How Professor Sigma explained his period of radio silence to the two headmasters, Allen had no idea. After sending a quick note via Valor to inform Dipan and the others that he had reestablished contact, Allen promptly claimed Hayden's tent for himself, after all, Hayden had night watch duty, right?
The next day, not even a whisper spread about the fact that Allen had punched a professor. Most likely, the three who witnessed it were too intimidated by Professor Sigma's lingering aura to say a word. Ironically, Allen, who had mentally prepared to face gossip and rumors, was somewhat disappointed, hadn't he just scored a glorious first win? Where were the brave warriors eager to challenge the one who struck down the great Sigma? Step right up and take your turn in the Allen raid dungeon!
For a fleeting moment, Allen even considered anonymously spreading rumors about himself, just to stir the pot. But after weighing the risks of retaliation, he wisely gave up on that suicidal idea.
Later that day, Professor Sigma announced the end of the magical creature hunt, stating that due to "supply issues," they needed to return to Hogwarts.
This sparked murmurs among nearly half of the younger students. After all, they'd hardly touched their supplies thanks to the wilderness survival lessons they'd received from Sigma. So how could there be a supply problem?
Still, due to the inherent dangers of magical creature hunting, the authority of supervising professors was not to be questioned. If any student attempted to resist a group decision, the professors were authorized to take control, so long as no one got hurt. So even with doubts, the students had no choice but to follow orders.
Allen, for one, didn't raise any objection. But he was curious, why did Professor Sigma seem so utterly drained today? Gone was the overpowering presence from the night before. Had Allen hit him that hard? Garen's strength was considerable, but could Allen, with only a surface-level understanding of it, really have landed a blow so powerful that the professor still hadn't recovered?
Was he... actually a warrior by nature, not a wizard?
Lacking any baggage to pack, Allen was left to spiral in wild speculation. As for confirming his theory? He wasn't that suicidal. Sigma's reputation for dominating Hogwarts with sheer presence wasn't just hot air, after all.
But before he could continue down his mental rabbit hole, something yanked him upward by his arms. With no time to react, Allen found himself lifted into the air and spun around, facing the bright, smiling face of Emma.
Honestly, this whole "lift you up and spin you around" thing only felt good if you were the one doing the lifting! Allen's embarrassment peaked, especially when she leaned in and planted a warm kiss on his cheek. His face immediately flushed red.
"Hey there, Allen! You really nailed it yesterday! Flying with such confidence, so manly. I almost fell for you!" Emma teased, setting him down and bursting into laughter. A few students turned to look, but quickly averted their eyes and scattered, nobody wanted to attract the attention of the infamous seventh-year powerhouse that was Emma.
"Come on, Allen!" she chirped, scooping him up again and plopping him onto a broomstick before soaring into the sky.
So… yesterday's teary, delicate version of Emma was just a limited-edition variant, huh? Can I return this smug, overpowered version and get my emotional edition back?
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
By the time they returned to the school, lunch had just started. Dipan was already complaining.
"Allen, could you please ask Valor to eat elsewhere? It ate my entire breakfast!"
Next to his plate, Valor was happily scarfing down food. Dipan's actions contradicted his words, he was dutifully cutting up chunks of meat to make it easier for the bird to eat.
"What a good raven, seriously. We owe it a lot," he added fondly, reaching out to stroke its feathers, but Valor was already gone, now perched on Allen's shoulder, squawking proudly.
For some reason, Dipan suddenly recalled a peculiar magical creature from his casual reading, something from South America called an alpaca.
Especially when he saw Valor holding out a chunk of meat (which Dipan had just sliced) toward Allen, who politely declined it with a smile. Dipan suddenly felt like he'd just been completely outclassed by a smug, winged alpaca.
After the meal, Allen finally remembered that he hadn't yet reported to Professor McGonagall. Even though Sigma had already reestablished contact, Allen felt he should at least make a formal report himself.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
An hour later, Allen exited McGonagall's office looking thoroughly dazed.
He had just endured a full hour of scolding. McGonagall had picked apart his midnight flying mission from every angle, safety, logic, risk, protocol, all with sharp, unwavering critique. And woven between her reprimands were several jabs at Professor Sigma. Some words Allen didn't even recognize; one sounded suspiciously like "Seraphim," which he hoped wasn't a magical racial slur akin to "mudblood."
One thing was clear, he'd taken plenty of flak on Sigma's behalf. The professor's explanation clearly hadn't satisfied McGonagall. Talk about bad luck, just Allen's luck to walk in and catch the brunt of it while Sigma was conveniently absent.
Maybe this was karma for punching a professor?
If it were any other teacher, maybe Allen's confession would've earned him leniency. But McGonagall? No way. She was the type to discipline fairly but firmly, even her own House students. Kind-hearted didn't mean soft.
After that, the waiting game began. With not enough professors back, classes couldn't resume, so the group of early-returned upper-year students were left to entertain themselves. Or rather, wait for the grand moment when all students and staff would gather for the official report of their hunting trip achievements, definitely not to show off.
In the meantime, Allen and the others filled their boredom with a friendly Quidditch skills showcase. Charlie, who had the sharpest eyes among them, suddenly called out while showing off flight tricks to some Uagadou chasers.
"Hey! Look! Professor Sigma's group is back!"
Immediately, everyone perked up. Half an hour later, the Uagadou students, bearing snacks and pumpkin juice as tokens of friendship, joined the Hogwarts group at their encampment.
"Shhh!" Charlie whispered, passing out some feather cushions. Everyone sat down quietly, eyes locked on one spot, Professor McGonagall's office, from which furious shouting could still be heard.
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