Carrying the gloom of having fifty points deducted and a week of detention on the very first day of school, Lynn dejectedly returned to his faithful Hufflepuff dormitory.
The moment he entered, he tossed his trunk aside and collapsed into the armchair nearest the door.
"Does anyone understand my pain, family?!
The first day back at school! Caught red-handed by that old bat! Fifty points! Plus a week of detention! My heart is absolutely freezing~"
William, who was organizing textbooks at his desk, didn't even look up as he pushed up his glasses and delivered the finishing blow:
"You deserved it. Who told you to oversleep and then choose such a... conspicuous way to board the train?"
"At least Snape didn't make you report for detention tonight," Edgar tried to comfort him, though with limited effect.
Edgar changed the subject. "Anyway, let's not talk about such depressing things! You went to France—besides bringing back a pile of trouble and point deductions, did you bring back any proper local specialties? Like... something good to eat?"
At the mention of this, Lynn's spirits immediately lifted. His previous gloom was swept away as a slightly smug smile appeared on his face. "Hehe~ It's France, after all, so of course I brought back some very 'special'... 'products'~"
???
His three roommates were all intrigued by his mysterious tone.
"What special specialty?" Edgar pressed.
"It's not like you kidnapped one of Beauxbatons' Abraxans, right?" He was just making a casual joke.
However, Ollie, who was quietly wiping an old photo frame by the window, added faintly, "Maybe he did."
Lynn: "..."
Wait?! Is there a cheat code? Guess who activated it?! This guy Ollie is usually so quiet—how is his intuition so accurate?!
Seeing Lynn suddenly fall silent with his eyes darting around, William was the first to react, his eyes widening behind his lenses. "Ollie... guessed right?!"
"Well... more or less." Lynn scratched his head, admitting it a bit awkwardly. "But strictly speaking, it wasn't kidnapped from Beauxbatons. It was... well, picked up on the road. It went like this..."
So, Lynn recounted how he had "accidentally met" those two Dark Wizards on the ferry and how he had "rescued" this homeless, allegedly trafficked little Abraxan, adding plenty of flourish and heroic color to the story.
Naturally, there was no lack of artistic embellishment, portraying himself as even more brilliant, brave, and public-spirited.
"...So, that's the situation. Do you guys want to see it? It's quite... lively."
"Yes!" ×3
Three pairs of eyes were filled with curiosity and expectation.
Lynn opened the trunk.
The latch of the undetectable extension trunk on the floor let out a soft "click," and the lid slowly opened on its own.
First to fly out was Levi, who landed lightly on Lynn's shoulder, affectionately rubbing his cheek with her beak and letting out a crisp sound. "Master~"
Immediately following, a small silvery-white head with a slight scent of alcohol poked out from the trunk; it was Lumière.
He seemed to have just woken up, his eyes still a bit misty. But upon seeing Lynn, he instantly perked up and shouted impatiently:
"Lynn! Wine~! Didn't you say there'd be plenty? I've almost tasted everything in stock here!"
Lynn's face was instantly covered in black lines.
Edgar looked at this Abraxan with his head buried in a wine barrel, and only after a long pause did he ask blankly, "Lynn... is it... is it really okay for him to drink like that?"
Lynn sighed, answering in a tone of resignation, "Theoretically... it's fine. He won't die from drinking anyway; at most, his walk will be a bit wobbly."
He watched Lumière, who indeed had a bit of a stumble in his step, and added, "And from my observations, the Abraxan race might just have whiskey flowing through their veins."
---
...Night.
Lynn finally emerged from the Potions classroom, ending his week-long detention spent in the company of slugs and toad innards.
Walking out, he let out a long breath, feeling that even the smell of rust on the armor in the corridors had become fresh.
The smell of freedom!
Pushing open the dormitory door, Lynn noticed that the atmosphere in the room wasn't quite right.
Edgar, William, and Ollie weren't reading or chatting.
They were all sitting on their respective beds or chairs, their shoulders slumped in unison, their faces wearing a complex expression of gloom, frustration, and weariness that was indescribably strange.
Lynn raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong, my dear friends? Your closest, most heroic brother, who has just finished a long sentence, is back!
Shouldn't you be cheering and celebrating my regained freedom? Why does everyone look like they've had their toes stepped on by a troll?"
"Sigh!"
He was answered by three exceptionally synchronized sighs.
???
Lynn was even more bewildered.
He walked into the middle of the three and looked left and right. "So... what earth-shattering event has actually happened?"
Edgar looked up with a miserable face and began his tale. "We... we went for a night walk and were caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall."
"Night walk?" Lynn was stunned for a moment.
A rare trace of embarrassment appeared on William's face. "We... just happened to run into Professor McGonagall during her night patrol as we were heading out."
Ollie nodded silently, his eyes filled with the word regret.
"So..." Lynn made a final summary, "the three of you, while I was suffering in the dungeons, went for a night walk and precisely delivered yourselves into Professor McGonagall's hands, and then... were also punished with detention?"
"That's right..." Edgar admitted dejectedly, then tried to find a bit of psychological comfort. "But fortunately, Professor McGonagall only docked twenty points from each of us... much less than yours."
Lynn didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The pot calling the kettle black, is it? Fine, at least the ranks of us brothers-in-misfortune have grown. So, what's your detention project? Also helping Snape process slugs?"
Lynn was a bit gleeful; if that were the case, he could at least be considered a "senior" and offer some guidance.
Edgar shook his head, a trace of fear appearing on his face. "No... Professor McGonagall arranged for us to patrol the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid tomorrow night."
William took over, "And Professor McGonagall said there will be students from other houses being punished with us at that time."
"I wonder which poor soul is so unlucky as to have also been caught by Professor McGonagall."
"To be honest, I have a psychological shadow regarding the Forbidden Forest. I've been there twice; once I ran into poachers, and once I ran into a Weasley. I hope I don't run into anything this time."
---
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