Rewards According to Merit

After listening to Professor Kettleburn's account, Headmaster Dippet slowly nodded and said, "We understand. Mr. Rozier, do you have anything else to add?"

He looked at Xiwen.

Xiwen shook his head, indicating that there was nothing else to add.

"Very well." Headmaster Dippet pondered for a moment, then looked at the four Heads of House. "So, what do you believe at least three Dark wizards were trying to accomplish by infiltrating the school through the Forbidden Forest?"

"Professors, did you catch those Dark wizards?" Xiwen asked.

Dumbledore showed a regretful expression and said to Xiwen, "By the time I arrived at the place where you fired the signal, they had already vanished without a trace."

Perhaps noticing Xiwen's dissatisfied look, Professor Slughorn added, "Xiwen, Albus was the first to find you. But the most important thing was ensuring your safety. By the time he took you to the school hospital and then rushed to the scene, he was naturally a step too late."

Only then did Xiwen remember that Dumbledore had saved them. He hurriedly said gratefully, "Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome!" Dumbledore winked. "I was able to receive word so quickly thanks to a ghostly gentleman who informed me. You should know him."

"Mr. Strange?" Xiwen pretended to look surprised. After all this pretending, he felt that his acting was getting better and better...

Dumbledore nodded. "That's right. Mr. Strange said that, to thank you for your help, he left a Spiritual Imprint on you so he could sense whether you were in danger. I must say, Eastern magic truly has many remarkable aspects!"

Xiwen gave a stiff smile in response.

During the time young wizard Xiwen had been unconscious, his consciousness had naturally shifted to his soul body, much like his efficient study routine of letting his body sleep while his soul read. Dumbledore and the others had already questioned ghost Xiwen the previous night and learned how he had known so quickly what was happening in the Forbidden Forest.

Xiwen had then hastily come up with the explanation of a Spiritual Imprint, solemnly assuring the professors that he could not sense exactly what had happened, only the approximate location and severity of the danger. Whether they believed him or not, he believed it himself...

"I believe this infiltration of the Forbidden Forest may be connected to the destruction of the castle's Magic Nodes." Professor Melesi forcibly dragged the wildly derailed discussion back to the subject at hand. "I truly dare not imagine what would have happened if that Venom-Pouched Leopard had been brought into the school."

She patted her chest, still shaken.

The other professors clearly agreed, all showing worried expressions.

"If that is the case, can Strange, the ghost who helped us, be cleared of suspicion?" Dumbledore asked, looking toward Headmaster Dippet.

Headmaster Dippet shook his head and countered, "That still cannot completely clear him of suspicion. There remains one possibility: he deliberately revealed some information in order to cast off suspicion. If the Dark wizards in the Forbidden Forest were his accomplices, then it would be only natural for him to know what was happening there."

So I could sit in the dungeons, more than ten miles away, and remotely discuss the plan with the Dark wizards? Xiwen gritted his teeth in frustration.

Professor Birley had thought of this as well. He said to Headmaster Dippet, "As far as I know, Strange has been confined in the dungeons the entire time, and the Grey Lady has been with him. He should not have had any opportunity to commit a crime."

Xiwen immediately shot Professor Birley a grateful glance, though the professor did not see it.

However, Headmaster Dippet still shook his head. "It is also possible that their group agreed before school began to act on Sunday night. Once the timing was planned in advance, this could still be achieved."

Maybe I should rename myself the Great Prophet. I can apparently predict even that a first-year's wand would attract a Unicorn, and that the Unicorn would then bring the first-year to witness the Dark wizards' tracks... Xiwen was so exasperated that he laughed, then flopped heavily back onto his pillow. He felt that he had never been this speechless in either of his lives.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Mrs. Dallaire, who had been watching the excitement from the side, asked when she saw his movement.

Xiwen shook his head.

Headmaster Dippet discussed matters with the four Heads of House for a while longer, but they seemingly failed to establish any concrete chain of cause and effect.

They simply fell silent and decided to first settle the matter of Xiwen and Professor Kettleburn.

Headmaster Dippet said, "Given that Professor Kettleburn and Mr. Rozier discovered a grave potential threat to the castle's security, they should be commended and rewarded. However, Professor Kettleburn involved a first-year student in a dangerous incident, which constituted a failure to fulfill a professor's responsibility to protect students. In my view, his merits and faults cancel each other out."

"Headmaster Dippet, this has nothing to do with Professor Kettleburn. I was the one who insisted on staying!" Xiwen could not stand hearing him accuse Professor Kettleburn of failing in his duties, so he argued, "Besides, Professor Kettleburn protected me from beginning to end in the Forbidden Forest. I don't even know how many times he saved me."

He recalled the scene from last night, when the professor had pushed him away and charged alone toward the Dark wizards and the Venom-Pouched Leopard. His eyes became a little moist.

Seeing this, Headmaster Dippet hesitated and turned to look at the four Heads of House.

"Armando, there's no need to be so cold-hearted. Silvanus can still be rewarded!" the good-natured Professor Birley said seriously.

Seeing that the other three Heads of House also agreed, Headmaster Dippet nodded. "Then let us do this. Professor Kettleburn's probation shall end early, and his normal salary and benefits shall be restored."

Xiwen looked at Professor Kettleburn in confusion and asked, "Professor, you're actually still on probation?"

"Hahahaha..." The professor laughed heartily twice. "I've actually been teaching here for several years. Not one of those years has passed without me being on probation. Now that the punishment is suddenly gone, I'm rather unaccustomed to it!"

Xiwen: "..."

The four Heads of House: "..."

Headmaster Dippet: "..."

...It's truly impressive that you haven't been expelled.

"Ahem." Headmaster Dippet cleared his throat and said to Professor Slughorn, "Horace, this is a young wizard from your House. You may give him the reward he deserves."

Professor Slughorn accepted the task with a beaming smile and rose to his feet.

He adjusted the robes stretched taut over his ample frame and said cheerfully to Xiwen, "Xiwen, you contributed greatly to removing the threat posed by the Forbidden Forest infiltrators, and your spirit in protecting the professor and the Unicorn is commendable. I have decided to award Slytherin thirty points!"

"Additionally, if there is anything you personally need, you may ask me. I will certainly do my utmost to help!"

Xiwen did not care much about points for his House, but the personal assistance of a Potions master like Professor Slughorn offered plenty of room for maneuver.

After thinking it over, he ultimately decided to temporarily abandon the idea of asking the Head of House to brew potions for him. That would feel a little too presumptuous. It seemed that using this opportunity to make only a few easily fulfilled requests would make it easier to win more favor from his Head of House, which would make it more convenient to ask him for further help in the future!

Xiwen felt that he was becoming quite calculating.

"Professor, I would like to borrow a few books from the library," Xiwen said.