Barty Crouch stood where he was, his face ashen. Staring at Fudge's smug, villainous expression, he said indignantly, "William's affairs have nothing to do with the Minister's election. There's no need to drag innocent people into this."
In fact, Barty was right.
In the years since joining the Ministry of Magic, William Shafik had consistently shown little interest in politics. He detested endless cocktail parties and intrigue.
With the deep heritage of the Shafik Family and his own exceptional magical talent, he had never needed to rely on anyone.
He maintained good relations with many officials, including Barty Crouch, but this was purely the result of mutual professional respect and compatible temperaments.
However, in the eyes of a politician like Fudge, anyone who was not firmly on his side was a potential enemy, especially when William had always appeared to be close to Barty Crouch.
William glanced around.
He saw Barty's fury, Fudge's triumph, Umbridge's false smile, and the unease of subordinates and colleagues whose loyalties wavered as they watched.
He realised that within the vast vortex of power that was the Ministry of Magic, even if he tried to avoid politics, kept himself untainted, and remained behind closed doors, those filthy schemes and manufactured accusations would still find their way to him.
There was no place to hide.
A deep sadness settled over him.
"No need, Barty."
William spoke softly, interrupting Crouch just as he was about to continue arguing.
He turned and drew his wand from his robes. Fudge and the assistants behind him immediately raised their wands in alarm, assuming he was about to resist.
Instead, William merely gave a gentle flick.
Several thick, ancient books, a handful of design blueprints, and an exquisitely crafted teacup floated smoothly into the suitcase at his side. The case snapped shut with a soft click.
"I, William Shafik, hereby resign from the position of Chairman of the Experimental Charms Committee, effective immediately."
William picked up his suitcase, his tone as casual as though he were discarding a bag of rubbish. "Fudge, there's no need to look so pleased. Since I've never engaged in cronyism like you, my departure will have no effect on the outcome of the Minister's election."
"William!" Barty Crouch stepped forward. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself. We can take this to the Wizengamot—"
William shook his head and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "I see things clearly now, Barty. As long as I remain in the Ministry, incidents like this will never end. Today it's a rabbit; tomorrow it could be an exploding teacup. You've said it yourself—I've got enough gold to last ten lifetimes, so why work so hard every single day? I only came here looking for a bit of purpose, a bit of fun.. looking for a fulfilling way to use my magic, but.. sigh.. there's no joy left in these Ministry halls. This place has become far too filthy for my taste."
He put on a black travelling cloak, offered a calm smile and a nod to the subordinates who had rushed over to urge him to stay, then turned and walked towards the door.
Behind him, he could feel the barely restrained delight radiating from Fudge and Umbridge. They had won. They had eliminated a powerful potential threat without spilling a single drop of blood.
Just as William was about to step out of the office, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
The entire room fell instantly silent.
William did not turn around. With his back to the crowd, he spoke coldly.
"But there is one thing I must make clear. I do not accept groundless accusations, and not just anyone can scheme against me at will."
In the next instant, no one could clearly follow his movements, nor did anyone see him raise his wand.
All they saw was a flash of dazzling white light streak through the crowded office.
"Ah—!"
"What's happening?"
Amid the startled cries, Fudge and Umbridge, who moments ago had been standing there in triumph, suddenly began to swell like overinflated balloons.
Their robes stretched tight and round as they lost all sense of gravity, floating upwards towards the ceiling while flailing their arms and legs in terror.
"Put me down, Shafik! You dare attack a Ministry official!" Fudge's voice shot up into a shrill, comical pitch as he kicked helplessly in mid-air like a bloated beetle.
Umbridge let out a string of hysterical screams. Her pink cardigan was stretched so tight it was nearly translucent, and she ended up wedged awkwardly between two chandeliers.
"Stop him!" The two assistants Fudge had brought with him snapped out of their shock and hurriedly raised their wands at William's back.
"Everyone, stop!"
A loud shout rang out, freezing them in place.
Barty Crouch stepped forward to block the doorway. He drew his wand, his gaze dark as it swept over the two stunned assistants before lifting to the pair of "balloons" drifting against the ceiling.
"You think the likes of you can stop William?" Barty's voice carried a trace of undisguised mockery. "You'd do better to work out how to get your foolish superiors down first, unless you want them drifting out of here and making complete fools of themselves."
The assistants exchanged glances, their hands trembling around their wands, yet not one of them dared to step forward.
Of everyone present, perhaps only Barty Crouch truly understood William Shafik's real strength.
Back when Barty had still been Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he had personally invited William to join the Auror Office after graduation, even promising that he would become a core captain within three years.
At the time, however, William had politely declined, explaining that he preferred a more stable position and disliked fighting. Although Barty failed to recruit such an outstanding subordinate, that meeting had marked the beginning of their friendship.
"A bunch of vermin."
William did not look back at the chaos behind him. Leaving those words clearly behind, he strode into the shadows of the corridor with his suitcase as screams and heated discussions rose around him.
The jinx had been modified by his own hand. The trapped air could not be released by ordinary means. There would be more than enough time for everyone in the Ministry of Magic to witness the spectacle.
He was already looking forward to tomorrow's Daily Prophet headline.
Ding!
The golden grilles slid open, and William stepped into the dimly lit lift.
By coincidence, an acquaintance from the Department of Magical Transportation squeezed in as well. Catching sight of the suitcase in William's hand, he greeted him with mild surprise.
"Leaving work so early, William?"
"Think of it as taking a long holiday," William replied with a gentle smile, his expression perfectly composed, giving no hint that he had just turned two colleagues into balloons.
As the lift doors slowly closed, sealing off the noise outside, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind. A pale blue light screen that only he could see appeared before his eyes.
[Major turning point in host's career path detected. Core activation conditions met.]
[Target location locked: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.]
[Identity determination: Faculty member.]
[Binding eligibility confirmed. 'Hogwarts Construction and Development System' activating. Binding successful.]
William's fingers tightened slightly around the suitcase, a flicker of bewilderment passing through his eyes. On the surface, however, he maintained his composed posture and even smiled as he responded to his colleague's complaints about the recent weather.
Within his field of vision, a massive stream of information was rapidly scrolling.
Relying on his exceptional reading speed, he skimmed through the instructions and quickly grasped the core logic of this so-called system.
Simply put, as long as he contributed to [Campus Construction] and [Student Proficiency] during his future teaching career, he would earn points.
The former involved repairing the castle and reinforcing its defences, while the latter focused on improving students' O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. results. All of it could be converted into concrete value.
For the moment, William had little interest in the former. Off the top of his head, he could not think of anything Hogwarts truly lacked. The latter, however, sparked numerous ideas.
[1 point for each student who achieves an 'E' in an O.W.L. exam, 3 points for an 'O']
[3 points for each student who achieves an 'E' in a N.E.W.T. exam, 5 points for an 'O']
[Additional points awarded for students with special achievements]
[…]
These points could be exchanged in the system's mall for a variety of powerful spells, rare talents, and other rewards.
Animagus. Parseltongue. Seer talent.
With a single glance, William felt his heart skip a beat.
The lift reached the Atrium. With a soft ding, his thoughts were pulled back to reality.
His colleague stepped out first and turned to wave goodbye. William, however, remained where he was, staring blankly at the fading pale blue text, a strange sense of absurdity welling up inside him.
He had never expected to actually possess a system.
What was even more unexpected was that he had been in this wizarding world for a full thirty years before this belated golden finger finally arrived.