In the Ravenclaw Common Room, Scott and his two roommates were still standing by the window.
"Do you think Turpin will really be sent to Azkaban?" Milton asked Scott and Eddie.
"No, Milton." Scott smiled. "Didn't Brown say that since no serious harm was done, Miss Turpin could avoid a trip to Azkaban as long as she had enough Galleons?"
Eddie continued, "Obviously, Turpin's family won't let her actually be sent to Azkaban. They should have the means to prevent it, too."
"Turpin isn't a Pure-blood family, is it?" Milton asked.
Scott also looked at Eddie.
As expected, Eddie, who never disappointed when it came to this sort of thing, knew the answer. He replied fluently, "Of course not. They're a new wizarding family, but they're trying hard to get in with those Pure-blood families."
"A new wizarding family trying to get in with the Pure-blood families?" Scott said, his tone a little wry.
He thought it was ridiculous. These so-called new wizarding families probably had Muggles or Half-bloods among their ancestors just a few generations ago. I doubt those stubborn Pure-blood families would accept them easily.
"You're right, Scott." Eddie laughed, too. "But from what I've heard, some of these so-called new wizarding families are like that. They dream of marrying into families of Pure-blood wizards."
"They think it's a way to..." At this, he made quotation marks with both hands. "'Improve their bloodline.'"
He couldn't help looking disdainful as he spoke.
Scott found it amusing. "I don't think any Pure-blood family would be willing to marry into theirs."
He hadn't expected that, in today's Wizarding World, with its divide over blood status, there would be wizards like this.
It seems I still don't know enough about the Wizarding World, Scott thought. But Eddie's a real talent. The things he finds out aren't just gossip.
Just then, Milton, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke. "These new families have always married into other families like themselves."
His tone was a little stiff.
"Now they look down on wizards born to Muggles or Half-bloods, just as the Pure-blood families look down on them."
Milton's expression changed, and he wore [Milton's disdain].
"After all, they believe that after generations of wizards marrying wizards, their family members can now be called 'true Pure-bloods,' too. But at the end of the day, they're just a bunch of poor wretches who aren't accepted."
Scott and Eddie hadn't expected to hear such blunt mockery from Milton.
Milton's disdain was so sharp that Roger had even called it a kind of magic, but the scorn in his words was rare.
They could tell something was bothering Milton.
It might have had something to do with his family, so Scott and Eddie silently agreed not to ask.
But Milton was sensitive to other people's feelings. He smiled at Scott and Eddie and spoke up himself. "My father was born into a family like that. Because he married my mother, a Muggle woman, my grandfather really dislikes our family."
At that, Scott began to worry that Milton might start weeping into the wind again.
But Milton seemed used to it by now and was unexpectedly resilient.
He even joked, "At least a family like that can't fill a piece of parchment as long as your hand with its family tree, so we don't have to worry about being disowned."
Still, the topic was awkward, and Scott and Eddie didn't know what to say to comfort him.
Fortunately, the arrival of a small silver bird rescued Scott from the awkwardness.
"Professor Flitwick's Patronus Charm!" Milton exclaimed softly.
It was a silver hummingbird, no longer than one of Scott's fingers. Professor Flitwick's voice came from its beak.
"Sorry, Scott. It seems you'll have to come to my office, too. This matter seems to involve you."
After delivering the message, the hummingbird conjured by the Patronus Charm immediately disappeared.
Just as expected.
Scott smiled faintly.
"What's going on?"
"Why did the professor ask you to go there?"
Milton and Eddie looked at him curiously.
"I don't know, either." Scott shook his head. "But I'm sure I'll find out soon. See you later."
He turned and left the Common Room.
Professor Flitwick's office was on the eighth floor of the castle's main building, not far from Ravenclaw Tower. But if Scott took the usual route, he'd have to climb down from the tower, then climb the stairs in the main building up to the eighth floor.
Fortunately, there was a secret passage in the tower known only to Ravenclaw students.
Scott stood before a portrait of a knight on the wall opposite the Common Room. He drew his wand and tapped the painting. "Wit Beyond Measure is man's greatest treasure."
"Hey! Don't point that wand at me!" The knight in the portrait glared at him and turned away from the wand.
Just then, Professor Flitwick's voice came from the portrait. "Is that Scott? Come on through."
A wooden door appeared in the stone wall behind the portrait. Scott reached out, opened it, and entered the passage.
That's right: Professor Flitwick had to give his permission for the passage to open, so Ravenclaw students still had to use the stairs to get in and out of the tower most of the time.
"Hey! Boy! Where are you putting your hand?"
The knight in the portrait started complaining again. Scott ignored him, closed the door, and shut out his complaints.
He walked through the passage and pushed open another wooden door at the other end. The inside of Professor Flitwick's office came into view.
"Professor."
Scott stepped out of the passage and walked over to Professor Flitwick's desk.
"Scott, you're here." Professor Flitwick pointed to the side. "Come, sit down here."
Scott thanked him and sat down in the armchair.
"Professor, when you said this incident was connected to me, what did you mean?" he asked curiously.
The three people who had come to the office with Professor Flitwick were still there. Roger was sitting beside him, while Lisa Turpin and Jacob Kent were on the sofa opposite.
"Oh, Scott, that was Mr. Kent's claim." Professor Flitwick turned to look at Jacob.
"Y-yes." Jacob glanced timidly at Scott and said in a trembling voice, "Miss Travers originally wanted to get back at both Mr. Trollope and Mr. Davis, but Miss Rowle, who was supposed to take revenge on Mr. Trollope, had an accident."
Scott smiled at Jacob and raised his eyebrows slightly.
So he had already "confessed"?
"Get back at us?" he asked, feigning confusion. "I don't remember when we ever offended Miss Travers."
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