— — — — — —

The reputation of Slytherin House… ruined?

Snape had never imagined that a group of first-years could land him in such a mess.

Sure, the one who looked the most embarrassed was Malfoy, but the other three Houses had clearly taken this as a matter of House pride.

To them, Malfoy was the face of Slytherin.

No wonder his students had been swallowing their pride and staying quiet earlier—that wasn't like Slytherins at all. Turns out they were both embarrassed and in the wrong.

Right now, Snape honestly just wanted to disappear. If Professor McGonagall found out about this, she'd give him that look—the one he dreaded.

But he couldn't avoid it. Dumbledore was still waiting for his report.

Snape irritably waved off the prefect he'd summoned, stormed back to the head table with a scowl, and muttered something quietly to Dumbledore.

The old man's face visibly twisted into a complicated expression.

Even though Snape was whispering, he couldn't exactly press his face against Dumbledore's, could he?

The other Heads of House nearby had long since perked up their ears. They got the gist of what was going on—and their reactions were just as colorful.

Professor Sprout was all smiles—this didn't concern her, so she was enjoying the drama like it was a good joke.

Professor Flitwick was smiling too, but he had a frown furrowing his brow.

He'd always been a huge fan of dueling—in fact, he used to be a champion in his younger days—and to him, dueling was sacred. He clearly wasn't thrilled about Malfoy's underhanded behavior.

As for Professor McGonagall… she honestly didn't even know what kind of expression to wear at this point.

"Em..."

Dumbledore was at a bit of a loss himself. Just moments ago, he'd thought something serious had happened—only to find out it was just… this kind of dispute.

And yet, precisely because it wasn't serious, it was hard to handle.

What was he supposed to do, ban the students from gossiping?

"Professor McGonagall," Snape said suddenly, directing the focus away from himself, "Whatever else happened, Potter and Weasley did break school rules by sneaking out at night. That's an established fact, wouldn't you agree?"

McGonagall immediately saw through him—Snape was deflecting, trying to shift the blame onto her students.

"Professor Snape, if that's the case, shouldn't we first ask Mr. Malfoy why they were out at night to begin with?"

"Before we talk punishment, we should at least identify... who started it."

She heavily emphasized the words "who started it," and Snape's face twitched with frustration. He understood exactly what she meant.

"In that case," Dumbledore said, stepping in to mediate, "why don't we call them in?"

Both professors huffed and looked away from each other, saying nothing more.

---

Fifteen minutes later.

Harry, Ron, Draco, Crabbe, Filch, and his cat were all gathered in a small side room off the corridor.

Dumbledore hadn't come—only the two Heads of House were present.

He trusted Professor McGonagall to handle things fairly. Even Snape believed she would be impartial and not play favorites with her own House.

That, right there, was called credibility—something Snape utterly lacked.

"Potter," McGonagall said, eyes sharp, "tell me what happened. Is it true, as the rumors say, that you and Mr. Weasley snuck out on Thursday night and went to the Trophy Room?"

Before Harry could answer, Filch jumped in, practically shouting, "It was them, Professor McGonagall! I nearly caught them that night! If it weren't for that damned Peeves—he distracted me on purpose, covered for them!"

"Filch, I'll speak with you separately. For now, please stay quiet," McGonagall said calmly, cutting him off.

Then she turned back to Harry.

"Yes, Professor," Harry admitted, standing straight. "Ron and I did go to the Trophy Room Thursday at midnight. We hadn't been there long when Mr. Filch and his cat showed up."

There was no point trying to deny it now, but if he was going down, Malfoy was coming with him.

Of course, he wasn't dumb enough to drag Hermione or Neville into it. And what he said was more than enough to nail Malfoy already.

"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall turned to Draco, "do you have anything to say?"

Draco looked like a ghost—pale and speechless. He opened his mouth a few times but couldn't form any words.

Snape stared at him like he was already dead.

"Filch," McGonagall continued, "was it Mr. Malfoy who told you someone would be in the Trophy Room that night?"

"No, it was the big one who's always with him. He's not here right now."

"Then that would be Mr. Goyle," McGonagall nodded, summarizing calmly. "So, the picture is clear—Malfoy challenged Potter to a duel, then tipped off Filch and didn't show up himself. Correct?"

No one responded. McGonagall was clearly waiting for Snape's input.

"…That seems to be the case," Snape said at last, exhaling. "Go ahead, Professor McGonagall. I have no objections."

"Potter and Weasley broke school rules by wandering the castle at night. That's fifty points each from Gryffindor. Starting next week, you'll both serve detention in my office every evening for a week."

Just like that, Gryffindor's House points were nearly wiped out.

Ron's legs gave out beneath him—Harry had to grab him to keep him upright.

Harry wasn't feeling much better himself. He'd braced for a punishment, sure—but this?

A hundred points…

He hadn't even earned a fraction of that since the term started.

Well—technically, Harry had yet to earn a single point.

Normally, seeing Gryffindor lose that many points and having Harry face detention would've made Snape's day.

But today… he didn't look pleased at all. In fact, his expression darkened.

Because if McGonagall was this harsh with her own students, then Malfoy was definitely in trouble.

Sure enough, her next words proved it.

"Mr. Malfoy, while you didn't technically break the curfew, you did initiate an unauthorized duel. On top of that, you deceived your classmates..."

"For the sake of your family's reputation, I'll publicly say that you and Mr. Crabbe were also out like Mr. Potter. That means Slytherin will also lose one hundred points. Both of you will report to Professor Snape's office for detention."

She folded her arms.

"That's all. Anyone have a problem with that?"

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