Chapter 17. Farming Reputation Points
I clicked the diary shut, locked it with magic, and then charmed it so that it couldn't be unlocked by anyone else.
I wasn't the one who had written the contents of the diary but it would still have a similar effect on me if it was found.
It would be far worse if it was found by somebody like Sawyer.
Destroying the diary was a hasty move, what if it came in handy?
I was the type to look at decisions from every angle before I took them, I tried to go with the choice that had the least possible risk.
It was why my mom couldn't understand why I was hellbent on writing. There were things that couldn't be simply explained.
When the diary was safely kept again, I settled in for the last time but I was far from sleepy.
I still had to make a definitive plan with what little information I had currently.
Firstly, I had to fix my reputation. It was quite the nuisance.
Plus, If I didn't prioritize my reputation right now and went ahead with leveling up, I would just end up at the center of the war, unable to fight for either side.
I had no plans to be a villain in this world, it was simply not an ideal choice to take.
'For every darkness that arises, a greater light will be born to suppress it. This is necessary for balance.'
It was something I instinctively knew, perhaps it was a warning provided by the system.
It was basically telling me that I was free to choose any path but I would have to bear the consequences as well.
Talking about the pinnacle of the Wizarding world, that would be the Minister of Magic, wouldn't it?
I had no interest in politics however and it honestly sounded like way too much work.
It was much cooler to be a powerful Auror and if I wanted authority I could even Head the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Considering the methods I planned to apply, I doubted I would be given that which was fine with me. Positions of power came with their own restrictions.
Now, that brought us back to fixing my image. If I tried to be an Auror with my current reputation, it would be like Voldemort wanting to be recruited into the Order of Phoenix or something.
Granted, that was a bit over the top but you get the picture.
I kept saying that I needed to fix my reputation but I had no idea on how to go about it. It was much trickier than powering up.
It was exactly why I would try to get back on the Quidditch team.
Quidditch was a well-loved sport, not just in Hogwarts but in the entire Wizarding world. It was the perfect occasion to farm reputation points.
There was no love lost between the other Houses and Slytherin but if I was an awesome Quidditch player, it would lessen a bit of their dislike.
Also, as a bonus, my House wouldn't hate me anymore if I won the first match of the season.
Thus, that was my current goal. To win the first Quidditch match of the season.
While I was working towards that I would also increase my stats across the board, I needed to know what would happen when I maxed out my stats.
I wasn't so quick to forget about 'Vindicta'. There was little I could do about them while I was in school so I would just have to keep a sharp eye and ear out.
I remained awake a long time after, thinking about the same things over and over until the exhaustion started to seep in.
I had a very tiring day, it had gone on for so long too that it felt like I had been awake for a couple of days.
Eventually, I gave in to sleep.
The next morning, as I got ready for the day, I noticed the dark glares that Sawyer kept shooting my way.
Well, to say notice was a gross understatement, he was just short of walking right to my face and engaging me in a glaring contest.
Once again, I ignored him. I wasn't the type to waste my time and energy on unnecessary conflict.
Besides, getting into fistfights with Sawyer would only smash my already nonexistent reputation points.
Avoiding him was also a very difficult task because he seemed hell-bent on making my existence as unbearable as possible.
Now that I had a little insight into the relationship that the previous occupant had with Sawyer, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that made Sawyer hate him so.
A hate that I inherited from transmigrating into this body.
I did my best to keep my distance from him for the entirety of the morning, however, making my way to the Great Hall where we would be served breakfast.
I had come to a decision to report to Madam Hooch about the issue with me being kicked off the Slytherin Quidditch team and if it escalated, I would be forced to drag my House Head into this as well.
Professor Slughorn might not want to offend the majority, it was why I hadn't chosen him as my first choice.
At breakfast, owls swarmed the Great Hall, fluttering around as they searched for their owners.
I didn't flinch when I felt a familiar weight on my shoulders, I was expecting it.
However, I did flinch when I turned to my side to get a look at the owl that had landed on my shoulders. It wasn't Echo.
Instead, it was a tawny barn owl with friendly brown eyes, there was a letter tied to one of its feet.
I knew who had sent it as soon as I opened up the letter, it was quite obvious, only one person would bother to send me letters.
Aunt… Vannessa.
We were awkward around each other but we got along fine. To me, she was a strange, kind Witch that I didn't know very well.
And to her, I was her once rude nephew who now acted very differently, it must be quite the shock to her.
I actually thought about mailing her a letter but she beat me to it.
The strange owl settled on the table in front of me and just calmly watched me read Vannessa's letter.
She was just checking up on me, asking about how the journey went and if I needed anything.
I quickly wrote up a return letter, reassuring her that I was fine and she didn't need to worry about me.
I watched the barn owl fly out through the high windows to begin its long journey back to the House on Butter St.
Vannessa had told me the name of the owl in the letter that she sent me, His name was Meili.
I had a feeling that I would be seeing Meili quite often.
Echo showed up, not long after. She came empty-handed and quietly hooted as she kept me company.
I was also delivered a copy of The Daily Prophet by a Paper owl so my breakfast was filled with different owls stopping at my table.
I was finally given the chance to actually get some nourishment when I felt the hair on my neck prickle.
I looked up to find Captain Jon heading towards me, another stern-looking Wizard walking beside him.
'Oh?' It seemed like I would not have to bother going to report to Madam Hooch after all.
The Wizard that had accompanied Captain Jon was Gabe Garrett, a 7th-year Slytherin prefect.
Captain Jon looked guilty as they approached me, it made me sit up straighter, this was going to be good.
"I apologize for my behavior last night, you're back on the team." He muttered stiffly, still not looking me in the eye.
It made me scoff, what kind of Quidditch Captain was this?
I was quick to accept the proposal to return though, it made things much easier for me. I would always choose the easy way.
Prefect Barnet made sure to apologize again and I couldn't help but think that there were actually some good people in the Slytherin House.
And So I was back on the team. From the kind of person that the previous owner had been, I doubted I was even important to the team.
I probably remained on the bench and was never drafted into play.
I had no idea how he found out that I had been kicked out of the team because of Sawyer's malicious planning but I was grateful he did.
I finished up my breakfast of oats and fruits with time to spare, I wanted to get a headstart at finding my first class which was potions.
The Professor taking the class was Professor Slughorn, Head of the Slytherin House and we would be taking the class with Gryffindor.
I needed to figure out how to get there though.