HP: Professor From Azkaban

"Calm down. You can handle this. What you're facing now is complicated, but it's still better than waking up in a prison you didn't even recognize."

William controlled his breathing, forcing himself to calm down.

He had already planned his departure from Hogwarts, but now it seemed like everything would have to be reconsidered from scratch.

His understanding of the wizarding world was limited. What little he did know was about Hogwarts' general events in a future year.

He couldn't confirm the exact timeline yet, but he clearly remembered that everything he knew would happen when a boy named Harry Potter participated in the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts.

At that time, the one who had cursed him; the person whose name couldn't even be spoken, would return through a dark ritual.

There was no doubt that the curse he suffered would become most dangerous then. If he didn't want to take greater risks, he needed to find a way to counteract the curse or, better yet, kill the one who cast it before that moment.

This meant staying at Hogwarts until the Triwizard Tournament began, instead of carrying out his earlier plan to cause an accident at the end of the year, spend a few months in the hospital, and then leave Hogwarts for good.

He rushed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face to clear his mind. Staring into the mirror at his dripping face, he spoke aloud…

"You've already worked hard enough since coming here. The Dementors in Azkaban didn't break you. The prison's twisted rules didn't defeat you. You survived in that hellish place for more than six months. You didn't make it out of there just to become someone's cursed target."

"You might not know much about the Harry Potter movies, but that's no excuse to give up. You have an adult body in the wizarding world, enough magical skills to scrape by, and knowledge of events from a future year. You know who will ultimately defeat that man."

"You even have a strange system on your side; fear is for the one who cursed you, not for you."

He quickly dried his face, pushing his fear of the Dark Lord deep down.

William had never met the Dark Lord, but in Azkaban, he had heard countless stories about the people locked in the deepest parts of the prison.

Every prisoner in the lighter cells trembled when talking about those in the depths; Death Eaters who, after nearly ten years, could still maintain their sanity under the relentless pressure of the Dementors.

Having dealt with Dementors himself, William knew how terrifying that was. And those Death Eaters were merely followers of the Dark Lord.

"Started on hard mode and somehow switched it to nightmare mode. What can I do? Just keep going. Maybe I'll actually make it."

He forced a grim smile at his reflection.

"From now on, I probably won't have time to study potions. With my current level, I might last half a year on the salary, but any longer, and I won't even be able to teach the students."

Stepping out of the bathroom with a completely different mindset, William rummaged through the attached documents and pulled out the textbooks previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professors had used over the years.

Potions and making money were tasks William could completely set aside for now.

His most pressing task was to buy all the textbooks listed, sift through the previous professors' selections, and find the most suitable ones for his study. He needed to thoroughly absorb the content before heading to Hogwarts.

Magical creatures he found fascinating, the extensive history of magic, and the potions he had researched the most were all stashed away in his trunk. Since Hogwarts needed a professor for Defensive Magical Studies, he would focus entirely on becoming the best possible professor for that subject, preparing thoroughly and avoiding any mishaps during his tenure.

***

The following days were dull and monotonous.

He politely declined two orders sent by Tom the Barman, and arranged for all his meals to be delivered within the Leaky Cauldron's inn. Apart from an hour of daily exercise, he devoted all his time to familiarizing himself with the textbooks.

For two whole weeks, William severed all contact with the outside world, immersing himself in his room. After skimming through the twenty books he had brought back, he carefully read the first- and second-year textbooks in their entirety.

Fortunately, basic magic wasn't particularly challenging for an adult wizard. Moreover, the renamed Defensive Magical Studies course didn't require an extensive amount of magic instruction, easing some of his worries.

During this time, Hogwarts hadn't sent any letters.

Tom the Barman, after seeing William's job offer, understood his situation, and everything remained peaceful. If there were any letters, it was only from the owner of Flourish and Blotts', who had sent the funds William used to purchase the books along with a pile of newly published materials on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Without exception, these books were brand new and unavailable as second-hand copies.

Cursing the merchant under his breath, William shoved the new books to the bottom of his trunk.

He felt no confidence in his ability to become a competent professor. His plan was to borrow lesson plans from previous professors once he arrived at Hogwarts. There was no way he could suddenly decide on a new textbook. While Hogwarts wouldn't object to such a decision, he preferred to stay a little longer without drawing attention.

On the seventeenth day of his seclusion, a knock came at his door.

"Will, someone's here to see you."

Tom stood outside, unable to hide the joy in his voice.

Had the bookstore owner come in person because he didn't receive a response?

William froze for a moment, recalling the letter from a few days ago. He had been so busy that he hadn't even taken the time to respond, letting the owl fly back empty-handed.

Since he planned to choose textbooks from the ones he had already purchased, he wasn't concerned about any issues arising from not replying.

Could that man be so greedy as to come here and pressure me to use the new books as course materials?

William initially wanted to tell Tom to turn the visitor away but reconsidered, deciding to give Tom some face. He could make things clear and put an end to the bookstore owner's persistence.

If that man pushed too hard, William would use the oldest, most reprinted books as the official textbooks and see how many copies they managed to sell!