"Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
William's lack of magical knowledge was once again exposed—although the name alone told him this magical artifact was legendary, he had truly never heard of it.
But there were those in the room who recognized it.
"Ravenclaw's Diadem? The one that grants its wearer unparalleled wisdom? But isn't it lost?"
Percy's astonished voice broke the brief silence in the room, making Professor McGonagall shift her gaze from the diadem. "Yes, that's right, but today it reappeared—"
William noticed Professor McGonagall paused for a very brief moment before she uttered Percy's name. "Percy, Miss Weasley obviously found it."
This small observation almost made William laugh—Professor McGonagall usually preferred to address students by their last names, but with so many Weasleys present, that approach wouldn't work.
He felt quite relaxed now; he no longer had to rack his brains trying to guess the culprit. The suspect in the rooster death case lay quietly on his desk, awaiting further investigation.
And the presence of Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard, made him feel extremely secure—even if the diadem was complex and manipulative, it couldn't possibly trick Dumbledore, could it?
Or would someone in the room suddenly claim to be Black Zetsu, pull out a wand, and tell Dumbledore Uchiha something heartfelt?
What a joke. If something like that were to happen, William would just bolt without a second thought.
But only William, who was not well-versed in the diadem's background, had the leisure to think about other things. Everyone else, even Dumbledore, had their full attention fixed on the diadem.
"Professor William, please go and inform Professor Flitwick. Tell him to come over." After observing for a long time, Dumbledore stood up and said softly to William, then turned to Headmistress McGonagall. "Minerva, go find the Grey Lady; she should come here too."
Before William could react, Dumbledore looked at Percy again.
"Percy, are you seventeen yet?"
"Not for another year, Professor. My birthday is in August."
"Then, go inform Mr. Weasley and the others. Some investigations require their presence."
"You're not going to expel Ginny, are you, Professor?" Percy finally reacted, his voice rising a few octaves. "No, Professor, Ginny doesn't understand anything. It's my fault for not looking after her properly…"
"Calm down, Percy. It's just a necessary investigation. This matter is much more serious than I imagined, and I must clarify some things. I assure you, Ginny will not be expelled."
Dumbledore's assurance was quite effective. Percy immediately calmed down, but William noticed he started glaring at the twins.
But that was all the gossip he could get for now—he had to go call Professor Flitwick.
—
"Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
Professor Flitwick, who had been called out of class by William, laughed joyfully as if he had heard a joke.
"Professor William, that's a good joke, but I'm still teaching—it's been lost for ages."
"It's true, Dumbledore is here too."
William emphasized the latter name.
Dumbledore's name was quite persuasive. Professor Flitwick's expression instantly changed from 'don't joke around' to ecstasy.
"Albus is here too! Just a moment, Professor William, I'll be right there, right there…"
The professor, usually known for his composure, now had eagerness written all over his face. He rushed back into the classroom, assigned self-study tasks to his students, and then hurried out.
"Where is it? The Headmaster's office?"
The eagerness in Professor Flitwick's eyes made William suspect he was about to Apparate at any second.
"My office, Professor."
William said, quickly turning and leading the way—he was afraid Professor Flitwick wouldn't be able to contain himself a moment longer.
"Ravenclaw's only remaining artifact! I can't believe I actually heard this news—Professor William, are you sure it's really Ravenclaw's Diadem?"
Professor Flitwick walked incredibly fast, almost as if he were flying, but even so, he still reconfirmed the news with William.
"Dumbledore said it is, and I haven't seen the real thing, but I think it must be."
"Then what are we waiting for, Professor William? Young people should be energetic!"
You're practically flying, Professor!
Urged on by Professor Flitwick, William returned to his office in less than half the time it took him to find Professor Flitwick. Professor McGonagall hadn't returned yet—when William opened the door, only Dumbledore, engrossed in study, and the two standing, one lying Weasleys, serving as background, were present.
However, Professor Flitwick's attention was no longer on the students at all.
The small professor's eyes immediately fixed on the tattered diadem. The panting from his frantic run almost instantly vanished, as if breathing would somehow damage the diadem.
He gazed at the broken diadem from a distance, scrutinizing every angle with his eyes.
"It's it—it's it."
Professor Flitwick's voice was soft, but anyone could hear the barely suppressed excitement in it.
'It can't be that serious, can it?'
William muttered to himself. He couldn't quite understand why everyone was acting this way—after all, his magical knowledge was too specialized.
But he still showed due respect, maintaining a serious expression as he acted as a background until the Weasley brothers behind him tried to approach him.
"What are you two up to?"
William asked in a low voice—although the two Weasleys were making small movements, he was extremely lenient with the twins at the moment.
"Professor, could we step out for a moment?"
George asked quietly.
William nodded in approval for the two brothers who had helped him solve a big problem.
—
"Professor, we brought back the culprit, just as you said, right?"
The two brothers looked sincere.
"Of course, you did very well. Your detention will be reduced by a week."
So they came to confirm their reward. William smiled and fulfilled his promise. "Moreover, because of your excellent performance, I will apply to the school for a small bonus. Of course, it won't be much, so don't get your hopes up too high."
It was just a matter of submitting a report to Professor McGonagall later—it would be easy to get a small sum approved as a reward for her house's students catching the culprit. Of course, there was also a good chance they'd only get house points. If worst came to worst, William would pay it himself. Compared to a small amount of Galleons, the resolution of this matter made him exceptionally happy.
"That's great, Professor!" The two cheered softly, but quickly added, "What about the diadem's reward, Professor? We don't need extra points or anything, we just want to wear it for a little while, just a tiny bit, please, Professor!"
A broken diadem—are you all obsessed?
Their attitude made William hesitant to make any casual promises. He wanted to subtly inquire about what kind of artifact this truly was.
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