Barty Crouch stood where he was, his face dark with fury. Staring at the smug look of triumph on Cornelius's face, he said angrily,
"William has absolutely nothing to do with the Ministerial election. There's no reason to drag an innocent man into this."
In truth, Barty was absolutely right.
Since joining the Ministry of Magic, William Shafiq had always shown little interest in politics. He despised endless banquets and backroom scheming. With the deep foundations of the Shafiq family and his exceptional magical talent, he had never needed to attach himself to anyone.
He maintained cordial private relationships with many officials including Barty Crouch—but purely out of professional respect and personal compatibility.
However, in the eyes of a politician like Cornelius Fudge, anyone who wasn't firmly on his side was a potential enemy—especially someone who appeared to be on good terms with Barty.
William slowly swept his gaze across the room.
The furious Barty.
The self-satisfied Cornelius.
The falsely smiling Dolores Umbridge.
And the anxious subordinates and uncertain colleagues surrounding them.
At that moment, William finally understood something.
Within the vast vortex of power that was the Ministry of Magic, even if he deliberately kept his distance, kept his hands clean, and shut himself behind closed doors—those filthy political machinations and fabricated accusations would still find their way to him.
There was no avoiding it.
A deep weariness settled over him.
"No need, Barty."
William spoke softly, interrupting Crouch before he could continue arguing.
He turned, reached into his robes, and drew his wand. Cornelius and his assistants immediately tensed, raising their own wands, assuming he was about to resist.
Instead, William merely gave a light flick.
Several thick ancient tomes, a few design blueprints, and an exquisitely crafted teacup floated into the suitcase he carried with him. With a quiet click, the case snapped shut on its own.
"I, William Shafiq, hereby formally resign as Chairman of the Ministry's Experimental Charms Committee, effective immediately."
He lifted the suitcase, his tone as casual as if he were tossing away a bag of rubbish.
"Fudge, there's no need to look so pleased. I don't build factions or trade favors like you do. My departure won't affect the outcome of the Ministerial election in the slightest."
"William!" Barty Crouch stepped forward. "You don't need to sacrifice yourself like this. We can take this to the Wizengamot—"
William shook his head and patted Crouch on the shoulder.
"I see things clearly now, Barty. As long as I stay in the Ministry, today's farce will never be the last. Today it's an explosive rabbit. Tomorrow, it could be an explosive teacup."
He draped a black travelling cloak over his shoulders, smiled, and nodded farewell to the subordinates who rushed forward to stop him, then turned and walked toward the door.
Behind him, he could almost feel the barely concealed delight in Cornelius and Umbridge's gazes.
They had won.
Without spilling a single drop of blood, they had eliminated a powerful potential threat.
Just as William was about to step out of the office, his footsteps suddenly halted.
The entire room fell silent.
Without turning around, his back to everyone, William spoke coldly:
"There is one thing I must make clear. I never accept groundless accusations. And not just anyone gets to scheme against me."
In the next instant, no one saw him move.
No one even saw him raise his wand.
Only a blinding white flash swept through the crowded office.
"Ah—!"
"What's happening?!"
Amid the screams, the once-smug Cornelius and Umbridge suddenly began to swell—like balloons being filled with air.
Their robes stretched taut and round, their bodies losing all sense of gravity as they flailed in terror, drifting upward toward the ceiling.
"Put me down, Shafiq! How dare you attack Ministry officials!"
Cornelius's voice turned shrill and ridiculous as he kicked helplessly in midair, looking like a bloated beetle.
Umbridge let out a series of piercing shrieks. Her pink cardigan stretched nearly transparent as she became wedged between two chandeliers.
"Stop him!"
The two assistants Cornelius had brought finally reacted, raising their wands in panic and pointing them at William's back.
"Enough!"
A thunderous shout froze everyone in place.
Barty stood in the doorway, wand drawn, his gaze sweeping coldly over the stunned assistants before lifting to the two "balloons" floating near the ceiling.
"With the likes of you," Barty said mockingly, "you think you can stop William? You'd better focus on getting your idiotic superiors down first—unless you want them drifting out for the whole Ministry to laugh at."
The assistants exchanged uneasy looks, hands trembling on their wands, but none dared take a step forward.
Among everyone present, perhaps only Barty truly understood William's real strength.
Back when Barty had been Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he had personally invited the newly graduated William to join the Auror Office, promising him a core leadership position within three years.
William had politely declined.
"I prefer a quieter job," he'd said. "I don't enjoy fighting."
Though Barty never gained that exceptional subordinate, that meeting marked the beginning of their friendship.
"A nest of vermin."
William didn't look back at the chaos he left behind. He spoke those final words clearly, then lifted his suitcase and strode into the shadows of the corridor amid rising screams and heated whispers.
The curse had been modified by his own hand—there was no easy way to release the air.
He was confident the entire Ministry would get a good look before it wore off.
He was already looking forward to tomorrow's Daily Prophet headline.
Ding.
The golden gates slid open as William stepped into the dimly lit lift.
By chance, an acquaintance from the Department of Magical Transportation squeezed in as well. Seeing the suitcase, the wizard greeted him with surprise.
"Leaving work early today, William?"
"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, shutting out the noise, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
A pale blue translucent interface, visible to him alone, appeared across his vision.
[Significant change detected in host's career trajectory. Core activation conditions met…]
[Target location locked: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…]
[Identity confirmed: Faculty member…]
[Eligibility verified.]
[Hogwarts Development and Training System constructed… Synchronization complete.]
William's fingers tightened slightly around the suitcase handle. A flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes, though his outward elegance remained intact. He even smiled politely in response to his colleague's complaints about the weather.
Damn… it's late.
Yet within his field of vision, streams of information were scrolling rapidly.
With his exceptional reading speed, he quickly grasped the system's core logic.
So to summarize, as long as he contributed to [Campus Development] and [Student Performance] during his future teaching career, he would earn points.
The former included repairing the castle and strengthening defenses.
The latter included improving students' O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exam results—each achievement converted directly into numerical rewards.
The first category didn't interest him much for now—he couldn't think of anything Hogwarts truly lacked.
But the second sparked countless ideas.
[Each student earning an E in O.W.L.s: +1 point]
[Each student earning an O in O.W.L.s: +3 points]
[Each student earning an E in N.E.W.T.s: +3 points]
[Each student earning an O in N.E.W.T.s: +5 points]
[Additional points for students with special achievements]
[…]
These points could be exchanged in the system shop for powerful magic, rare talents, and more.
Animagus.
Parseltongue.
Seer abilities.
After a brief glance, William's heart gave a subtle tremor.
The lift arrived in the Atrium with a soft ding, pulling him back to reality.
His colleague exited first, waving goodbye. William, however, remained standing, staring at the pale blue text as it slowly faded away.
An indescribable sense of absurdity welled up inside him.
He never expected to have a system.
And even more absurd—
He had been in the wizarding world for thirty full years, and only now had this long-overdue "cheat" finally arrived.