Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 84 Don't associate with disreputable students, Miss Greengrass

Upon hearing the name Charlie, Professor McGonagall had a sudden realization. She glanced discreetly at Professors Flitwick and Sprout standing beside her and promptly changed the subject.

She couldn't let the idea that "someone is keeping a dragon in the castle" come out in public.

If the matter of privately raising dragons were investigated further, someone would inevitably be sent to Azkaban, which was not what Professor McGonagall wanted—whether it was one of the students present or any other audacious individual, confinement was sufficient punishment. The most critical risk had been eliminated; the rest was trivial. She trusted that her two friends wouldn't press the issue further and would maintain a tacit silence.

"Whatever your purpose, wandering around the castle at night is always wrong," Professor McGonagall stated directly, glossing over the reason why the group had come out.

Hearing Professor McGonagall say this, Daphne felt her courage and wisdom return to her mind, and she mustered her courage to say, "But the four founders actually encouraged the students to patrol the castle at night. I think if they were brought back to life, they certainly wouldn't blame us."

Rice's words echoed in her ears. Although his evidence was nothing more than childish "correspondence between ancient wizards," Daphne still believed him without a doubt.

"The era in which the four founders lived had its own unique characteristics, but times have changed. The era that belonged to the four founders has passed with them, and the rules should change accordingly." Professor McGonagall glanced at Daphne: she was impressed by this child. She was exceptionally talented and did not have the annoying temperament that was common among Slytherin students. Therefore, she had a good impression of Daphne, even more so than many Gryffindor students.

She is quiet, gentle, elegant, and has excellent academic performance. She is respectful and polite to her teachers and has never been seen arguing or fighting with other students. In her spare time, she is not as naughty as other little wizards and goes to the library to read books whenever she has time.

With such a string of virtues in one person, even though she was a Slytherin, Professor McGonagall liked her very much.

So today she actually appeared at the same "crime scene" as Harry and Ron? Professor McGonagall felt a crack appear in her filter of Daphne.

In order to "save" this good girl, Professor McGonagall decided to give her some advice.

"Also, Miss Greengrass, I advise you not to hang out with some disreputable students. Be a lady and don't break school rules like some other students."

Harry and Ron: ...

Professor McGonagall must be referring to Les Lint when she said he was talking about some dubious wizard.

We are students from your own college, how can you call us "neither fish nor fowl"?!

Professor McGonagall glared at the two boys: "I'm talking about you two! You haven't learned any of your brothers' good points, but you've certainly picked up all their bad ones!" Ron's image in her eyes was merging with Fred and George's. To stop this terrible trend, she decided to impose severe punishment on the two.

Of course, Daphne will also be punished.

"I'm really angry," said Professor McGonagall. "Breaking curfew and wandering around the castle, all three of you will be put in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is just one of the punishments—fifty points will be deducted from Gryffindor, fifty points each, and the same goes for Slytherin."

Professor McGonagall's lack of probing made Harry and Ron relax a little, but the punishment she imposed immediately gave them a suffocating feeling, like they were drowning.

Harry gaped like a fish out of water, taking a few futile breaths, a wave of dizziness washing over him: Gryffindor's House Cup was in jeopardy, how was he going to face his classmates tomorrow morning?

"professor--"

"You can't—"

Harry and Ron spoke up together, trying to persuade Professor McGonagall to retract her decision.

"Are you going to teach me how to do things? Enough, Potter, Weasley! You should both go to bed, and you too, Miss Greengrass!" Professor McGonagall waved her hand, sending them back.

On their way back to the common room, Harry and Ron gradually calmed down. They were even somewhat relieved that Daphne had also been caught, which meant that Gryffindor lost 100 points while Slytherin lost 50.

The two houses were originally in first and second place, but after this turmoil, they were overtaken by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, but not by too much, and there is still hope of catching up.

Ravenclaw, on the other hand, inexplicably became number one, making them the biggest winner.

The next day, news spread that Harry, Harry, and his friends had been caught by Professor McGonagall while wandering around the castle at night.

One hundred points were deducted in one go!

This was a devastating blow to the young Gryffindor wizards, but they were somewhat relieved that Slytherin had also lost a significant number of points. When they were upset, just thinking about Slytherin's situation made them feel much better—they had only fallen from second to fourth, while Slytherin had dropped from first to third, and might even lose their seven-time consecutive House Cup.

Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem so bad anymore. Fred and George even came up with a theory that "this was a worthwhile deal" to alleviate the public pressure on Harry and Ron.

Surprisingly, the "to perish together with Slytherin" narrative actually resonated with many Gryffindor students. Coupled with Harry and Ron's generally good relationships with others, their public image gradually improved.

In contrast, Daphne's situation was much worse. While Gryffindors could console themselves with the idea of ​​"drag Slytherin down from the throne," they didn't have that kind of mentality.

Daphne really screwed them over.

Now, even the most prestigious family background was useless. The Slytherin students suddenly refused to speak to Daphne, and some girls even made sarcastic remarks to her when they encountered her.

Seeing Daphne's haggard appearance, Rice took out a piece of chocolate, broke it open, and handed it to her.

"Eating some of this will make you feel better."

"No..."

Rice didn't pull her hand back, and seeing this, Daphne had no choice but to take the chocolate and eat it in small bites.

It must be said that after the chocolate turned into sweet syrup, the gloom in Daphne's heart dissipated somewhat.

"Don't take these things too seriously. The House Cup is insignificant—Slytherins would agree with me if they came." Rice quickly conceived a plan in his mind to comfort Daphne.

"I have a story to tell, would you like to hear it?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Update delivered. I'll continue writing; the next update will be a little later.

(End of this chapter)