"If we can't detect it, then we'll have to ask Professor Snape."
Professor McGonagall frowned, mentioning a name William had anticipated.
'Sure enough, Professor Snape is recognized as a master within the school.'
"By the way, Professor, we also need to keep an eye on Miss Weasley. If Mr. Filch was controlled, then she—"
William got stuck; he didn't know how to describe it.
To say she was a suspect, the seemingly controlled Filch claimed that Ginny Weasley had already admitted all her mistakes and willingly accepted punishment.
To say she wasn't, all suspicions pointed to Miss Weasley. Could she have controlled Filch to frame herself? Who plays like that?
It was very convoluted.
"Hmm, then I'll send a house-elf to guard Mr. Filch and inform Professor Snape to come and examine him—Professor William, could you come with me to Hagrid's hut?"
"Of course, Professor. I feel I'm sufficiently prepared."
William responded with a smiling bow.
—
"The Weasley girl? Are you talking about Ginny?"
Hagrid scratched his head. "I haven't seen her. I haven't seen her all day today. What, did she do something strange?"
'Could Hagrid be controlled? Doesn't feel like it—and taking down a half-giant to test seems a bit far-fetched.'
William's hand hovered near his wand, but he ultimately gave up on the tempting idea in his mind—Professor McGonagall probably couldn't control a half-giant even if she tried; their magical resistance was too high.
Giants, as magical creatures, were commented on by the Ministry of Magic as not being very intelligent, but in reality, they were like the common berserkers in games, completely immune to control effects…
Just as he hesitated, Professor McGonagall asked a rather terrifying question in a deliberately casual tone.
"Hagrid, if Albus decided to take down the Ministry of Magic today, what would you think?"
"How is that possible, Professor? You're joking, Professor!"
Hagrid's eyes widened to a terrifying degree, and his huge voice made the nearby wooden hut tremble repeatedly—Professor McGonagall's question had clearly scared him.
"Of course, I was just making a joke because you seemed a bit down."
The professor responded in a rather forced casual tone—the previous things hadn't scared William, but this joke truly did.
But the joke was indeed a bit flat, and the three of them looked at each other, none intending to laugh.
Finally, William chuckled awkwardly, trying to smooth things over.
"Um, Professor, since Miss Weasley isn't here, should we go back to the castle to look? And check on Professor Snape's investigation results?"
"Yes, we should," Professor McGonagall nodded, turning to the gamekeeper. "Hagrid, I'll leave the Forbidden Forest to you. If Miss Weasley tries to come here or enter the Forbidden Forest, notify me immediately."
"Of course, Professor, you can always trust me."
Hagrid's smile returned to normal—when Professor McGonagall told the flat joke, the half-giant looked so embarrassed that he seemed to want to ram into a tree to alleviate it.
—
"Is Hagrid alright, Professor?"
On the way back to the castle, seeing Professor McGonagall's unusually relaxed expression, William couldn't help but ask.
"He's fine. If he were controlled, the answer would either be unhesitating support or extreme confusion. Hagrid trusts Albus, just as Albus trusts him."
William had heard of this theory—no matter what kind of control spell it was, it either completely negated the target's will, using one's own magic to forcefully suppress and control their actions, or it awakened their subconscious, then influenced their actions through parts they wouldn't resist.
But this method could hardly be used to determine if someone was controlled. You never truly know what's in someone's heart, and which question would awaken the part they cared about most?
Only Hagrid could be asked this way; the same method would be useless for Mr. Filch.
"Let's go back to Filch's office first. We can also ask Professor Snape about his investigation results—I hope Professor Snape brings us some good news." Professor McGonagall said, quickening her pace and planning their route. "After that, I'll instruct the castle portraits and prefects to search for Miss Weasley within the castle."
"She might not be in the castle. I think we need to block the access points," William added, guessing. "And secret passages. Some castle secret passages lead directly outside the school."
"That might only be possible once Filch confirms he's not under control—many secret passages are only known to the caretaker." Professor McGonagall raised a hand and rubbed her forehead. "Attacking the caretaker first was to buy time for an escape. This isn't a strategy a first-year student could come up with."
"One Weasley causes more trouble than the last," William agreed, "no matter how old they are."
"Professor William, your view of those twin brothers is too one-sided—Bill and Charlie are quite good…" Professor McGonagall paused, then realized there didn't seem to be anything wrong with his statement.
Bill was excellent with people and had good grades, Charlie was an exceptionally good Seeker, even good enough for the national team. Then there was Percy, who had good grades but students secretly didn't think highly of him. The twins were walking rule-breakers, Ron crashed a car into a tree, and the youngest, Ginny…
"You see, right? Thankfully, they don't have any more children to send in."
William joked casually—he feared the unknown, but once the culprit emerged, even if he couldn't handle it, he could fully rely on Headmaster Dumbledore. Was the title of the First White Wizard just for show?
This joke also relaxed Professor McGonagall. "But Gryffindor isn't just about the Weasleys—we're almost at the Owlery. Professor William, you go back to the castle to find Filch first. Once you confirm he's free of control, have Filch start sealing off the school's secret passages."
"Do we need to have the students return to their common rooms to wait?" William decided to play it safe—after all, Ginny might have taken down Filch, so her combat ability was worth noting.
Professor McGonagall pondered for a moment, then quickly gave her answer.
"No, Professor William. If this level of emergency required suspending classes, Hogwarts wouldn't be able to stay open. We'd have to suspend classes for half the year."
True, if first-year students causing trouble meant suspending classes, those boys William had in detention could create three extra summer breaks for the school…
"By the way, Professor William, I need to send a letter to Hogsmeade Village. Please help me inform the prefects to begin the search inside the castle."
"No problem," William waved his hand and walked towards the castle.
The deduction game was over; now it was time for hide-and-seek.
P.S.: A total of 70,000 words were updated in February. Counting the two days I took off for the New Year, I theoretically should have updated 100,000 words, leaving a deficit of 30,000 words, fifteen chapters… heavy debt…
No more tonight, I'll slowly repay the debt in March…
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To read 40 advanced chapters you can visit my Patreon:"https://patreon.com/TheKindOne"