The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

Although Waldo's arrogant demeanor was unsettling and his screams were unpleasant, the feeling of catharsis was still quite satisfying.

At this moment, the scene vividly portrays the lawlessness of Waldo and his gang, further amplified by the voice emanating from Dumbledore's [magic phone].

His arrogant attitude, his repeated use of the term "mudblood," and his unfinished attempt to insult Madame Maxim were all completely exposed to everyone.

When that line was played, Scott deliberately glanced at Mrs. Maxim's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

In short, the plus-size lady barely managed to maintain her composure when Waldo spoke of her with such disdain.

At the same time, Professor Girard's expression grew increasingly grave.

Until absolute darkness descended upon the image and Waldo's piercing scream rang out, Professor Girard finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Enough!" she almost screamed. "That's enough! Stop it!"

But no one responded to her, and Dumbledore did not listen to her.

The video played until the very end, allowing everyone present to understand the original course of events.

Facing the gazes of everyone else fixed on her, Professor Girard gritted her teeth and said, "This isn't real! With Dumbledore's magical abilities, he could easily have faked such an image!"

Hearing her say that, the others looked somewhat displeased.

With such evidence already laid bare, what's the point of continuing to be stubborn?

Scott, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "If I had a Pensieve, I could extract my memories for you all to see."

“Me too,” Lucio quickly added.

“Memories aren’t unchangeable,” Professor Girard insisted, refusing to admit defeat.

“Enough, that’s too much, Professor Girard,” Professor Russell said. “You know very well what kind of person your nephew is.”

Professor Girard finally fell silent.

"It seems that's how things went."

Having regained her elegance, Mrs. Maxim gracefully picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Next, we should discuss how to handle this matter without affecting the three-way competition."

The two officials from the Ministry of Magic fell into deep thought.

“He should be disqualified!” Professor Girard exclaimed, his spirits lifting. “This is punishment for him and for Hogwarts. This year’s tournament champion can only be either Beauxbatons or Durmstrang!”

Scott had been observing the reactions of the others. Professor Hartman was clearly somewhat interested in Professor Girard's proposal and even nodded slightly.

But he didn't rush to express his opinion; instead, he looked at the two officials.

Mr. Jolly was the first to shake his head and reject the proposal, saying, "No, that would make the Triwizard Tournament meaningless and unworthy of its name."

“That’s right, the Triwizard Tournament must have three participants,” Mr. Lefebvre agreed.

“Then Hogwarts must find a new champion,” Professor Girard added. “This student is ruthless and cruel, clearly unfit for the role of a champion.”

"Ruthless and cruel? I don't think so."

It was Professor Russell again.

Scott never expected that he would speak up for him in a place like this.

Could it be due to the discord between the Roselle and Girard families?

But he had a nagging feeling that Professor Russell wasn't that kind of person; he wouldn't do something like opposing for the sake of opposing.

What are you saying?

Professor Girard also looked at Professor Russell in surprise.

"Didn't you hear how badly poor Waldo was tortured? He still hasn't recovered, and this incident might leave him with psychological trauma!"

She pointed angrily at Scott.

"If that's the case, then he has completely ruined Waldo's future!"

Professor Russell remained remarkably calm in the face of her accusations.

He spoke in his usual tone: "Professor Girard, what you should do is not criticize Mr. Trollope, but reflect on the family education of your Girard family."

"What did you say?" Professor Girard's eyes widened in disbelief.

Professor Russell did not answer her, but turned to Scott and asked, "Mr. Trollope, have you ever tested it yourself? What is the extent of the suffering that Waldo Girard endured?"

Scott frankly admitted, "I've tried it, and it's like being stabbed in the back once."

Of course, the pain experienced in the illusion can be adjusted.

However, because pain can also be fatal, Scott did not assign Waldo a very high level of pain in order to avoid causing any deaths.

Professor Russell nodded, looked at Professor Girard again, and then gave her a long reply.

“I know that Waldo Girard has suffered some pain.”

"But that level of pain is nothing compared to a Quidditch player falling from a great height, nothing compared to an alchemist being injured in an explosion during an alchemical experiment, and nothing compared to students splitting apart after making a mistake while practicing Apparition."

"Of course, it's not as serious as the consequences he caused when he bullied others in the past."

"It's not uncommon for young wizards to get injured in their daily lives, so why don't others suffer lasting trauma from those injuries?"

"They're still playing Quidditch, still conducting alchemical experiments, and they've all obtained Apparition certifications."

"Why is Waldo the only one so vulnerable?"

"Because you have always protected him too well, allowing him to enjoy privileges in the group and not allowing him to suffer any harm."

“Even when he was learning Apparition, you guided him step by step until he got used to the magic.”

“He is lawless, acts without regard for consequences, and cannot bear pain. These are the qualities you have cultivated in him.”

"In other words, even if he is left with an indelible shadow because of this incident, it is actually you, his doting relatives, who have ruined him."

After saying this long speech, Professor Russell stood up abruptly.

"In short, I have expressed my position, and I will not participate in the rest."

He nodded to the others, then led Lucio out of the office.

Professor Russell is so cool!

Those were well said!

Scott wanted to cheer him on loudly.

His long speech left Professor Girard completely stunned.

By the time she came to her senses and tried to retort, Professor Russell had already left with Lucio.

Professor Girard was so angry he was panting, but he couldn't find anyone to vent his anger on.

She couldn't be too rude to Dumbledore; that would be obviously rude.

She couldn't confront Scott directly either, as that would be beneath her dignity.

She could only stare at the door that had closed again, her chest heaving.

"Well, how to handle this incident should be decided by our jury members," Mrs. Maxim said. "Other people's opinions can only be used as a reference."

Professor Girard immediately asked, "Does your decision mean he will be left without any punishment? That's unreasonable!"

“Yes, there must be a penalty,” Mr. Jolly said. “So I propose deducting 5 points from the game as a penalty.”

5 PM?

Scott thought back for a moment.

On the current leaderboard, I have 48 points, Krum has 45 points, and Furong has 43 points.

Is this a way to put himself and Furong back on the same starting line?

“I agree,” Professor Hartmann was the first to express his agreement.

He was clearly happy to vote in favor, because that would put Krum in first place on the leaderboard.

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

Mr. Lefebler and Mrs. Maxim also agreed.

Finally, they looked at Dumbledore.

“I have no objection.” Dumbledore glanced at Scott. “Then deduct 5 points.”

Scott felt that the point deduction was unreasonable because it was irrelevant to the game.

But Dumbledore didn't object, so it wasn't his turn to speak.

He didn't care that much about those 5 points.

“Then it’s decided!” Mr. Jolly declared.

Even if Professor Girard wanted to deduct more points from Scott, it was too late.

After the matter was settled, Scott and Dumbledore left Beauxbatons Castle together and returned to their tower.

"They're back!"

"Professor Dumbledore!"

"Scott!"

Everyone was waiting for them, and as soon as they met, they couldn't wait to ask about the outcome of the incident.

"how's it going?"

What did they say?

Scott quickly informed them of the outcome.

"A deduction?" Fred was a little surprised. "Just that?"

Roger scoffed, "It's alright, only 5 points were deducted. It's just that Krum got off easy!"

Chapter 469 The Arrival of Christmas

"No! This is completely different from the fact that we got points deducted from our house after causing trouble at Hogwarts!"