Hearing Charlie's name, Professor McGonagall felt a sudden realization. She glanced subtly at Professors Flitwick and Sprout, then decisively changed the subject.
She couldn't allow the matter of "someone raising a dragon inside the castle" to come to light.
If the issue of illegally keeping a dragon were investigated thoroughly, someone would surely end up in Azkaban, and that was not what Professor McGonagall wanted—whether it was a student present or some other reckless individual.
Detention would be punishment enough. With the most crucial risk eliminated, the remaining issues were inconsequential, and she trusted that her two colleagues would also remain discreetly silent on the matter.
"Regardless of your intentions, wandering the castle at night is always a mistake," Professor McGonagall declared, glossing over the reason for their outing.
Hearing this, Daphne felt her courage and wisdom returning. She boldly said, "But the four founders actually encouraged students to patrol the castle at night. I believe if they were alive, they wouldn't blame us."
Rhys's words echoed in her ears, and though his evidence was little more than whimsical "ancient wizard correspondence," Daphne firmly believed him.
"The era of the four founders had its unique circumstances, but times have changed. The founders' era has passed with them, and the rules should change accordingly," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Daphne.
She had a strong impression of this child—highly talented without the generally annoying traits of most Slytherin pureblood students.
Her opinion of Daphne was even better than of many Gryffindor students.
Quiet, gentle, elegant, with excellent academic performance, respectful and polite to teachers, she had never seen Daphne argue or fight with other students. In her free time, unlike other mischievous young wizards, Daphne spent her time reading in the library.
With so many admirable qualities in one person, Professor McGonagall liked Daphne even though she was a Slytherin.
However, seeing her at the same "crime scene" with Harry and Ron today caused a small crack in McGonagall's favorable perception of her.
To "save" this good girl, Professor McGonagall decided to offer some advice.
"And Miss Greengrass, I advise you not to associate with certain unsavory students. Behave like a proper lady and don't break school rules every day like some students do."
Harry and Ron: "..."
The unsavory wizard Professor McGonagall mentioned must be Rhys Chassala Lint, right? We are students from your own house! How can you call us unsavory?!
Professor McGonagall glared at them: Yes, I am talking about you two! You've picked up none of your brothers' good traits but learned all the bad ones!
In her eyes, Ron's image was merging with Fred and George's instead of Bill and Charlie, well, percie is something....ehm*. To prevent this alarming trend, she decided to impose severe punishment on them.
Of course, Daphne would also be punished.
"I'm really angry," Professor McGonagall said. "Breaking curfew and wandering around the castle, all three of you will serve detention, and that is just part of your punishment. Gryffindor will lose fifty points for each of you, and the same goes for Slytherin."
Professor McGonagall's decision not to dig deeper into their activities made Harry and Ron slightly relieved, but her punishment immediately made them feel like they were drowning.
Harry opened his mouth wide like a fish out of water, taking a few futile breaths, feeling a dizzying sensation: Gryffindor's chance at the House Cup was now in serious jeopardy. How would he face his housemates tomorrow morning?
"Professor—"
"You can't—"
Harry and Ron spoke simultaneously, trying to get Professor McGonagall to retract her decision.
"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job? Enough, Potter, Weasley! Off to bed with you, and you too, Miss Greengrass!" Professor McGonagall waved her hand, sending them back to their dormitories.
On the way back to the common room, Harry and Ron gradually regained their composure. They even felt a bit fortunate that Daphne had been caught too, meaning that while Gryffindor lost a hundred points, Slytherin also lost fifty.
The two houses, originally in first and second place, were now overtaken by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, but not by too much, leaving hope for a comeback.
Unexpectedly, Ravenclaw emerged as the new frontrunner, becoming the biggest winner in this scenario.
The next day, news spread quickly about Harry, Ron, and Daphne being caught by Professor McGonagall while wandering the castle at night.
Losing a hundred points at once!
For the young Gryffindors, this was a shocking blow, but what comforted them a bit was that Slytherin had also lost a significant amount of points. In their distress, just thinking about the state of Slytherin made them feel a lot better—they had only dropped from second to fourth place, while Slytherin had fallen from first to third, with the potential to lose the House Cup they had held for seven consecutive years.
With this perspective, it didn't seem so bad after all. Fred and George even came up with a theory of "it's not a loss" to alleviate the public pressure on Harry and Ron.
Surprisingly, the idea of "bringing Slytherin down with us" resonated with many Gryffindor students, and given Harry and Ron's generally good relationships, the public opinion about them started to improve.
In contrast, Daphne's situation was much worse. Gryffindors could console themselves with the notion of dragging Slytherin down, but there was no such consolation for Slytherin.
Daphne had truly brought them a lot of trouble.
In this case, even her prestigious background was of no use. The students of Slytherin suddenly didn't want to talk to Daphne, and some girls would even make sarcastic remarks when they encountered her.
Seeing Daphne looking so haggard, Rhys took out a piece of chocolate, broke it, and handed it to her.
"Eat this, it'll make you feel a bit better."
"No, thanks..."
Rhys didn't withdraw his hand, so Daphne reluctantly took the chocolate and began to eat it in small bites.
To her surprise, as the chocolate melted into sweet syrup, some of the gloom in her heart began to lift.
"Don't take these things too seriously. The House Cup and the like are insignificant. Slytherin would also agree with me if he was here." After a little thought, Rhys prepared a draft to comfort Daphne.
"I have a story here, do you want to hear it?"
_____
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