When Aiden said, "Congratulations," Ron's face lit up with pure relief and joy.
But before he could even open his mouth to shout out the fear he had been holding in—
Aiden's next words instantly knocked him straight from heaven to hell.
"Incorrect answer!"
Nothing could be more terrifying than those three words.
Ron stared at Aiden with a flicker of hope in his eyes.
He knew a punishment was inevitable…
But could it at least be a little lighter?
"An incorrect answer will result in a punishment," Aiden announced calmly.
"Mr. Weasley's punishment is to experience the sensation of internal organ compression."
As he spoke, Aiden even winked at Ron.
As if this punishment was supposed to be something simple and harmless.
"W–wait… wait a minute!" Ron stammered, breaking into a cold sweat.
His entire body trembled as he tried to persuade the glowing humanoid in the center to give him a moment to brace himself.
Just hearing the literal meaning of the punishment was enough for him to know it wasn't good.
Internal organ compression?
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Compared to Draco simply having to dance, Ron suddenly felt that dancing in front of the entire school wasn't so bad after all.
He wanted to beg for a different punishment.
Unfortunately for Ron, the [Live Broadcast Q&A System] had no intention of listening to him.
The moment Aiden finished announcing the punishment, Ron's body twisted on its own.
He compressed violently out of thin air into a grotesque ball of limbs.
A few agonizing seconds later, he snapped back into his original form.
His face was pale. His whole body shook.
Seeing Ron endure that punishment for the first time sent chills down everyone's spine.
His entire body had folded in on itself like paper. And it took several seconds for him to return to normal.
"I suddenly feel a bit sorry for Ron. How about… we bully him less from now on?" one student whispered.
"No, no, no," Fred said seriously.
"Precisely because he's become so pitiful, we should bring him more joy in the future. And besides, what we do isn't bullying—it's called sharing happiness!"
"You're right, Fred!" George said with smirk.
Wood, who had been standing nearby listening, immediately stepped away from the twins.
These two monsters were completely inhuman.
That was Ron!
Their own biological brother!
Well…
At least they were consistent.
But that didn't stop Wood from distancing himself.
As the most notorious pranksters in Hogwarts, Fred and George usually had thousands of pranks in their heads at any given moment.
Wood absolutely refused to become one of their targets.
Let Ron bear the burden of his brothers' "love."
"Only two answers remain now," a Slytherin student said.
"The first one is obviously impossible, so the last one must be correct: Harry has Professor Snape's most disliked appearance and his most loved eyes."
Inside the Slytherin common room, several young Wizards gathered together, discussing intensely.
"Why can't it be the first answer?" one of Draco's cronies asked.
"If Harry really were Professor Snape's illegitimate son, he would've been sorted into Slytherin. And more importantly, Professor Snape wouldn't treat him like that," another student responded bluntly.
Daphne shot an annoyed glare toward the foolish question.
She turned her head to see which idiot had spoken—and instantly understood.
It was one of Draco's lackeys.
That explained everything.
After all, if Draco currently seemed to be short a few brain cells, how could his cronies be any better?
After Draco and Ron eliminated two of the answers, only two choices remained.
But anyone with functioning eyesight could clearly tell that there was only one real answer left.
Even Harry didn't take the first option seriously.
"It's your turn, Harry!"
All eyes turned toward him.
Even though everyone was certain Harry would get it right, they still awaited his final answer.
Harry glanced at Ron.
Ron's expression was miserable, but when he noticed Harry looking, he forced a shaky smile.
Harry took a breath and looked down at his card.
He had been staring at the fourth option the entire time.
He didn't spare a single glance at the first one.
Snape's gaze lingered on Harry—or more accurately, on Harry's eyes.
No one knew what Snape was thinking at that moment.
Perhaps Dumbledore might have a guess, but he said nothing.
"I choose the fourth answer," Harry said firmly.
A strange sense of understanding rose within him.
From the very first day he arrived at Hogwarts…
When Professor Snape looked at him, perhaps he wasn't looking at Harry himself.
He was looking at his eyes.
"Are you sure?" Aiden asked.
"Absolutely sure."
"Congratulations, Harry. Correct answer."
Aiden's voice was calm after a moment of silence, and Harry finally breathed out, tension melting away.
"So it really is the fourth one. Why though?"
"Looking at that answer, Snape must really dislike Harry's appearance."
"This is unexpected. Even though the fourth answer became obvious after the process of elimination, it's still surprising!"
Students across the four houses murmured in surprised discussion.
Snape's expression grew increasingly complex.
"Congratulations, Harry," Aiden repeated.
"Thank you," Harry replied softly, unable to hide his mixed feelings.
"Now," Aiden said with a bright smile, "let's view the answer analysis and distribute the rewards."
After Dumbledore's previous prize, everyone was extremely curious about what Harry would receive.
"What do you think Harry will get?"
"Probably something similar to what Professor Dumbledore got."
"Yeah, probably an increase in magic power."
"That would be nice. Not that you'd ever get it if you wanted it."
Even Harry couldn't help feeling excited.
Then—
Two strangely shaped objects appeared in his hands.
He was familiar with these shapes.
Very familiar.
In fact, any Muggle-born would instantly recognize them.
They were…
Two guns.
Two very real, very unmistakable guns.
Harry stood frozen, speechless.
Dual-wielding Harry Potter?
Muggle-style?
No one could resist that mental image.