Chapter 500: Prefect Benefits

On the following Wednesday and Thursday, the study pressure did not improve, and the daily schedule was still full.

Gryffindor's class schedule on Wednesday is:

There is a Divination class and two Transfiguration classes in the morning, a Care of Magical Creatures class in the afternoon, and in the evening I have to travel a long way to the Astronomy Tower for an astronomy class.

The situation in Slytherin was similar. All the young wizards except Sheelin were miserable.

Of course, the one who had the worst time was definitely Harry - starting from Tuesday, in addition to his regular classes and homework, he had to go to Umbridge's office for detention at 5pm every day. Not only was the process painful, but he was often not allowed to leave until midnight.

His homework was now so overwhelming that when he returned to the Gryffindor common room, he did not go to bed, even though he was exhausted, but opened his book and began to catch up on his homework.

On Thursday, he spent the whole day in a daze and fatigue. He was in a daze and had no idea what he had done, what classes he had attended, what he had done, and what he had eaten. He didn't remember anything.

The only thing he remembered was the dreaded punishment of solitary confinement - during the solitary confinement, the only thing he had to do was to use the enchanted feather pen to write on the parchment: I must not lie.

The ink he used for writing was his own blood. Every time he wrote, a wound would appear on the back of his right hand, which would heal and then crack, bleeding and becoming the ink for writing. Umbridge was torturing him with her sharp black feather pen, and Harry was very clear about this.

The back of his hand was still burning with pain, and on the skin there were a few words deeply engraved into his flesh, eye-catching and bright, in blood red: I cannot lie, constantly reminding him how terrible this punishment was.

Harry hated Umbridge and everything around him - he hated Dumbledore's indifference to him since the beginning of the semester, he hated the unfair attacks on him by the wizarding community, and he hated himself even more for being weak and powerless and having to endure all kinds of injustice.

If he had the power of Dumbledore, why would he be afraid of a despicable person like Umbridge? Not to mention Dumbledore, even if it was Shaylin Malfoy who was in the same class as him, Umbridge probably wouldn't dare to provoke him easily.

Anger was boiling in his heart, and from time to time he had some thoughts that even he thought were too cruel - if he had enough power, he would definitely make those people suffer, let Umbridge, Sherin, Draco... all know his anger and witness how terrifying he was.

But at the same time, he was struggling. His reason and conscience would not allow him to abuse violence, and he did not want to follow in the footsteps of Tom Riddle, who degenerated into a cruel and tyrannical Dark Lord because of his thirst for power.

In stark contrast to Harry, Sherin had a very relaxing and enjoyable Wednesday and Thursday.

The two of them had similar numbers of courses and similar workloads, but Xie Ling had finished his homework early and even had a lot of extra time to do his own things.

He first explored the restricted section of the Hogwarts library.

In his second year, he once entered the restricted area by tricking Professor Lockhart into signing, but he was being closely watched by the librarian, Ms. Pince, so he could only take a quick tour and borrow Merlin's bloodline research notes.

Now, as a prefect, he has the power to freely enter and exit the restricted area. Moreover, starting from this semester, Ms. Pince has resigned from Hogwarts, which makes Sherin even more certain that she is the spy arranged by the Shadow of the Dragon in Hogwarts. It is very likely that she was the one who kidnapped Hermione in the library last year.

The new librarian, Brigitte, is still a middle-aged woman with a bad temper, but when facing Schelling, she appears to be very good-tempered - Schelling's various awards, identities and halos, as well as his powerful family background, make the new librarian dare not provoke him.

She didn't dare to ask what Xie Lin was doing in the restricted book area or how long he stayed there. Anyway, Xie Lin was the class monitor and it didn't violate school rules, so she was naturally happy to do this favor.

Schelling did not waste this opportunity. He used the three magical automatic quills to copy all the forbidden books in Hogwarts, including the "Book of Spells", "Powerful Potions", "The Most Poisonous Magic" and so on mentioned in the original book.

This means that Schelling's private library has collected all the books in the restricted areas of the three major magic schools in Europe.

[A large number of copies of "Hogwarts Restricted Section Collection" are available! ]

The second place he explored was the bathroom for prefects. The bathroom was located on the sixth floor of the castle, the fourth door to the left of the statue of Confused Boris, and could only be entered using a password.

This bathroom is much more spacious than an ordinary bathroom, with a huge white marble bathtub in the center, which is big enough to be used as a small swimming pool.

There are more than a hundred faucets decorated with shells inlaid on the surrounding walls. Each faucet can spray out foam bath water of different temperatures, different scents, and even with magical effects.

The bathroom ceiling is also cast with magic, creating a starry sky or misty clouds, making people feel as if they are in a dream while bathing.

The walls of the room are inlaid with large pearl white tiles, reflecting the warm and soft light, and the most eye-catching thing is a huge mermaid painting on the opposite wall.

The red-haired, blue-eyed mermaid leaned lazily on the coral reef, combing her long hair gracefully, occasionally opening her eyes, casting a curious look, and even blowing a string of bubbles that blended with the steam from the bathroom.

Xie Ling took off his robe, walked to the bathtub, randomly selected a faucet inlaid with amethyst, and twisted it gently. A stream of deep purple bubbles flowed into the pool and quickly dissolved in the water. The bathtub immediately covered with a layer of fine foam, with the scent of lavender and sandalwood.

He slowly sank into the warm water, closed his eyes, and enjoyed this moment of tranquility. As the magic bath water slowly penetrated into his skin, a sense of comfort swept over Xie Ling's body, and his fatigue gradually dissipated in the warm water. Not only did his body relax, but even his mental stress was melted away bit by bit.

At this moment, the mermaid in the portrait on the wall gently raised her hands, and the melodious singing echoed in the bathroom. It was the ancient and mysterious mermaid language, with a gentle and graceful tone, like the waves hitting the reefs, with an indescribable charm.

Xie Ling could feel the magic contained in the singing, like a pair of invisible hands, gently soothing his inner restlessness, letting his thoughts flow with the waves, immersed in this brief but extremely luxurious tranquility.

Just as he was thinking about the various speculations about the Hufflepuff gold cup during the day, the bathroom door was pushed open.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know there was anyone inside." A clear voice sounded.

Sherin opened his eyes and saw a tall, handsome boy standing in the doorway, the Hufflepuff crest shining brightly on his robes.

"It's okay, Cedric, you can come in too." Sherin said calmly and nodded at him.

Cedric Diggory smiled and walked in, hanging his robe aside, revealing his solid figure. He walked to the other side of the bath and turned on the tap, and golden bubbles flowed out, carrying the scent of lemon and honey.

"Do you like to use this place too?" Xie Ling asked casually.

"Of course, it's much better than our Hufflepuff public bathroom." Cedric smiled and leaned against the pool. "Besides, it's not so noisy here."

Xie Ling nodded in agreement, and the two of them sat in silence for a while, with only the sound of rippling water.

"How long do you usually stay here?" Sherin asked casually. "Sometimes I soak for half an hour, sometimes longer." Cedric smiled, "But I usually come here after Quidditch practice, which helps my muscles relax a lot."

Sherin glanced at him and asked, "Is your Hufflepuff Quidditch training tiring?"

Cedric shrugged. "It's tiring. Our team is in pretty good shape this year, so everyone is training very hard. I have to lead the way, otherwise the players won't work so hard."

Sherin leaned against the pool and asked with interest, "If Hufflepuff played against Slytherin, do you think you would have a chance of winning?"

Cedric chuckled. "You are from Slytherin. Are you asking this to test our background?"

Xie Lin also smiled: "Just curious."

Cedric thought for a moment and said, "Slytherin's style of play is very tough. Your brother is a tough opponent and he also has the fastest Firebolt. To win, our Chaser (himself) must find the Golden Snitch faster than them."

Sherin nodded and said casually, "I think you Hufflepuffs have the best chance of defeating Gryffindor."

Cedric raised an eyebrow and looked at him with interest: "Oh? Why?"

"Oliver Wood has graduated and left. It's hard to find a goalkeeper as good as him among Gryffindor wizards." Sherin's tone was casual, but his eyes were filled with the certainty of a precise analysis.

Cedric pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "You know a lot about Quidditch."

"It's OK." Xie Lin said calmly, "It's just my personal opinion."

The two chatted for a while until the bath water gradually grew colder, then they stood up, put on their robes, and left the bathroom.

Another benefit of becoming a prefect is that you can use the prefect's meeting room, which is also a lounge exclusively for prefects.

Since only prefects can enter, it is usually much quieter than the common rooms of various colleges, and many prefects like to rest or do homework there.

Xie Lin pushed open the door of the prefects' lounge and was immediately surrounded by a faint herbal fragrance. The fragrance was fresh and pleasant, as if it could wash away the fatigue in the mind and make people instantly sober. He smelled the scent of passion flower, lavender and a faint peppermint, which should be some kind of herbal fragrance that can refresh the mind and improve concentration.

The lounge is bright and softly lit, with warm candlesticks inlaid on the ceiling, emitting just the right amount of glow.

There is a row of soft single sofas on one side of the room, and in front of each chair is a small magic bookshelf for the prefects to read or do homework.

On the other side was an exquisite self-service refreshment table, with a variety of desserts placed on the silver tray, each of which was fresh and tempting. The magic teapot was steaming gently, automatically brewing coffee and scented tea, and the air was filled with a faint scent of honey and tea.

These desserts and drinks are available in unlimited quantities, and the menu is automatically changed every day. This reminds Sherin of the experience of enjoying a buffet when he stayed in a Muggle five-star hotel in his previous life.

Xie Ling randomly picked a piece of raisin scone, picked up the butter knife beside him, and leisurely spread a layer of clotted cream on it, and added a little berry jam. He was about to find a sofa to sit down when a familiar female voice sounded from the side -

"I didn't expect you to come here."

Sherin looked up and met a pair of dark brown eyes. Elsie Montgomery, the head girl from Gryffindor, was standing by the refreshment table with a cup of Earl Grey tea and a faint smile on her face. She stood tall and the prefect badge on her shoulder shone slightly under the light.

"What? Isn't this place for class leaders?" Xie Lin smiled slightly, with a teasing tone in his voice.

Elusi snorted softly and raised an eyebrow, "Of course it's for the prefects, but you, a Slytherin prefect, don't look like you come here often."

"Indeed, this is my first time here." Xie Lin shrugged, sat down on a sofa, picked up a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee, took a sip, and the slightly bitter aroma melted on the tip of his tongue, with a faint fruity aroma. He looked up at Elusi and said with a smile, "But the environment here is not bad, much quieter than the Slytherin common room."

Elusi sat down on the sofa opposite him, stirring her Earl Grey tea elegantly, and said casually, "Of course, this is not an ordinary common room after all. Those who come here are prefects, so it will be a little quieter."

Elusi looked up at Xie Lin, her tone full of concern: "This is your OWL exam year, right? I see Wesley, Granger and other fifth-year prefects are all very busy, why do you look so relaxed, how are you reviewing?"

Hearing this, Xie Lin paused holding the coffee in his hand, then chuckled: "It's not bad. After all, I have been accumulating it on a regular basis."

Elusi raised an eyebrow: "You don't sound very nervous?"

"It's not that I'm conceited," Sherin shrugged, his tone relaxed, "Potions exams and Defense Against the Dark Arts exams are far less challenging for me than the Potions Championship and the Triwizard Tournament."

"That's true." Elusi took a sip of tea and said slowly, "But don't be careless in the History of Magic and Astronomy classes. These two exams are really not easy."

Xie Lin nodded thoughtfully. After all, Elusi was the president of the female student union, and her academic performance was among the best in the grade. What she said did make sense.

"So what's your suggestion?" He raised his eyebrows and looked at her, as if wanting to hear her opinion.

Elusi put down the teacup and said seriously, "I have some past papers and questions here. They were copied from memory by the previous class leaders after the exams. I will find them for you later."

"Thank you so much." Xie Ling said with a smile.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder, in the original book, Ron and Hermione were both prefects, and from Gryffindor, why didn't the original book mention that they had this benefit? Otherwise, Ron wouldn't have scored that well.

I am afraid that this is not just a simple benefit for the class leader, but also a resource that only specific class leaders are qualified to obtain.

The two continued chatting. Sherin first asked her for some advice on studying and preparing for exams, and then they complained about Umbridge's terrible Defense Against the Dark Arts class and Montgomery's career plans after graduation.

Although Montgomery is a Gryffindor, her quiet personality makes her more inclined to academic work. She plans to join the Ministry of Magic to do magical research, or teach at Hogwarts.

The two chatted under the warm light, the atmosphere was rare and relaxed, the polite greetings between the two heads quietly turned into real friendship. Under the light, the fragrance of tea was lingering, and their relationship became much closer without them noticing. (End of this chapter)