HP: Professor From Azkaban

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The rhythmic tapping pulled William out of a deep sleep. He rubbed his face, ready to curse whoever was disturbing him, but then he remembered; he wasn't in Azkaban anymore. There was no need to rely on swearing to fit in.

Still groggy, he made his way toward the sound.

A large, brown owl stood outside the window, rhythmically pecking at the glass with its beak.

When it noticed William was awake, the owl stopped tapping, spread its wings, and let out a low hooting sound.

As soon as the window was opened, the massive bird flew in, perching on the table. It immediately began rummaging through the clutter on the desk.

Before long, it uncovered a small tin box and pried it open; inside was a portion of owl feed.

Since owls were nearly as common as wizards, every inn kept a small emergency supply in each room. This particular owl, however, seemed a bit too familiar with the routine.

Without waiting for William's invitation, it began eating, all the while extending its leg toward him.

A pale yellow envelope was tied to its leg. William untied the letter, intending to say something, but the bird's forward behavior interrupted the usual process.

He could only open the envelope in silence.

Emerald-green ink displayed his address, and the wax seal on the back remained intact. The crest clearly indicated the sender's identity.

A large letter "H" was encircled by four animal emblems; the Hogwarts crest.

It must be an offer letter, though one with no real sentimental value.

William smirked to himself.

At this point, only a lunatic would be excited to receive such a letter. After all, why else would Hogwarts go out of its way to recruit someone from Azkaban?

Breaking the wax seal with a few quick motions, he pulled out several sheets of parchment.

The first page was a formal letter.

[Dear Mr. Lee William,

We are pleased to inform you that your application for employment has been approved by both Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Ministry of Magic.]

 Did I really submit such a thing?

[Your offer letter, along with details of your uniform allowance, relocation stipend, living expenses, and travel reimbursement, is included herein.

The new term begins on September 1st. You are required to submit a list of textbook needs and course schedules at least one month in advance. Additionally, you must provide a report on classroom resources and funding requests for the upcoming academic year.

We will notify students to purchase new textbooks for the upcoming academic year through follow-up letters. If there are any additional questions, you may visit the Deputy Headmistress's office on any Monday or Wednesday before August 1st.

Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.]

On the second page was William's official job offer.

Compared to job offers in the Muggle world, it wasn't particularly unusual. The only thing that caught William's attention was his job title; Wizard Self-Defense Studies. No matter how he looked at it, the wording seemed off.

Although the letter mentioned the position was permanent, William doubted he would live long enough to collect a second year's salary.

The rest of the package was filled with miscellaneous documents; lists of recommended textbooks from previous professors, the Ministry of Magic's curriculum guidelines, O.W.L and N.E.W.T's exam syllabi, employment notices, a suggested clothing list, and other details he didn't need to worry about right now.

At the end of the letter was a substantial sum of money; whether it was meant as hazard pay was unclear.

Three hundred Galleons. This was just an advance payment. Salary details weren't mentioned and would likely be discussed once he arrived at the school.

After all, his options were either to become a professor at Hogwarts or flee overseas. If he dared to quit, the Ministry would waste no time issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Is it really this simple to become a professor? At least give me some kind of ceremony; William thought as he stared at the letter, silently mocking the situation.

The owl, having finished the entire box of owl feed, waddled over and gently nipped at his fingers.

"What's wrong? Still hungry?" William asked with a grin, but the owl soon pecked at the job offer again.

On instinct, William took another look at it and realized the offer consisted of two tightly stacked sheets of parchment. At the very bottom, between the Hogwarts and Ministry seals, was a place for his signature.

"Return postage? Fine."

William picked up the quill from the desk and signed his name with a flourish. It wasn't the neatest, but it was legible.

He carefully placed one copy of the contract into an envelope and tied it to the owl's leg. He watched as the bird spread its wings and took off into the sky.

***

Suddenly, a notification popped up:

[You have been cursed and received a new treasure chest.]

What?

William froze. How did I get cursed just like that?

Can this cursed system come with a manual? Why does it keep adding new features out of nowhere?

Hoping for a helpful card, preferably one to lift the curse, William opened the treasure chest.

A large eye on the lid of the purple wooden box suddenly snapped open. Purple mist poured from it, condensing into three glowing cards floating in mid-air.

[Curse: Withering Paralysis] You have been cursed by a powerful and malevolent enemy. As their magic recovers, you will experience repeated misfortunes. These events won't immediately claim your life, but you will eventually lose control of your body. Duration: Permanent, until the curse caster's death.

[Curse: Withering Amnesia] You have been cursed by a powerful and malevolent enemy. As their magic recovers, you will experience repeated misfortunes. These events won't immediately claim your life, but you will eventually lose all your memories. Duration: Permanent, until the curse caster's death.

[Curse: Withering Death] You have been cursed by a powerful and malevolent enemy. As their magic recovers, you will experience repeated misfortunes. These events won't kill you at first, but you will ultimately fall victim to the curse. Duration: Permanent, until the curse caster's death.

A three-way dilemma now lay before William; like choosing between poison or poison.

Or rather, a choice between curry-flavored excrement or excrement-flavored curry.

The last card was immediately ruled out. After much internal debate, William reluctantly chose the first option with a sense of resignation.

Opening the system's inventory, he searched for more information on the card, hoping for any useful details.

If I had known this would happen, I'd have stayed in Azkaban and finished my sentence. But now that I've gambled and lost, I have to find a way to fix this.

Complaining wouldn't help; minimizing the damage was the priority now.

[Withering Paralysis: Extremely difficult to remove. Activates annually. Almost impossible to avoid.]

That was it; just one simple line.

Extremely difficult and almost impossible. The latter sounded far more ominous. Even the famed Dumbledore would need ten years to remove such a curse.

There was only one choice left; find a way to survive the first year. Even if he couldn't avoid it entirely, he needed to minimize the damage; maybe lose a limb instead of his life.

And before paralysis set in, he'd have to take down Voldemort as quickly as possible.