Heartache, Guilt, and Self-Reproach

On Saturday morning, William and his friends arrived at the Great Hall very early.

These past two days have been the Quidditch selections for the four houses, and everyone is very excited and looking forward to it.

There's absolutely no need to worry about veteran players like the twin brothers and Cedric who have proven themselves on the field; their selection process is just a formality.

However, the twins and Cedric have completely different mindsets.

Although Hufflepuff Quidditch Team strength has weakened somewhat, several key players are still in their prime and have not yet graduated.

They reached the finals last year and are still the favorites to win the championship this year.

Gryffindor was a different story. Their captain and Seeker, Charlie, graduated, causing a significant drop in the team's overall strength and turning them into a second-rate team.

They need to draft a new, talented Seeker this year.

This spot isn't easy to find; most of the students above the third grade are, as everyone knows, capable.

The new batch of second-year Gryffindor students didn't have any particularly outstanding ones.

It's impossible to find it in first grade, is it?

This morning, several of us were discussing this matter while sitting at the dining table.

The new captain, Wood, was extremely anxious about this and kept nagging the veteran players to find talent.

Professor McGonagall was also putting a lot of pressure on Wood, hinting several times that Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup for five consecutive years, which was unimaginable in her time!

Professor McGonagall's tone was extremely serious, as if Gryffindor's failure to win the championship for so many years was no less difficult than the Death Eaters invading Hogwarts.

As everyone knows, Professor McGonagall is a die-hard fan of football for decades; she was the Gryffindor Quidditch Team when she was in school.

William could only chuckle at this, noting that Ravenclaw hadn't won the Quidditch Cup for eight consecutive years.

When it comes to being bad Ravenclaw is in a league of its own.

To avoid Wood's nagging, or more accurately, his smelly feet, the twins had to sit at the Ravenclaw dining table.

They didn't actually have fixed seats. Cedric was from Hufflepuff, and they often ate at the Hufflepuff table.

Basically, you just sit at whichever table has fewer people.

William even sat at Slytherin's dining table.

In any case, no one dared to call him Mudblood or show obvious disgust to his face, especially when he was holding his wand and smiling.

Although William Muggle-born, his strength was too great, and he was the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin. No one would want to mess with such Dumbledore genius.

After all, it's 2019 already, and Voldemort has been out of power for eleven years. That kind of fanatical Pure-blood theory has long lost its appeal, at least people won't openly express it without any restraint.

Moreover, many Slytherin wizards are Half-blood.

Sitting at the Ravenclaw dining table, the group was still discussing Quidditch.

The twins are going to the Quidditch arena, while William, Hermione, Cedric, and Cho are going to Hagrid's Hut.

Hermione has been completely isolated; few students her age are willing to talk to her, especially Ron.

But she didn't notice this, spending most of her time outside of class studying with William in the library.

Just then, a commotion erupted overhead as dozens of owls swarmed in, circling the Great Hall and dropping letters and packages into the conversationing crowd.

Then, another large, grayish creature circled the Gryffindor dining table a few times before Accio toward Ravenclaw.

It was so old that before it could land properly, it plunged headfirst into the milk jug on the table, splashing milk and feathers all over everyone.

"Errol!" Fred frowned. "How did it get here?"

George lifted the wet owl by its claws and pulled it out.

Errol lay slumped on the table, his legs dangling in the air, a wet red envelope dangling from his mouth.

"Oh no—" Fred exclaimed.

"It's alright, it's still alive." Hermione carefully poked Errol with her fingertip.

Bobocha even lay on the table and sniffed the owl with its nose.

Seemingly sensing a cat watching it, Errol twitched its paw.

"Ha--this is going to be interesting." Cedric pointed at the red envelope, a smile spreading across his face.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"A letter—Mom sent us a Howler," Fred said helplessly.

"You'd better open it quickly," Cedric said excitedly. "If you ignore it, it will explode, and it will make an even louder noise."

But the twin brothers dared not open it; the four corners of the envelope were already smoking.

"Can we block out the sound by Muffliato?" George asked William quickly.

"No, the Howler so loud, it can't be blocked." William shook his head.

Muffliato will produce a buzzing sound, making it difficult for those around you to hear the spellcaster speaking softly, but it has no effect on a loud voice like Howler.

"Freezing Charm..."

"Hmm, maybe, but if it fails, it'll have the same effect as not turning it on at all—making the sound louder. Are you sure?"

"Confundus Charm?"

The group seemed to be having an academic discussion, completely ignoring the Howler, but the flames from the Howler were growing stronger and stronger, as if it were about to explode.

"My Confundus Charm is so-so, but it's still quite easy to make someone believe they've already been opened."

William took out his wand, and less than two seconds later, he put it away, calmly sat down, and continued drinking his milk.

"It worked?"

"No," William shrugged.

"Then why are you drinking milk so calmly?" Cedric was speechless.

"Clearly, Mrs. Weasley was prepared," William said helplessly.

"She had added several spells to the envelope beforehand, so that if anyone tried to cast a spell on the Howler, it would immediately..."

Bang!

Without William needing to say more, everyone knew the outcome: the Howler suddenly exploded with a deafening roar. The enormous sound filled the entire Great Hall, shaking dust off the ceiling.

"... I feel extremely heartbroken, extremely guilty, and extremely remorseful..."

I haven't been able to keep a proper eye on you guys; you're always causing trouble. I bought you some maps to check on you, and you dared to ignore my letter!

If you two continue like this, I wouldn't be surprised at all if you got expelled from school. Just wait and see how I deal with you then.

Now! Immediately!! Right now!!!

Send me the Hogwarts Map, without a second's delay, or I'll be sending you a Howler every day...

Mrs. Weasley's shout was hundreds of times louder than usual, making the plates and spoons on the table rattle and the echoes on the stone walls deafening.

Everyone in the Great Hall turned around to see who had received the Howler.

"And Ron, you're late every day, and you even drag Harry into it with you. And you still have the nerve to write to me asking for money to buy reference materials!"

Are you sure you're going to use the money to buy "reference materials" and not snacks? If you don't study properly and are late again, I'll Howler at you to get up every day...

Ron was lucky; he wasn't in the hall, he was still asleep, and missed the Howler.

A moment later, the roaring stopped, but a buzzing sound still lingered in my ears.

Joyful laughter filled the hall, and voices gradually rose again.

The twins sat there blankly, as if they had just been washed by the tide.

To give or not to give, that is the question.

Should we silently endure the relentless attacks from the Howler?

Or should I give up nighttime outings and immerse myself in the boring campus life from now on?

Which of these two behaviors is safer?

The Weasley Brothers: We're not human anymore!

(Third update, all done! Finally, no more staying up all night.)