Chapter 328: “Punishment”

There was a commotion in the hall because of Umbridge’s words, and Professor McGonagall stood up angrily.

“Professor Umbridge, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my decision.”

Umbridge clasped her hands back together, nodded, and said in that tone, “Of course, Professor McGonagall. But I think it’s still a little unfair. The minister told me that I could deal with Hogwarts’ problems as needed. Professor Dumbledore did not express any objection to matters within the school.”

After finishing speaking, she turned her head to look at Ottoman and Horrison.

“It’s very clear what happened, so I won’t go into details. Obviously, casting jinxes in Hogwarts is not a good thing to do and is stupid. For this, both of you will be punished.”

“Mr. Horrison,” Umbridge looked at the Gryffindor student first, “You will be punished for two weeks because of this incident, and you will need to clean the first floor to the fourth floor every afternoon after classes are over. You will come to my office every weekend night for another little punishment.”

Horrison’s breathing suddenly became heavy, but in the end, he held back and didn’t make a sound.

“And you, Mr. Ottoman,” Umbridge looked towards the Snake Yard, “You will also be punished for two weeks, and you will be cleaning the bathroom in the Slytherin common room.”

Ottoman waited for what to say, then was surprised to find that Umbridge had stopped talking.

There were dissatisfied voices in the hall.

There are only two bathrooms in every common room, and most students clean their house’s bathroom every so often. But the burden of cleaning the first floor to the castle’s fourth floor and the Slytherin common room is different.

Horrison had already expressed anger, and he couldn’t help but say, “He was the one who was rude to my family first!”

Umbridge glanced at him, “No, no, no, Mr. Horrison, you have to understand. As a young student, I can understand your emotions, and it is normal to behave like that. But whoever does it first should bear a more severe punishment.”

On the other side, Ottoman showed the triumphant smile of the winner.

Umbridge completely ignored him. Instead, she lowered her head and looked at Horrison, “In the final exam last semester, only one subject got an excellent grade, and you didn’t perform well on other subjects.”

As she said that, she deliberately expressed sudden realization, “Born in a Muggle family? Well, Mr. Horrison, instead of worrying about your parents, you should worry about your own grades first.”

This made Horrison angry, “Madam, please pay attention to your words. You are discriminating against wizards born in Muggle families!”

Umbridge covered his mouth and laughed, “Did you not read the rules posted on the bulletin board, Mr. Horrison? Because of your slander against me, the punishment time will be extended for another week.”

The Gryffindor students held back Horrison, even though they also had anger in their eyes.

Umbridge ignored him and turned to look at Ottoman. Her tone was a lot more friendly, “Mr Ottoman, please finish your punishment well. I believe that an excellent wizard like you will not let me down. If you’re doing well, I can lighten your punishment.”

He nodded, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Very well, this matter is settled, and the justice of Hogwarts has been upheld once again. Please continue your meal, and remember not to be late.”

With that, Umbridge left the Great Hall. As soon as she left, the hall exploded. Umbridge was already blatantly favoring the pure-bloods, and the Muggle-born was treated unfairly.

On the Slytherin table, Ottoman sneered, raised his brows provocatively at Horrison, sat down, and chatted happily with his friends.

“Umbridge is being discriminatory!” Hermione said angrily.

“But she didn’t show it directly, and it was he who did it first. The Ministry of Magic can sanction Umbridge, but they obviously wouldn’t respond to this matter.” Sean said lightly.

This is obviously not a solution that a person like Umbridge can come up with, and it most likely comes from Fabian. He did not divide the students as Umbridge had done before, but he chose to stir the differences in every house.

Even in the current wizarding world, Muggle-born wizards and pure-blood wizards have the same rights, but the reality is that there have always been conflicts between these two groups.

Hogwarts is naturally no exception. When a wizard from an already weak Muggle family suffers from this kind of unfair treatment, they will definitely be mad about it.

For some pure-blood wizards in Slytherin and other houses, this kind of treatment is normal for them. After all, human beings are selfish animals. Those with vested interests will not easily give up their privileges.

The Hogwarts students, who were originally united because of Sean’s actions conf,licted again in just a few minutes. This conflict comes from a natural discourse, and Sean cannot repair it.

Hermione was so angry that she couldn’t eat her breakfast. She crossed her arms and complained, “What the hell is Professor Dumbledore doing? Isn’t he coming out to stop Umbridge?!”

Sean shook his head and began to think about the next move.

The next day, Horrison kept expressing dissatisfaction with his classmates because of Umbridge’s unfair treatment. After the Charms Class, Umbridge waited in the corridor with Fabian in the afternoon.

She reprimanded Horrison again in the name of “for your own good” and almost provoked him.

She deliberately picked on several students. Although she couldn’t put them in punishment directly, she still scolded those students. The reason was that their robes were loose, and those students were all from Muggle families.

What made the stark difference was that several Slytherin students, including Ottoman, laughed at it.

Umbridge also praised them for their excellent performance in class, even though those students never even got extra points from Professor Flitwick.

“You shoulder the future of the wizarding world, don’t let me down.” She said this to a group of pure-bloods, ignored the other students, and left.

Although Sean and Snape scolded her, she still had a heavy heart.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A few pure-blood students have automatically set boundaries with some of their classmates because of the importance of status and looked down on this group of Mudbloods.

In just one day, the unity created by Sean was already on the verge of falling apart. There were already discontented words among the Gryffindor students.

“What are those Slytherins proud of?”

“It’s disgusting to look at them.”

Sean found Draco alone. Being alone in a room with a person like Sean made Draco a little nervous. He maintained his demeanor, but his voice was not so confident.

“What do you want?”

“Draco,” Sean put his hands on his shoulders, “We’re friends, don’t be so nervous.”

Seeing the sincerity in Sean’s eyes, Draco finally relaxed a little. He glanced at Sean and muttered, “I know what you want me to do, but I can’t do it. You should understand.”

“No, Draco, I want to ask you a question.” Sean smiled.

“What is that?”

Sean sat down, crossed his hands, and stared into his eyes, “Draco, don’t you look down on the Mudblood you’re talking about?”

Draco was having a hard time with this question. He hesitated. It would be a lie to say that he does not discriminate; he has been educated this way since childhood. Pure blood is a noble, especially the Malfoy family.

Draco’s inner thoughts are actually a little shaken. Sean was in front of him, and although he came from a Muggle family, his power far exceeded his imagination.

His grades are pretty good in the academy, but what about him?

Sean has a reputation, strength, and friends. Although Draco hates the people around him, they are far better than Goyle and Crabbe.

Sometimes, he would toss and turn on the bed and couldn’t fall asleep. They were both wizards. Crabbe and Goyle’s bloodlines were more noble, but how are they different from Sean’s?

Draco felt that he already had a little admiration for Sean. But he is a Muggle-born wizard.

Looking at Draco, Sean smiled: “I think I already know the answer.”

“No, Sean, listen to me.” Draco replied back.

Sean waved his hand, “It’s not a problem if you think it that way.”