A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Harry died again. This time, he dragged Ron down with him.

But it wasn't Voldemort who had killed them. Instead, they died after jumping down the trapdoor; by falling to their deaths.

William could vividly imagine the scene:

Harry opened the trapdoor, looking bravely at Ron. He probably expected Ron to say, "If you jump, I'll jump!"

Unfortunately, Ron transformed into Cobb from Inception, hesitated, and refused outright.

In the end, Harry smiled gallantly and leapt down, and Ron, perhaps having a change of heart, followed suit.

Then…

Thud. Thud.

They didn't even have a chance to cry for help before they were reduced to unrecognizable piles of flesh.

A pitiful way to go.

Harry's death was inevitable, but William hadn't expected that without Hermione's assistance, he and Ron would end their journey so quickly–-right at the trapdoor.

Were they so brainless that they didn't think to use a rope when faced with such a deep pit?

Was this bravery or sheer stupidity?

On the bright side, the basilisk didn't claim any victims this time.

The Quidditch match ended in just fifteen minutes, well before it could make an appearance.

During the match, Cedric's shooting accuracy was abysmal. He shot aimlessly from midfield, missing every single attempt, completely disrupting Ravenclaw's strategy.

With the team's core player continually missing shots, Cho Chang was also thrown off her game. Slytherin's Seeker caught the Golden Snitch in a mere fifteen minutes.

In just a quarter of an hour, Cedric masterfully played the role of a saboteur. He boosted the opponent's confidence, shattered his teammates' morale, and crushed the youthful enthusiasm of Ravenclaw students.

"Ugh… my youth is gone. I'm never watching Quidditch again!"

When Cedric landed, Penelope slapped him hard across the face.

At the time, Cedric hadn't reverted from the effects of the Polyjuice Potion, leading many wizards to spread rumours that William had toyed with Penelope's feelings, provoking her wrath.

That night, William didn't return to the dormitory. Not wanting to get beaten up, he slept in the Room of Requirement instead.

The next morning, he woke up back in his Ravenclaw dormitory, and the loop reset as usual.

…

William sought out Cedric again and reassured him that he wouldn't be beaten.

Still, making Cedric take the hits every time left William feeling guilty. He decided that next time he'd enlist the Weasley twins as replacements.

William maintained a healthy routine, setting a small goal: seven days per cycle, with five days for studying and two for relaxation, adhering strictly to the school timetable.

His talent for lying had reached max level, and he could concoct the most plausible excuses to convince professors to teach him.

The hardest to deceive was Professor McGonagall, a diehard Quidditch fan. She would only agree to lessons after watching a match.

Left with no choice, William repeated his previous loop's strategy and had Dumbledore write him a note.

William primarily studied Animagus transformations with Professor McGonagall.

Becoming an Animagus took years of practice to transform into one's most compatible animal. However, the process carried risks and required courage.

Advanced Transfiguration could forcibly turn someone into an animal, and McGonagall could transform William into a cat at any time. 

But those transformations were temporary, unlike the long-term form retention of an Animagus.

With McGonagall's help, William continually refined his transformations, aiming to elevate his skills during this loop. Once he left the time loop, he'd be ready to prepare for becoming an Animagus.

…

William also brewed potions in Snape's supply room.

He had Snape's key, which Cedric and the others had acquired that night at the Forbidden Forest, making it particularly useful now.

Occasionally, William brought Hermione along on these adventures. The girl always looked astonished, seemingly terrified that Snape might catch them.

But Snape never showed up. He was too busy mourning Harry's death, drowning in sorrow every day.

William sometimes visited the headmaster's office to comfort for Snape, usinga few drops of eye drops for good measure.

These moments were a constant source of joy for him.

William planned to preserve these memories when the time loop ended, so he could send them to Snape as a graduation gift.

…

Of course, there were less pleasant moments in his life as well.

Saturday happened to be the Daily Prophet's lottery draw.

The lottery offered five prizes:

First Prize: 2,200 Galleons

Second Prize: 700 Galleons

Third Prize: 44.3 Galleons

Participation Prize: A bar of soap with Dumbledore's face.

If no one claimed the top prizes, the money would accumulate into a grand prize, which hadn't been won in 17 months. The jackpot now had accumulated as high as 20,000 Galleons.

On Saturday night, William noted the winning numbers and sent an owl the next morning to buy that exact set.

To his dismay, when the numbers were announced, the grand prize-winning combination had mysteriously changed!

The following day, William refrained from purchasing the numbers, and the original combination reappeared.

Similarly, every time he purchased the first-prize numbers, the results would shift again.

At that moment, William understood that this was a scam. When top prizes were purchased, the Daily Prophet staff likely bought the tickets themselves!

A blatant case of rigging.

At least the second and third prizes weren't tampered with.

William decided that once he left the time loop, he would claim those smaller prizes. After all, 700 Galleons wasn't a small amount by any means.

As for the soap with Dumbledore's face on it, anyone who wanted it could have it and he'd have no objection.

…

William spent months in Professor Babbling's office, significantly improving his Ancient Runes skills.

However, his visits gradually became less frequent. While the sight of her long legs was a treat, the same scenery day after day grew dull.

By now, William had a good grasp of her personality. She was an irritable woman with a penchant for snacking.

As for her identity, William had his suspicions. She wasn't human, that much was certain from their interactions so far .

Honestly, Dumbledore had a knack for hiring the most peculiar staff.

…

During the time loop, William also expanded his circle of acquaintances.

Hogwarts was only so big, and William often encountered the same faces. To break the monotony, he began making friends with everyone.

His reputation preceded him. Previously, William was an elusive figure in hogwarts. Aside from class time, he was either buried in the library or holed up in the Room of Requirement.

Many had wanted to approach him but never had the chance.

To his surprise, the school was far livelier than he'd imagined.

What shocked William the most was that even some Slytherins, who seemingly disliked him, turned out to be quite easy to get along with when alone.

Take Malfoy, for instance… William's most loyal customer.

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