A Different Reality

This was completely different from what I'd expected... Lin Yue's mind rapidly analyzed the situation. Perhaps even if she took the initiative to admit her mistake, the professor still wouldn't lessen her punishment.

After reaching her final conclusion, Lin Yue nodded calmly. "All right. Thanks for the warning, senior."

Qiuzhang sighed and reached out to ruffle Lin Yue's hair. "Go to sleep."

Lin Yue turned around and walked mechanically to her bed. She took off her shoes and socks, then lay down fully clothed.

Sleeping in her clothes saved time and didn't waste any more of her study hours. She was used to sleeping this way.

When Lin Yue had lain down, Qiuzhang and Marietta each went to their own beds, tidied up, and lay down to sleep.

She woke once an hour. At exactly seven, Lin Yue opened her eyes. She'd gone to bed at one in the morning, so she'd slept for exactly six hours.

Sitting up, Lin Yue picked up a change of clothes and her toiletries and went into the bathroom.

She showered as quickly as possible, then gave her hair a couple of careless swipes with a towel before leaving the bathroom. After packing her bag, she hurried out of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

As she walked, she held a book in one hand and read. Her still-damp hair hung loose down her back, soaking her wizard robes. Even the shirt beneath them was wet and clung tightly to her back.

Yet Lin Yue seemed not to notice. She kept walking, her eyes never leaving the book.

It didn't matter whether her hair was dry. She just couldn't let these trivial things interfere with her study time.

As for the headache that might come from having wet hair in a draft, Lin Yue had long grown used to pain. It wouldn't affect her studies, and that was enough.

Entering the Great Hall, Lin Yue closed her book and sat at the Ravenclaw table. She used a knife and fork to serve herself breakfast, then lowered her head and began wolfing it down.

Lin Yue could ignore the water still dripping from her hair, but other people couldn't.

Hermione had just entered the Great Hall when she saw Lin Yue eating with her wet hair hanging loose, still dripping water.

Frowning, Hermione hurried over, took an unused, clean napkin from the Ravenclaw table, and carefully began drying Lin Yue's hair from behind.

Feeling the movement behind her as she ate at high speed, Lin Yue instinctively started to turn around.

Hermione spoke softly. "Don't move. Keep eating. I'll dry it for you."

Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly, politely said thank you, and continued eating quickly.

She finished breakfast in three and a half minutes, but Hermione still hadn't completely dried her hair. To avoid wasting study time, Lin Yue reached for the book she'd set beside her and opened it again.

Hermione couldn't help sighing at the sight, but she didn't interrupt Lin Yue's studying.

There was no need to ask... This girl had definitely decided to let her hair air-dry because thoroughly drying it would waste study time.

Who knew how many times she'd gotten a headache from going out with wet hair?

Remembering the time when she was little and had gone out into the cold with wet hair, Hermione began drying Lin Yue's hair even faster.

It had really hurt, and the pain had lasted a whole day. It didn't go away until she'd slept.

Hermione spent nearly ten minutes drying Lin Yue's hair completely. Seeing that Lin Yue was still absorbed in her studies, Hermione pressed her lips together and quietly stood behind her. She waited until Lin Yue had finished the page she was reading before speaking.

"Lin Yue, I've finished drying your hair."

Hearing her full name, Lin Yue emerged from her studies and closed her book. She stood and put on her bag.

She looked at Hermione with vacant eyes and thanked her again. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

"It's no trouble." Hermione shook her head. "But next time, try to dry your hair after you shower. Otherwise, you could get a headache."

Lin Yue replied in a flat voice, "It would waste study time. It's fine. I don't mind the pain."

Hermione closed her eyes. In the end, she said nothing more and let Lin Yue walk past her, reading as she went.

Lin Yue... How had you lived before? Apart from studying, what had there been in your life?

The more Hermione learned about Lin Yue, the more her heart ached for her. Learning about her routine, learning that she punished herself over her studies... Each and every one of these things made Hermione realize that Lin Yue's life before this must have been something she couldn't understand, something she couldn't even imagine.

As Lin Yue left the Great Hall at a brisk pace, reading, a figure flashed into the corner of her eye and forcibly pulled her out of her studies.

Closing her book, Lin Yue walked up to Professor McGonagall and politely greeted her with a nod. "Good morning, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall, who had been about to enter the Great Hall for breakfast, paused. "Good morning, Miss Lin Yue. Is there something you need?"

Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly, then bowed without hesitation. "I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall. I broke the School Rules by wandering the castle last night. Thank you for giving me the chance to admit my mistake. I'll humbly accept your criticism and punishment."

Looking at Lin Yue bowing deeply before her and hearing those words delivered with practiced ease and not a trace of emotion, Professor McGonagall felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.

She'd seen plenty of lively Little Lions, always getting into trouble and bouncing around everywhere; Little Eagles, absorbed in their own worlds, studious but just as spirited; Little Badgers, gentle and warm, who loved food and gossip; and Little Snakes, shrewd and sharp, adept at exploiting loopholes. But she had truly never seen anyone like this.

Someone who would bow her head without hesitation before a professor and admit her mistake—even when the professor didn't want to catch her doing anything wrong.

Professor McGonagall reached out to help Lin Yue up. Lin Yue straightened and looked at her calmly.

Seeing her lips pressed together, trembling slightly, Lin Yue's emotionless mind instinctively took her state as a sign of intense anger.

So what punishment would she receive? Kneeling in the corridor, or standing barefoot in the snow? Lin Yue quickly considered all the punishments her teachers had given her. The latter usually lasted only ten minutes. It was unpleasant, but it would waste less study time. She hoped it would be the latter.

At her parents' direction, her former teachers had never held back when punishing her. That was why neither teachers nor students had reacted when they saw the scars covering her body from the punishments she'd inflicted on herself.

It was normal, after all. And she wasn't the only one; many other students were going through the same thing.

Punishment would help her improve and help her studies progress. Lin Yue's mind was certain of this, without ever considering whether the punishment was reasonable or truly necessary.

Professor McGonagall struggled to calm herself, then slowly reached out and touched Lin Yue's cheek.

The moment Professor McGonagall's hand moved toward her face, Lin Yue's mind immediately understood what punishment she was about to receive.

Then another thought abruptly sprang up: If she hits my face, Penelope Elder Sister might see it again... But this is a professor's punishment, so it should be fine.

But the blow she expected never came. Instead, Lin Yue felt Professor McGonagall gently soothe her cheek.

"I'm not angry, Miss Lin Yue," Professor McGonagall said with a warm smile.

"And at Hogwarts, you don't need to be so formal with us professors. We're your teachers, but we're also your elders. Isn't one of an elder's responsibilities to be patient with children's mischief?"

"To be honest," Professor McGonagall said, bending down to meet Lin Yue's eyes, "I'd quite like to see you be a little livelier, a little naughtier. Open up more and don't overthink things. This is Hogwarts, after all."

When she finished, Professor McGonagall straightened up and braided Lin Yue's loose hair into a simple plait.

"I'm not going to punish you or take points from your House. But I do have a suggestion for you."

"Next time you go wandering at night, you could visit the eighth floor. There's a tapestry of a troll there. It's quite amusing."

Professor McGonagall gave Lin Yue a sly wink, then strode into the Great Hall, leaving her standing there, staring blankly after the professor without a hint of expression.

She hadn't been punished. She'd even been given a suggestion. Lin Yue's mind had completely stalled, unable to understand anything Professor McGonagall had just done.

It was utterly at odds with her past experiences and everything she knew.

Lin Yue turned her gaze away. She felt nothing, but her vision had already blurred. When she lowered her head to read, she could no longer make out the letters on the page. In a haze, she walked toward the Charms Class classroom with her head bowed.

Entering the Charms Class classroom, Lin Yue sat at her desk and read her book intently. Two drops of water fell onto the page, and her vision cleared again.

After a while, Professor Flitwick entered the classroom with a book in his arms.

While having breakfast at the Teachers' Table in the Great Hall, he'd heard Professor McGonagall mention that Lin Yue had gone wandering last night, that she'd pretended not to notice, and that Lin Yue had taken the initiative to come to her that morning and admit her mistake.

In all the years they'd known each other, it was the first time Professor Flitwick had seen such a complicated expression on his colleague's face: confusion, bafflement, shock, and heartache all mixed together.

He felt the same way. He was glad the girl had finally been able to loosen up a little and go wandering at night, even if another student had led her along, but he also felt for her, seeing how low she thought of herself.

She was just too well-behaved. Professor Flitwick set his book on the lectern, walked over to Lin Yue, and spoke kindly.

"Good morning, Miss Lin Yue."

"Good morning, Professor Flitwick." Lin Yue stood promptly and greeted him with a polite nod.

Professor Flitwick beamed and waved a hand. "You don't need to be so formal. You've more or less mastered the first-year curriculum already. If you get tired or sleepy in class today, you can rest. Just make sure you don't disturb anyone else."

Lin Yue nodded faintly and answered mechanically. "All right. Thank you, Professor."

After speaking with Lin Yue, Professor Flitwick returned to the lectern. Students gradually filed into the classroom, and soon it was nearly time for class.

He glanced instinctively toward Lin Yue and sighed when he saw her still studying intently.

This girl... Why couldn't she ever give herself a break? They were professors, but they certainly didn't want their students' lives to consist of nothing but studying, with nothing else at all.

When class officially began, Lin Yue still didn't rest or even sleep, despite Professor Flitwick's subtle hint.

As always, she kept her eyes fixed on Professor Flitwick without blinking and took notes rapidly, like a high-speed machine that never got tired or overheated.

Watching Lin Yue's focus, Professor Flitwick felt pleased, but more than that, he felt a dull ache.

By lunchtime, after Charms Class, most Gryffindor students already knew that Harry had lost fifty points for wandering the castle last night.

But because the number of points lost wasn't too high, and Ravenclaw had all but secured the House Cup this year, nobody paid it much attention.

Or rather, after hearing Harry's shortened version of what had happened last night and learning that Malfoy had reported him for wandering, only to lose points too, they couldn't help laughing at Malfoy's behavior.

They were also quite happy that Slytherin House had lost points along with them. It was a given that Slytherin wouldn't win the House Cup either, and that was enough for the Gryffindor Little Lions.

As for the fifty points Harry had lost, well, so be it. It wasn't as if they'd come in first without losing them.

So after Lin Yue finished lunch at high speed and lifted her head, she saw Harry chatting and laughing with his classmates, looking completely fine.

Her gaze swept over him from head to toe. There was nothing wrong with his face or hands, and his knees didn't seem to hurt either. She couldn't see his feet yet... Just as she thought that, Harry stood up and went to get himself a plate of cocktail sausages from farther away.

Apparently, his feet weren't injured either. Harry hadn't received any punishment beyond losing points.

Lin Yue's mind reached a conclusion. She opened her book, stood up, and left the Great Hall, reading as she walked. But for once, her mind wasn't committing the material to memory.

Instead, her thoughts were filled with the scene at the Christmas Banquet and her conversation with Professor McGonagall that morning.

Those two scenes clashed violently with her memories of standing in the snow and kneeling in the corridor, making her head throb again and again.

Different. Completely different... Two thoughts surfaced in Lin Yue's mind: Hogwarts, and the school she'd attended before.

The difference between them was too great. After reaching that conclusion, Lin Yue's mind stopped. She couldn't analyze it any further.

Her lack of emotion kept her from understanding why the two were completely different. Since that was the case, Lin Yue instinctively returned to what they had in common.

They were both schools, and she was a student at both. So... all she had to do was study. At that thought, her mind came to a halt, and her focus returned to her book. Words and sentences flooded into her mind at once.