Sean blinked innocently at Professor McGonagall as though he genuinely didn't understand the problem.
"Professor McGonagall, my students were insulted first by Gryffindor students. They held back despite being provoked, and then your students attacked them physically." He spread his hands calmly. "I admit my students fought back, but that was clearly self-defence, wasn't it?"
McGonagall pressed her lips together slightly.
"Mr Sebastian, according to Hogwarts regulations, once a private fight occurs, both parties involved are subject to punishment—"
Before she could finish, Sean casually waved a hand.
"I don't care about the school rules."
The words instantly froze the room.
Charlie's face turned pale, while even Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed sharply.
Sean, however, remained completely relaxed.
"The rules aren't fair," he continued calmly. "My students were wronged. If you insist on punishing Slytherin equally, then I'll personally remember the names of those two Gryffindors."
He smiled brightly as he spoke, flashing harmless-looking white teeth. Yet beneath that smile was something cold enough to make Charlie's spine stiffen.
Professor McGonagall didn't respond immediately. Instead, she simply watched him in silence, clearly waiting for him to continue.
Sure enough, Sean spoke again a moment later.
"I'm trying to change Slytherin," he said quietly. "The reason this conflict even happened today was because Slytherin students suddenly chose to behave like gentlemen." His gaze gradually sharpened. "And somehow that became unacceptable."
The office fell silent.
Sean's voice remained calm, but there was a stubborn firmness behind every word.
"I won't allow my classmates to suffer unfair treatment simply because they chose to be polite."
Professor McGonagall tapped her fingers lightly against the desk. Her expression became unusually serious as she studied the first-year standing before her.
Finally, she spoke slowly.
"Mr Sebastian, a private duel is not a trivial matter. The school will investigate the disciplinary decision afterward." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you prepared to bear the consequences if your judgment is deemed improper?"
Before Sean could answer, Charlie suddenly grabbed his sleeve in panic.
"Sean, are you insane?" Charlie hissed anxiously. "If the school determines the punishment was mishandled, you could be expelled!"
His voice trembled more with every sentence.
"And once Professor Snape hears about this after class, he'll definitely be implicated too. He'll kill us both!"
Sean gently shook Charlie's hand off his sleeve before looking back toward McGonagall.
"I was the one who told them to change," he said calmly. "Naturally, I'll bear the responsibility as well."
Then his eyes hardened slightly.
"The two Slytherin students are not guilty. But I do want to see Gryffindor punished."
Professor McGonagall stared at him for several long seconds before finally replying.
"Gryffindor will lose twenty points. The two students involved will also receive a public disciplinary notice."
Sean rubbed his chin thoughtfully before giving a dissatisfied snort.
"Professor McGonagall, my students are already cleaning toilets."
McGonagall's expression darkened visibly.
"Then they can clean the stables for another week as well." Her tone grew colder. "Satisfied, Mr Sebastian?"
Sean immediately smiled again.
"Perfectly satisfied."
He gave a polite bow with flawless etiquette.
"Then I won't disturb your rest any longer, Professor."
Without waiting further, Sean turned and walked out of the office alongside the still-terrified Charlie.
The moment the door closed behind them, the stern expression on Professor McGonagall's face slowly softened. A faint smile even appeared near the corners of her eyes.
"Changing Slytherin?" she murmured quietly. "And claiming self-defence too…"
Her smile deepened slightly.
"It's been a very long time since Hogwarts had such an interesting student."
A moment later, she rose from her chair and headed briskly toward the Headmaster's office.
.....
Meanwhile, Charlie looked as though he was marching toward his own execution. His face had turned green, and sweat constantly dripped from his forehead as they walked through the corridors.
"Sean… we're finished."
His voice trembled violently.
"Professor Snape absolutely won't let us off this time…"
After hearing the same complaint for nearly ten minutes straight, Sean finally became irritated.
"This has nothing to do with you," he said flatly. "I'm the prefect. I'll take responsibility for everything."
Then he added impatiently, "Go back. I still have things to do."
Before Charlie could continue panicking, Sean turned and headed upstairs alone.
As he walked through the castle corridors, Sean's thoughts gradually became serious.
This incident had exposed a major flaw within Slytherin House.
If he truly wanted to change Slytherin, then three things were necessary. So far, Sean had already figured out two of them.
But the third was the most important of all.
Strength.
Slytherin students were simply too weak.
Even Sean himself had only mastered a handful of basic spells so far, yet he could already overpower most seventh-year students without much effort. That was honestly ridiculous.
"If this weren't tied to my rewards," Sean muttered under his breath, "why would I even bother…"
Still, despite his calm appearance earlier, Sean wasn't actually confident about the school's reaction. If Hogwarts decided his disciplinary judgment was improper, the consequences wouldn't be as simple as losing house points.
Expulsion was entirely possible.
While thinking deeply about the problem, Sean eventually arrived on the eighth floor corridor.
His eyes slowly lifted toward the blank section of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
"The Room of Requirement…" Sean murmured thoughtfully. "Maybe this place can help."
He began pacing slowly back and forth before the empty wall while concentrating intensely.
"I need a room where I can fight," he repeated silently in his mind.
After several passes, something strange finally happened.
A wooden door slowly materialised against the previously blank wall.
Sean's eyes instantly lit up.
"So it actually works."
Without hesitation, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
What greeted him was a massive open chamber.
The floor was covered with beautifully patterned stone tiles, while intricate paintings stretched across the ceiling overhead. An elegant crystal chandelier floated high above, illuminating the enormous room with warm golden light.
Various piles of clutter sat stacked in the corners, but the centre of the room remained completely empty.
At that exact moment, the system notification echoed inside Sean's mind.
[Congratulations to the host for discovering the Room of Requirement. Reward: 10 Energy Points.]
Sean looked around the empty chamber and quickly lost enthusiasm.
"So that's it?"
He frowned slightly.
"There aren't even any opponents here. Training alone is pointless, and practising against classmates won't improve anything either."
After muttering to himself, Sean casually found a corner and sat down against the wall.
"It's been a while since I checked the system training room anyway."
He closed his eyes slightly.
"System. Enter the training room."
[Training room activated.]
The mechanical voice echoed through his mind.
The next instant, Sean's vision blurred.
When his sight returned, he found himself standing within an enormous wasteland.
Dark clouds covered the sky overhead, hanging so low they seemed ready to crush the earth at any moment. The air felt heavy and oppressive. In the distance, several dead trees stood crookedly across the barren plains like skeletal remains.
The atmosphere alone was enough to make ordinary people uncomfortable.
System notifications immediately appeared one after another before Sean's eyes.
[Training Room Rules:]
[The administrator may consume Energy Points to adjust the time ratio within the training room.]
[Basic ratio: 2:1. No Energy Points required.]
[Each additional time ratio increase consumes 1 Energy Point per hour.]
[When additional individuals are present within the training room, the administrator cannot exit the training area.]
[Clearing levels within the training ground will reward the administrator generously.]
[Training room buff activated: Clarity Charm.]
[Clarity Charm effect: Increases mental focus and accelerates cognitive processing while inside the training ground.]
Sean's eyes narrowed immediately.
"The training room can bring in other people?"
Then his attention shifted toward another line.
"And there are levels too?"
.....
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