A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Learning Occlumency didn't mean William would give up on dying.

Hogwarts was too small for someone like him. Sure, there were mountains and lakes, but no phones, no internet, not even single-player games to pass the time. How could he possibly stay here for years without finding ways to entertain himself?

William began wracking his brain for adrenaline-inducing activities. The more dangerous, the better.

And so, his next target became extreme rock climbing.

Rock climbing generally falls into two categories: free climbing and gear climbing.

Free climbing means relying solely on the climber's body, wearing climbing shoes, using chalk for grip, and navigating the wall without external assistance.

Gear climbing, on the other hand, is much safer, involving artificial handholds, footholds, and tools like ropes to aid the ascent.

One of the wildest climbers, Alex Honnold, once climbed the 370-meter "Moonlight Buttress" with nothing but a bag of chalk.

One section of that climb was a 215-meter sheer wall with only a 2.5-centimeter-wide vertical crack. Honnold used just his fingers to support himself across the gap.

Later, he outdid himself by completing three of Yosemite National Park's largest walls—Mount Watkins, El Capitan, and Half Dome—in a single 18-hour, 50-minute climb.

These rock walls totalled about 2,134 meters, of which Honnold climbed 1,982 meters unprotected and solo, except for a brief 152-meter section.

What a madman! Truly a master of recklessness.

In truth, the best climbers in the natural world aren't humans but goats.

Mountain goats can elegantly scale sheer cliffs with the grace of ballet dancers.

You can often spot them standing on ledges or even climbing dam walls dozens of meters high.

Once, William saw a group of them from a distance and couldn't help but wonder, "Will it rain goats?"

Mountain goats don't climb for thrills but to lick rocks for essential salts.

Doesn't that just remind you of being driven to extremes by life?

Soon, William set a personal goal: to climb to the top of Hogwarts Castle.

This task was far more challenging than flying a Thestral recklessly. Flying just required controlling the creature and going full speed ahead, with minimal skill involved. The matter of how or when he might crash was another story entirely.

Climbing, however, demanded technique, immense physical stamina, and powerful arm strength. Otherwise, he'd run out of energy halfway up.

Despite his daily exercise and great physique, William realized after climbing just a dozen meters that he wasn't fit enough.

So, he went back to training.

With unyielding determination and a disregard for death, William spent about ten months preparing. Finally, he successfully scaled the Hogwarts tower.

That evening, as the sun set, William screamed at the sky, feeling on top of the world. The scene resembled King Kong atop the Empire State Building swatting at planes.

But after the satisfaction of success, boredom quickly returned.

William soon moved on to his next activity; freediving in the Black Lake.

The deepest human dive with a submersible was achieved by the Trieste, which explored the Mariana Trench in the South Pacific, reaching 10,916 meters below sea level.

Without equipment, the record for free diving stands at 113 meters, while equipped dives have gone as deep as 332 meters.

William had no intention of breaking records—he wasn't a professional, just an enthusiast.

As Italian diver Umberto Pelizzari once said, "Freediving is like entering another world with no gravity, no colors, no sounds. It's a long jump the soul."

And indeed, it was a leap into the soul. William's first attempt saw him "leap" to the lakebed for several hours before finally floating back to the surface.

That night, the entire school was out searching for him.

When the professors found William, his body was so swollen he looked like a giant.

After that, William never dove without first sneaking some Gillyweed from Professor Snape to prevent another drowning experience. It wasn't pleasant.

William's biggest obstacle, however, was the merfolk in the Black Lake. They attacked him like he was their mortal enemy.

Having failed to mend their relationship, William had no choice but to fight back.

The more he fought, the more he learned their tactics, which weren't particularly creative. Their moves were limited compared to centaurs.

However, the merfolk leader's trident was a real problem. It almost killed him several times.

Given that time loops reset everything, William didn't bother making peace with them. Instead, he planned to sneak in and steal the trident, only to be caught every time.

Despite his meticulous plans, the merfolk always seemed to know where he was, which was really weird.

After half a year of diving, William mastered every swimming stroke.

Occasionally, he'd invite Hermione along, but she always declined, claiming she hadn't brought her swimsuit.

In his 800th time loop, William founded a Fight Club at Hogwarts.

The name came from a movie he'd seen in his previous life, Fight Club.

But his version was vastly different.

In the movie, the club started as a way to vent frustrations through fighting, but as more people joined, they escalated into acts of mass destruction.

William had no intention of punching people and starting terrorist attacks.

At Hogwarts, most professors were frail.

Even though William was only thirteen, his rock climbing and freediving training had given him far superior strength and stamina.

If it came down to a fistfight without magic, William could easily take on ten Snapes.

Of course, if Snape resorted to biochemical weapons, William wouldn't stand a chance. 

All Snape needed to do was shake his hair, unleashing a cloud of dandruff and a pungent odour like that of something fermented for 180 days, and he'd be invincible.

William's Fight Club was more like a martial arts competition. He wanted to see the professors spar and even challenge them himself.

During his loops, he had dueled Dumbledore countless times.

Extended combat with the same opponent taught him their every move, allowing him to counter them later.

This kind of "cheating" made him feel like he was on equal footing with Dumbledore.

But in real battles, there's no such thing as rewinding time.

To truly improve, William needed diverse opponents.

Convincing the professors to participate, however, wasn't easy.

Snape, for instance, showed no interest until William promised to relinquish the use of a dragon for the winner. Snape agreed immediately.

Professor Flitwick was the easiest to convince. As a former dueling champion, he was eager to showcase his skills.

William himself joined the fights, battling alongside the professors.

By now, he had mastered nonverbal spellcasting, a skill that required immense focus and willpower.

Soon, the 1,500th loop came to an end.

William was ready to move on.

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