Severed Rewards and Punishments (Part 1)

Shocked and furious, Rowena instinctively used magic to check Lin Yue's body. Only after confirming she was unharmed did her mood settle slightly.

But she still didn't understand how this had happened. After mulling it over, Rowena simply exercised her founder's authority over Hogwarts to monitor every portrait and statue in the castle, successfully learning the full story from two Little Badgers gossiping in the corridor.

Hearing that the Gryffindor trio had gone to stop Professor Quirrell from stealing the Philosopher's Stone, and that Lin Yue had taken on Professor Quirrell alone, Rowena's first reaction was: This child went to solo Voldemort again?!

Even if it wasn't his full form, it was still dangerous. It seemed she hadn't learned a single lesson from that Cruciatus Curse she'd suffered earlier.

Withdrawing her focus, Rowena looked through the watch at Lin Yue, who was chatting with Qiuzhang and Marietta, and felt a sharp pang of heartache.

However, heartache was one thing; Rowena also understood that as a friend to that Gryffindor trio, Lin Yue would inevitably face such situations in the future.

Furthermore, there seemed to be something unusual about her relationship with Hermione Granger from that trio. Since her own partner was Helga, Rowena keenly caught the spark between the two girls.

Although she understood in her heart that this was an essential trial for the children, that didn't stop Rowena from once again venting her anger at Dumbledore.

They had also tempered children back in the Middle Ages, but that was always done outside the school! Who would ever bring danger into the school? And bring it in actively, at that!

During the most chaotic times of the Middle Ages, no one dared to run wild in Hogwarts. Now, look at this—Dumbledore actually dared to lure Voldemort right inside. He really thought he was something!

Even if you had to set a trap, you should have done it outside the school and let the children go out to be tempered. At the very least, you shouldn't let danger enter the school. Hogwarts should be a home for the children, not a whetstone for them.

Feeling a wave of dizziness, the Blue Eagle raised a wing to cover her head.

The Yellow Badger, who had just awakened, ran over and wrapped her two paws around the Blue Eagle's head, rubbing it gently.

The Yellow Badger let out two soft cries, "You haven't recovered well yet. Hurry and continue resting. As for Lin Yue's matter, once we've recovered, we'll settle the score for her in full."

The Blue Eagle flapped her wings twice and chirped, "Mm. When the time comes, Salazar, Godric, that Dumbledore, and Voldemort—none of them will be able to run."

"Good," the Yellow Badger chirped softly, pulling the Blue Eagle into her embrace. "I'll help you beat them up then. I guarantee not a single one will escape."

Feeling her partner beside her, the Blue Eagle soon drifted back into a deep sleep.

Looking down at the Blue Eagle in her arms, a flash of tenderness crossed Helga's yellow badger eyes.

But then, she ground her teeth fiercely; the sharpness of the Little Badger was revealed in that moment.

If it weren't for the fact that the four of them had been injured in the final battle against the Church back then and required a long time to sleep and heal, there would be no way Salazar's descendant would be allowed to run wild, let alone dare to harm a child they had taken a liking to. He was getting too big for his boots.

Their healing process had entered its final stage. Once she woke up again, she and Rowena would definitely make that Voldemort understand what it meant when the food of badgers and eagles was snakes.

The Yellow Badger slowly closed her eyes and fell back into a deep sleep.

Deep within Hogwarts, the Green Snake, curled up and sleeping beside the Red Lion, shivered as if experiencing a bad premonition, though it did not wake from its slumber.

During the time Rowena and Helga were talking, Lin Yue's conversation with the two senior students had ended. Watching the backs of the two seniors as they left, Lin Yue expressionlessly raised her right hand to look at the watch on her wrist. She had just felt a surge of magic flow through her entire body.

That sensation was identical to when Headmaster Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey examined her body, meaning someone had cast a detection spell on her.

Lin Yue's brain reached this conclusion. Further analysis proved that someone was residing inside her watch.

Looking again at the small badger and eagle marks that had suddenly appeared on the edge of the watch, various speculations flashed through Lin Yue's mind, eventually settling on the most probable—and most inconceivable—result.

Possessing a watch—a form of magic that sounded unimaginable even to wizards—could only be achieved by two people within Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw: the two founders, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, witches whose magical prowess was unfathomable.

With the two founders inside her watch, Lin Yue reached her final conclusion. She had no other thoughts, simply lowering her hand with indifference.

As her right hand came to rest on her left thigh, Lin Yue squeezed down hard eight times.

Her left thigh turned bruised and purple once again. Without a ripple of emotion in her heart, Lin Yue picked up her book, leaned against the headboard, and entered a state of study.

It was not until Madam Pomfrey came over, snatched the book from her hands, and ordered her to rest that Lin Yue slowly lay down under the covers and drank the Dreamless Sleep Potion brought by Madam Pomfrey.

Moonlight shone onto the hospital bed and spilled across Lin Yue's face. Even in deep sleep, her expression remained like stagnant water—no smile, none of the comfort or serenity that a sleeping person should have.

In her deep slumber, the muscles of Lin Yue's left thigh twitched slightly, as if issuing a few faint protests...

Having stayed in the Medical Wing for three consecutive days and drinking the Dreamless Sleep Potion for three nights, Lin Yue was finally released by Madam Pomfrey.

But even after three nights of the Dreamless Sleep Potion, Lin Yue still woke up every hour during those three nights. Nothing about her seemed to have changed.

Returning to the Ravenclaw common room, Bang! Bang! Two sounds rang out in succession by Lin Yue's ears.

Ribbons drifted down from the ceiling, landing on her shoulders and scattering across the floor of the common room.

"Lin Yue! Welcome to the celebration party we prepared for you!" the cheerful voice of the female prefect, Penelope, rang out.

Hearing her full name and snapping out of her study mode, Lin Yue closed the book in her hands and looked at the Little Eagles in the common room with dead, hollow eyes.

She nodded politely to everyone, "Thank you all, I only did what I was supposed to do."

"I knew you'd say that." Penelope shook her head with a smile, and the Little Eagles also wore faces full of kind smiles.

Having spent an entire school year together, everyone understood that although Lin Yue was expressionless and spoke in a mechanical, rigid manner, she possessed absolute patience and politeness toward others.

Therefore, no one in Ravenclaw was afraid of her or excluded her anymore.

The female Little Eagles giggled and swarmed forward, first taking the book from Lin Yue's hands, then pressing her down onto the sofa in the common room.

They had heard from Qiuzhang and Marietta that Lin Yue was still reading while recuperating in the Medical Wing. Now that the celebration had started, they certainly couldn't let that happen.

The guest of honor at the celebration party, of course, had to eat, drink, and relax properly.

"Here, trade this for your book." Qiuzhang smiled, stuffing a small cupcake into Lin Yue's hand.

Lin Yue wanted to say that this should be her study time, but the words Hermione had said to her in the Medical Wing about taking a break suddenly appeared in her mind. Her open mouth slowly closed again.

She lowered her head, subconsciously shoving the entire cupcake into her mouth. She chewed fiercely twice, then swallowed it almost whole.

Penelope sighed at the sight of Lin Yue, picked up another cupcake of a different flavor, and handed it to her.

"Eat slowly, savor it properly, okay?"

Lin Yue took the cupcake from Penelope, nodded with a blank expression, and lowered her head to eat it in small, measured bites.

Seeing Lin Yue slow down, the Little Eagles all wore relieved smiles. Marietta slid a glass of juice in front of Lin Yue, and the other Little Eagles began to eat, drink, and chat amongst themselves.

This post-final-exam celebration left everyone in Ravenclaw, except for Lin Yue, feeling happy and satisfied.

Sitting on the sofa, Lin Yue looked around with a vacant gaze. The students' faces were full of smiles, and the air was filled with laughter and joy.

Lin Yue blinked mechanically. How many of these classmates would she see next year?

The thought popped into her mind subconsciously. One-third of the students had to be eliminated; that was the school rule as she understood it.

All schools were like that, and Hogwarts was a school, so Hogwarts should be like that too.

Lin Yue established an equation in her mind once again, replacing the variable of "different worlds" with the constant that they were "all schools."

After all, in her view, all schools should be the same; that was the extent of her previous experience and understanding.

Although she had witnessed how the professors at Hogwarts differed from her previous teachers, she assumed that was merely a difference between individual teachers, and that the most fundamental rules of a school would not change.

And so, at this celebration, while laughter and joy surrounded her, Lin Yue was busy calculating in her mind how many acquaintances she would be able to see in the next school year.

This wasn't out of pity or emotional reflection; it was simply her habitual way of thinking and analyzing.

The celebration ended at eleven o'clock at night. Since the end-of-year feast was tomorrow, and everyone would likely be up late again, it was best not to stay up too late tonight.

Back in the dormitory, Lin Yue finished her shower in less than five minutes. She gave her hair a casual rub with a towel, walked out, sat at her desk, and immediately entered a state of study, opening a book.

Qiuzhang and Marietta exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly. Marietta walked over, picked up a towel, and helped Lin Yue dry her hair, while Qiuzhang grabbed her change of clothes and headed into the washroom to shower.

"Lin Yue, you need to dry your hair after a shower." Marietta's movements were gentle as she dried Lin Yue's hair bit by bit.

"It's fine if it's wet. Drying it or blow-drying it is just a waste of study time."

Lin Yue said this without hesitation, echoing the words her Mother had once told her.

"It's bad for your health." Marietta sighed. By the time she had thoroughly dried Lin Yue's hair, Qiuzhang had finished her shower and come out. Marietta draped Lin Yue's towel to the side.

Just as she picked up her own change of clothes and prepared to head to the washroom, Lin Yue suddenly broke out of her study state and turned to look at Marietta.

"Thank you."

Although she spoke without expression or inflection, Marietta still felt a sense of gratification. Vaguely, she felt that Lin Yue was making progress. "You're welcome."

With a happy smile, Marietta walked into the washroom.

Studying until midnight, Lin Yue closed her book, lay down on her bed, and began her repetitive sleep.

Amidst that repetitive sleep, the final day of Lin Yue's first year at Hogwarts drew back its curtain.

The castle was filled with a sense of bustle that day. All the students began packing their luggage; by comparison, things were much easier for Lin Yue.

She hadn't taken out much luggage, just a few daily necessities. The little trinkets and various dolls prepared for her by the World Consciousness remained untouched, stuffed inside her suitcase.

After packing these daily items into her suitcase, Lin Yue sat on her dormitory's four-poster bed and suddenly realized she had no idea where she was going for the holidays.

Thinking rapidly, Lin Yue realized that in the past, she would always go home after school, and the same went for holidays. But now, she had no home to return to.

Without a shred of sadness or loss in her heart, Lin Yue emotionlessly pondered where she could go.

Hotels, inns, guesthouses... various terms and definitions appeared in Lin Yue's mind. Before she could reach a conclusion, Qiuzhang waved at her.

"Lin Yue, hurry up, the end-of-year feast is about to begin."

"Alright." Lin Yue nodded, stood up, and followed Qiuzhang and Marietta out of the dormitory.

Entering the Great Hall, the banners of Ravenclaw were already hanging, with a goshawk prominently displayed upon them.

The students of Hogwarts sat in the Great Hall, chatting happily. Hermione, at the Gryffindor table, stood up and ran over happily as soon as she saw Lin Yue enter.

"Good evening, Lin Yue." Hermione affectionately grabbed Lin Yue's hand. Lin Yue lowered her head, cast a listless glance at their joined hands, and spoke in an unchanging tone.

"Good evening, Hermione."

"Speaking of which, congratulations on winning the House Cup for Ravenclaw." Hermione said with a grin, gently stroking the back of Lin Yue's hand.

"Thank you." Lin Yue nodded mechanically.

After exchanging a few more words, the feast began, and the two returned to their respective house tables.

Headmaster Dumbledore first gave a speech, then held up his hands to signal for silence.

"First, I would like to congratulate the students of Ravenclaw Academy. You have won this year's House Cup for Ravenclaw Academy."

Upon hearing this, the Little Eagles of Ravenclaw turned their heads one after another, casting kind gazes toward Lin Yue, who sat in her seat, stiff and motionless, showing no reaction or expression.

There was no doubt that for Ravenclaw to win the House Cup this year, aside from the collective efforts of everyone in the house, the greatest contributor was Lin Yue.

"However, before presenting the House Cup, some recent events also need to be taken into account."