Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 259 Standoff

Even after Thea was taken away by Dumbledore and Draco was taken over by Madam Pomfrey, Harry was still not recovered from Thea's last words.

"As the savior, do you still have the nerve to call me a dark wizard?"

Black magic?

He actually used dark magic?

Even worse... he almost killed someone!!

A living, breathing person!

Looking at his trembling fingers, Harry felt dizzy. Too much had happened tonight, far exceeding his capacity to cope.

"Harry!"

Seeing Harry swaying precariously, Ron immediately steadied him, and Hermione's complicated emotions were replaced by worry.

“…Harry,” Hermione said after a long pause, her voice strained, “you might not be able to stay at Hogwarts anymore…”

"How is this possible?!"

Harry wasn't the first to react; it was Ron.

As time passed, his complexion improved considerably, but the lingering shock in his eyes proved that everything that happened tonight was not a dream.

"Harry was just retaliating!"

"Besides, didn't Malfoy also take action?"

"Why blame it all on Harry?!"

Hermione was nearly driven mad by Ron's words. She tried to calm herself and shouted, "But that's dark magic!"

"Dark magic powerful enough to kill a person!"

"Harry's reckless use of Dark Magic on campus, coupled with the current situation... the 'pure-blood family' won't let this opportunity pass..."

When the current situation was mentioned, Ron fell silent. He knew very well that Voldemort's biggest target was Harry, and now that he had a chance to drive Harry out of his greatest sanctuary, he would not let it go.

"Then... what should we do?"

Ron looked anxious, and Hermione's brows furrowed even more.

“I’m going to find Dumbledore right now,” Harry said firmly, ignoring his two friends’ worries. “It was my fault this time, and I won’t shirk my responsibility.”

"But you can't leave Hogwarts!"

Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry's hand and said rapidly, "The Mystic is right outside the school, he's just waiting for you to come out!"

“I know,” Harry said, prying Hermione’s hands away. He wasn’t unafraid of Voldemort’s threat, but he couldn’t bring himself to shirk his responsibility.

“I will go to the old Blake house; it’s safe there.”

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.

Just as the trio was brainstorming, someone hiding around a corner on the stairs couldn't help but let out a few mocking snorts.

"As expected of the brainless Gryffindors!"

"If Potter were replaced by a Slytherin, the headmaster's office would probably be holding a Hogwarts shareholders' meeting right now!"

"We don't have time to put on a melodramatic tearjerker for them!"

The person hiding in the shadows is named Harold Field, a Slytherin, and one of the many Slytherins who were "educated" by Thea with her wand.

But unlike others, Slytherin's admiration for the strong was particularly prominent in him, to the point that he became one of Thea's most loyal followers.

But Thea had so many admirers that if the sudden appearance of the Swift Strike hadn't been so unexpected, Harold wouldn't have been able to snatch the "surveillance" task from among the crowd.

"I wonder how Miss Blake is doing?"

"The old bee is so biased..."

What if Miss Black gets the short end of the stick?

As these thoughts popped into his head, Harold Thea's loyal follower, Field, completely ignored the washroom that was almost razed to the ground not far away.

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.

The scene shifts to the bathroom, where the character is completely retired after Thea's final blow.

As the smoke cleared, Thea, who was walking slowly, became the focus of everyone's attention. Even Draco, who was floating in mid-air, did not receive any extra glances from the professors.

“…Thea…”

Hearing the familiar voice, Thea raised her head slightly, her gaze meeting Dumbledore's as he stood at the very front.

"I think we should have a talk."

Dumbledore spoke solemnly, his face no longer showing any of its former amiability.

"Okay, Professor."

Thea lowered her eyes slightly; she did not miss the wands in the professors' hands—without exception.

"professor!"

Just as Thea was about to hand Draco over to Madam Pomfrey and then obediently follow Dumbledore, Theodore suddenly spoke up.

Facing the unreadable gazes of the many professors, Theodore fearlessly fixed his eyes on Dumbledore's face.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, “Professor, I think we should let Thea rest for a while. After all—she wasn’t the instigator; she was just accidentally caught up in a conflict.”

accidental?

Mr. Nott, could you please take a good look at the state of this retired restroom before you speak?

Just as McGonagall frowned and was about to speak, another interruption came.

“Professor, Blake’s behavior of damaging public property tonight was far too egregious. I think we should convene a shareholders’ meeting before discussing any disciplinary action against Blake.”

The smiling Zabini was indeed full of wicked schemes.

The professors present were fully aware of Zabini's intentions. If a shareholders' meeting were to be held, it was likely that... Harry would be the one leaving Hogwarts...

McGonagall glanced once more at the washroom, which was indistinguishable from ruins, cleared her throat, and prepared to speak again—

"professor!"

McGonagall was truly impatient this time, and she glared sternly at the little witch who had made the sound.

—Pansy.

"Professor, my father asked me to tell you all that the Hogwarts Annual General Meeting will be held in the Great Hall in 15 minutes—"

Shareholders' Meeting?

Who moved so quickly?

The suspicious looks from the crowd slowly shifted to Thea.

Seeing that the plan was about to go astray, Thea had no choice but to speak up and stop it.

She coughed lightly, and the Slytherins who had just been about to continue their "reasonable argument" with the professors immediately fell silent, their eyes fixed intently on Thea.

“Pansy—”

With just two simple words, Pansy, Zabini, and Theodore could hear the rejection in Thea's tone.

She doesn't need them to do that.

A sudden silence enveloped the entire corridor.

After Dumbledore took the lead, a few minutes later, the once packed corridor was reduced to just a handful of people.

Seeing Harry still in a daze, Zabini's usually cheerful expression finally changed, and he glared at him fiercely.

He still can't understand why everyone is protecting this so-called "savior".

Both were participants, but Draco was unconscious and therefore his participation was invalid. So why was the "savior" allowed to go back to rest without any punishment, while Thea was called in for a private talk?

Theodore naturally saw Zabini's actions as well. He turned his head sharply, repeatedly recalling Thea's actions in his mind, before barely suppressing the urge to draw his wand on the spot.

Let's go—

“We can’t leave Thea to face all this alone.”

Theodore stroked his wand repeatedly, wondering what Thea was up to.

"Okay, I'll go deal with those Slytherins."

Zabini's temperament made him well-suited for dealing with people.

"Then I'll go and inform my uncles."

Pansy rushed off to write a letter.

As for Theodore, he's going to see Draco.

In tonight's conflict, they were all latecomers. Even when they were blocking the doorway, it was just an instinctive reaction. They only had a vague understanding of the cause and course of events.

Draco is the one who knows best what has happened.