What Lin Du had told Dumbledore was not an excuse.
Ever since making peace with his past, he had indeed felt himself growing far more lax in both teaching and research.
It was not until yesterday, when he graded the second-years' essays on snowmen, that he realized how serious the problem was—
Yesterday evening, Hermione Granger had knocked on his office door, carrying a thick stack of parchment.
"Professor, these are the second-years' snowman essays." Hermione set the assignments neatly on his desk, a hint of restrained seriousness on her small face.
"Thank you, Miss Granger." Lin Du nodded gently and casually picked up the top essay, which belonged to Neville Longbottom.
His relaxed gaze stiffened slightly after skimming a few lines—
This essay on how to deal with snowmen was rigorously worded, logically clear, and even cited the views of more than one reference book. It far exceeded Neville's usual standard—
Or rather, it was simply a patchwork of relevant chapters from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Counter-Jinx Magic.
Without showing it, he flipped through several more essays: Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas...
The Gryffindor assignments in particular—nearly a third bore traces of this stiff, blatant copying.
"Miss Granger," Lin Du said, setting down the essay and looking at Hermione, "I recall that I asked you to assist with grading, mainly to record scores and mark obvious mistakes. But I see that you gave quite a few 'P's?"
He had noticed that many of the essays had been conspicuously marked with failing grades in red ink.
Hermione straightened her back, her tone carrying a trace of displeasure. "Yes, Professor. I do not believe that copying the textbook wholesale, without any thought or understanding of one's own, can count as satisfactory work. It is disrespectful to knowledge, and it goes against the original purpose of the assignment you gave us."
She paused, her gaze drifting slightly.
"Also... I noticed that this only became noticeably more common over the past two weeks. It seems... it seems that after certain students learned that I was mainly responsible for the preliminary review of recent assignments, and that you... might not personally check every detail..."
Lin Du understood at once.
During this period, he had been immersed in changes to his own state of mind and new insights into ancient runes, so he had handed more of the grading work to the conscientious class representative.
And the students—those clever little wizards who occasionally liked to slack off—had keenly noticed this "relaxation" and begun testing the boundaries.
The brief chaos and calm brought about by the Parseltongue incident had further nurtured the conditions for this perfunctory attitude.
"I understand." Lin Du's voice revealed neither pleasure nor anger.
"You did very well, Miss Granger. Standing by your principles is a valuable quality. Ten points to Gryffindor. Leave these assignments here for now."
Hermione seemed to want to say something more, but seeing that Lin Du had already picked up another essay to review, she politely took her leave.
The moment the office door closed, Chao Feng's voice rang out in Lin Du's mind.
"Heh, the cleverness of human hatchlings."
At some point, Chao Feng had coiled atop the bookshelf, his golden slit pupils gleaming with mockery.
"The moment they discover that the sheepdog watching over them is dozing, the flock starts poking each other with their horns for fun and even wants to chew a hole through the fence. Lin Du, it seems your 'peacefulness' has been mistaken for 'being easy to bully.'"
Lin Du did not answer immediately.
His long fingers tapped lightly against the desk as he looked at the stack of problematic assignments. The initial hint of surprise in his eyes had faded, replaced by deep contemplation.
If you can't find a book by its title, try searching for the author. It may simply have been renamed!
"Laxity... does indeed breed laxity," he murmured, but the corners of his mouth slowly curved into an expression that made even Chao Feng's scales instinctively tighten.
"Looks like it's time to put Hogwarts... under a little pressure."
There was an unsettling interest in that smile, as though he had found a new toy.
Chao Feng silently drew his head back. "...I suddenly feel a little sorry for those little trolls. Every time you make that expression, someone is about to have terrible luck."
Lin Du did not deny it. He merely picked up a quill and began writing a new plan on a blank sheet of parchment.
His focused expression made it seem as though he were designing an exquisite work of art rather than a "disaster" about to sweep through the entire school.
Thus, during the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Lin Du stood before the podium and announced in his characteristically calm tone:
"In light of the recent teaching results and... your attitude toward learning," his gaze seemingly casually swept over several guilty Gryffindors who lowered their heads.
"From now on, every Monthly Exam will be adjusted according to House average scores. The House that places first will contribute fifty points to its House Cup."
A small cheer rose in the classroom.
"And the House in last place," Lin Du said with a slight smile—a smile that made the students' hearts sink—"will lose fifty points."
After a brief deathly silence, the entire classroom—and soon, all of Hogwarts once word spread—erupted!
The House Cup standings would be directly tied to exam scores? It was like throwing a ladleful of cold water into a pan of boiling oil.
"Merlin's beard! Fifty points!"
"Merlin's holey socks! Lose fifty points?!"
"Is Professor Lin a demon?!"
For a time, the whispers throughout the castle about Harry being a Parselmouth were swiftly replaced by the sounds of students memorizing spells, discussing strategies, and quizzing each other on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The library was packed to capacity, and Madam Pince swung her feather duster far more frequently than usual.
"This is even scarier than Snape giving us detention!" Ron wailed, slumping into a chair in the Common Room while clutching a huge stack of books. "He's trying to kill us!"
Harry also looked miserable. He had already been upset over the Parseltongue matter, and now things had only gotten worse.
It meant that, in addition to Quidditch practice and investigating the Chamber of Secrets, he had to squeeze out even more time to bury himself in studying.
Even Hermione, who had always considered studying a pleasure, felt the pressure.
Not only did she have to review on her own, she also had to urge—force—Harry and Ron to study, leaving her with far less time to research the Polyjuice Potion formula and plan how to sneak into Snape's office.
"At least... this proves one thing." Ron listlessly flipped through Common Magical Spells and Their Counter-Curses. "Lin Du definitely can't be Slytherin's heir."
Harry nodded in complete agreement. "He doesn't need the Basilisk. With homework and exams alone, he could easily destroy half of Hogwarts."
Lin Du had heard about the students' private "praise," but he did not care. Instead, he was pleased by the newly tense academic atmosphere.
He had achieved his goal.
However, he soon discovered that events had developed some rather absurd "side effects."
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