Saturday morning arrived without a packed class schedule. William slept until he woke naturally, only stirring when warm sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell across his face. He stretched lazily, feeling as if his overworked soul had finally returned to his body.
With nothing urgent to do, William leaned against the headboard and casually flipped open the surveillance book.
The images on its pages shifted in real time—Hogwarts on a Saturday was always full of life.
In the castle corridors, a few younger students hurried past clutching books, clearly rushing to the library to claim seats.
Professor McGonagall strode briskly toward the Headmaster's office, lips pursed, a piece of parchment in hand.
On the staircase leading to Gryffindor Tower, Charlie Weasley, dressed in bright red Quidditch robes and carrying his broom, walked with several teammates, chatting and laughing after what seemed to be early-morning training.
William continued turning pages. The image shifted to an abandoned classroom on the fifth floor, where two older students were locked in an enthusiastic embrace…
"Youth really is wonderful."
After watching Hogwarts' youthful drama with amusement for a while, he closed the book and opened another one used to monitor the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
The first few pages looked normal—trees swaying in the wind, the occasional squirrel darting past. But after a few pages, William frowned. Several of the split-screen images had gone completely black or were frozen at strange angles.
"Broken?"
According to his plan, the alchemically reinforced Bowtruckle models should have lasted at least a year outdoors. Even with the harsh environment of the Forbidden Forest, they shouldn't have failed after only a week.
To find the cause, and to preserve the reputation of his craftsmanship—William tidied himself up and headed to the familiar forest edge.
Looking at the lush sea of trees, he felt a wave of nostalgia. Back in his school days, he had ventured into the forest more times than he could count.
He turned and knocked on the door of the small wooden hut.
"Coming! Coming!"
Heavy footsteps approached, and Hagrid opened the door. Before William could greet him, a half-grown black boarhound bounded forward excitedly, sniffing him all over.
"Ah, Professor Shafiq—Fang! Sit! Don't dirty the guest's robes!"
Hagrid shouted, but the dog was far too enthusiastic and managed to lick William's hand thoroughly.
William smiled stiffly, discreetly tapping his wand against his hand before being warmly ushered inside.
The hut smelled strongly of stew and dog fur. Hagrid poured him a mug of strong tea and placed a plate of rock-hard pastries on the table.
"Try some, I made them myself. Rock cakes."
William picked one up and attempted a bite.
Crunch.
While Hagrid turned to fetch something, William smoothly slipped the rest under the table into Fang's mouth. A series of enthusiastic crunching noises soon followed.
No sooner had he sat down than William noticed several Bowtruckle models piled messily on the table by Hagrid's bed.
"Hagrid, some of the images from the surveillance book disappeared," William said directly, pointing at the models. "Looks like something's wrong with them, so I came to check."
Hagrid looked embarrassed and tugged awkwardly at his beard. "Er… yeah. A few broke. I've been trying to fix them, but no luck so far."
William picked one up and examined it. One thin leg had been snapped clean off.
"Strange break… looks like it was violently torn."
"Well…" Hagrid hesitated. "It's Bowtruckle mating season. The little fellas get… temperamental. And not very rational."
William immediately understood.
His face turned slightly green as he stared at the broken model.
Clack.
As if burned, he dropped it back onto the table.
"Maybe you could take them back to repair?" Hagrid asked hopefully.
"No need," William replied politely while silently casting the Scouring Charm on his hand three times inside his sleeve. "They're too far gone. I'll make a new batch."
Having learned the truth, he was ready to leave immediately—until something in the corner caught his eye.
A bundle of long, silver-white hair hung there, tied with rope into a duster.
"That is…?"
"Oh, that!" Hagrid grinned. "Unicorn tail hair. Great for dusting, very sturdy."
Dusting?
William felt his alchemist soul weeping. Unicorn tail hair was a premium material for wand cores and advanced potions, worth a fortune in Diagon Alley—and here it was being used as a feather duster.
Seeing William's interest, Hagrid cheerfully handed it to him. "Take it! You seem to like it."
"That's far too valuable, Hagrid," William protested weakly while firmly gripping the silky bundle.
"Oh, it's nothing!" Hagrid waved it off. "The unicorns in the forest are friendly with me. Every time I brush them, loads fall out. I've got heaps."
"And that surveillance book you gave me has saved me loads of patrol time. I haven't properly thanked you yet."
"In that case… I'll accept."
After a token protest, William slipped the bundle into his alchemical ring.
His mood instantly improved, and he decided to chat a little longer.
Then he noticed a dusty glass jar on the mantel filled with curved, sharp fangs.
"Those look like Acromantula fangs?" William asked carefully.
"Good eye!" Hagrid beamed. "When one of the Acromantulas dies, the others eat the body as part of their mourning ritual. They don't eat the fangs though—they're too hard. I pick them up on patrol as souvenirs."
"Very unique souvenirs," William said sincerely. Acromantula venom was incredibly valuable; even the fangs were rare materials.
"Want some?" Hagrid poured half the jar into William's hands. "Got too many anyway."
"I won't refuse."
He was already planning to grind them into powder as soon as he returned to his office.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon. The space inside his ring felt noticeably fuller.
"Stay for lunch?" Hagrid offered warmly. "Got weasel stew on the stove."
William glanced at the bubbling black pot and froze.
"Another time, Hagrid. I suddenly remembered I have lessons to prepare."
Hagrid walked him to the door, slightly disappointed.
"Oh right, thanks to your surveillance book, I caught those Weasley twins trying to sneak into the forest yesterday!" Hagrid laughed heartily. "You should've seen their faces."
"If I'd had this when you were a student, I wouldn't have had to outwit you all the time."
William simply smiled and waved goodbye, leaving the forest's edge with a very profitable haul.
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