Chapter 100: Apology

“We have never seen that Green come to train…”

At the time, Wood was pacing anxiously on the wet ground, mud clinging to his feet and he did not care at all.

“He must be Ravenclaw’s secret weapon! Just like you, Harry.

You have to help the team figure this out, Harry, only you can do it…

If we go, we will definitely alert them, and those Ravenclaws will never let us know the real answer. They are best at scheming.

Just like how we always split up with you as soon as we leave the Quidditch pitch, they surely want to keep this hidden!”

Wood’s task troubled Harry greatly.

So he went to find Ron.

“Green Notes—oh no, you mean that Ravenclaw Green?”

In the Great Hall, Ron was holding a piece of parchment, writing nonstop. He scratched his head now and then, then bit his quill.

Harry could completely understand how he felt; it was the weekend again, and they had barely touched their assignments.

If they could not finish, Harry did not know about the other professors, but Professor Snape would definitely throw them out of the castle.

Well, now Harry had one more thing to worry about.

“Yes, Ron, what kind of person do you think he is?”

Harry said in a low voice.

“What else could he be!”

Ron suddenly dropped his quill on the table with a smack, looking very much like “of course I know all about this.”

“All right, all right, you know Percy, right? People like them are always conceited, acting superior, and love to boss everyone around…”

Ron said with deep conviction.

“Remember platform nine and three-quarters? My mum told you to watch out for Peeves, and he said, ‘It is the Bloody Baron, not Peeves, Mum. Honestly, you are so ignorant.’”

He imitated Percy’s tone; it was quite funny.

But Harry could not laugh at all. He refuted a little uncertainly:

“But Xi En Green is not the same as a prefect… right?”

“Honestly, Harry, how could you think that,”

Ron spread his hands.

“If he were different, he would not be hanging around with Hermione…”

As if remembering something, Ron practically gnashed his teeth.

“Remember? ‘So you think this is a reward for breaking school rules’? I think he is just like Hermione, a nightmare!”

Ron’s words left Harry silent for a long time.

Until Neville, who was passing by, suddenly stammered a few words:

“Xi En… he is not like… what you said…”

“Oh, come on, Neville, I guess they pity you, just like Hermione…”

Ron realized halfway through that he had said the wrong thing. He knew he must have been tortured senseless by homework to say something so hurtful.

“S-s-sorry, Neville, I did not mean that.”

He stammered his apology.

Only after Neville forgave him did he let out a long sigh of relief.

“Xi En is different.”

When Xi En was mentioned, some of Neville’s timidity faded. He repeated it again, more firmly:

“Xi En said: if you want to understand someone, you must not listen to rumors and gossip. You have to really get to know them, just like… me…”

After Neville finished, his complexion flushed red. These were the words Xi En had used to comfort him; he had never expected that one day he would be brave enough to say them aloud.

“Very well said, Neville!”

Justin came over; his exclamation made Neville blush from head to toe.

“Bravely standing up for your friend is one kind of courage among all kinds of courage.”

Justin whispered sincerely beside Neville:

“You did especially well—oh, by the way, Harry, good evening.”

“Good evening—”

Harry replied a little uncertainly, since he and Ron had just been bad-mouthing someone.

Justin skipped over Ron. He knew that if a person could not choose their own life, could not have hope and sincerity, they would only become more and more narrow-minded.

Just like that red-haired wizard.

Just then.

Holding a book, Xi En left the Great Hall. There was still an hour before he had to go down to the dungeon, and he planned to go to a classroom to practice spell interruption for a while.

He took out a piece of parchment on which Professor Flitwick had happily written him a timetable, so Xi En could easily find him during free time.

Although the professor kept breaking his own schedule and plans—for example, getting drunk at The Three Broomsticks Inn and then mixing up the time—during those times Xi En would practice spells on his own until the professor returned.

Passing by the fireplace in the corner, Xi En saw Justin, Harry, Ron, and Neville gathered together talking about something.

Ron looked somewhat terrified after making eye contact with him, and Harry did not look much better.

Xi En did not mind and walked straight out of the Great Hall.

“We are done for, we are done for…”

Ron gaped blankly. His hair was a mess, and his homework-fogged brain suddenly cleared quite a bit.

“Green did not hear what we said, did he? Merlin, I clearly do not know anything—what on earth did I say?!”

The light in his eyes went completely dim. He seemed to already see a line written in Green Notes:

“Ron and dogs are forbidden to read.”

Seeing Ron clutching his own hair, Justin was a bit surprised.

This Gryffindor did not seem bad, just… a bit reckless.

Harry was not much better off than Ron. He instinctively took Ron’s words as a mistake shared by the two of them.

The flames crackled in the fireplace. Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, as if they had made a huge decision:

“Neville is right… we seem to have done wrong again. Justin, can you tell me how to find Xi En?”

He looked at Justin; it was as if a lion was hidden in his eyes.

“Xi En will be in the second-floor corridor at six in the evening, Harry. If you and Mr. Weasley want to apologize, you can find him then.”

Only after Harry and Ron left did Justin finally burst into laughter.

He thought to himself that Xi En would surely be inexplicably startled then.

…

Evening.

Xi En’s face flashed across the stained glass window in the corridor. He looked into the distance: outside the castle, a giant carrying a lantern was passing by, and the lantern in his hand was several times larger than the one Xi En held.

At that moment, beside a gleaming suit of armor, Harry and Ron were anxiously waiting.

Perhaps Xi En really was, as Ron said, a conceited person?

Then he would surely snort disdainfully and walk away.

Or would he, like Hermione, give them a good scolding?

Harry thought that if Xi En really drew his wand, he would be done for; after all, he could not defeat a troll, nor could he beat a werewolf with his bare hands.

But the fact was completely beyond Harry’s expectations—

“You mean, you bad-mouthed me behind my back without my knowing, and now you want to apologize?”