Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Late at night.

But the light in the Hogwarts headmaster's office was still on.

Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School, sat alone in his spacious office, which was filled with silverware, deep in thought at his desk.

He seemed to be waiting for something.

With the soft sound of the door opening, Dumbledore's eyebrows quickly relaxed, revealing a pure, childlike smile.

But Thea, sitting in front of him, was not taking it lightly at all. She took the ice cream the old man handed her and stirred it idly, waiting for his questions or... judgment.

Yes, what they excel at is judging others from a moral high ground.

But could you please look down at me?

I'm starving to death, why are you still talking to me about morality and ethics?

Thea lowered her head, her eyes filled with mockery.

Dumbledore noticed the girl's resistance, but he didn't care. At his age, even without Legilimency, their thoughts couldn't be hidden from him.

But this girl in front of me is too special…

Thea thought that there might be a tough battle in the lounge tonight, and she really didn't have time to play the game of "statues" with the old man.

So Thea looked up and stared directly at Dumbledore, asking, "Professor, is there something you need from me?"

Dumbledore was pondering what tone to use to defuse Thea's anger, but after Thea spoke, the old man sensed that the girl seemed somewhat anxious.

He then asked gently, "Does Thea have any other plans for today?"

“Draco and the others are waiting for me in the lounge. We need to discuss our vacation plans,” Thea said truthfully.

“Indeed, the holidays are the most important time for young wizards, and they should definitely make good plans.” Dumbledore was pleased with Thea’s candor.

Thea, however, was getting impatient with the other person's probing and said directly, "Professor, are you asking me if I have any resentment towards Mr. Potter?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, Thea continued:

"I don't actually harbor any resentment towards them, I just have some doubts..."

The girl looked directly at the old man and slowly said, "My question is, why is there such a big difference in treatment between me and him? Is it because of my parents?"

Thea didn't hesitate to voice her doubts.

Dumbledore was also taken aback by Thea's unconventional approach. In his mind, he should have patiently guided the girl, resolved her dissatisfaction, and then slowly corrected her misbehavior.

Unexpectedly, the other party directly asked about his biggest concern, giving him a difficult problem.

If Dumbledore had given a direct affirmative answer, the girl would have been very likely to have been pushed into the abyss by him.

However, if Dumbledore gives a negative answer, the girl is very likely to produce various pieces of evidence to refute him.

After much deliberation, Dumbledore decided to avoid the topic, since both of them knew the answer.

"...When did Thea find out?" Dumbledore asked.

“…Last year…you know, the Malfoy family has a large collection of books…I accidentally discovered records of Parsleyan speech…”

Although Thea remained expressionless, Dumbledore noticed that the girl's hands were tightly clasped together...

Dumbledore took off his glasses, slowly wiped them, and then said, "...I'm sorry, Thea, I lied to you back then..."

"It's alright, Professor. I know you're doing this for my own good..." Thea said weakly.

Seeing Thea's reaction, Dumbledore changed the subject, just as Thea had intended.

Not long after, Thea took her leave, and Dumbledore readily agreed.

Just as Thea reached the door, the girl couldn't help but turn back and ask:

"Professor, if I had chosen Aunt Andromeda back then, would you have done everything in your power to help her gain custody of me?"

Dumbledore was momentarily startled by the girl's sudden return, then fell silent.

Thea didn't care, or rather, she already knew the other person's answer; she was just unwilling to accept it now...

"So...Professor...I have no other choice..."

The girl said something that sounded both sad and sighing, then left without looking back.

Thea's overly agitated emotions persisted until she stood at the door of the lounge before she could barely control herself.

She took a deep breath, trying to hide her emotions, but the next second, tears suddenly fell.

Looking at the corner of her sleeve that was wet, Thea slowly squatted down, crossed her arms and hugged herself, in a gesture that showed extreme insecurity.

"I know it's wrong to lose control of my emotions like this!"

"I just can't help feeling jealous of how many people adore Harry."

"I'm just a little scared, scared that everything I've done will ultimately be in vain..."

The girl squatted there for as long as the people in the shadows watched her.

Thea stood up and used a spell to erase all traces on the ground without hesitation, her face returning to its usual gentle smile.

She then walked towards the lounge.

Even though Thea had made ample preparations, the fact that the lounge was packed with little wizards still surprised her.

Since the door to the lounge was some distance from the sofa, Thea pulled over a familiar-looking young wizard and asked:

Why are there so many people here tonight?

The young wizard who was pulled away had a complicated look in his eyes. After hesitating for a while, he slowly said, "After dinner, Senior Pusi and the prefect seemed to say something, and then we came over."

Seeing that Thea still looked confused, the little wizard said anxiously, "Senior Pusi came here because of you! He's never liked the study group you created..."

Seeing the little wizard's anxious look, Thea comforted him, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Perhaps it was Thea's composure that influenced the little wizard, who also returned to normal.

"Black! You were really impressive tonight! But I'm a little curious, why did you only target Harry Potter and let that Muggle go?"

Thea had just thanked the little wizard when she was met with a blatantly malicious provocation.

Thea didn't immediately refute the other person's words, and instead looked around, pleased to see the disdain in the eyes of many young wizards for this arrogant guy.

She then raised her chin, and in a standard aristocratic tone, calmly retorted, "Senior, have you forgotten? The Black family is one of the oldest pure-blood families, and Pusi..."

Although Thea didn't finish her sentence, the disdainful expression on her face made all the young wizards present understand the unspoken meaning behind her words.

Pusi immediately understood Thea's implication, his face flushed red, and he was about to retort when Thea sharply rebuked him:

"Senior Pusi, who gave you the courage to question Blake's decision in front of her?"

Pusi was completely terrified and stumbled back as if to call for help.

Thea's eyes flashed as she looked at Chief Fane walking towards her. She immediately realized: Tonight's battle has only just begun!