's red hair and green eyes were the most recognizable I've ever seen, and her personality was very likable too..."
"Ahem."
William acutely sensed the drop in air pressure. He couldn't help but look toward Snape.
The latter's face appeared somewhat gloomy, one hand gripping his empty glass tightly, seemingly unnoticed that the contents had already been drained.
Rosmerta evidently hadn't noticed this and was still rambling on about the past. After a moment's thought, William decided to step in and smooth things over.
"Actually, Slytherin also had many famous students back then," William said.
Rosmerta was sidetracked by William's words and followed the memory: "Oh, yes, I remember Lucius Malfoy; he was a prefect at the time."
"And..." She struggled to think of other names from Slytherin.
"Of course, and Severus," William reached out and patted Snape's stiff shoulder, smiling as he spoke. "His attainments in Potions and Dark Magic... Defense Against the Dark Arts, were beyond everyone's reach at the time. He was also extremely excellent."
"Eh?"
Rosmerta froze for a moment. She looked at the man sitting in the shadows with some surprise. "So... Professor Snape was a student in that year as well?"
The air solidified for an instant.
Looking at Snape's face, which was as black as the bottom of a cauldron, Rosmerta awkwardly covered her mouth and tried to salvage the situation in a daze: "Ah, I'm terribly sorry. Perhaps Professor Snape has been teaching at Hogwarts for so long that my memory got mixed up..."
This was essentially a double critical hit for Snape. Firstly, it meant that on the list of "prominent figures" from back then, he likely didn't rank at all—at least not in Rosmerta's mind.
Secondly, it implied that he had aged so poorly that people thought he belonged to the previous generation.
To cover the awkwardness, Rosmerta seemed to suddenly remember an important timeline and asked:
"Speaking of which... since Lily and James were mentioned, their son, the Boy Who Lived... isn't he approaching school age?"
She counted on her fingers. "I remember You-Know-Who being defeated was already ten years ago... Their son should be nearly eleven, right?"
With the topic shifting here, the originally relaxed atmosphere at the table instantly became subtle.
The professors did not delve deeper into this topic.
"Yes, indeed, it will be soon," Professor McGonagall responded vaguely, a complex expression appearing on her face.
"Next year's business, we'll discuss next year," Professor Flitwick laughed it off, then steered the conversation toward the recent rumors of a strike at Gringotts.
Rosmerta was a smart woman; she keenly sensed that the professors were unwilling to discuss it further, so she smiled tactfully and turned away to serve drinks to customers at other tables.
In the interval of the subject change, William noticed that when Rosmerta mentioned "Harry Potter" enrolling soon, the expression on Snape's face changed.
His expression was no longer as unsightly as when he heard Lily's name just moments ago. On the contrary, he slowly loosened his grip on the glass, and his empty, profound black eyes lowered slightly, masking all emotion.
His gaze became deep.