A Clichéd Conspiracy, Morning

Scott lay quietly in the water weeds at the bottom of the Black Lake, listening to the conversation between the two girls through the bat he had smuggled inside.

Jasmine Travers's tone was already laced with impatience.

She said, "It won't be long now. That Mudblood Trollope will be disgraced soon. So much for being a Transfiguration genius in Ravenclaw; a Mudblood belongs in the gutter forever!"

Morgan Avery, perhaps due to her deep-rooted family background, had fully embraced the role of a follower and immediately began to flatter her little mistress with practiced ease.

"Of course, it's impossible for a genius like you to emerge from the Mudbloods, Jasmine."

Her tone was almost overly sycophantic, clearly having become deeply immersed in her role.

"If you ask me, this is all because Dumbledore is too fond of getting close to Muggles. The atmosphere at Hogwarts is becoming more and more degenerate! It's unbelievable that someone like that could actually be hailed as a genius!"

"Enough." Jasmine waved her hand dismissively, "No need to bother with those people who haven't seen the world."

If one couldn't hear the smugness in her tone, one might have thought she was truly indifferent.

However, in Scott's eyes, this little drama between the two girls was nothing more than children playing house.

"If only you could teach Trollope a lesson yourself, Jasmine," Morgan Avery added with a hint of regret. "If it were you, even though Trollope is a fourth-year student, he would definitely be defeated by your magic!"

I'm looking forward to that too.

Scott couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

Unfortunately, while this little mistress of Avery's was somewhat childish and pretentious, she wasn't quite that stupid.

Jasmine Travers shook her head as expected, "No, Trollope isn't someone like Jacob who can be taught a lesson at will. If the opponent is him, even I would find it difficult to do so without leaving a trace."

Morgan Avery immediately agreed, "True, although Trollope is just a lowly Mudblood, it wouldn't be worth the risk if it drew Dumbledore's attention."

"Tomorrow," Jasmine Travers said, "Caitlin Rowle will make her move tomorrow."

"I'll make sure the news spreads through our group as fast as possible!"

Morgan Avery added, brimming with excitement.

"By then, all of Hogwarts will know that Scott Trollope, a fourth-year in Ravenclaw, is a hidden piece of trash!"

At this, she let out a cackle that sounded like a hen.

Jasmine Travers laughed as well. Both girls were highly excited, discussing the matter fervently and even beginning to wish for tomorrow to come sooner.

They couldn't wait to watch the good show they had planned.

To be honest, Scott was a bit disappointed.

He had thought there might be some interesting scheme directed at him, but in the end, he discovered that the plan these two little witches were discussing was the same old routine.

It was identical to the method used against Jacob: having Caitlin Rowle, who had been thoroughly brainwashed by Jasmine Travers, use a bitter-meat scheme to frame the target.

The only difference was that this time, they had taken their idea a step further, intending to paint Scott as a lecherous predator targeting younger female students.

It was a pity that their plan would never come to fruition.

Thanks to Scott, the executor of this bitter-meat scheme, Caitlin Rowle, would be spending some time in the hospital wing starting tomorrow.

Of course, even if Caitlin Rowle were still in perfect health, and even if Scott knew nothing about this, he was confident he wouldn't fall for such a trap.

At this moment, Scott even felt a pang of regret.

It was already the end of September, and the Scottish Highlands, where Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was located, were naturally cool; he really didn't need to be soaking in the freezing lake water at night to eavesdrop on such an ancient, stale conspiracy.

Thinking of this, Scott, who hadn't noticed it before, suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold. He had been at the bottom of the lake for a long time.

He took one last look at the two little witches inside the glass window, turned, and swam a bit further away before pulling his wand from his robes.

"Ascendio."

Scott cast the spell on himself, and his body immediately shot vertically toward the surface at high speed.

When he broke through the water, the small boat he had transfigured from a leather shoe was still drifting on the surface.

He shook his wet hair, wiped his face, swam to the boat, climbed in, and rowed back to the shore in one breath.

After landing, Scott first turned his leather shoe back to its original form, then spent some time using the Hot Air Charm to dry his clothes and hair.

Finally, he put his shoes back on and cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself. Once his body had blended into the night, he headed toward Ravenclaw Tower.

Scott felt that those two pure-blood girls should be grateful for the protection of Hogwarts Castle.

Having heard so many mentions of "lowly Mudblood" through a single window, if he hadn't been unable to breach the castle's magical defenses, he would have certainly made those two girls experience a night they would never forget.

But then again, there was no rush to teach them a lesson tonight.

Scott walked briskly under the moonlight, and at this moment, he was just as eager for tomorrow to arrive as the two pure-blood girls were.

Giving a wide berth to the "joyful" game of hide-and-seek between the Weasley twins and Filch, Scott returned to Ravenclaw Tower without incident.

When he reached his dormitory, his three roommates were already asleep.

Scott quietly took off his robes, found a bottle of Pepperup Potion to treat his cold, and downed it. Before steam could start pouring from his ears, he grabbed his pajamas and rushed into the bathroom.

As the hot water from the showerhead poured over him, steam began to jet from Scott's ears.

After a hot shower and changing into dry pajamas, Scott felt much more comfortable.

The side effects of the Pepperup Potion usually lasted for several hours, so Scott drifted off to sleep while still emitting puffs of steam.

A new day began, and the morning in Ravenclaw House descended into chaos.

A first-year girl had only intended to wake her roommate, Caitlin Rowle, but she received a massive shock after pulling back the bed curtains.

Then, the first-year girl's highly piercing scream thoroughly alarmed everyone in Ravenclaw House.

When Eva Taylor, a fifth-year Ravenclaw prefect, used a Levitation Charm to bring Caitlin Rowle out of the dormitory, everyone in the common room saw her wretched state.

"Oh! Merlin!"

"Good heavens!"

Exclamations rang out one after another.

"Please, everyone, make way!" Penelope, a sixth-year prefect, had also arrived. "We need to take poor Miss Rowle to the hospital wing!"

Scott was currently standing at the top of the stairs leading from the common room to the dormitories, looking down at the messy scene from his vantage point.

Caitlin Rowle, floating in mid-air, was breathing weakly, and all of her exposed skin was covered in dense rashes accompanied by countless blood spots.

Her appearance was so terrifying that the other students dared not approach, and even the two prefects tasked with taking her to the hospital wing wished they could stay further away.