Be Careful When You Walk at Night

Professor Oren not only failed to check the freshmen's assignments, but he failed to check the assignments of all grades.

This decision made him the most popular professor at Hogwarts overnight, bar none.

"He can definitely break that curse and become the first Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts to be re-elected in nearly fifty years at Hogwarts."

Renowned Quidditch enthusiast and Gryffindor sophomore, Lee Jordan, publicly stated in the Great Hall, "If someone as brilliant as Professor Oren can't break the curse, then this course is truly hopeless; it might as well be canceled as soon as possible."

His claim was also supported by Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

Of course, where there is support, there will be opposition.

Just as Lee Jordan was speaking eloquently, a burst of snickering suddenly came from the Ravenclaw dining table.

"Tsk, are you guys so happy that I don't check your homework?"

A rather handsome Ravenclaw student glanced at Lee Jordan with disdain and said, "In my opinion, this decision is extremely irresponsible, even derelict in its duty. We've already decided to jointly file a complaint with Headmaster Dumbledore about his actions."

"What did you say?"

The Gryffindor lion cubs glared at the person who had spoken.

You have to understand, at Hogwarts, a professor who doesn't check holiday homework is rarer than Troll who can dance ballet. Now that they've finally found one, instead of appreciating it, those bookworms actually want to complain about him?

Is this something a human being would do?

He could no longer tolerate this, and immediately some of the lion cubs slammed their fists on the table and shouted, "Dare you repeat what you just said?"

"I remember you, Roger Davies of Ravenclaw." Lee Jordan put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head back, and looked down at the other person with his nostrils. "You were the one who mocked Gryffindor in Charms class the other day, weren't you..."

"Tsk tsk, you're pretty brave, kid. You'd better be careful when you walk alone at night in the future."

Seeing their students being so blatantly threatened, the Ravenclaw couldn't sit still any longer.

"Roger, don't be afraid." A senior student with Prefect Badge pinned to his chest stepped forward, looked at Lee Jordan and sneered, "Gryffindor, do you want to fight?"

"Prefect, you can't just say things like that," Fred said, shaking his finger. "My friend was just worried that you freshmen might fall, how did that turn into wanting to fight?"

"Oh, I see," George said. "You want to complain to Professor McGonagall, right? To accuse us of trying to fight so she'll deduct points from our score."

Fred raised an eyebrow and said, "That way you'll win the House Cup."

"And no one can stop you from complaining about Professor Oren."

"I see." Lee Jordan's eyes darted around, and he quickly joined in.

"As expected of the smartest Ravenclaw, he's got so many wicked schemes."

Hearing the three of them talking in unison, the Prefect's face turned green.

"The House Cup... You're all in last place, do you even have the right to say something like that? Besides, with those double-digit House Points, he'd have to be crazy to scheme against Gryffindor."

"We won't go after the professor," the Ravenclaw Prefect said, taking a deep breath. "I mean, the roads at Hogwarts are flat; Roger won't fall. But if someone has ill intentions, we won't stand idly by."

His words boosted Ravenclaw's morale.

"Yes, we're not afraid of Gryffindor."

"Come on then, whoever tells the professor who's the Swallow-tailed Dog."

"Roger, don't be afraid. With Prefect Edward here, they can't do anything."

With the support of others, Roger Davies became much more assertive, looking up to meet Lee Jordan's gaze, and the tension between them grew increasingly palpable.

"Kyle, what do you think?" Cedric asked worriedly from Hufflepuff's side, "They're not really going to fight, are they?"

"I'll sit and watch."

Kyle popped a piece of steak into his mouth and said slowly, "As long as they're not stupid, they won't start a fight."

It's just an argument. Gryffindor and Slytherin argue all the time, but you never see them actually fight.

Moreover, Ravenclaw didn't want to lose their second-place House Points, and Gryffindor didn't want Slytherin to get away with it for nothing.

So a couple of casual remarks are already the limit.

As for whether they would resort to underhanded tactics... Kyle estimates that it's highly unlikely, unless they really want to be locked up.

After all, the whole castle knew about it, making the target too obvious, and it was no longer very likely that they could put a sack over it.

Of course, this only applies to Ravenclaw; it would be a different story if it were Slytherin.

"What are you doing!"

Just then, Professor McGonagall walked in. She pursed her lips and scrutinized the people at the center of the conflict with a critical look.

"I hope you're not arguing, gentlemen, otherwise..."

"Of course not, Professor McGonagall," Fred was the first to react, saying, "We were just discussing Quidditch."

"Yes," George quickly replied, "We all think it was a real shame that Ireland lost to Canada this year."

Lee Jordan was the slowest to react, only hurriedly saying after George kicked him, "They'll definitely win the championship in four years."

"Ha, that's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

Whether it was intentional cooperation or genuine sentiment, Roger Davies immediately declared, "Bulgaria Team; Ireland isn't even worthy of carrying their shoes."

"Ha, so what did your Bulgaria Team achieve this year...?" Fred asked.

George said sarcastically, "Have you forgotten, Fred? They didn't even make it to the semifinals!"

"That's just because their Seeker is terrible!" Roger Davies yelled. "If they could get a different Seeker, they'd be the best team."

Kyle wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Roger seemed much angrier than before.

The incident ended rather haphazardly. Professor McGonagall didn't deduct any points; she simply reminded them not to make loud noises in the Great Hall before approaching Kyle.

"Dumbledore wants to see you." Professor McGonagall gestured subtly in Mikel's direction. "If you've finished eating, could you go to the Headmaster's Office?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

Kyle swallowed the last bite of his steak and left the Great Hall with her.

As Kyle walked out the door, Kyle clearly heard Professor McGonagall mutter to herself, "These young wizards nowadays... Scotland Team."