Williams lifted his head and looked at Professor McGonagall, saying gently:
"Although a mistake was indeed made, the reason behind it is the care and compassion the Weasley siblings have for each other."
"These children are a bit mischievous, but they shouldn't be punished too harshly for that."
He turned his gaze towards Fred, George, and Ron, with a tone of elder-like helplessness, saying:
"You must remember, your brother is now an official at the Ministry of Magic; you can't mess with his things like before."
"It would cause him a lot of trouble and affect the Ministry's work."
"Fortunately, the loss caused this time is not too significant, and there's still a chance to make amends. I hope you all learn from this incident and pay attention to boundaries while having fun, do you understand?"
The three looked at each other and nodded in unison:
"Understood."
"We will definitely be careful in the future."
"We'll keep a safe distance from Percy's office."
Williams also smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Alright, that's the end of this matter, everyone disperse!"
"Go to class... students who need to report or seek help can still come to this office to register and report."
The crowd began to break up, with some students who were tight on time rushing off to their classes, and a few younger students walking towards the stairway in groups, looking back as they went.
Williams politely said goodbye to Professor McGonagall, watching the students leave. Suddenly, his gaze paused for a moment.
Among the gradually dispersing crowd, a black-haired Ravenclaw boy leaned against a statue with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and seemingly not worried about being late for class.
Those gray eyes peacefully watched them, with no obvious emotion, calm and transparent, as if seeing something else through them.
After a brief exchange of glances, the boy turned and left, his silhouette quickly blending in with the other youths in black school robes, making it hard to distinguish.
Williams blinked and the name "Vid Gray" surfaced in his mind.
...
Once the last sound of footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor, the group from the Ministry of Magic also entered Percy's office, with Linden shutting and locking the door behind them.
"What about those students waiting to report? I was even prepared for some overtime."
Terra placed her bag with a clatter on the cabinet beside her, but received no response from her colleagues.
She turned her head and saw Linden and Williams on either side, waving their magic wands, casting spells that enveloped every inch from the ceiling to the bottom of the bookshelves.
Marina then took over the stack of reports, checking them one by one with a serious demeanor, as if dealing with some dangerous Dark Magic Items.
Only Percy's reaction was exactly as she had imagined—
He was inspecting his important personal items to see if anything else had been "accidentally" taken by his brothers.
First were those badges that were more important than eyeballs.
Then on the table was the photograph taken when Percy received the Merlin Medal.
As he checked, Terra also noticed, written on the back of the photo, the award words from when he received the honor:
"Awarded to Mr. Percy Ignatius Weasley, the Merlin Knight Order Third Class Medal, in recognition of his extraordinary vigilance shown during enforcement actions, his steadfast defense of Ministry of Magic laws, and his outstanding contribution to the safety of the Magic Society.
Mr. Weasley's actions demonstrate that loyal, diligent, and procedurally-abiding Ministry of Magic officials are the cornerstone of our peaceful lives."
Terra's lips curled into a disdainful cold smile and she averted her scrutinizing gaze before Percy noticed.
Once Williams and the others ceased their actions, Terra finally spoke: "Is it necessary to be this cautious? If anyone maliciously peeps, my Peeping Mirror will give a warning."
She shook her arm, showing a delicate ladies' watch on her fair wrist. Underneath a pale pink cover, there were no hands, just a miniature spinning top.
"One mustn't be careless," Williams retrieved his magic wand, saying seriously, "after all, there's an alchemist at this school who can manufacture poppets into any form."
"I'm rather surprised," Linden said darkly, "Percy Weasley, you're so negligent with your territory's protection, letting your fifteen-year-old brother easily break in."
Percy's face flushed crimson but he could hardly refute the claim.
"Even if Percy were as cautious as you, we still might not get what we want," Marina sighed, saying fairly, "There's a formidable opponent at this school."
She slapped the checked parchment onto the table, saying:
"There's nothing useful! It's either registered letters and package contents, complaints about too much homework, Peeves' mischief, or stress over exams! All real trivialities!"
"Seriously?" Terra took it over, flipping through it in surprise and confusion, "Could it be… someone anticipated what we were going to do and prepared in advance?"
She turned her gaze to Percy, saying, "Having your siblings arranged."
Percy's jaw muscles slightly tensed as he finally managed to speak: "I told you... they're foolish and short-sighted. I've long since drawn a clear line with them!"
"Okay then," Terra pursed her lips, "let's say you have nothing to do with them then."
"Was it the school's professor?" Linden asked, "Did Minerva McGonagall make the arrangement? The ones who acted were from Gryffindor."
Marina shook her head: "Probably not a professor… at least Professor McGonagall wouldn't do this."
"Then who?" Linden pursued.
"How would I know?" Marina said, "I've graduated for years!"
Williams looked out the window at the distant forest of trees in the Forbidden Forest and the gray sky, suddenly recalling those gray eyes.
"Who arranged for the Weasleys to take the reports is unimportant."
He turned his gaze back, saying in a business-like manner, "Whoever it is cannot change what we must do now."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we don't have much time. The top expects results within two weeks."
Williams scanned his gaze over the four faces, saying, "From now on, everyone must act according to plan."
"Marina, as an official in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Fantastic Beasts, you need to inspect the magical creatures surrounding Hogwarts. If there are creatures posing a significant threat to student safety, mark them and report upwards."
He pushed a document in front of Marina Evans, their eyes met, and Marina lowered her gaze, silently nodding and taking the document.
She knew that what she needed to check was, of course, not just dangerous creatures.
"Linden, here's the permit document from the Financial Oversight Office."
Williams placed the second document before Linden Miller, saying, "Review Hogwarts' material allocation and raw material procurement well, and see if there's any misuse of funds or the procurement of dangerous or banned materials."
Linden slightly curled his lips, putting the document into his pocket.
"Percy, Terra." Williams continued.
Percy immediately straightened his back, his eyes revealing eagerness.
But Williams said, "You two should continue the registration work, interacting more with those students—not as aloof Ministry of Magic officials, but as friends and family."
Percy received the document, his lips moved, showing some resistance in his expression.
"Your siblings caused us some trouble today."
Williams looked into his eyes and slowly said, "But that's not a bad thing—this shows they are already organized."
"Following them, we can find the opponent causing us trouble."
"Percy, you're a Weasley, you understand your family best. This matter... only you can do it."
Percy was silent for a moment before he lightly nodded.
——Yes, indeed.
He told himself.
——Since they are Weasleys, I can never completely sever ties with them. Better find a way to stop them from venturing further down the wrong path.