"I, I just…" Joey's face turned pale under Alan's gaze, and he stammered, unable to find the words.
"This is favoritism; this is indulgence. If you continue like this, who will respect you?" Alan moved to Joey's side and pointed to the students of the same grade standing nearby. "If someone violates discipline but, for various reasons, is spared punishment or allowed to delay it…"
"Then for your classmates who strictly adhere to the rules, this is the greatest injustice. If I were to agree to your request, would I be worthy of the self-disciplined companions beside you?"
Upon hearing this, Joey awkwardly scanned the people around him. When he saw everyone silently lowering their heads, his face immediately flushed with shame, but Alan was not yet finished.
"Take Mona, for example, who is also in your year. From the moment she walked out of the dormitory this morning, she has strictly disciplined herself. She dressed neatly, used proper dining etiquette, arrived at class at least ten minutes early, and greeted faculty and staff proactively. Whenever students from the same House were nearby, she followed the 'two in a line, three in a row' standard formation flawlessly."
Alan leaned into Joey's ear and whispered, though his voice carried through the quiet hall, "In my opinion, she wants to be a true Slytherin more than you do."
Although Alan did not shout, his words had a deafening effect in the silent environment. The rule-abiding young wizards sitting there suddenly felt a surge of strength and honor; the Chief Prefect had actually been quietly watching them. These self-disciplined students couldn't help but proudly puff out their chests.
Mona, praised by name, was excited and shy, her face flushed deep red. She had simply followed the instructions, never expecting the Chief to give her such a high evaluation. In stark contrast, Joey's chin was almost buried in his chest. Finally, he managed to force out, "Sorry, Chief, I was wrong."
Lumen, standing next to him, also mustered the courage to speak. "It's my problem; it has nothing to do with Joey. I am willing to accept the punishment. I deserve this."
"Having this awareness proves you still have hope. However, your physical condition indeed makes it difficult to continue the exercise." Alan nodded toward Lumen.
Hope rekindled in Lumen's heart. He thought the other party was going to show leniency, and he looked up excitedly—until he saw Alan take a small bottle of potion from his robes.
"This is a painkiller. Your arms are much stronger than you think. The reason you feel you can't hold on is due to muscle pain. Drink some of this; without the pain, you will naturally be fine."
Alan expressionlessly used a dropper to feed a few drops of the potion to him, then turned and returned to the stone steps, leaving Lumen stunned and disheveled. The scene made the surrounding students swallow hard. This was too cruel! He would rather provide painkillers than allow someone to avoid completing their punishment.
Subsequently, the young Slytherin snakes once again witnessed Alan's extremely strict standards for push-ups until everyone had finished. Lumen, bolstered by the painkiller, barely managed to complete his set. It was clear the potion was highly effective. By the time they finished, a large area of the stone steps was soaked with the sweat of the offenders.
"Continue. Next item." Alan flipped through his record board. "Personnel who did not follow the standard formation include…"
Alan read out a list of disciplinary violations, but this time Lumen breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't on this list. He was truly terrified; although the pain was gone, he felt as if his arms didn't belong to him anymore, completely lacking strength.
The young wizards in the audience got a taste of what extreme meticulousness looked like. They watched Alan read a list, call the offenders up for push-ups, and move to the next item, then the next group. Each punishment served as a review of the regulations, etching the rules into their minds.
Finally, the announcements and punishments were over. More than a third of the House had made mistakes on the first day and paid the price.
"Today, only the seventh-year students had no violations at all. Students in every other year made mistakes. Grade leaders, take note. Each time you violate discipline, you will not only endure physical punishment but also have House points deducted for your year. These points reset monthly, and the first and last place each month will have 'surprises' waiting for them."
"Your performance today was terrible. I hope I do not see such a situation again. In the future, scores and offenders will be announced at the weekly meeting as a routine. This time, since it was your first offense, I only arranged thirty push-ups. In the future, that will increase to fifty. Behave yourselves."
"Because today's announcements took too long and wasted study time, self-study will be extended by two hours. Group activities are postponed by one day."
Alan announced the start of self-study. During this period, the Subject Representatives became active. According to the report cards Alan had prepared, they sought out students who were weak in their respective disciplines to begin tutoring. Alan, serving as the representative for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes, quickly immersed himself in the role.
As a tutor, Alan was different from his persona as the Chief Prefect. On the stone platform, he was solemn, dignified, and ruthless. When helping students, he was calm, gentle, and patient. Even those he had just punished were treated with total equality during the study session.
When a young wizard bravely stepped forward to ask a question and received a calm, detailed, and well-organized answer, it deepened the House's understanding of Alan even further.
"When casting the Knockback Jinx, in addition to gestures and incantations, what matters most is the firm determination in your heart to drive away your target. Otherwise, your spell will be as weak as it was during your exams last year. This is the core technique for nearly all offensive and defensive magic," Alan explained to a student seeking guidance.
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