A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Halloween was fast approaching.

Pumpkins were hung all over the castle, and the corridors were filled with the enticing aroma of roasted pumpkin. Everyone was looking forward to the Halloween feast, expecting it to be as extravagant as the welcome feast.

In this festive atmosphere, students found it increasingly hard to concentrate in class.

To liven things up, Professor McGonagall taught her Transfiguration students how to turn objects into animated pumpkins.

Though challenging, the lesson was a lot of fun for everyone.

However, William skipped History of Magic that afternoon.

Professor Binns' lectures were dreadfully boring, and today was also the final day for brewing his Amortentia potion.

Lately, William had been spending all his free time in the Room of Requirement working on potions, even giving up his nighttime strolls.

William had a lot on his plate now; advanced spellwork, potion brewing, alchemy basics, and ancient runes. 

On top of that, he attended three Quidditch practices a week for Ravenclaw and spent Friday evenings with Professor McGonagall practicing Animagus transformations.

Becoming an Animagus was a highly complex process involving a series of rigorous and complex steps.

The initial preparation, for instance, required holding a single Mandrake leaf in your mouth for an entire month. 

During that time, the leaf could not be swallowed or removed, or the process would have to restart from scratch.

But this was only the preliminary step, like pre-exam preparations like health checks and registration. It didn't guarantee your success. Years of practice were required beforehand.

Similarly, becoming an Animagus demanded constant practice in transforming parts of one's body, with a mentor like McGonagall on hand to prevent any catastrophic mishaps, such as turning a hand into a chicken claw and being unable to reverse it.

…

That evening, William was still busy in the Room of Requirement.

The room had undergone significant changes. 

It now featured torches on the walls, a row of wooden bookshelves filled with thick tomes such as Potion-Making, The Book of Potions, and Five Poisons Handbook. 

All these were provided by the room itself.

Initially, William had requested a space for brewing potions, and the room had supplied these resources.

As his collection of potions grew, so did the number of cauldrons in the room. 

The only downside was the inability to conjure more ingredients. If that were possible, William would skip potion-making altogether and just sell raw materials.

After prolonged use, William had become quite familiar with the Room of Requirement. It responded precisely to his requests.

For instance, he could specify, "I don't want anyone except William Stark to enter this room," and the room would comply. This allowed him to store his completed potions securely without worry.

Sometimes he was tempted to simply live there—the room could even conjure up a luxurious bed if requested.

Ah, a private suite with its own bathroom…truly, miles ahead of the dormitory's five-person setup!

As William stirred the potion counterclockwise seven times, the room filled with a peculiar fragrance. The potion shimmered with a mother of pearl luster, releasing spiraling steam.

Amortentia was complete!

After letting the potion cool, William carefully poured it into several vials, fulfilling prearranged customer orders.

With his work done, he prepared to head to the Halloween feast, which had likely just started.

…

The castle was eerily quiet as William walked through the halls. 

Not a soul was in sight, and the silence felt almost unnatural. Glancing out a window, he noted the clear, starry sky.

When he reached the fifth floor, he heard the sound of someone sprinting below.

Everyone should be at the feast… William thought as he paused at the staircase and pulled out his map.

Professor Quirrell's name appeared near the fourth-floor restricted area.

Quirrell? What's he doing there at this hour?

But then Quirrell's marker moved, darting toward a corner. At the same time, Professor Snape's name appeared near the restricted area.

Both professors acting suspiciously? Could something be wrong with the safeguards?

Deciding to avoid the situation, William opted for another staircase. 

Getting caught skipping the feast was one thing, but the lingering scent of Amortentia on him was sure to attract Snape's attention.

…

When William reached the first floor, a cheerful voice broke the silence.

"We did it!"

The shout was unmistakably a student's.

What are these kids always up to, skipping the feast to mess around? William thought as he followed the sound to a corridor.

There, he found Harry and Ron celebrating. They were exchanging high-fives and fist bumps, clearly thrilled about some accomplishment.

William raised an eyebrow.

He knew the layout of Hogwarts well enough to recognize this as the entrance to the girls' bathroom.

Halloween night, and the Boy Who Lived and his best friend are skipping the feast to hang out outside the girls' bathroom, shouting, 'We did it!'?

Worse still, their faces were flushed with excitement, and they were practically dancing with joy.

Excuse me, is this 911? We've got two suspicious individuals here. Please come pick them up.

"Ahem—sorry to interrupt," William called out. "Are you two peeping on the girls' bathroom?"

Harry and Ron jumped, startled, and turned to see William approaching.

Maintaining a serious tone, William added, "Of course, you have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used against you as evidence for point deductions."

Harry's face turned pale. Joking about potions was one thing, but this accusation? No way.

"Peeping? No! I wasn't—we weren't—don't be ridiculous!" Harry stammered.

But before Harry could finish defending himself, a piercing scream erupted from inside the bathroom.

William's smile vanished. He rushed forward, wand at the ready.

Harry and Ron scrambled after him.

Harry's hands trembled as he fumbled with the lock. They had trapped the troll inside—unaware that Hermione was in there too!

"Hurry up!" William snapped, pushing the two aside. He raised his wand and aimed at the door.

"Bombarda!"

The spell didn't just blow the door off its hinges—it obliterated half the wall, sending rubble cascading.

Harry and Ron exchanged wide-eyed looks. Was that really necessary?

William ignored them, striding into the cloud of dust and debris, his wand raised high.

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