"HP: Too Late, System!"Chapter 333: The No-Fighting Bell
Harry sat frozen in his seat, as if he'd been hit by a Petrificus Totalus—the tips of his ears burning crimson.
Ron's knife and fork clattered noisily onto his plate, while Neville slapped at Trevor just as the toad was about to leap onto the table again.
Even the dear Potions professor's hand paused mid-stir, unsure whether to be more shocked that Sirius had deducted points from Harry in public, or more curious about what exactly Harry had said to insult him in private.
A wave of stifled snickers rippled down the Slytherin table.
Draco tapped his pumpkin juice glass with a silver spoon, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look at that—the Chosen One breaks the rules too? Is Director Black upholding justice, or just trying to cover for his godson?"
Goyle and Crabbe guffawed loudly beside him.
But when Sirius announced, "Slytherin, Draco Malfoy—" and read out Draco's own infraction, the smirk vanished from Draco's face.
"Quiet." Sirius's voice was gentle, yet carried a command that brooked no argument. "The facts are clear. Everyone is accountable for their own actions."
As his words faded, the hush in the hall was broken by the soft, unmistakable sound of house point hourglasses shifting—whoosh, whoosh—as colored gems fell.
With a flick of his wand, Sirius split the parchment into four, each piece floating elegantly to the corresponding House table.
"The details have been distributed to your Prefects. If anyone wishes to appeal, please submit your case through your House Prefect."
He raised his voice, his wand tracing a silver-blue arc through the air.
"At the same time, I'm announcing a new policy from the Academic Affairs Office: Effective immediately, all faculty lose the right to arbitrarily award or deduct points. From now on, all point changes must be recorded by Prefects on official Behavior Record Forms, reviewed by the Academic Affairs Office, and posted publicly."
"I'll share further details at the start of next term."
This announcement had already been discussed with the faculty, so the Heads of House showed little reaction. After all, most professors didn't rely on point deductions to keep unruly students in line—except, perhaps, for one or two.
The students, however, especially the Gryffindors, all turned as one to stare at Snape.
"So does this mean Snape can't take points off us whenever he feels like it anymore?"
"More importantly, he can't take points off Harry anymore."
Hearing this, Harry suddenly felt a chill and glanced over at Snape, only to find the professor glaring at him with an icy stare that seemed to pierce straight through him.
Harry, refusing to be cowed, glared right back.
Hermione nudged him gently and whispered, "Harry, the professor's watching you."
Harry quickly looked over at Douglas, who was giving him a rather peculiar smile. Harry managed an awkward grin, then ducked his head and took a hasty sip of soup to hide his embarrassment.
With the introduction of the new Academic Affairs Director complete, Dumbledore encouraged everyone to continue their meal, making no mention of the batch exam rosters.
After dinner, Harry made a beeline for Douglas's office.
Monday morning, 7 a.m.
At last, the batch exam lists were posted.
To prevent magical cheating, Director Black had opted for a decidedly Muggle method: he simply assigned students based on their position in the class roster—odds would take the exam this term, evens next term.
Neville stared at his name in the next term's column and groaned, "Oh no, I'll have forgotten everything by then!"
Ron clapped him on the shoulder, commiserating, "Same here. I don't know how Sirius sorted us, but Harry and Hermione are up this time. Ginny, too."
Over at the Slytherin table, Gregory Goyle shouted in relief, "Thank Merlin I'm not up till next term—I don't know a thing for this one!"
The Great Hall buzzed with chatter—some students cheered, others groaned.
Ring ring ring~
Suddenly, a clear, silvery bell sounded throughout the hall.
Instantly, the Great Hall fell silent—then something truly bizarre happened.
Every student in the hall seemed to be struck by a Full Body-Bind Curse. Arms and legs snapped together—not stiff, but as if compelled, they turned in perfect unison toward the source of the sound.
The professors, who'd been briefed beforehand, paused, then with a subtle effort, shrugged off the enchantment.
Only Snape gripped his wand so tightly his knuckles whitened—if Douglas hadn't been standing in front of him…
Some quick-witted students, noticing how the professors broke free, tried it themselves and managed to shake off the effect.
But with the Academic Affairs Director standing on the dais, no one dared reach for their wands to protest.
All eyes turned to see Director Black holding a delicate silver bell, about three inches across, its surface inlaid with intricate runes that shimmered with pale blue light.
Sirius, seeing every student's attention fixed on him, nodded in satisfaction and tucked the bell away in his pocket.
"Excellent. Now that everyone knows their exam schedule, those not testing today, please proceed to the Quidditch pitch."
With that, he strode briskly from the hall.
As soon as he left, the Great Hall erupted in noise once more.
Snape watched Sirius's retreating figure and said coldly, "How can someone so full of childish mischief be trusted to manage students?"
Douglas rubbed his nose and muttered quietly, "Sorry, Professor, but I made that little gadget. It's called the No-Fighting Bell. When it rings—"
Snape cut him off with a frosty snort. "I was talking about you!"
Douglas choked, then simply shrugged, unconcerned.
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