In her dazed state, Jane Yu felt a bitter liquid being poured into her mouth, making her want to vomit.

"Violation of school rules... expulsion..."

"First-year student... just enrolled..."

She heard two voices speaking English that she barely understood, finding them rather annoying.

However, her subconscious caught the word "expulsion," which filled her with joy. She even struggled to force her eyes open and found herself no longer in the chamber, but in a white room full of hospital beds - apparently the school infirmary.

She turned towards the source of the voices.

On her left stood a man with a hooked nose wearing black robes, his hair as greasy as if unwashed for days. He was glaring at her so fiercely that she had no doubt if looks could kill, she would have died hundreds of times already.

She turned to look at her right side - ah, it was her headmaster, with his white beard, still wearing his nightgown, his blue eyes full of scrutiny.

Poor hygiene, doesn't feed pets... these were her impressions of the headmaster now.

She unconsciously shifted towards the left side. Although the professor there had greasy hair too, at least he had a fresh medicinal smell similar to a Chinese herb shop. Compared to the unhygienic headmaster on the right, she preferred the greasy one.

However, to Dumbledore and Snape, this appeared as if she feared the kindly headmaster and sought protection from the greasy bat instead.

Both of them made faces as if they'd just eaten a vomit-flavored Bertie Bott's bean.

Had it been any ordinary student, Dumbledore would have certainly teased his gloomy old friend about this.

But before them was a first-year student who, on her very first day, had somehow managed to break through five obstacles and enter the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor, attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone while drunk!

In his hundred-plus years, except for that one person, he had never seen such an audacious student!

Slytherin... attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone... and from an orphanage background... This was hitting all his red flags at once!

Had the dark forces already infiltrated incoming students from their hidden places?

This thought made him sad and sorrowful.

Meanwhile, his old colleague had already started spewing venom in his characteristic hissing manner:

"Perhaps the esteemed Miss Yu feels that her performance at the Sorting Ceremony wasn't spectacular enough, and needs to roam the castle at night, break into restricted areas, and attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone on her first day to make herself famous throughout the school."

"Foolish, reckless, idiotic - your head must be filled with flobberworms."

"What a pity that you're in my house, or I would certainly recommend your expulsion to the headmaster."

What? They want to expel her!

Could there be such good fortune in this world!

Although this dark-clad professor liked to use many adjectives that Jane couldn't understand, she still keenly caught the word "expulsion."

Now this was a true professor!

Though he looked gloomy, he was so understanding!

Jane's eyes immediately showed gratitude and emotion.

What was with that grateful look?

Snape felt extremely uncomfortable!

Just because he mentioned not expelling her, this girl became this excited?

In his 32 years of life, he had never received such sincere emotion from a student, and it made him feel like ants were crawling all over him.

Dumbledore, who was watching their interaction from across, his blue eyes twinkling:

"Child, would you be willing to come chat with this old man in the headmaster's office?"

Jane understood this sentence, surely Dumbledore wanted to take her to his office to discuss her expulsion.

Just following procedure, every school does this!

She nodded happily and got out of bed.

Oh no... her head was still dizzy, she couldn't stand steady!

Before falling, she grabbed onto the black robes in front of her. With a sharp "rip," the clear sound of tearing fabric rang out as Professor Snape's black robes were torn clean across the waistline!

"Are you a troll?"

Snape's neck flushed red with anger as he violently yanked back the torn piece of black fabric.

"Ahem..." Jane felt quite embarrassed, tearing a professor's coat wasn't part of her plan.

She hadn't expected the robe's quality to be so poor. She decided that once she opened her Chinese medicine clinic in London, she would order ten sets of black robes for this professor!

But she didn't know his name yet, how would she find him later?

So in the dim castle corridor, she asked that eye-popping question:

"What'me?"

Snape's face turned as black as coal. Today he truly witnessed something unprecedented - a Slytherin student, standing before him after causing so much trouble... actually didn't know her Head of House's name!

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Is your brain filled with knotgrass? The professors were introduced during the Sorting Ceremony. Or perhaps your ears are stuffed with flobberworms, preventing you from hearing anything?"

Jane looked completely bewildered.

Why was this professor using fancy adjectives again? She couldn't understand.

"Enough, Severus. Let's continue this once we reach our destination, the portraits are all being woken up," Dumbledore intervened.

He was afraid he might laugh out loud if this continued. Watching the infamous Professor Snape being flustered was one of the great entertainments in his mundane life as headmaster.

Besides, a student breaking into the restricted area was a serious matter - it wouldn't be appropriate to smile in such circumstances.

Jane understood now - this professor was called Severus.

They walked up a spiral staircase shaped like a griffin to reach the headmaster's office entrance.

"Sherbet lemon," Dumbledore spoke the password to an incredibly ugly gargoyle at the entrance.

The door opened.

Jane sat down in a chair, looking around at the office's decorations.

The circular office's walls were covered with portraits, all sleeping with closed eyes. The Sorting Hat sat on a shelf to one side, also snoring. A large gold and red bird - like a golden pheasant - opened its eyes slightly at the noise from its perch. It seemed rather weak. The desk was covered with documents and several quills.

Even more eye-catching was the candy jar on the left side of the desk. It was stuffed with oddly shaped candies and chocolates, some even jumping slightly inside.

"Child, would you like some Cockroach Clusters? They're fresh and delicious," Dumbledore offered, seeing her staring at the candy jar.

However, Jane's look towards him had reached the height of disgust.

Poor hygiene, animal abuse, eating cockroaches... everything he did seemed unlike what a good person would do.

Seeing Jane firmly shake her head, Dumbledore could only disappointedly pop them into his own mouth.

"Well... let's talk about the restricted area," he interlaced his fingers, blue eyes looking at Jane. "Miss Yu, how did you get through those obstacles?"

Jane understood again - he was asking how she passed the trials.

She fell into deep thought, wondering how to answer this question with her poor English.

After a while, she replied concisely: "Feed dog."

So that's why there was a dinner smell in the air when they entered the three-headed dog's room!

Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other - the three-headed dog's weakness was music, it would fall asleep upon hearing music, but they had never thought of... feeding it!

Snape remembered something and pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, pouring out some powder to examine carefully.

"Indeed it's the three-headed dog's venom that corroded the Devil's Snare."

"And there are traces of saliva affecting the new aconite plants."

Being able to command the three-headed dog to do her bidding, perhaps Miss Yu had a talent for magical creatures!

Now both men looked at her differently.

This first-year... perhaps Hufflepuff would have been her proper house, Dumbledore thought.

"I see, child. Helga would have liked you," his expression softened, though the scrutiny remained in his eyes as he continued questioning, "Then how did you open all those doors without keys?"

Jane pulled out her wand and placed it on the desk.

Dumbledore picked up the twisted, curvy wand with one hand - no, rather than a wand, he preferred to call it a twisted pretzel. He then cast several Prior Incantato spells with his own wand, but there was no response - its core had indeed never cast any spells.

Seeing the headmaster meticulously examining the wand, Jane found it quite strange - wasn't using the wand as a skeleton key simple enough? Why study it for so long?

She slid off her chair, walked forward to take back the pre... wand, and started to bend it - her action was immediately stopped by the headmaster, who was now looking at her with a complex, pained expression.

"Child, I have no intention of expelling you, don't treat your other half this way."

He thought Jane was acting self-destructively under his questioning, trying to snap her wand to leave school.

However, what happened next made his half-moon spectacles nearly fall off.

The girl inserted the wand into his office drawer's keyhole, and with a "click," the lock opened.

"Oh... so that's how..." he took the wand again, gently bending it back and forth - it seemed very flexible, able to bend and twist freely without breaking under external force.

"Cherry wood, child, you would be good at Transfiguration," he discovered another of Jane's talents.

Dumbledore returned the wand to her, his tone even gentler: "So we only have two puzzles left - how did you get through the chess set and the potions?"

Jane started thinking again. She wanted to say she stood on the right side with the white pieces... how do you say right again? Oh yes, right!

So she looked up at the headmaster and firmly said: "I stand on the right white side!"

What! She had such high awareness?

Dumbledore was extremely shocked - a newly enrolled student actually so firmly declared standing on the right side with the white wizards. He carefully examined Jane's expression, only seeing pure sincerity.

How could he extinguish such an innocent heart?

Any distrust would be harmful to a child.

He decided not to question further. At over a hundred years old, he should be more lenient with an eleven-year-old child.

"Good child," he stood up, closing his eyes with a long sigh. "I'm very glad you have such thoughts. But you're still a new student, these matters should be left to us adult wizards."

A rough hand gently patted Jane's black hair.

"I know you went there to prove your courage and fearlessness. In fact, courage isn't exclusive to Gryffindor - history has seen many courageous Slytherins..."

"Moreover, excessive courage and confidence can become recklessness and arrogance. If you hadn't thought of these methods, we might have only found your corpse."

"Therefore, I must deduct 100 points from Slytherin."

Dumbledore opened his eyes to look at Snape, who was indeed radiating cold air over the lost house points.

"Severus, please take Miss Yu back to rest."

Seeing tears in Jane's eyes, he thought the child might have been frightened by his criticism and the point deduction, and quickly consoled her: "You're an excellent child, with precious character and talent. You will achieve great things."

No! I don't care about any of that! The little figure in Jane's heart was screaming.

My plan for expulsion had failed!

That bright red stone, her surprise, was also gone!

She couldn't help but shed thick tears, and the headmaster, seemingly unable to bear it, gave her another handful of Cockroach Clusters.

With a handful of cockroaches, she cried even louder.

Snape let out a cold snort, dropped a "follow me," and with a swish of his torn black robes, left the room.

He understood this type of Slytherin - they were all great actors, speaking whatever suited their audience.

......

After they left, Dumbledore couldn't settle his mind.

Two things disturbed his mood.

First was that he needed to reset the bait for the hidden dark forces, and second was Jane Yu, this Slytherin.

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms: "Perhaps our sorting was too hasty..."

Love of adventure, courage, sneaking out at night to prove oneself... these traits appearing in a Slytherin student made him reflect on whether his past education had suppressed certain people's true nature.

"Ah—"

......

Meanwhile, Snape was leading his troll-like new student down the stairs with an imposing air.

"Miss Yu," he wouldn't even spare her a glance, his voice concealing anger.

He stopped at the common room entrance, making a crisp turn that caused his black robes to flutter.

"You'd better watch your words and actions, don't act as recklessly as those foolish lions. It won't improve your situation in Slytherin."

Jane looked up, meeting Professor Snape's eyes, trying to read his emotions.

Cold, seemingly without extra emotion...

"Pureblood!" The common room door opened.

"Your dormitory is in the furthest room," the black robes gradually disappeared.

Jane scratched her head, trying to analyze and understand the meaning of his words.

"Slytherin... situation... improve?"

Was he saying she should improve Slytherin's environment? That's what she thought.

Who would have thought this cold-looking professor was such an environmentalist at heart.

She surveyed the common room - the windows looked out to the bottom of the Black Lake, where schools of fish and a giant squid were swimming. Inside, the fireplace burned with crackling wood. There wasn't much lighting; under the flickering candlelight, the room was quite dim.

No wonder he wanted her to improve the environment!

Studying, writing homework, and chatting in such a dark and damp place would surely lead to rheumatism and glaucoma!

Since she had accidentally torn his robes and couldn't leave school for now, she might as well try to improve Slytherin's environment to repay this Head of House.

But clearly not today... she was too exhausted and needed a long sleep.