Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Professor Oren didn't just fail to check the freshmen's homework; he failed to check the homework of any year.
This decision made him the most popular professor at Hogwarts overnight, bar none.
"He can definitely break that curse and become the first professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts to be re-elected in nearly fifty years," declared Lee Jordan, a famous Quidditch enthusiast and second-year Gryffindor, in the Great Hall.
"If someone as excellent as Professor Oren can't break the curse, then this course is truly hopeless; it might as well be canceled sooner rather than later."
His statement was supported by Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
Of course, with support comes opposition.
Just as Lee Jordan was speaking eloquently, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the Ravenclaw table.
"Tsk, you're all so happy about not checking homework?"
A rather handsome Ravenclaw student glanced disdainfully at Li Jordan and said, "In my opinion, this decision is extremely irresponsible, even negligent. We've already discussed it and are going to jointly complain to Headmaster Dumbledore about his behavior."
"What did you say?"
The Gryffindor lions glared at the speaker.
In Hogwarts, a professor who doesn't check holiday homework is rarer than a troll who can dance ballet. Now that they've finally found one, these bookworms not only don't appreciate it, but they actually want to complain about him?
Is that something a human would do?
Unable to tolerate this any longer, some of the young lions slammed their fists on the table and shouted, "Dare you repeat what you just said?"
"I remember you, Roger Davis of Ravenclaw." Li Jordan put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head back, and looked down at the other man with his nostrils. "You were the one who mocked us Gryffindors in Charms class the other day, weren't you…
Tsk tsk, you're pretty brave, kid. You'd better be careful when you walk alone at night."
Seeing their students being so blatantly threatened, the Ravenclaws couldn't sit still any longer.
"Roger, don't be afraid." A senior student with a prefect's badge on his chest stepped forward, looking at Li Jordan with a sneer, "Gryffindor, are you looking for a fight?"
"Prefect, you can't just say things like that." Fred shook his finger and said, "My friend was just worried that your freshmen would fall, how did that become looking for a fight?"
"Oh, I see." George said, "You're going to complain to Professor McGonagall, aren't you? Accuse us of wanting to fight so she'll deduct our points."
Fred raised an eyebrow and said, "That way you can get the House Cup."
"And no one can stop you from complaining to Professor Oren."
"I see." Li Jordan's eyes darted around, and he quickly joined in.
"No wonder you're the smartest Ravenclaw, you're so cunning."
Listening to the three of them talking in unison, the prefect's face turned green.
The House Cup… You're all last place, do you have the right to say such things? And with those double-digit House points, he'd be crazy to scheme against Gryffindor.
"We won't go after the professor," the Ravenclaw prefect said, taking a deep breath. "I mean, the roads at Hogwarts are flat; Roger won't fall. But if anyone has ill intentions, we won't stand idly by."
His words boosted Ravenclaw's morale.
"Yeah, we're not afraid of Gryffindor."
"Bring it on! Whoever tells the professor is a traitor."
"Roger, don't worry. With Prefect Edward around, they can't do anything."
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With the support of others, Roger Davis became much more assertive, looking up to meet Lee Jordan's gaze. The tension between them grew increasingly palpable.
"Kyle, what do you think?" Cedric asked worriedly from Hufflepuff's side. "They're not really going to fight, are they?"
"I'll just sit here and watch,"
Kyle said calmly, popping a piece of steak into his mouth. "Unless they're stupid, they're unlikely to fight."
It's just an argument. Gryffindor and Slytherin argue every day, but they never actually fight.
Besides, Ravenclaw doesn't want to lose their second-place ranking, and Gryffindor doesn't want Slytherin to get away with it.
So a few words are the limit.
As for whether they'll resort to underhanded tactics… Kyle estimated that it was highly unlikely, unless they really wanted to be put in solitary confinement.
After all, the whole castle knows about it; the target is too obvious, and it's unlikely they can be easily captured.
Of course, this only applies to Ravenclaw; if it were Slytherin, it would be a different story.
"What are you doing!"
Professor McGonagall suddenly walked in, her lips pursed, scrutinizing the people at the center of the conflict.
"I hope you're not arguing, gentlemen, otherwise..."
"Of course not, Professor McGonagall." Fred was the first to react, saying, "We're just discussing Quidditch."
"Yes." George quickly added, "We all think it's a real shame Ireland lost to Canada this year."
Lee Jordan was the slowest to react, only hurriedly saying after George kicked him, "They'll definitely win the championship in four years."
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"Ha, that's the stupidest opinion I've ever heard."
Whether intentionally playing along or genuinely thinking so, Roger Davis immediately said, "Bulgaria is the strongest team; Ireland isn't even worthy of shining their shoes."
"Ha, so what did your Bulgarian team achieve this year..." Fred asked.
George said sarcastically, "Have you forgotten, Fred? They didn't even make it to the semi-finals!"
"That's just because their Seeker was terrible!" Roger Davis roared, "If they could change their Seeker, they would be the strongest team."
Kyle wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Roger seemed much angrier than before.
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The commotion ended rather abruptly, and Professor McGonagall didn't deduct any points. She simply reminded them, "No loud noise in the Great Hall," before approaching Kyle.
"Dumbledore needs to speak with you," Professor McGonagall said, gesturing casually towards Mikel. "If you've finished eating, could you please go to the Headmaster's office?"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall,"
Kyle replied, swallowing the last bite of his steak, and left the Great Hall with her.
As they walked out the door, Kyle clearly heard Professor McGonagall mutter under her breath, "These young wizards these days... Scotland is clearly the strongest."
[End of the chapter]