Lynn stared blankly at Professor McGonagall. Her upright posture, her face blazing with anger yet resolute, slowly overlapped with the faces of the adults she had once known in another world.
Yet they were entirely different. One had hesitated before a difficult road, pressing the burden onto a child's shoulders.
The other faced the unknown without fear, firmly telling the child to grow up healthy and happy.
Completely different. The thought surfaced in Lynn's mind.
It wasn't just the schools that differed; the adults of the two worlds were nothing alike.
Or rather… most adults were nothing alike.
Professor McGonagall's current appearance didn't just make Lynn's mind stall; even Hermione and the other three girls were awestruck by their Professor.
This was what a true teacher should be—carrying the sky on her own shoulders while leading still-naïve children forward.
'But… studying comes first.'
Mottled patterns flickered across Lynn's mind as she spoke with difficulty.
'No, it does not,' Professor McGonagall shook her head. 'What I'm saying now applies not only to you, Miss Lynn.'
'To Miss Granger, Miss Penelope, to every student at Hogwarts, to every student in the world.'
'Studying is not the most important thing in your lives; you yourselves are.'
'Your joys and sorrows, your lives, should all come before it.'
'You are yourselves first, students second.'
Yourself first, student second—Lynn's mind felt like thunder cracking over level ground; the mottled patterns vanished.
She slowly lifted her head to look at Professor McGonagall. 'All right, I understand. Thank you, Professor McGonagall.'
'From now on… I will put myself before my studies.'
Professor McGonagall regarded her with satisfaction, then immediately turned grave once more.
'Now tell me: why did you try to harm yourself?'
'Because I broke Hogwarts rules—broke regulations.'
'Broke rules?' Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, surprised that such a 'good child' had ever stepped out of line.
Had she finally gone night-strolling? At last?
'Earlier, Draco Malfoy insulted Hermione, and before that he and his father threatened her and the rest of us in Diagon Alley.'
'So after he insulted her again, I acted to remove the threat.'
Remove the threat. Hearing those two words, Professor McGonagall's brow twitched.
'Remove—as in what I'm thinking? You meant to kill him?'
'Yes.' Lynn nodded without the slightest change in expression, her tone flat.
'At the time I believed only by completely removing the threat could Hermione and the others be safe. Afterward I would accept any punishment—even Azkaban.'
'But you didn't succeed. Why?' Professor McGonagall sat back down opposite her.
She had no doubt that if this child had gone through with it, Draco Malfoy—spoiled rotten by Lucius Malfoy—wouldn't have stood a chance.
He wouldn't even have known who struck before he was dead.
'Correct. I failed; Hermione stopped me.'
Lynn gave an indifferent nod and stated the facts.
'Miss Granger did well.' Professor McGonagall inclined her head.
Hermione, still hugging Lynn, pressed her lips. 'I'm sorry, Professor. Lynn did it for us…'
'No, no, I'm not angry, Miss Granger.'
Professor McGonagall shook her head. 'I now understand Miss Lynn's situation. She has no proper grasp of the value of life, nor proper respect for it.'
Growing up in a world that forced her to treat her own life as worthless, and having lost her emotions,
Lynn could hardly comprehend or cherish life's importance; that was why she could be so harsh to herself,
why she could act without considering consequences, even at the cost of her own life.
'Besides,' Professor McGonagall lifted her head with a touch of pride, 'standing up for a friend in anger is nothing I consider wrong.'
Madam Pomfrey, listening nearby, twitched her lips. Minerva, is this really the way to teach them?
Yet the lioness clearly felt no fault. 'Still, even in righteous anger one must know where to stop.'
She looked at Lynn with affection. 'Teaching someone a lesson is fine, but no Dark Arts, no taking a life—that is my bottom line.'
'Understood. Thank you, Professor McGonagall.' Lynn nodded earnestly.
'Since you didn't actually take Mr. Malfoy's life, why punish yourself?'
Meeting Professor McGonagall's puzzled gaze, Lynn's voice remained as calm as a still lake.
'Because in the attempt I damaged Hogwarts walls, ceiling, floor, broke rules by harming a fellow student, and used magic in the corridor.'
'Oh, you do know the rules well.'
Professor McGonagall regarded her with faint admiration, then winked slyly.
'Still, I daresay that sometimes, if you break a harmless rule and we don't catch you in the act…'
'…then it never happened. Of course, the moment you leave this room I shall deny ever saying so.'
All four Young Wizards besides Lynn burst into laughter.
The oppressive mood from hearing Lynn's past lifted considerably.
Once they were laughing again, Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction, stood, and sought Lynn's consent.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!