Conversation in the Principal's Office

The stone gargoyle glanced at Roy with surprising intelligence, then moved aside to reveal the staircase leading to the Headmaster's Office.

As he climbed the spiraling stairs, Snape's angry voice reached him before he even saw Dumbledore.

"It's obvious. There's no other suspect but that student. He's the kind of student who can blast a professor away with a Knockback Jinx in class. Knocking out two fifth-years would be effortless for him!"

It seemed Snape was arguing with Dumbledore. Roy reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the door to the Headmaster's Office.

"Come in."

Dumbledore's aged yet resonant voice came from behind the door. Roy pushed it open, and everyone in the office turned to look at him.

With so many pairs of eyes fixed on him, Roy did not reveal the slightest flaw. He bowed with perfect composure and greeted all the professors in the room.

"Good evening, professors."

Present were Professor McGonagall, Elias, Professor Sprout, and Snape, as well as Dumbledore himself.

Snape was the first to attack. He stepped forward and confronted Roy.

"Speak! Smee, you used a Memory Charm on them, didn't you?"

Roy was completely unruffled. It seemed Dumbledore had not examined the two students' memories, and Snape could not find any evidence, so he could only pressure Roy for an answer.

"I don't know the Memory Charm, Professor. I'm only a first-year."

Hearing Roy's confident answer, Snape's face darkened. He threatened Roy in a harsh voice.

"Lies. Do you know what this is?"

Seeing Snape pull out a vial of clear liquid, Roy answered calmly, "Veritaserum. What? You want me to drink it? I have nothing on my conscience. Those two students were the ones who wanted to bully me."

Roy repeated the same line Elias had used yesterday.

"After all, I, Roy, have always saved lives, helped the injured, and cared for my fellow students. But Professor Snape, would you dare drink Veritaserum and say, hand on your heart, whether you have protected the real bad guys or bullied innocent people?"

Hearing Roy and Snape trading barbs, Professor McGonagall finally could not stand it any longer.

"Enough, Severus. How could you use Veritaserum on a child? Elias already said that those two children were discussing how to bully younger students in the corridor. What more is there to say?"

Professor Sprout also furiously joined the assault on Snape. A student from her own house had been bullied; no matter how mild-tempered Professor Sprout usually was, she could not tolerate such a thing now.

"I think those two students deserved it! They've studied at Hogwarts for five years, and all they know is how to bully younger students? I think the ones who should really be expelled are those two. They are not to attend my classes again!"

Professor Sprout went all out, looking as though she wanted to tear Snape and the two students apart with her bare hands. For a moment, even Snape did not know how to respond.

Elias, who had argued most fiercely with Snape earlier, said nothing now. He stood to one side, watching Snape with an amused look.

"Enough. The two students are not seriously injured. They'll be fine after resting for two days. No one will be expelled. Of course, nothing like this is allowed to happen again. Severus, when you return, keep a closer eye on the students in your house."

Dumbledore stepped in to calm the dispute and delivered the final decision on the matter. Then he turned to the other professors.

"The same goes for all of you. We cannot allow violent incidents to continue occurring at school. That is all for this matter. Now, I would like to speak with Roy alone."

Dumbledore's words still carried great authority. Now that the White Wizard had spoken, who would dare object?

Snape seemed to want to argue further, but when he saw Dumbledore's stern expression, he considered that if Dumbledore really drew his wand and took him down, it probably would not take more than a few seconds. In the end, he left the office with the other professors, deeply dissatisfied.

"McGonagall, you'll regret this!"

"Severus, I am the deputy headmistress!"

As the professors left, Professor McGonagall was still arguing with Snape about something. Snape slammed the door to the Headmaster's Office hard behind him.

The professors had been arguing in Dumbledore's ear all evening. Now that his ears were finally quiet for a moment, Dumbledore tiredly rubbed his nose.

"Please sit, Roy."

Dumbledore invited Roy, who was standing nearby, to sit across from him. Then he took out some sweets from a drawer, eating some himself while offering some to Roy.

"Tea? Or coffee?"

"Do you have cola?"

Dumbledore shrugged.

"No."

"Then tea."

A cup of black tea appeared in front of Roy, while Dumbledore poured himself a glass of sweet water.

Both of them seemed to be waiting for the other to speak first, and the air seemed to freeze.

In the end, Dumbledore seemed unable to hold back any longer. He sighed helplessly, his tone full of exhaustion.

"Roy, you really know how to cause me trouble."

"They caused it, not me."

Roy's answer was brief. He had done nothing wrong; it was Slytherin that had come looking for trouble.

Hearing Roy's answer, Dumbledore seemed to have a headache.

"But you always escalate conflicts, Roy. They are your classmates. You should not have hit them so hard."

Roy was not unaware of Dumbledore's good intentions, so he did not deliberately argue back, though he was still somewhat unconvinced.

"I know. I held back, and I didn't send Grindelwald to the hospital."

Hearing Roy mention that name, Dumbledore felt his headache grow worse.

"First, Grindelwald is not her surname. Second, I do not believe this matter has anything to do with Miss Grindelhill."

Roy did not believe Dumbledore at all, and his tone was full of dissatisfaction.

"Really? What was a girl doing leaving the Slytherin dungeons in the middle of the night and coming up to the sixth floor? Everyone in the school knows she's hostile toward me, and who doesn't know that all of Slytherin is her little gang now?"

At that point, Roy launched into a torrent of complaints to Dumbledore, from the wand shop to the train, all the way to how he had kept chasing after her to apologize and been humiliated by the entire Slytherin house.

"Seriously, aren't you going to do something about Slytherin? Do you want to watch Slytherin become a Wizard Purist Party stronghold with your own eyes?"

After listening to Roy rattle on for so long, Dumbledore rubbed his brow in distress.

"First, the Wizard Purist Party disappeared long ago. Second, Miss Grindelhill has not spread Wizard Purist Party ideology. Finally, I assure you that as long as I am alive, Slytherin will never turn toward the Wizard Purist Party."

After saying this, Dumbledore paused briefly, then spoke to Roy sternly.

"These are not things you should concern yourself with right now. You should build good relationships with your classmates and study properly at school. Professor Thorn used to be an Auror and is deeply opposed to Dark Magic and Dark wizards, so he has some prejudice against Slytherin. Do not let him influence you too much. If you ask me, there are still many good students in Slytherin."

"For example—"

"For example, Miss Grindelhill. You really should communicate with her properly. I think both of you are good children."

Roy gave a disdainful smile and questioned Dumbledore.

"Did you think Tom Riddle was a good child too?"

At the mention of that name, Dumbledore's expression dimmed somewhat.