Once the beaters left, the door automatically closed with a soft thud, sealed by magic.
Dumbledore approached, his face adorned with a kind smile.
"I believe you all have some guesses about the purpose of this meeting, and you're likely not far off," he said, shrugging exaggeratedly as he addressed William and the others.
"Though I hate to admit it, we currently have a significant vacancy on our faculty. Hogwarts is in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Even if all three of you are interested, we can accommodate you."
"Three?" William couldn't help but whisper.
He had only seen one of the movies, but if his memory was correct, "Defense Against the Dark Arts professor" seemed to refer to just one person in the film.
"Of course, three. In fact, we're hoping for more," Dumbledore replied, glancing at William. "It's probably because our professors prefer teaching peacefully that you rarely hear about them outside Hogwarts. In reality, each subject has its own department. Before I became Headmaster, I was the head of the Transfiguration Department, working alongside Minerva."
"So, you don't need to worry about conflicts of duties. Even if all of you decide to join, Hogwarts still has plenty of positions available," he added with a twinkle in his eye.
Professors, job offers, from Azkaban?
William was stunned. He had speculated about the purpose of such a grand setup, but he had never imagined it would be for recruiting professors.
Back in his previous life, universities had all sorts of issues, but anyone with a criminal record wouldn't even be considered. Even if they passed every other hurdle, public scrutiny would tear the school apart during the announcement phase.
He had heard so much about Hogwarts while in prison that his ears were practically numb. If the news broke that Hogwarts was hiring teachers from Azkaban, even prisoners would think the school had hit rock bottom.
"So, the curse... it's real?"
The tall prisoner beside him seemed less surprised than William. After only a couple of minutes of processing the information, he furrowed his brows and asked.
"Yes, it's real. We haven't found a way to break it yet," McGonagall replied calmly. "We've only managed to reduce its severity. While not fatal, it causes injuries and other incidents that force professors to leave the school."
"How severe are the injuries?"
"Someone had to stay in the hospital for a year and a half," McGonagall answered.
The atmosphere in the room cooled instantly. The previous tension, driven by the possibility of one of the three becoming the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, vanished.
"I refuse. I only have 3 months left in my sentence. I won't risk taking on a cursed job," declared one of the prisoners, Bode.
"Of course," McGonagall replied, handing him a parchment. "But please sign this confidentiality agreement first, Mr. Bode."
Bode swiftly signed the document and left without looking back, leaving only William and another prisoner, Gil, behind.
William could hear Gil's deep, labored breathing as he grappled with his decision.
Eventually, Gil chose the same path as Bode, signing the agreement and leaving reluctantly.
William remained, torn.
He had only seen the fourth Harry Potter movie and could clearly remember two scenes; Voldemort's resurrection and the death of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor disguised as Mad-Eye Moody.
If the two professors in front of him weren't lying and the curse wasn't fatal, it was likely that the curse's strength would increase with Voldemort's return.
If he accepted the position now, he would probably only last a year at most, ending up in the hospital for a year and a half. By the time Voldemort fully returned, he would already have left Hogwarts.
Is it worth it?
Joining Hogwarts could give him a legitimate job reference in the future. Even a former Hogwarts professor who had to leave due to an "incident" was still highly regarded in the wizarding world.
More importantly, the Hogwarts library, described vividly by the prisoners, was a treasure trove beyond anything he could imagine. There wasn't another place in the magical world with such an extensive collection of books.
And perhaps most crucial of all, he wouldn't have to endure the daily torment of being randomly chosen as food for Dementors. He also wouldn't need to queue just to catch a sliver of sunlight in his cell, which barely reached him anyway.
***
"May I ask, is the last Defense Against the Dark Arts professor currently in the hospital?"
Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged glances, deliberating for a long moment before responding.
"I'm sorry, William. I regret to tell you that he passed away," Dumbledore said gently. "But it wasn't because of the curse. He made a decision long ago that sealed his fate."
"Not because of the curse?"
"No, not the curse," Dumbledore confirmed.
Was my guess wrong?
Did the curse have lethal effects even if Voldemort hadn't resurrected? Or was it truly unrelated to the curse?
After a long silence, William asked an unrelated question.
"What about the potions I owe? I ended up in Azkaban. What happened to those?"
"They investigated once but gave up after learning you were imprisoned," McGonagall replied.
As expected. While he tried to avoid worrying about things he couldn't fix, debts didn't disappear just because he was in Azkaban. Once released, his creditors would be waiting. That's why he had sold his manuscripts before.
Should I gamble on surviving the curse and start with a simple path? Or avoid the curse entirely and face a more difficult road ahead?
A tough choice.
Just then, a notification rang in William's ears.
[You have earned the recognition of a magical creature. Reward: 1 Treasure Chest.]
"Sorry, could I have a piece of paper and a pen? I need to think this over carefully," William requested.
In front of Dumbledore, William resisted the urge to open the chest immediately. He used the excuse of needing paper to sit at the table, scribbling to distract them. Once he had cover, he accessed the chest.
A rosewood chest with gold trim appeared, shimmering with rainbow light. With dramatic flair, three glowing, gold-edged cards materialized before him.
[Grand Alchemist Dumbledore (SSR)]
Alchemical Mastery: Dumbledore's achievements in alchemy are astonishing. He famously discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood.
Skill: Philosopher's Touch -- Destroy this card to transmute a chosen iron block into gold based on your magic power and the size of the iron.]
[Transfiguration Master Dumbledore (SSR)] Everyone knows Dumbledore was once a Transfiguration professor, but few can fathom the extent of his skill.
Skill: Domain of Transfiguration – Destroy this card to animate all objects in a room, transforming them into battle-ready forms to defend or attack based on the user's intent. Duration depends on magic power.
[Dark Wizard Dumbledore (Special Card) (SSR)] Few remember that Dumbledore once dabbled in the Dark Arts, and fewer know the miracles he achieved in that field.
Skill: Dark Arts Researcher (Passive) -- Holding this card allows you to remain in peak condition while studying the Dark Arts.
The final piece of the puzzle fell into place.
William felt the weight of his decision.
Should I gamble on this opportunity or turn away?
***
Note: McGonagall initially contacted Hogwarts when she was unhappy with her work at the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore, then the head of the Transfiguration Department (yes, even though it's a school, it was called a "department"), responded, and they became colleagues. Thus, it's still unclear how many professors can teach a single subject.