The next day, Lynn received a message from Dumbledore asking him to come to his office.
When he walked into the Headmaster's office, the scene before him made him freeze instantly.
There were quite a few people in the office—a full house.
Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley stood at the front, their faces filled with undisguised excitement and lingering fear.
Behind them stood all their children currently attending Hogwarts except for Ginny—Percy, Fred, George, and Ron—each with a serious expression, standing straight.
Headmaster Dumbledore sat behind his desk, while Professor McGonagall stood beside him, as rigorous as ever.
Good grief... this lineup... surely the Weasleys don't think Ginny's incident at school was the school's responsibility and have come as a group to demand an explanation from Headmaster Dumbledore?
After all, their child's life force had been inexplicably drained at Hogwarts; what parent could tolerate that?
Lynn braced himself and walked in, greeting them. "Uh... good morning, everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mrs. Weasley simply swept her gaze over her children.
Led by Percy, with Fred, George, and Ron following closely behind, the four red-headed Weasleys quickly lined up in front of Lynn with synchronized movements.
Before Lynn could react to what was happening, he saw Percy take a deep breath and lead them in a deep bow so standard it could be written into an etiquette textbook.
His three younger brothers behind him didn't hesitate either, bending down in unison.
Lynn: "!!!"
This scene was just too awkward!
Lynn felt like his toes could drill out a three-bedroom apartment plus a backyard right then and there.
Standing there at a loss, receiving what he considered an overly solemn thanks, he ranted inwardly: If they bow two more times, can I just arrange my funeral already?!
Lynn looked toward Dumbledore behind the desk and Professor McGonagall beside him, hoping they would say something to ease this bizarre atmosphere.
Dumbledore just smiled and stroked his long beard, while Professor McGonagall turned her head slightly, as if admiring a portrait of Fawkes the Phoenix on the wall; both tacitly chose not to intervene.
Lynn: "..."
Before he could say "There's no need for this" or anything similar, Mrs. Weasley had already stepped forward and gripped his hand tightly.
Mrs. Weasley's eyes were somewhat red at this moment, her voice trembling as she pulled Lynn into a heartfelt outpouring of gratitude:
"Good boy! Good boy! Thank you so much! Merlin's beard!
If you hadn't been so attentive and noticed something wrong with Ginny, and warned Fred and George, we... we simply can't imagine the consequences!"
Her words were a bit jumbled, even somewhat incoherent. "You saved our daughter! Truly... we don't know how to thank you!"
Lynn was a bit overwhelmed by this intense emotion; he wasn't very good at dealing with such direct and strong expressions of feeling, so he could only respond somewhat clumsily:
"Ma'am, you're being too kind. I just happened to see it and thought something was wrong, so I said something. It's really nothing..."
"How can you say it's nothing!" Mrs. Weasley shook her head vigorously. "Child, tell me, where do you live? When we get back, we must visit in person to thank you! To thank your parents for raising such an excellent, kind, and sharp child! If it weren't for you..."
She repeated her words of thanks again, her emotions still high.
"So, you must tell us your address. We must express our gratitude to your parents in person," Mrs. Weasley asked persistently, her eyes full of sincerity.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. That... I live alone. I don't have parents."
Mrs. Weasley's smile froze on her face, surprise and deeper heartache flashing in her eyes. Mr. Weasley also showed an expression of embarrassment and regret.
Even Percy, who had been trying to maintain his seriousness, and the twins, who were stifling funny faces, composed themselves.
This was already the third time Lynn had faced such a sudden silence due to his family situation—it was literally a "third time."
"Oh... child, I... I'm so sorry... I shouldn't have asked..." Mrs. Weasley let go of his hand, looking a bit flustered and at a loss, her voice full of apology.
"It's alright, Ma'am. I really don't mind."
Dumbledore, who had been watching from the side, cleared his throat at the right time to draw everyone's attention.
"Ahem~"
He looked at Lynn with a smile. "Lynn, with your broad knowledge and keen observation, you discovered and helped a classmate out of potential danger in a timely manner. For this, I am awarding fifty points to Hufflepuff House."
After Dumbledore finished his announcement, he looked at Lynn, seemingly expecting to see a joyful reaction.
Lynn blinked, a "That's it?" expression appearing on his face, and he subconsciously blurted out, "Is... that all?"
Dumbledore: "..."
He clearly hadn't expected Lynn to react this way, and a moment of speechlessness appeared on his face as well.
He shook his head, as if lamenting the directness of today's youth, and then began rummaging through a drawer in his desk.
After a while, he took out a notebook that looked quite old but was well-preserved and handed it to Lynn.
"These are some of my insights and notes on Alchemy from when I was young; perhaps they will be of help to you. Consider this a bit of extra reward from me personally for your outstanding performance."
The smile on Lynn's face became visibly brighter. He hurried forward and took the notebook with both hands, as if it were a priceless treasure. "Thank you, Headmaster!"
Seeing this, Mr. Weasley also slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing something. "Look at my memory!"
He quickly turned around, rummaged through a bag he had brought for a while, and pulled out two books that looked equally ancient, even with some wear on the corners—The Weasley Alchemy Manuscript and Prewett Comprehensive Combat.
Mr. Weasley solemnly handed the two books to Lynn, his tone a bit embarrassed:
"It seems these are the only two books from home worth showing. They're copies; I hope you won't mind.
One is some superficial research on Alchemy by my ancestors, and the other is some insights into practical spells from my wife's side."
Looking at the two books handed to him, the joy and surprise in Lynn's eyes could no longer be suppressed. The previous embarrassment and restraint vanished instantly.
"I don't mind! Not at all! You're too kind. It's enough that you came—why bring gifts..."
While Lynn was saying polite words, his hands weren't slow. He took the books and hugged them to his chest...
Lynn had walked into the Headmaster's office empty-handed.
When he came out again, he had a bulging bag in his arms.
The items in the bag were a dazzling array, fully reflecting the overwhelming gratitude of the Weasley family, including but not limited to:
A hand-knitted sweater, undoubtedly the work of Mrs. Weasley—bright yellow, with a slightly crooked letter "L" embroidered on the chest in thick thread.
A stack of tightly wrapped sandwiches, also Mrs. Weasley's handiwork. Even through the paper, the aroma of roast beef and yellow mustard could be smelled; they were quite substantial, enough for Lynn to eat for two or three meals.
An attached note read: "You're at the age where you're still growing, so you must eat more! — Molly Weasley."
Several gaudily packaged prank products, clearly snuck in by Fred and George.
There were candies with packaging promising giggles, and a box of something called a "Portable Swamp."
Lynn weighed them and decided to let them stay at the bottom of the bag for now.
A hardcover book—How to Be a Good Leader: A Guide to Essential Qualities and the Use of Power for Prefects.
No need to ask; this was definitely Percy Weasley's "thank-you gift."
On the flyleaf of the book, there was a signature and a message:
"To Lynn, may you continue to move forward on the path of pursuing excellence in Hufflepuff. — P.W. (Percy Weasley)."
Lynn didn't know what expression to make while holding this book; he really couldn't imagine how far he was from the word "leader."
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