On his way back to the Common Room, Shawn kept thinking about how to play the part of a student the Old Beekeeper would favor.
What sort of student did Dumbledore like?
Kind? Cooperative? Unambitious? Selfless?
Perhaps all of the above.
After all, Shawn himself quite liked subordinates like that.
But the core quality the Old Beekeeper valued most had to be "love."
What sort of "love" could Shawn show, though?
Given how the Old Beekeeper seemed ready to dig up eight generations of Voldemort's ancestors to investigate his Horcruxes, Shawn had to wonder.
There was probably already a whole stack of files on him in the Old Beekeeper's possession, analyzed from every possible angle.
He had no idea whether it was too late to make up for things now, but he could only make a last-ditch effort.
There was no reversing the reforms at school, so he would have to look for an opportunity outside it.
A name instantly sprang to mind: Sirius.
If he tirelessly worked to clear a relative's name, would that count as caring for his family? Would that count as love?
Of course, he would not foolishly carry Peter Pettigrew straight to the Headmaster's Office and explain everything.
He could first reveal his intentions, then uncover the truth only after "enduring untold hardships and overcoming countless obstacles."
Otherwise, that "love" would be worth nothing.
Having worked it out, Shawn changed course and headed toward Gryffindor.
At that moment, a Ministry of Magic official had arrived in the Headmaster's Office: Barty Crouch, the head of the Department of International Magic Cooperation, who was fluent in eight languages.
He looked stern and rigid, his suit worn with meticulous precision and his short gray hair impeccably combed.
Barty Crouch had previously headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.