Lin Yuan Actively Violates School Rules

"In all my years of teaching, I have never been so disappointed in my House."

Professor McGonagall's voice was terrifyingly calm, a stillness more penetrating than any roar.

Her sharp eyes swept over the three of them, making them instinctively shrink back.

"Gryffindor, for Mr. Potter and Miss Granger's reckless actions, fifty points will be deducted!"

Fifty points!

Harry and Hermione's hearts clenched violently, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

They could almost hear the precious rubies in Gryffindor's House hourglass tumbling down with a clatter. Hermione's eyes immediately welled up.

"Slytherin, for Mr. Malfoy's nighttime wandering, fifty points will also be deducted!"

Mr. Malfoy's face instantly turned pale.

"As for punishment..." Professor McGonagall's gaze grew even sterner, "Each of you will be confined to detention. A punishment you will never forget."

Just then, there was a soft knock on the office door.

"Enter," she said.

The door opened, and a figure walked in. Seeing who it was, Harry, Hermione, and Mr. Malfoy froze, disbelief etched on their faces.

It was Lin Yuan.

He maintained his usual unshakeable calm, as if he had just stopped by to say hello.

He walked over to the three of them and gave a slight nod to Professor McGonagall, showing neither panic nor guilt.

"Ryan?" Harry exclaimed softly, utterly bewildered. What was he doing here?

Professor McGonagall looked at Lin Yuan, her brow furrowed even tighter, her disappointment almost overflowing.

"Mr. Ryan Lin, I was just looking for you. I believe you'd best explain why Mr. Filch's patrol logs, and the magical playback from the 'Night Watch Mirror' in my office, clearly show you wandering alone in the corridor between the library and the Astronomy Tower at midnight?"

The entire office fell into dead silence.

Hermione's mouth formed an 'O'.

"Another Gryffindor!" Mr. Malfoy almost burst out laughing, but restrained himself due to Professor McGonagall's presence. He silently mouthed to Harry and the others with exaggerated lip movements, "You're finished!"

"I... I just wanted to look up some information on Ancient Runes. I got so engrossed that I lost track of time." Lin Yuan's explanation sounded flawless, his tone as flat as if he were reciting a textbook.

"So engrossed that you got lost near the Astronomy Tower?" Professor McGonagall's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.

Lin Yuan fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head slightly.

"I apologize, Professor. It was my fault."

His apology was so swift and decisive, devoid of any excuses or emotion, that it left Professor McGonagall, who had prepared a lengthy scolding, feeling somewhat disarmed.

She looked deeply at the student she could never quite figure out.

When other students were caught, they showed fear, shame, or defiance.

But Lin Yuan simply accepted it calmly.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall sighed, seemingly unwilling to press further. "It seems Gryffindor will truly 'make history' tonight. Mr. Lin, for your 'overly focused' thirst for knowledge, Gryffindor... deduct another twenty points!"

Hermione let out a faint groan, nearly fainting.

A total of one hundred and twenty points!

In a single night, Gryffindor plummeted from a strong contender for the House Cup to the very bottom.

"Alright, now there are four of you," Professor McGonagall's voice returned to its icy tone. "Your punishment is to gather in the castle entrance hall at eleven o'clock tonight. You will accompany Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest."

"The Forbidden Forest?!" If Mr. Malfoy had only looked pale before, he now looked as if he had been kissed by a Dementor, shrieking, "You can't do this! There are... there are all sorts of monsters in there! If my father finds out..."

"If your father finds out you were caught trying to snitch, he'll likely be even more disappointed, Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall interrupted him coldly. "And the three of you Gryffindors, I hope you will reflect thoroughly in the Forbidden Forest on what is meant by collective honor!"

The four of them retreated from the office dejectedly.

Mr. Malfoy spent the entire walk spewing venomous curses, vowing to have his father expel them all.

Harry and Hermione were consumed by immense guilt, unable to even hold their heads up as they walked.

Lin Yuan walked at the very end.

His face still held that unfathomable calm.

Caught sneaking around at night?

For a quasi-cultivator whose Spiritual Sense could easily cover the entire castle, who could sense every patrol and every surveillance mirror in advance, the chance of being caught was lower than being hit by a falling pie from the sky.

He had done it on purpose.

Certain crucial plot points were about to unfold in that forest.

Rather than observing passively from afar through a layer of mist, he preferred to buy a front-row VIP ticket and witness it up close.

He had indeed followed Harry and Hermione's tracks, moving around the Astronomy Tower.

But he wasn't "caught"; it was more like he had calculated the time and location, and deliberately "walked" into the sights of Mr. Filch and the magical mirror.

As for the twenty points deducted...

For someone whose state of mind had long surpassed worldly honor and disgrace, this kind of childish point-scoring game couldn't even stir a ripple on the lake of his heart.

He just needed a reasonable "identity," an "entry ticket" that would allow him to walk into that dark forest.

"A Gryffindor student punished for a night excursion" – this identity was perfect.

Hogwarts' entrance hall at eleven at night was like a vast, forgotten grotto. Moonlight streamed through the tall stained-glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the cold flagstones and stretching the shadows of the four children waiting for punishment into long, thin wisps.

Hagrid emerged from the darkness, carrying a lantern larger than a man's head and a crossbow slung over his shoulder that looked capable of piercing castle walls. His footsteps were heavy. His face was etched with "I am very unhappy," clearly uncomfortable that students he favored were being punished by entering the Forbidden Forest he guarded.

"Alright, cheer up," he said gruffly, though a hint of concern could still be heard in his tone. "We have serious business to attend to tonight. Don't think you're here for a stroll in the park."

They followed Hagrid, crossing the deserted, dew-dampened grounds, step by step towards the Forbidden Forest, which lay sprawled like a prehistoric beast in the night. As they approached, a cold, damp air, mixed with the scent of decaying leaves and unknown creatures, rushed to meet them. The trees at the forest's edge swayed in the night wind, their twisted branches like ghostly claws reaching for the sky, casting grotesque, dancing shadows on the ground.

"Hagrid..." Malfoy's voice trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind. "I... I think my asthma is acting up... I can't go in... My father said..."

"If your father knew you were acting like a scared kitten, he'd disown you from the family tree!" Hagrid interrupted his tired clichés impatiently. "If you want to be a man, keep up!"

Hagrid lit his lantern. The dim, yellow light only illuminated a few feet around them; beyond that lay an unfathomable, heart-stopping darkness. He told them their mission for the night in a stern voice: something in the Forbidden Forest was attacking unicorns. They had already found one corpse, and this afternoon, they had discovered more silver bloodstains. This meant another unicorn had been gravely wounded and was being hunted.

Their task was to find this poor creature and discover what exactly was so cruel.

Upon hearing "bloodstains" and "being hunted," Malfoy's face had turned as pale as his platinum-blond hair. Hermione nervously gripped Harry's arm.

To improve efficiency, Hagrid decided to split them into two groups.

"Harry, Hermione, you two come with me this way," Hagrid pointed to a slightly wider path on the left. "You two, Malfoy and Lin Yuan, along with Fang, take the path on the right. If you see anything, immediately fire red sparks."

"What?! Why do I have to be in a group with him!" Malfoy's shriek was particularly jarring in the silent forest. He pointed at Lin Yuan, who looked indifferent, with disgust. "He... he's a freak! A bookworm! And this stupid dog!" He kicked Fang, the trembling hound beside him.

Hagrid glared at him. "This is the most logical arrangement. Lin Yuan may not talk much, but he seems much calmer than you. He'll be perfect for keeping you, a loudmouthed coward, in line. Any objections? If you have objections, you can walk the other path alone."

Malfoy glanced at the path on the right, which was even deeper and seemed capable of swallowing all light, then looked at Lin Yuan, who was silent but at least human-shaped. He wisely chose to shut up.

Thus, the two teams, with one lantern, parted ways and disappeared into the pitch-black forest.

Malfoy held the lantern, walking ahead, Fang trailing closely at his heels with his tail tucked. Lin Yuan followed at a leisurely pace, not even looking at the path, walking purely by feel.

The sounds of the forest were amplified infinitely. The "whoosh" of the wind through the treetops sounded like a woman's cry; the "crack" of dry branches underfoot sounded like the bones of some creature being crushed; the calls of unknown night birds in the distance made Malfoy's nerves tighten to the breaking point again and again.

"Hey! You silent type! Aren't you scared at all?" After about fifteen minutes, Malfoy could no longer stand the oppressive silence and turned to roar at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan's steps didn't falter. His gaze seemed to pierce the darkness before him, seeing something deeper.

"Why be afraid?" he retorted, his voice eerily clear in the quiet forest. "These trees, these vines, these creatures sleeping in the earth, they are all breathing, all growing. They are the masters of this forest; we are merely visitors. As long as you show respect, they will not harm you." He paused and added, "On the contrary, your fear and screams are like stones thrown into a calm lake, disturbing everything."

Malfoy was so choked by his strange theories that he couldn't speak. But for some reason, after hearing him say that, the surrounding terrifying sounds seemed less monstrous. They no longer sounded like the whispers of monsters, but more like... the breathing of the forest.

Just then, Lin Yuan suddenly stopped. He raised his head, his gaze fixed on the shadow of a giant, ancient oak tree not far ahead, one that would require four or five people to embrace.

"Come out," he said calmly, as if calling a friend playing hide-and-seek. "Your presence is as obvious as a bonfire under the moonlight."

Malfoy was terrified, nearly dropping the lantern. He whispered hoarsely, "Who? Who's there? Is it a werewolf?"

With a series of heavy yet rhythmic hoofbeats, two majestic figures emerged from behind the oak tree's shadow. Moonlight bathed them, outlining awe-inspiring silhouettes.

Their upper bodies were human torsos, with well-defined, powerful muscles and stern, ancient faces. Their lower bodies were sleek horse bodies, with strong legs and an elegant, alert stance. They were the true guardians of this forest—Centaurs.

The one in the lead had black hair and a black beard, with dark, arrogant eyes, exuding an aura of "stay away." The one behind him was completely different. He had soft, golden hair woven like moonlight, and a pair of blue eyes as deep as if they contained an entire starry sky.

"Wizards," the black-haired centaur, Bane, said in a tone of wary pride, his voice low like thunder. "You have trampled on territory you should not enter. Tonight's stars foretell ill fortune, and the forest is hostile to intruders like you."

Seeing that they were not the monsters he imagined, Malfoy's courage immediately returned. He puffed out his chest and said in his usual tone, "We are students of Hogwarts, on official business! Hagrid sent us! You... horses, have you seen an injured unicorn?"

Bane let out a disdainful snort, as if speaking another word to Malfoy would be an insult to himself.

However, the golden-haired centaur named Firenze did not focus his gaze on the boisterous Malfoy at all. His eyes, as if drawn by a powerful magnet, passed over Malfoy and locked onto the Gryffindor boy behind him, who had remained as still as a statue from beginning to end.

A tempest stirred in Firenze's blue eyes.