Other people's disparagement doesn't prove anything; the only thing that can ever prove yourself is your own strength.
The atmosphere among everyone quickly relaxed, and The Ravenclaws chatted with one another as they followed Lynn toward Hogwarts Castle.
Occasionally, they even helped the Little Badgers answer some questions; after all, that class hadn't been finished, so it was normal to have some doubts.
The Gryffindors were dumbfounded as they listened to the discussions around them. No, class was over; shouldn't they be talking about Quidditch or something lighthearted? Why were they still exchanging academic ideas?
But since The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs around them were all talking about these things, it didn't seem right for them not to join in.
Therefore, the lively Little Lions had to suppress their restless hearts and silently joined the ranks of those discussing knowledge.
Lynn walked ahead with Hermione holding her arm, beginning to mentally recite this semester's Transfiguration textbook.
She didn't stop until she sat down at the Ravenclaw Table to start dinner.
"The mashed potatoes are good today; you should try some."
Hermione stood up to serve Lynn a small bowl of mashed potatoes and placed it in front of her.
"Thank you, Hermione."
Lynn thanked her in a flat tone and took a bite of the mashed potatoes.
"It is indeed very delicious."
She nodded and ate the mashed potatoes bite by bite. Seeing her eat so seriously, Hermione felt her own appetite improve.
Dinner was soon over. Lynn, Hermione, Maranhao, Marietta, and Penelope went together to the Library to borrow the books Lynn wanted to read, then headed all the way up back to their Dormitory.
Halfway there, Lynn heard a burst of exclamations, seemingly mixed with shouts to find a Professor. Turning her head, she saw the sound was coming from Gryffindor Tower.
Exclamations plus shouts to find a Professor—there was a seventy-five percent chance that a dangerous situation had arisen.
Lynn's brain quickly made this judgment, and she nimbly drew her wand.
Harry and Ron were also Gryffindor students; they were Hermione's friends and her friends too. They couldn't be allowed to get into trouble.
"You guys go back first. I'll go take a look to ensure Harry and Ron's safe—"
Before she could finish, Hermione pinched both sides of her face with one hand, forcing her to stop talking.
"We're going together. Don't think we'll let you go by yourself."
"There are exclamations and someone shouting for a Professor; there might be danger."
With her cheeks pinched, Lynn spoke in a muffled, emotionless voice.
"Then we have even more reason to go."
Maranhao drew her wand and said a word. Penelope also crisply drew her wand while looking back at Marietta.
"Go find Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Okay, you guys be careful."
Marietta also knew the situation was likely dangerous; without a word, she nodded and turned to run off.
Seeing that she couldn't stop Hermione and the others, Lynn turned around expressionlessly and quickly rushed up the stairs with her wand, ensuring she was always the first among the four.
This way, if there was danger ahead, she would be the first to encounter it.
Halfway up, they met a Gryffindor boy rushing down in a hurry.
"What happened?"
Hermione, as a Gryffindor student, asked. The boy was stunned for a moment when he saw Lynn and the other three.
He immediately reacted. "the fat lady's portrait has been ruined, and the fat lady is nowhere to be found."
"The portrait was ruined?" Penelope frowned. "No one would have a grudge against a portrait, would they?"
"In that case, his target should be..."
"The Gryffindor Common Room," Lynn finished, rushing up the stairs two or three at a time.
She found Harry and Ron in the crowd and, after confirming they had no obvious external injuries or anything wrong with their condition, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hermione, who had rushed up after her, also saw the two boys. While feeling relieved, she also looked at the ruined portrait nearby.
Several deep gashes were left on the portrait, making the whole painting look shattered and incredibly pitiful.
"Knife marks."
Without even needing to think, Lynn instantly identified the cause of the marks on the portrait.
She was all too familiar with knife marks; she could tell just by looking.
"Lynn, Hermione! What are you doing here?"
Harry and Ron turned around when they heard Lynn's voice and immediately squeezed through the crowd to the four girls' side.
The Gryffindor boy from earlier had also been brought back by them; after all, Marietta had already gone to find Headmaster Dumbledore, so one person was enough for that task.
"We heard the noise from the stairs and came to see if anything was wrong."
Hermione explained, then frowned as she looked at the damaged portrait.
"What happened? Lynn says the marks on it were made by a knife."
"We don't know either." Harry shrugged helplessly.
"Yeah, as soon as Harry and I got back, the fat lady's portrait was like this, and no one knows where she went."
"Now no one can get in." Ron sighed, looking at the damaged portrait.
"Could it be... retaliation from the Slytherins?" He narrowed his eyes and suggested his idea.
"Impossible," Hermione shook her head. "If they were going to retaliate, they would definitely go after me, Lynn, or even Ravenclaw."
Given the current state between the four houses, the conflict between Slytherin and Ravenclaw—or rather, with Lynn—was already more intense than their conflict with Gryffindor.
Therefore, if they were to retaliate, their primary target would definitely not be Gryffindor.
Lynn stepped forward slowly, her gaze focused on the knife marks on the portrait.
Her brain quickly performed an analysis. The knife marks were long and deep, made with great force; it was clear the person was in a hurry and very agitated.
At the same time, the knife marks were chaotic and haphazard; it was evident that he was also somewhat humiliated and angry, lashing out indiscriminately.
Hurried, humiliated, angry—why would someone feel this way toward a portrait like the fat lady?"
Combining the fact that the fat lady was the "guardian" of the Gryffindor Common Room, Lynn instantly deduced the result.
"Someone wanted to enter the Gryffindor Common Room but couldn't provide the password, and the fat lady refused his request to enter."
"Furthermore, for unknown reasons, he couldn't ask anyone else for the password, and his time was short; he couldn't stay long."
"Combining these two points, there is a forty percent chance the person is a student from another house, and a seventy percent chance they are not a student of Hogwarts."
Lynn spoke her analysis rapidly. "Unable to enter and feeling agitated and humiliated, he ruined the portrait with a knife, venting his anger while also trying to see if he could enter the Gryffindor Common Room by destroying the portrait."
"the fat lady fled because of this."
Pausing for a moment, Lynn's brain quickly conducted further analysis.
"Based on the probability, the person most likely to want to break into the Gryffindor Common Room right now," she said, turning to look at Harry, "is Sirius Black."
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