Two walls of fire that were constantly moving closer to each other remained in place, and the flames above the walls gradually faded away, ultimately turning into nothingness and disappearing.
Hermione, who was covering Lin Yue's eyes, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Lin Yue didn't kill anyone; otherwise, she really couldn't imagine the uproar this would cause at Hogwarts.
Principal Dumbledore would definitely conduct a personal investigation, and by then, Lin Yue might just be found out. She really didn't want Lin Yue to be sent to Azkaban. "Alright, let's hurry and leave," she said.
Hermione leaned close to Lin Yue's ear and whispered in an extremely soft voice. After speaking, she released her hand from covering Lin Yue's eyes, took her hand, and quickly left the corridor.
At first, when she saw Lin Yue leave the Great Hall, she thought Lin Yue was just going back to her dormitory after finishing her meal or heading to the library to read. But as she turned back to continue her dinner, her mind replayed the scene of Lin Yue leaving the Great Hall like a revolving lantern.
At that moment... the memories replaying in Hermione's mind clearly indicated that Draco Malfoy had also left the hall just before Lin Yue did.
In that instant, Hermione recalled the incident from earlier that day when Malfoy had insulted her. Without having time to think further, she suddenly stood up and rushed out, not even answering Harry and Ron's questions.
After all, if it was really as she suspected, she needed to catch up with Lin Yue as quickly as possible. She couldn't let Lin Yue commit murder because of her, especially since it would be easy to trace back to her.
Hermione couldn't allow Lin Yue to end up in Azkaban because of her. Fortunately, she managed to catch up. Looking at Lin Yue, who was now being led by her and walking silently with her head down, Hermione felt an immense sense of relief in her heart.
Behind the two people, the once charred black walls, floor, and ceiling that had been scorched by flames gradually returned to their original state. The magical aura dissipating in the air was continuously absorbed by the surrounding walls, as if the castle were breathing, drawing in these magical energies.
If earlier, in the hall, it was possible to trace the magic Lin Yue used to blow up the Slytherin table, but not identify the corresponding person, now in this corridor, it was impossible to even determine what magic she had used, let alone find out who it corresponded to.
As if that wasn't enough, a large hole suddenly appeared beneath the three unconscious Malfoys lying on the ground, large enough for all three of them to fall into together. They plummeted down, accompanied by three dull thuds as they hit the ground, landing neatly in the Slytherin common room.
The large hole in the floor slowly closed up, returning to its original appearance. Now, aside from the scorched Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe, there was no evidence left to prove what had just happened. Everything vanished without a trace under the castle's own concealment.
Being led back to the dormitory by Hermione, Lin Yue looked up at Hermione with a steady gaze.
Is she going to scold me, or punish me, for not properly protecting her?
I should have done this according to the results of the inequality, but I didn't manage to do it.
However, to Lin Yue's surprise, what awaited her was not Hermione's accusations or even a slap, but a warm embrace.
"Are you angry? Are you angry because Malfoy insulted me, and you wanted to kill them?"
Hermione tilted her head to look at Lin Yue's profile, eager to hear her say yes, as that would prove Lin Yue had learned to feel anger.
Lin Yue shook her head without any change in her expression, "No, I won't get angry."
"It's just that he threatened Hermione, so I have to eliminate the threat."
Hermione bit her lip, not feeling disappointed. It takes time to thaw a frozen lake; it would definitely be difficult for Lin Yue to return to normal.
But that's okay; she had plenty of patience for Lin Yue.
"What about yourself?" Hermione released Lin Yue and gently stroked her cheek. "Have you thought about the fact that if you kill Malfoy and the others at Hogwarts, you are very likely to be discovered by the professors, or even by Professor Dumbledore?"
"If that happens, you could very well end up in Azkaban."
Lin Yue looked at Hermione, her eyes devoid of light, filled only with a mechanical calmness.
"According to the results of the inequality, Hermione's life value is greater than my life value."
"Therefore, Hermione's life priority should come before mine."
"If I can use my life or freedom to help Hermione eliminate danger, it is a very worthwhile choice, in line with the conclusions of the inequality operation."
Hermione listened to Lin Yue's lengthy explanation, feeling her head buzzing. Did she hear it wrong? What inequality? When did her life and Lin Yue's life become part of the same inequality? Moreover, her life was considered greater than Lin Yue's, with a priority above Lin Yue's, allowing Lin Yue to use her own life to eliminate threats against her and saying it was worth it.
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After getting through the initial shock, Hermione placed her hands on Lin Yue's shoulders and struggled to speak. "Can I ask, what the hell, sorry, what is the inequality that compares your life and mine?"
Lin Yue nodded and spoke as if it were obvious, "According to the equation, Hermione's life is valued by both Aunt and Uncle at the same time."
"If something happens to Hermione, both Aunt and Uncle will worry, and that feeling of worry will make them uncomfortable."
"In the same situation, if something happens to me, my parents won't feel worried, so no one will be uncomfortable."
"Based on the above conclusions, if we include my life and Hermione's life in an inequality, Hermione's life is greater than mine."
A wave of dizziness hit Hermione; it was the first time she had heard that two people's lives could be compared like this.
She felt like crying and laughing at the same time—crying for Lin Yue's indifference towards her own life, and laughing at how kind Lin Yue was, trying to protect her parents from the feeling of worry after experiencing it herself, even though she didn't fully understand emotions.
Truly, she was both foolish and kind-hearted.
"Lin Yue, listen to me," Hermione cupped Lin Yue's face in her hands. "Life cannot be compared, do you understand? Its weight means it cannot be placed on a scale."
"Everyone's life is precious, and the most important thing for everyone is to cherish their own life."
"In particularly urgent situations, for a greater cause or a more significant goal, we can sacrifice our lives."
"But before that, if there is any other choice, even if that choice brings you additional loss, as long as it is not the loss of life, you should choose that option."
"So you must remember, you are the first priority, okay?"
Although this contradicted her own final conclusion based on value and consequences, Lin Yue still nodded, indicating that she understood.
"That's great," Hermione stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed Lin Yue's forehead, a brief touch before pulling away. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Yue.
"And who says that if something happens to you, no one will worry? I will worry, Senior Cho Chang will, Senior Marietta will, Senior Penelope will, Harry and Ron will, the whole Ravenclaw community will. You have long been in the hearts of many people."
Lin Yue, who was "held in Hermione's arms," looked at her with a gaze as lifeless as an inorganic substance, held in the hearts of many... Her heart was beating violently, as if something was breaking through the ground.
"So, if someone threatens your life in the future, don't hold back. Hit as hard as you can, just like I said, your life comes first for you," the little lioness of Gryffindor smirked, revealing her claws.
"Okay." Lin Yue nodded blankly, her mind automatically remembering the feeling of something breaking through from just now.
"Don't tell anyone about what happened today," Hermione said, leading Lin Yue to the bed and having her sit down. "No matter who asks you about it, don't admit that you did it."
"Just pretend it never happened, understand?"
"I understand." Lin Yue nodded in agreement with a flat tone.
Gently running her fingers through Lin Yue's hair, Hermione felt the smoothness slipping through her fingers and squinted her eyes in delight.
"Alright, I'm going back to the dormitory now. Remember to get some rest early."
"Mm."
"Good night, Lin Yue." Hermione ruffled Lin Yue's hair.
"Good night, Hermione." Lin Yue felt Hermione's soft and warm hand.
Watching Hermione Walk out of the dormitory, Lin Yue finally stood up and sat back at her desk, lowering her head to stare blankly at her hands.
Hermione said that life should not be compared, and that she should cherish her own life, not use her life to protect her.
Her brain was racing, and Lin Yue quickly corrected her thoughts and conclusions.
Her mind told her that she still wanted to protect Hermione.
Yes, just thinking of Hermione made the words "protect" automatically surface in her mind.
So she still wanted to protect Hermione, but it couldn't be at the cost of her own life; she had to ensure her own safety while protecting Hermione.
Having reached this final conclusion, Lin Yue stopped summarizing and reflecting on this point and began to recall how many school rules and regulations she had just violated, and how many places she should be punished for.
Not promptly removing the danger for Hermione was one point, and using magic in the hallway was another.
The flames had damaged the castle walls, the floor, and the ceiling, which was another point, and injuring her classmates was yet another.
However, since Malfoy and his two lackeys are not dead, the severity of the punishment should be reduced accordingly.
Taking out her wand, Lin Yue got up and sat down on the edge of the bed, kicking off her shoes and getting into bed.
As she got into bed, she magically pulled the bed curtains closed behind her.
Under her wizard robe and school uniform skirt, there were faint bruises and a nearly healed light scar on the inner side of her left thigh.
In Lin Yue's eyes, her left leg gradually became "transparent," revealing her blood vessels and muscle tissue in full view.
Studying is the top priority, and punishment should not affect learning, so she chose a location for punishment that must avoid major blood vessels and muscle tissue, ensuring that she could use her left leg normally and that it wouldn't overly affect her usual state.
If she were to lose too much blood and feel dizzy while studying, that would impact her learning efficiency.
After determining a suitable spot for punishment, Lin Yue's wand tip hovered just above her thigh.
As Lin Yue slowly moved her wand, a wound suddenly appeared on the inner side of her fair thigh, continuously changing with her movements.
The wound Lin Yue made on herself wasn't very deep, but it wasn't shallow either; she could even see the red inside the wound.
Within two seconds, the broken capillaries began to bleed, and Lin Yue only stopped her hand when the wound reached ten centimeters.
The intense pain caused a thin layer of sweat to form on her forehead, but her expression didn't change in the slightest.
Having once experienced the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, she found the current pain relatively tolerable; the pain from the Cruciatus Curse was truly "ahead of its time" for her.
Watching the blood flow from the wound, Lin Yue pointed her wand at the injury and recited the blood-stopping spell.
Magic in the wizarding world is indeed very useful; there are not only Episkey that can directly heal wounds but also blood-stopping spells that only stop the bleeding without healing effects.
The standalone blood-stopping spell was originally designed to make it easier for wizards to learn and to lower the difficulty.
After all, the Episkey is still somewhat difficult, while stopping the bleeding is comparatively easier.
This is very suitable for most wizards to use in emergencies to deal with their own wounds, preventing excessive blood loss and potential accidents.
Now, this spell has become a great choice for Lin Yue. By using this spell, she can keep the wound and pain to make her punishment effective, while also avoiding excessive blood loss that could affect her study state. It's a win-win situation, which Lin Yue finds very valuable.
After adjusting her school uniform skirt and wizard robe, Lin Yue pulled back the bed curtain and stepped outside, her left leg twitching slightly. However, after taking a couple of steps to adapt, her left leg returned to normal movement. Aside from some pain, there were no other effects.
Sitting down at her desk, Lin Yue took out the book she borrowed from the library and began to read it carefully. The cover of this book was now clean, but when she first picked it up in the library, it was covered in dust. She had to use a cleaning spell to start reading it.
However, regarding the subject of this book... not many people would choose to read it. It is a book about the history and personnel composition of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families in the wizarding world. Who would want to read that?
The Sacred Twenty-Eight families themselves don’t need to read this book; they are either intermarried or have longstanding feuds, so who doesn’t know who? As for wizards of Muggle descent or half-blood wizards, they are even less likely to pay attention to the nobility of the magical world; knowing that there is a Sacred Twenty-Eight is already good enough for them.
Would they specifically go to read such a book? They are not that idle. Only Lin Yue, who doesn’t miss a single book, and a few wizards who want to choose a pure-blood family to attach themselves to would read this book.
However, this version of the book is quite new, and as Lin Yue reads, she subconsciously memorizes the content in her mind.
The name of Draco Malfoy is clearly written in the Malfoy family section, which proves that this book has existed for no more than twelve years. Some books in the magical world do not have a publication date, and this book happens to belong to that category, so Lin Yue can only judge the age of its edition by herself. Flipping to the next page, Lin Yue's eyes fell on the next wizarding family, the Gaunt family.