A Different Reality

It was very different from what she had imagined... Lin Yue's brain quickly performed an analysis. Perhaps even if she admitted her mistake, the professor wouldn't lessen her punishment.

Reaching a conclusion, Lin Yue nodded calmly, "Okay, thank you for the reminder, Senior Student."

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

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

Sleeping fully clothed saved time and didn't waste more study time. She was used to sleeping like this.

Seeing Lin Yue lie down, Qiuzhang and Marietta also walked to their respective beds, tidied up, and lay down to sleep.

Waking up exactly one hour later, Lin Yue opened her eyes at precisely seven o'clock. She had gone to sleep at one in the morning, and now it was seven, a total of six hours.

Sitting up in bed, Lin Yue grabbed her change of clothes and toiletries and walked into the bathroom.

After showering as quickly as possible, Lin Yue casually dried her hair and walked out of the bathroom. She packed her schoolbag and hurried out of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

While walking, she held a book and read as she went. Her hair, not completely dry, trailed behind her, dampening her Wizard Robes. Even the shirt beneath her robes was wet, clinging tightly to her back.

However, Lin Yue seemed oblivious, her steps never faltering, her eyes never leaving the book.

It didn't matter if her hair was completely dry or not; she couldn't let these trivial matters affect her study time.

As for the headache that might result from not drying her hair, Lin Yue was accustomed to pain, so it wouldn't affect her studies. That was enough.

Entering the Great Hall, Lin Yue closed her book and sat at the Ravenclaw table. She reached for a knife and fork to get her breakfast and began to eat ravenously.

However, while Lin Yue could ignore her dripping hair, others couldn't.

Hermione, who had just entered the Great Hall, saw this scene. Lin Yue was eating with her wet hair still dripping.

Frowning, Hermione quickly walked over, casually picked up a clean, unused napkin from the Ravenclaw table, and carefully began to dry Lin Yue's hair from behind.

Lin Yue, who was eating rapidly, felt the movement behind her and instinctively started to turn her head.

Hermione spoke softly, "Don't move. You eat, I'll dry it for you."

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

She finished breakfast in three and a half minutes, and Hermione hadn't completely dried Lin Yue's hair yet. To avoid delaying her study time, Lin Yue reached for the book beside her and reopened it to read.

Hermione watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but sigh, but she didn't disturb her studies.

It was obvious... this girl definitely didn't want to waste study time drying her hair completely, so she just let it air dry.

She wondered how many times she had experienced the headache from wet hair and a cold breeze.

Recalling her own experience as a child when she didn't dry her hair and then caught a cold breeze, Hermione's movements as she dried Lin Yue's hair became even faster.

That really hurt, and it hurt her for a whole day until she felt better after sleeping.

After nearly ten minutes of drying, Hermione finally got Lin Yue's hair completely dry. Seeing that Lin Yue was still engrossed in her studies and hadn't snapped out of it, Hermione pursed her lips and stood quietly behind her until she finished reading the page she was on before speaking.

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

Hearing her full name, Lin Yue emerged from her studies, closed the book in her hands, and stood up to put on her backpack.

Looking at Hermione with vacant eyes, Lin Yue thanked her again, "Thank you, I troubled you."

"It's no trouble," Hermione shook her head. "But you should try to dry your hair as soon as possible after showering in the future, otherwise, you'll get headaches."

Lin Yue replied in a flat tone, "It will delay my study time. It's fine, I'm not afraid of pain."

Hermione closed her eyes, and in the end, didn't say anything more, letting Lin Yue walk past her while looking at her book.

Lin Yue... how exactly did you live before? Besides studying, what else was in your life before?

The more Hermione learned about Lin Yue, the more her heart ached. Understanding her daily routine, understanding how she punished herself for the sake of her studies... each of these incidents made Hermione realize that Lin Yue's previous life was likely in a state that she couldn't comprehend, or even imagine.

Lin Yue, who was walking out of the Great Hall with her book at a quick pace, was abruptly pulled out of her studies by a figure flashing in her peripheral vision.

Closing her book, Lin Yue walked forward to Professor McGonagall and politely greeted her, "Good morning, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall, who was about to enter the Great Hall for breakfast, was taken aback. "Good morning, Miss Lin Yue, is there something you need?"

Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly, then unhesitatingly bowed to Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall. I broke school rules and went on a night tour last night. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to confess. I will humbly accept your criticism and punishment."

Looking at Lin Yue bowing deeply in front of her, listening to her practiced and unhesitating words delivered without any emotional fluctuation, Professor McGonagall felt a surge of inexplicable anger welling up in her chest.

She had seen many energetic Little Lions who caused trouble everywhere, focused Little Eagles who were studious yet also agile, gentle and soft Little Badgers who loved food and gossip, and shrewd and perceptive Little Snakes who were good at exploiting loopholes. But she had truly never seen anyone like this.

Someone who would unhesitatingly bow and lower her head in front of a professor to admit her mistakes, even when the professor might not have intended to catch her error.

Reaching out, Professor McGonagall helped Lin Yue up. Lin Yue straightened and looked at Professor McGonagall with a calm gaze.

Seeing her tightly pursed, even slightly trembling lips, Lin Yue's emotionless brain instinctively recognized the other person's current state as intense anger.

So, what punishment would she receive? Would she be made to kneel in the corridor, or stand barefoot on the snowy ground? Lin Yue quickly thought about the various punishments she had received from teachers in the past. The latter usually didn't last long, typically only ten minutes. Although it was uncomfortable, it would delay her study time less, and she hoped for the latter.

Under the instructions of her parents, her previous teachers had never shown her any leniency in their punishments. This was also why neither teachers nor students had ever reacted when they saw the scars she inflicted on herself as punishment.

Because it was normal, and moreover, she wasn't the only one; many other students were also suffering the same.

Punishment would lead to progress, would lead to academic improvement, Lin Yue's brain was certain of this, without ever considering whether the punishment was reasonable or truly necessary.

Professor McGonagall tried to calm her emotions and slowly reached out to stroke Lin Yue's cheek.

Feeling Professor McGonagall's hand reaching towards her face, Lin Yue's brain instantly understood what punishment she was about to receive.

Another thought suddenly popped into Lin Yue's mind: if her face was hit, Penelope Elder Sister might see it... but since it was the professor's punishment, it should be fine.

However, the expected impact didn't come. Instead, Lin Yue felt Professor McGonagall's gentle touch on her face.

"I'm not angry, Miss Lin Yue," Professor McGonagall smiled kindly at Lin Yue.

"And at Hogwarts, you don't need to be so reserved with us professors. We are your professors, and more importantly, your elders. Isn't it one of the responsibilities of elders to tolerate the mischief of children?"

"To be honest," Professor McGonagall leaned down to meet Lin Yue's gaze, "I'm actually looking forward to you being a bit more lively, a bit more mischievous. Open yourself up more, don't overthink things, this is Hogwarts."

After speaking, Professor McGonagall straightened up and tied the hair that had fallen behind Lin Yue's back into a simple braid.

"I have no punishment for you, nor will I deduct any points. However, I do have a suggestion for you."

"Next time you go on a night tour, you can visit the eighth floor. There's a tapestry with a troll on it, it will be very interesting."

Winking slyly at Lin Yue, the Lion King strode into the Great Hall, leaving behind a stunned and expressionless Lin Yue staring at her retreating back.

Not only was she not punished, but she also received a suggestion. Lin Yue's brain completely froze, unable to comprehend anything Professor McGonagall had just done.

It was completely contrary to her past experiences and understanding.

She withdrew her gaze, feeling nothing in her heart, but her vision had already blurred. Looking down at her book again, the letters on the page were no longer clear. In a haze, Lin Yue lowered her head and walked towards the Charms classroom.

Entering the Charms classroom, Lin Yue sat in her seat and looked down at her book intently. As two drops of water landed on the book, her vision gradually cleared.

After a while, Professor Flitwick walked into the classroom carrying a book.

Earlier, while having breakfast at the Teachers' Table in the Great Hall, he had heard from Professor McGonagall that Lin Yue had gone on a night tour yesterday. She had pretended not to see it, and then this morning Lin Yue had proactively come to him to admit her mistake.

Having known each other for so many years, it was the first time Professor Flitwick had seen such a complex expression on his colleague's face – a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, shock, and heartache.

But he felt the same way. He was happy that this child could finally relax a little and go on a night tour, even if she was led by other students. Yet, he also felt pained by how lowly she placed herself.

She was just too honest. Professor Flitwick placed his book on the lectern, walked over to Lin Yue, and spoke kindly.

"Good morning, Miss Lin Yue."

"Good morning, Professor Flitwick," Lin Yue quickly stood up and nodded politely to Professor Flitwick.

Professor Flitwick waved his hand with a smile, "There's no need to be so formal. You've already mastered most of the first-year curriculum. If you feel tired or sleepy during today's class, you can rest on your own, as long as you don't disturb others."

Lin Yue nodded faintly, her voice mechanical as she replied, "Okay, thank you, Professor."

After finishing his conversation with Lin Yue, Professor Flitwick returned to the lectern. As students gradually entered the classroom, it was almost time for class to begin.

He subconsciously glanced towards Lin Yue's seat. Seeing that she was still engrossed in her book, Professor Flitwick couldn't help but sigh.

This child... why doesn't she ever give herself a break? Although they were professors, they absolutely did not want their students' lives to consist solely of studying, with nothing else.

When the class officially began, even though Professor Flitwick had hinted at it beforehand, Lin Yue still didn't rest or even sleep.

Just like before, her eyes were glued to Professor Flitwick, her hands flying as she took notes, like a high-speed machine that never tired or overheated.

Seeing Lin Yue so focused and diligent, Professor Flitwick felt gratified, but also a dull ache in his heart.

During lunchtime after Charms Class, most Gryffindor students already knew about Harry's Night Tour the previous night and the fifty points he lost.

However, since the deduction wasn't too severe, and the House Cup was practically a certainty for Ravenclaw this year, no one paid much attention.

Or rather, after hearing Harry's edited version of the previous night's events, and knowing that Malfoy had reported him for the night tour, only to have points deducted himself, they couldn't help but mock Malfoy's actions.

They were also happy that Slytherin had points deducted along with Gryffindor. Since their Slytherin house would definitely not win the House Cup anyway, this was enough for the Gryffindor Little Lions.

As for the fifty points Harry lost, well, he lost them. Would he have gotten first place if he hadn't?

So, when Lin Yue finished her lunch at lightning speed and looked up, she saw Harry chatting and laughing with his classmates, showing no signs of abnormality.

Her gaze swept over him, checking his face, his hands, his knees – none seemed to be in pain. She couldn't see his feet yet... Just as she thought this, Harry stood up and walked to get himself a plate of sausages from a distance.

This indicated his feet were not injured, and Harry had not received any punishment other than the point deduction.

Lin Yue's brain summarized the situation. She opened her book and stood up, leaving the Great Hall. As she walked, she read the contents of the book, but for the first time, her brain wasn't storing the information deep in her memory.

Instead, the scene from the Christmas Banquet and Professor McGonagall's conversation with her that morning were replaying in her mind.

These two scenes clashed violently with the memory of herself standing in the Snowy Ground and kneeling in the Corridor, causing a throbbing pain in her head.

Different, completely different... Two thoughts popped into Lin Yue's brain. Hogwarts, and the school she attended before.

The gap between the two was too vast. Lin Yue's brain reached this conclusion and stopped, unable to analyze further.

Her lack of emotion prevented her from understanding why the two were so different. Since she couldn't, Lin Yue subconsciously returned to their commonalities.

Both were schools, and she was a student in both. Therefore... all she needed to do was study. With this thought, her mind stopped abruptly, and her mental energy returned to the book. Words and sentences immediately flooded into her mind.