The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

The next day, the sky over Hogwarts was overcast, with thick, dark clouds hanging low over the towers as if they might press down at any moment. The atmosphere inside the castle was even worse than the weather.

For Harry, Hermione, and Rowe, it wasn't just about losing points. They were losing the goodwill of the entire world.

[System Environment: The Regent's Court of Gondor, in exile.]

Current Reputation: Hatred.

[Status: Public enemy of the entire school.]

When Lowe entered the auditorium for breakfast, the hostility turned into a real, cold wind that stung people's faces.

The long table in Hufflepuff was filled with laughter, the aroma of freshly baked bread mingling with the students' gossip. But the moment Rowe walked in, the noise abruptly stopped, as if cut off.

He walked to his usual seat, and the first-year students who were sitting around him, as if they had seen the source of a plague, hurriedly took their plates and ran to the other end of the long table, leaving Luo Wei alone sitting in the corner.

The hourglass that was once filled with glittering yellow gems is now empty, with only a few pitiful gems swaying at the bottom.

"It's him."

"That guy who ruined our grades this semester."

"He still has the nerve to come eat here? If it were me, I'd want to crawl into a hole and disappear."

"I heard he's in cahoots with that Potter guy, they specialize in breaking school rules."

Whispers buzzed around my ears like flies, and even passing Slytherin students clapped with glee.

Rowe sat down expressionlessly, picked up his knife and fork, and began cutting the sausage on his plate.

"Forgive them," Rowe said to himself. "They don't know the protection they live under. The knights shed blood in the wilderness not for praise, but so that the people of the Shire can enjoy their second breakfast in peace."

[Willpower check: Passed.]

[Gained Buff: [Lonely Watcher] (Willpower +1, Resistance to Gossip +50%).]

At that moment, he looked up at the situation at the Gryffindor table.

Harry and Hermione were in a worse situation than him. Hufflepuff was at least relatively mild (mostly passive-aggressive and ignoring), while the Gryffindors made no attempt to hide their anger. Whenever Harry passed by, some would deliberately taunt him loudly as "the Seeker superstar," and others would intentionally bump into his shoulder as they passed by.

Harry kept his head down, wishing he could bury his face in the bowl of porridge. Hermione's eyes were swollen and red, like two walnuts; she had clearly cried all night under the covers.

Luo Wei wiped his mouth, picked up his pumpkin juice, and stood up.

He walked through the aisle between the two long tables, amidst countless surprised and hostile gazes, and went straight to the Gryffindor table, plopping down opposite Harry.

Good morning, Harry.

Harry looked up abruptly, staring at him in surprise. "Love? You...you shouldn't be here. Everyone's watching..."

"Don't speak." Rowe raised a hand to stop him. "I know what you want to say. I'm sorry to have dragged you into this... Swallow those words, Harry."

He glanced at the empty seat next to Harry: "Where's Ron? Still in the hospital wing?"

"Yes," Harry's voice was low and filled with guilt. "Madam Pomfrey said his hand was swollen like a leavened dough. Norbert's teeth are poisonous. He wanted to come out and eat with us, but Madam Pomfrey made him stay away."

"That's a soldier's medal." Lowe took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Hermione, who was secretly wiping away tears. "Tell him to take good care of his wounds."

Hermione paused for a moment, then looked up at Rowe.

"This is war, madam." Rowe looked at Hermione's swollen eyes. "In war, misunderstanding is a sharper weapon than orc swords. If we ourselves fall, who will fight the darkness?"

Hermione took the handkerchief in a daze, and the tears that were about to well up stopped.

“But…everyone hates us,” Harry said painfully, his voice trembling. “Wood won’t even talk to me anymore. And we’re going to be put in solitary confinement at eleven tonight.”

"Where to?" Luo Wei asked knowingly.

"The Forbidden Forest," Hermione said, her voice trembling with fear. "Filch said Hagrid would be waiting for us there. And Neville… Good heavens, Neville was caught just for trying to warn us. And Malfoy, Professor McGonagall said he was also punished for 'wandering at night,' saying it was also against school rules."

"The Forbidden Forest..." Lowe squinted.

[Mission Preview: Deep into the Dark Forest]

[Main Objective: Assist the Skin Changer (Hagrid) in investigating the source of darkness.]

Secondary objective: Protect the shaman from being devoured by dark creatures.

[Teammates: The Ringbearer (Harry), the Elven Scholar (Hermione), and two burdens.]

"Love, aren't you scared?" Harry asked, looking at Love's still calm face. "Everyone hates us now, even Hufflepuff ignores you."

"That's because they're mortals." Lowe took a bite of the green apple he'd picked up from the table. "Mortals can only see the gains and losses in scores, but they can't see the approaching shadow of the demon. But we're different."

"Remember this, Harry. I am your gardener and your sword. No matter what happens, no matter how the world rejects us, I will be with you to the very end. Even if it means going to Mount Doom."

Harry looked into Rowe's eyes. Although he didn't understand anything about "Gardener" or "Mount Doom," the feeling of being firmly chosen and unconditionally supported made his heart beat again.

On this morning when the whole world had turned its back on him, a strange friend stood firmly by his side.

"Thank you, Rowe." Harry sniffed, genuinely touched this time.

Just then, an unexpected figure walked over.

It's Susan Bornes.

Her face flushed, and she held a steaming cup of honeyed pumpkin juice in her hand. Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people in the school, she walked resolutely through the deserted area of ​​the Hufflepuff tables to Rowe's side.

"This is for you, Rowe." Her voice trembled, clearly extremely nervous, but her hand holding the glass was steady. "I don't think you did anything wrong. You...you must have your reasons. I believe you."

The entire hall erupted in uproar. Even the jeers from the Slytherin side paused for a moment.

Lowell looked at Susan with some surprise.

Under the system's filter, Susan at this moment resembles an elven girl handing out a starlight bottle in the darkness.

[Item obtained: Galadriel's Gift (Special Pumpkin Juice)]

【Effect: Restores a large amount of Sanity, removes the [Loneliness] status, and slightly increases all attributes.】

"Thank you, Susan." Lowe stood up, took the glass, and smiled sincerely. "May the starlight always shine on your path."

Susan's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe tomato. She nodded hastily, turned and ran back to the Hufflepuff table, burying her head in her arms.

Although the hostility around them remained, a crack seemed to have appeared in the suffocating frost.

Rowe raised his glass in a toast to Harry and Hermione.

"To the exiles."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and raised their glasses as well. Although Hermione's eyes were still glistening with tears, and Harry's hands were still trembling slightly, a smile finally appeared on their faces.

"To the exiles."

Of course, this "spiritual victory" cannot change the fact that they are about to face confinement.

But at least, they are no longer fighting alone.