Chapter 123: Rift
"Shawn Green?!"
Professor McGonagall caught sight of the figure she had never imagined would be here and, for a moment, could not get her breath. She glared at Shawn, shaking with anger.
"Ravenclaw loses fifty points. For your ridiculous behaviour!"
She was clearly furious.
Harry and Ron were already gaping. How had the professors' fire suddenly shifted the instant Shawn appeared?
Equally stunned was Professor Flitwick outside the door. He paused. At this rate, was Ravenclaw about to run out of points altogether?
"Mr Green," Flitwick said, pushing the door open and stepping in. He coughed twice, which brought McGonagall back to herself a little, though Snape's gaze remained icy.
"Can someone tell us what happened? Children? Miss Granger, I seem to recall you were excused from lessons this afternoon," he added, kindly enough to let the terrified first‑years steady themselves.
"It was me. I came to find…" Hermione began. She was still dazed, but she could not just stand there and let Shawn lose a hundred and fifty points.
Think about it: he had worked so hard and only just earned that much.
"It was all of us, Professor," Justin cut in quickly. "We were going to meet Hermione and go to the feast together when we ran into the troll, and then we defeated it. Together."
He knew Shawn would struggle to speak right now. With the professors' fury raging like this, they were hardly going to listen patiently to the source of it all.
He had no idea whether Hogwarts would reward or punish them for taking down a troll. Judging from their faces, it did not look promising.
So they needed to share the blame.
"Oh? You say you risked your lives to defeat a troll?" Professor Flitwick blinked encouragingly, signalling him to go on.
"Yes, Professor. Neville and I distracted it. Harry and Ron drew its attention. In the end, Shawn used the Levitation Charm to bring it down," Justin said.
Looking at the massive club and the flattened skull, he quickly pieced together what must have happened and spun their so‑called "teamwork" without missing a beat.
The others stared at him, stunned.
Harry was the first to recover. "That is right, Professor."
"Yeah," Ron added.
House points?
Not the real problem.
No Green's notes – that would be a disaster.
Ron thought smugly that Mr Green's character was plain for all to see. After this, with such a helpful assist, surely he would get a look at the newest version of Green's notes.
The very idea made him giddy.
"Oh, how brave! Children, I think I must award you all…" Flitwick said, glancing at the two professors beside him.
McGonagall's anger died down. Worry replaced it as she looked the group over, especially Shawn.
Snape shot Shawn a look that promised death – the sort that clearly meant, Just you wait.
"First, Mr Green. For your outstanding Charms work, I must award you one hundred and fifty points," Flitwick declared.
One glance told him exactly which spells Shawn had used. He was delighted that his prize pupil had combined charms so well in a real fight.
Just look at that Levitation Charm, that Knockback Jinx aimed at the club… he had perfectly accounted for the troll's high magical resistance, fragile skull, and sheer bulk.
What superb tactical thinking.
McGonagall and Snape both looked sour, but neither objected.
Flitwick gave Shawn a quick wink that clearly said:
Do not worry. We can earn back what you lost.
"And the rest of you – I will award twenty points each. You did not abandon your friend, you divided the work wisely, and you fought on bravely until the troll was defeated," he said.
At that, everyone brightened.
"Now, go and enjoy your feast, children!" Flitwick added, hastily ushering them out before the other two professors could say a word.
Only when all three professors had gone did the chatter start up again.
"Merlin, Shawn, I still cannot picture you taking on a troll alone. It must have been incredible," Justin said with a grin.
"I heard a huge bang. Was that when it hit the floor?" Harry finally asked the question that had been on his mind.
The moment he spoke, he realised something.
The four wizards in front of him were almost always together – especially Shawn, Justin, and Hermione. He himself was not really one of them.
For some reason, Shawn just… helped him and Ron a lot.
"I suppose so," Justin said quickly. "What spell did you use to knock it out, Shawn?"
"Transfiguration. The Levitation Charm. The Knockback Jinx…" Shawn answered.
"Oh – and thank you," he added.
"I should be the one saying that…" Hermione's voice had its usual strength again.
"Thank you, Shawn. Especially you. And Justin, Neville, Harry, and Ron," she said.
Harry felt a vague, lingering distance dissolve the moment Shawn said thank you.
He had been more than content with that alone. He had not expected Ron to blurt out, out of nowhere:
"Can I see the latest edition of your Charms notes, Shawn?"
Justin all but doubled over laughing. "What 'latest edition'? The Charms notes are written and updated by Shawn and Hermione together. I am guessing the bit you are on about is what Hermione just added herself…"
Ron flushed scarlet, only for a sky‑blue notebook to be shoved into his hands. He turned to see Hermione, chin tilted.
"Take it. And I only did a tiny bit. Shawn's progress in Charms is far ahead of mine," she said.
…
October ended. November arrived right on time.
It was now impossible to go without gloves. Perhaps because the Quidditch season was approaching, the air between the houses crackled with tension.
After the troll incident, the three in the Hope Room had an inexplicable faith in Shawn. Harry and Ron did as well; after every lesson, they would go on about how he had taken down the troll on his own.
Any distance between him and Harry and Hermione vanished with surprising speed. That pleased Justin. With Harry and Ron around, Hermione never heard another whisper of gossip.
After all, the two boys had earned so many points recently that they were positively aggressive and did not care if a fight lost them a few.
Especially Ron – when his temper flared, he really would throw Scabbers.
As for Shawn, he had not been having a good time.
He had not seen Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape since that night.
Today, he needed to study Transfiguration and brew potions.
He had already tried to solve things by going to them directly, but both professors seemed to be in the Headmaster's office.
Which meant he had not managed to find either of them.
And on the afternoon of the day after Halloween, several figures were already gathered in the Headmaster's office.