Chapter 29. Snape! You have no heart!
Lynn wasn't lying.
Less than two hours later, they were summoned to the Vice-Headmaster's office.
Not only Mark and Mitchell were there, but Lynn was also called in.
In Professor McGonagall's office, besides her, Professor Snape, the Head of Slytherin, was also present.
Both of them had calm expressions, revealing neither good nor bad.
As soon as Lynn and Mitchell entered, Professor McGonagall went straight to the point and asked them,
"Do you know what Hubert went out to do so early this morning?"
Mark and Mitchell certainly wouldn't dare lie to the professor, especially since their relationship with Hubert wasn't that good.
"He... he went to the owl house to borrow the school's owls to buy something." Mark swallowed nervously and whispered.
"What did he want to buy?" Professor Snape's eyes were like sharp knives, trying to peel open their skulls and see through their thoughts.
Mark was trembling with fear, his lips pressed tightly together, unable to speak for a long time.
Mitchell glanced at Lynn out of the corner of his eye.
Lynn had stood by, observing coldly the whole time, without saying a word.
"He wants to buy something from Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley," Mitchell finally mustered the courage to tell the truth.
Instantly, both professors' faces changed!
They knew perfectly well that Knockturn Alley was a place, and what Borgin and Burkes usually sold.
"Explain yourself! What does he want to buy?" Professor McGonagall's voice even became shrill, as if she were furious.
In this situation, Mitchell completely betrayed Hubert, spilling out their entire conspiracy.
"He wants to buy Essence of Insanity!"
Mitchell shouted. "He thinks it's an insult to all Slytherin wizards that someone like Lynn is even in Slytherin! He wants us to cooperate by pretending to reconcile with Lynn, and then, under the pretense of treating him to dessert, to slip Essence of Insanity into his food!"
After Mitchell uttered the words "Essence of Insanity," Snape's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"How dare he do this!" Snape's voice was so cold it could freeze a person...
He was a Potions Master himself, and of course he knew what Essence of Insanity was.
This potion was listed as a forbidden drug by the Ministry of Magic because it looked very similar to Felix Felicis and appeared harmless. But after drinking it, it could drive a person insane, turning them into a madman.
Although this effect wasn't permanent, it was still a potion despised by countless wizards and explicitly banned by the Ministry of Magic!
Now his student actually wanted to use this potion to harm a classmate, which made Snape feel like his lungs were about to explode.
Professor McGonagall now looked like an enraged lioness, coldly glaring at Mark and Mitchell, who were bowing their heads and refusing to look at her, and delivered her verdict on them.
"Slytherin, lose fifty points! You two! From today onwards, go to Filch every night for a month... no! Two months!"
Snape's lips twitched involuntarily, but in the end, he said nothing, tacitly accepting Professor McGonagall's punishment.
But the matter didn't end there.
Professor McGonagall and the others hadn't forgotten why they'd summoned Lynn and the others.
Snape turned his gaze to Lynn, who had been contentedly playing the "victim" role, remaining silent.
"Bellok, did you know about their plans beforehand?"
In the office, everyone's attention, including Mark and Mitchell's, was focused on Lynn again.
Lynn blinked innocently and said, "How could I possibly know, Professor? They suddenly came to make up with me yesterday, and I was happy for a while."
As he spoke, Lynn secretly put on the title: Newcomer.
[Newcomer: 1. When wearing this title, students who consider themselves superior will subconsciously make things difficult for you.
2. Teachers will pay extra attention to you.]
3. Your learning efficiency will increase threefold when learning basic magic.
Note 1: This title effect only applies while worn.
Note 2: This title will disappear upon entering the second year.
Meanwhile, Lynn's acting skills far surpassed Mark's.
His eyes were red-rimmed, tears welling up but stubbornly refusing to fall.
"I've always wanted to be friends with them. I know they look down on me because of my background, but I think that can be changed. As long as we treat each other sincerely, we can still be friends, right? Yesterday, I thought they would finally accept me. But unexpectedly, they, they..."
Lynn pursed his lips, as if trying to hold back his tears. His aggrieved expression would probably put even Dou E to shame.
Mark and Mitchell's jaws nearly dropped. So, you weren't the one who pinned Hubert against the wall and beat him up that day?
Professor McGonagall's heart melted.
She already knew Lynn was an orphan and that living alone was difficult; she was the one who did the home visit.
To put it another way, she brought Lynn to Hogwarts. And yet, after arriving at Hogwarts, she faced discrimination and bullying from her roommates.
Professor McGonagall now felt she was a very incompetent teacher.
The anger and seriousness on her face slowly melted away, and she spoke in a gentle, apologetic voice,
"I'm sorry, Bellok, this is our fault as professors..."
Mark and Mitchell's jaws dropped again; they had never seen Professor McGonagall like this before.
However, Snape interrupted her.
"Wait, McGonagall, I haven't finished my question yet."
Snape's gaze remained cold, seemingly unaffected by Lynn's acting and title.
"I understand that you actually left the common room before Hubert left this morning, and then quickly arrived at the scene after Hubert's accident. Can you tell me where you were during this time, Bellok?"
Looking at Snape's heartless face, Lynn couldn't help but think to herself:
Snape, you have no heart!
However, although Snape wasn't affected, Lynn wasn't afraid of his questions, because Hubert's attack really had nothing to do with him.
"I have a habit of jogging every morning, and since coming to Hogwarts, I've really loved magic. After my run, I practice spells by the Black Lake outside the castle. Cedric from Hufflepuff can vouch for this; he practiced spells with me this morning."
Through the portrait in Professor McGonagall's office, Lynn's witness, Cedric, was quickly summoned.
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(End of Chapter)