The afternoon Potions class began with the familiar sound of heavy robes sweeping through the dungeon classroom. Like a giant black bat gliding through the shadows, Professor Snape strode in at full speed, his cold eyes scanning every student with razor-sharp precision. The room instantly fell silent under the pressure of his presence, and even the cauldrons seemed to stop bubbling.
Suddenly, Snape's narrowed gaze settled on an empty seat, and his voice dropped into an icy sneer.
"Excellent. First-year students now dare to skip my class?"
His eyes swept across the room again, filled with disdain.
"I know many of you believe Potions is unimportant. You think this is nothing more than cooking in a cauldron. But I will teach you how to bottle glory, brew fame, control minds, and numb the senses." His expression darkened further. "Perhaps I should simply expel the student who chose to miss my lesson today."
The dungeon air grew even colder. Nobody dared speak until Malfoy slowly raised a trembling hand.
"Professor…"
Snape's eyes locked onto him instantly, making Malfoy stiffen like prey under a predator's gaze.
"Speak."
Malfoy swallowed hard before answering carefully.
"Sean didn't skip class, Professor. He's a prefect now, and Charlie called him away for an emergency."
The classroom remained silent for several long seconds. Even the Slytherins looked nervous under Snape's oppressive aura.
Finally, Snape spoke again.
"I will deal with this matter personally. Open your textbooks. Class begins now."
.....
Since noon, Sean had been buried in the Hogwarts library, surrounded by stacks of books that nearly covered his entire table. Ancient magical theory, potion ingredients, spell construction, magical creature anatomy—he devoured information with terrifying focus. Time passed so quickly that he barely noticed the afternoon classes approaching.
Only when the castle bells rang did Sean reluctantly close the borrowed textbook in his hands and leave the library, carrying several books under one arm as he headed toward the dungeon classroom.
Before he could descend the staircase, a Slytherin student sprinted toward him from the corridor ahead.
"Prefect Sean! Something's happened!"
Sean paused briefly before recognizing the older student.
"Charlie?"
It was the former Slytherin prefect himself, though the usually composed senior now looked pale and anxious.
Sean calmly placed the books against his side and said, "Slow down. Tell me exactly what happened."
Charlie took a deep breath, clearly trying to steady himself.
"Two fifth-year Slytherins got into a private duel. They were caught, and the professors thought I was still handling prefect matters. I only found out afterward, and I've been waiting for you here for ten minutes."
Sean's expression sharpened immediately.
"Where are they now?"
"In Professor McGonagall's office." Charlie grimaced. "Sean, you know how strict she is with Slytherin students. If this goes badly, those two could get punished twice as hard."
Sean frowned slightly.
Private fighting was absolutely forbidden at Hogwarts. If injuries were involved, the consequences could become severe very quickly. In extreme cases, expulsion wasn't impossible.
After a moment of silence, Sean suddenly smiled faintly.
"Relax. Let's go see what happened first."
Charlie blinked in surprise. Somehow, Sean's calm tone immediately eased the panic in his chest. Even in a situation serious enough to threaten expulsion, Sean showed no trace of nervousness whatsoever. It was almost unsettling how naturally he radiated confidence.
The two quickly made their way toward Professor McGonagall's office.
Inside, four students were already standing rigidly in front of the desk when Sean and Charlie entered. Two wore green-trimmed Slytherin robes, while the other two belonged to Gryffindor. All of them had visible injuries—split lips, bruised cheeks, and torn sleeves.
Professor McGonagall looked up sharply when the door opened.
"Charlie," she began sternly, "two fifth-year Slytherins engaged in a private fight and injured fellow students."
Charlie immediately stepped aside with an awkward cough.
"Professor McGonagall, Sean is the acting prefect now."
McGonagall's eyes shifted toward Sean, and her expression became unreadable for a brief moment.
"So you are Mr Sebastian." Her lips pressed together slightly. "The youngest prefect Hogwarts has seen in many years."
Then, unexpectedly, she asked, "What do you think should be done about this matter?"
Logically, professors did not need prefects to determine punishments. Everyone in the room knew that. Yet McGonagall's sharp eyes remained fixed on Sean, clearly curious about how he would respond.
Sean remained silent for several seconds before smiling politely.
"May I speak with them first, Professor?"
McGonagall nodded once.
Sean walked directly toward the two injured Slytherins.
"Explain everything from the beginning."
The two boys immediately looked aggrieved.
"We were talking after class and accidentally blocked part of the hallway," one said angrily. "Then a Gryffindor girl came through, so we moved aside immediately. You told us before that Slytherins should behave like gentlemen when representing the House."
"But these two idiots started mocking us," the second added furiously. "They said Slytherins never do anything without a scheme behind it."
"We only argued back a little," the first boy continued, "and then they threw the first punch!"
Sean listened quietly before waving his hand dismissively.
"I'm not interested in who started it." His gaze became colder. "I only want to know one thing."
The office fell silent.
"Did you win?"
For a moment, everyone froze.
Even the two Gryffindors stared at Sean in disbelief, while Professor McGonagall's expression visibly stiffened. Nobody had expected that to be his first concern in a disciplinary hearing serious enough to involve expulsion.
The two Slytherins lowered their heads in shame.
"No… we lost."
Sean's expression instantly turned disdainful.
"Pathetic."
The two boys flinched.
"When you return to the dormitory, both of you will clean every toilet in the Slytherin common areas for the next week. If this happens again, you can clean the owlery and stables too."
The two boys looked horrified.
"Also," Sean continued calmly, "you will apologise to them."
"What?"
The pair stared at him in shock.
"It was clearly their fault!"
Sean gave a cold laugh.
"If you had won, then even if you were wrong, I wouldn't have allowed you to apologise." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "But you lost. The weak don't get to speak. Go apologise."
The office became deathly quiet.
The two Slytherins clenched their fists tightly, humiliation burning across their faces. Still, neither dared disobey Sean directly. After several painful seconds, they reluctantly walked toward the Gryffindors and bent forward stiffly.
"Sorry."
The two Gryffindors exchanged smug looks before sneering.
"Fine. We forgive you."
Sean ignored their expressions entirely and turned back toward Professor McGonagall with a pleasant smile.
"Professor McGonagall, since the misunderstanding has been resolved, perhaps they should visit the hospital wing first. We can discuss punishment afterward."
McGonagall stared at Sean silently for several long moments.
Finally, she nodded.
"Very well."
The four students quickly left the office, though both Gryffindors still looked confused by what had just happened. The two Slytherins, meanwhile, seemed deeply ashamed.
Once the office door closed, only Sean, Charlie, and Professor McGonagall remained.
Sean smiled lightly.
"So, Professor McGonagall… how do you intend to punish your two students?"
McGonagall's brows lifted slightly.
"My students?" she repeated calmly. "You mean you don't intend to punish the Slytherins further?"
.....
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