Chapter 91: Preparations Begin

As usual in the Gryffindor house for the past year, William Rosier was the first to get out of bed. It was at this time that he could go to the school courtyard and do some exercise.

One of the things his fight with the werewolf Greyback taught him was that the physical condition of a wizard does matter. Not every opponent would face him in an official duel, and not every duel could be resolved with a spell. Besides, the showers were empty in the morning.

After finishing his morning routine, it was time to head to the Great Hall. Only Headmaster Dumbledore was in his seat that day. They made eye contact, but no words were exchanged.

"Every time he looks at me, I feel like an ant," William looked at his hands for a moment and then continued walking to the table usually used by Gryffindor students. There was a seat that was practically his own; he took out some papers and his quill, waiting for breakfast.

The quill moved across the paper, and the ink did its job. Breakfast appeared out of nowhere on the table, but William continued writing on his paper, absorbed in his work.

Minutes later, more teachers began to arrive. Professor McGonagall was one of the first people to enter; she noticed William for a moment and nodded. She had no doubts about young Rosier's merits. On the other hand, Snape just walked without giving the white-haired boy even a bit of attention. But Professor Lockhart was the most expressive of all the teachers. Certainly, the disdain towards the youngest Rosier was evident to everyone, something Dumbledore could only mildly shake his head at.

The students had diverse reactions, mostly due to rumors: the son of the Rosier family, known to be part of the followers of the one who must not be named, the young hero of South America during his trip to Castelobruxo, and now a possible heir of Salazar Slytherin. Whatever the truth, no one could deny that William was quite a character at Hogwarts.

"What are you doing?"

The voice came from the side, bringing William's mind back to reality. He turned his head and saw the curious girl.

"Cho," William called, slowly raising his hand to greet her. He looked back at his papers. "They are letters; my friends from Castelobruxo help me with some things."

"Are you still in contact with them?"

"Although it was a short period of time I spent with them, we had a great adventure. We risked our lives and got what each of us desired. Without a doubt, all of that makes us friends." On the table were several letters for different members of the dueling club at Castelobruxo, and another specific one for his mentor there, Manuela.

Then the protagonist of the story, Harry Potter, entered. Some students began to talk quietly, but nothing serious.

"The rumor about the Chamber of Secrets is losing traction after a few days," Cho mentioned.

"It's normal. The twins and some others have started using it as a joke. As long as nothing happens, the issue will fade away, and it will just be another moment among many that happen during the school year," William said calmly, even though he himself was a 'candidate' for Slytherin's heir. Besides, things would start happening more frequently at school; it was almost inevitable.

'Inevitable?' That was the question that crossed William's mind, and then a smile appeared on his face. There were certainly things he couldn't change because they were beyond his power, like the fact that Sirius Black would escape from prison next year, but this was something he could prevent with his knowledge of the future.

William got up from the table suddenly.

"William?" Cho asked, seeing him leave the table.

"Sorry, I have things to do from now on." He gathered his things and left the hall under the gaze of not only Cho Chang but also a certain brunette.

In the long corridors, William activated his mind's eye and searched for his target of the day, the man who lived his life in misery, the most popular squib at the school. Filch was cleaning when he met William.

"Have you gathered what I asked for?" William had previously promised to do everything possible to help Filch stop being a squib just like him. Although he didn't know how to do it at that moment, it was a fact that he would eventually figure it out. Meanwhile, to buy time, he had Filch gather some very hard-to-get ingredients, all with the excuse of buying himself more time.

"Not yet, but soon I will have everything necessary in my hands," the caretaker replied with a smile on his face.

"I need you to help me with something."

"What could I be of use for?" Filch put all his attention on the young wizard in front of him.

"I need you to retrieve a diary I accidentally lost."

"A diary?" Filch asked incredulously.

William nodded. "It's a black diary that's enchanted. The diary itself isn't the problem; it's something that was given to me as support from another family, and I can't lose it. It belongs to Lucius Malfoy."

Filch's eyebrows raised slightly. "How will I find the diary in this castle?"

"I think I heard that someone from the first year has it, but I can't just take it because nothing says it's mine."

"Who is the person who has the diary?"

"It's one of the Gryffindor girls. She usually hangs around the second-floor girls' bathroom. You can ask Myrtle for more details." William turned and started walking to his classes, then turned back to Filch. "I'd hurry up to retrieve the diary; it has one of the processes for curing your problem."