Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

"But………"

Hermione wanted to say something more, but when she saw the determination in Thea's eyes, she silently swallowed her words.

The young wizards' attention had been diverted by Thea, and everyone was thinking about how to prepare for their knowledge-sharing session next week.

Seeing that Thea had persuaded the group of young wizards, Fane immediately began to organize them to leave the cellar.

"Hermione, could you come to our knowledge-sharing session next week? I heard you mention XXX in Transfiguration class before, could you tell me more about it?"

Seeing that the lion cubs were still in place, Thea immediately gave Zabini a wink, signaling him to help her lure the cubs away.

After finishing all that, Thea went to the library again.

"What? You want to borrow so many books?"

Mrs. Pines looked at Thea, who was looking very serious, with some surprise.

“Yes, Mrs. Pince, I’ve been busy with Quidditch lately, so I’m planning to borrow a few more books to make up for the lack of relaxation these past few days,” Thea said politely.

"...Okay! I'll register you now."

Seeing the girl's eyes light up instantly and noticing her slightly thin figure.

The witch, who was usually known for her strictness, gave Thea a rare, kind reminder: "You are already very good. You don't need to push yourself too hard. Immersing yourself in knowledge is a good habit, but you also need to take care of your health."

Thea's smile became even more genuine. "I understand, thank you, Mrs. Pince. I will be careful."

Mrs. Pines could also see Thea's seriousness, and her thin face seemed to soften.

"Let's go! Let's leave after we've registered! Don't block the door!"

Mrs. Pince's tenderness did not last long; in an instant, she reverted to her rigid and serious demeanor.

Not long after Thea left the library, she received a message from Dumbledore:

“Miss Black, your confinement begins tonight. Please arrive at my office before 6 p.m.

Also, I've recently come to like Pepper Boy.

Albus Dumbledore.

The note turned to ashes and disappeared the moment Thea finished reading it.

If it weren't for the fiery red phoenix in front of her, Thea would almost think she was dreaming.

Seeing that Thea remained silent, it flew in mid-air, its eyes fixed on the little witch in front of it, its gaze seemingly urging her on.

"Thank you, Phoenix. Please tell Mr. Dumbledore that I will arrive at the Headmaster's office on time tonight."

Phoenix nodded as if it understood human nature after receiving Thea's reply, and then disappeared from Thea's sight without hesitation.

Watching the phoenix fly away, Thea walked towards the Slytherin common room with a sense of regret.

She may need to make some preparations regarding tonight's confinement.

Thea was not unaware of Dumbledore's plans, but he simply wanted to keep an eye on her Parseltongue in order to curb the recent attacks.

There's no way around it, Thea is just too suspicious!

However, you might be disappointed this time. I'm not the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. Nobody ever said that other Parsleyans can't be at Hogwarts!

At 5:55 p.m., Thea arrived at the third-floor stairwell on time and recited the command: Pepper Little Rascal.

At 5:59, Thea entered the principal's office.

"Professor, do I have any tasks for tonight? Like cleaning the principal's office?"

Thea looked around the spacious office, which was filled with silverware, and thought to herself that cleaning it would be quite a hassle.

"Ha! Why would Thea think that? Your task tonight isn't cleaning, it's this!" Dumbledore laughed, waving his wand, and a set of tables and chairs appeared before Thea, along with a large stack of... Lockhart's complete set of adventure books?

"Professor?" Thea's face was full of doubt.

"Yes, Thea, I know you are a studious child, and you must have read these books a long time ago."

However, I require you to review it again now, summarize what you find valuable, and write a paper based on it. There is no word limit, but the content must be complete.

“Yes, Professor.” Thea agreed to the somewhat strange request without batting an eye.

"By the way, here is some information about Professor Lockhart during his studies, which may be helpful for your thesis."

As she spoke, a stack of kraft paper reappeared on Thea's table.

Looking at the pile of books and materials in front of her, Thea felt a rare sense of unease, as if she didn't know where to begin.

She couldn't understand why Dumbledore would assign her this task. According to her guess, Dumbledore should at least have taught her some spells like the Patronus Charm to test whether she was a dark wizard!

Thea stared at the book in silence for a while, then finally decided to just focus on writing her thesis.

She decided to start by looking at Lockhart's school experiences.

This includes the student's academic performance during their time at school, the honors they received, their notable achievements, and the evaluations of them by professors and classmates.

This information was surprisingly detailed. Aside from Lockhart's famous deeds, Thea could even glimpse the tense atmosphere of that era.

The more Thea looked at it, the more she felt that Dumbledore had ill intentions, delivering this information to her for no reason.

Don't think I can't see it; there's a lot of inside information about the Raiders Quartet hidden here!

Even though Thea was inwardly criticizing Dumbledore, she still diligently organized Lockhart's information.

The more Thea sorted through the information, the more she felt Lockhart was indeed a fraud!

Lockhart only passed three of the seven required courses at OWTS, including Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration, and three of them were P's!

Good heavens! As someone who got zeros in every subject, Thea simply couldn't understand the world of academic underachievers.

They couldn't understand why the other party had been swindling and deceiving in the wizarding world for so long without being exposed. Were wizards really too naive?

Thea looked at the Lockhart timeline she had compiled and compared it with his performance in the novel. Her brows furrowed tightly, and a surge of indignation rose in her heart once again: Why are almost all the people I encounter SSR-level old foxes!

Seeing Thea's furrowed brows, Dumbledore happily unwrapped the candy again, skillfully tossed it into his mouth, and his anxiety about the past few days gradually subsided.

Little wizards should love learning!