Chapter 244: Are You Going to Violate the Contract?
Fudge’s reply letter arrived quickly—faster still came the rumors spreading through Hogwarts.
“Did you hear? The Minister of Magic is coming to visit next month, to watch our Maze Challenge!”
“Apparently, the Head of the Auror Office will be here too!”
“Rufus Scrimgeour? He was here just recently, wasn’t he?”
“Catching criminals is not the same as visiting a school! Last time he only saw Lockhart. This time, he’ll actually be watching students’ Water levels.”
“So if you perform well, you might even get recruited by the Ministry of Magic right after graduation!”
The younger students found it amusing, but the Seventh Years were practically buzzing with excitement. A direct path into the Ministry wasn’t something that came around every year. Most graduates who eventually joined the Ministry might spend years without ever speaking a word to the Minister himself.
Even Percy, who usually immersed himself in studying and looked down on such “crude” activities, found himself drawn in. But lacking real experience, he was kicked out within three minutes—along with his roommate, who got dragged down too.
“Honestly, Percy, this isn’t the kind of face-to-face spell-throwing situation you imagined,” his roommate said bluntly. “You’ve got to watch your surroundings—attacks could come from above! Maybe you should start training with younger students first?”
But training with younger students meant no chance of reaching the finals—no chance of being seen by the Minister at all.
Percy stiffened, nodded curtly, and left without arguing. His mood soured.
He waited for quieter moments and tried entering the Maze alone several times. Each attempt lasted only a short while. His spellwork was precise and fluent—far better than most—but his reaction time and tactical instincts lagged behind.
Yet after observing for a while, he made an unexpected discovery: not all the younger teams were just playing around. Several were exceptionally strong—among them, a group led by his younger brothers.
For a moment, Percy hesitated, caught by the weight of sibling pride. But after hitting dead ends with other Gryffindor teams, he made up his mind and went to find the twins.
“Actually, you could come with me,” said Penelope—his friend from Ravenclaw, a Sixth Year Prefect. “Even though everyone else is Ravenclaw, they all know your academic record. We’d get along just fine.”
Which was worse: embarrassment in front of his younger brothers… or in front of his girlfriend?
Percy didn’t need to think. He lifted his chin slightly and said, “Actually, Fred and George already invited me to help them. Sure, their academic performance isn’t great, but their magical ability isn’t bad.”
“Alright,” Penelope said with a knowing smile, nodding. “My door’s always open.”
Percy regretted the words the moment they left his lips—but he couldn’t take them back. After class, he went straight to find Fred and George.
The twins weren’t teaming up with anyone in the Umbrella Room. They already had close friends in their House—Lee Jordan, Angelina, Katie, and others. But the core of their team remained the twins themselves.
Before Percy even reached the entrance, he heard his little sister shriek, “Why can’t I join? Everyone else can!”
“Must we keep repeating this? You’re too young! And your friends? Their skill levels are terrible. I doubt they can even cast a proper Repulsion Charm.”
“Don’t underestimate me! And this is voluntary—just because you two say no doesn’t mean you can stop me!”
With that, Ginny Weasley stormed out, slamming the door behind her. The twins exchanged helpless looks.
“Somehow, she’s cuter when she’s still a baby,” Fred sighed.
“Maybe you’ve forgotten she once climbed onto both our heads and up onto the cabinet,” George said.
“Then Mom saw her—”
“Even though it was Ginny being mischievous, Mom blamed us—”
Two brothers who’d suffered the same fate looked at each other, nearly bursting into tears—until a sharp, disapproving voice cut through the air from inside.
“Because back then, Ginny was only three. You two were already big enough to know what’s dangerous!”
The twins snapped their heads up. There stood Percy, entering the room.
“So? What’s next, Weasley Prefect? You’re here to lecture us again?” George asked, clearly annoyed.
Percy’s face turned crimson.
---
Building on the previous competition, teams grew more mature and disciplined. Some trained daily, dedicating hours to preparation. Even the professors caught the spirit, weaving advanced, situation-specific spells into their lessons.
Professor Abigail skyrocketed in popularity. Older students lined up outside her door, eager to get beaten up—only to leave with bruised faces and a small taste of real dueling experience.
On Wednesday afternoon, Wade and the others returned from Herbology to find strange black behemoths scattered across the central courtyard. Filch was directing his crab army in frantic cleaning motions, while Professor Abigail levitated a massive barrel of Cleaning Agent into place.
“Professor?” Michael asked. “These look like Muggle weapons.”
Indeed, the courtyard was filled with old guns and a few small cannons—ancient, rust-covered, and clearly decades past their prime.
“Yes,” Professor Abigail confirmed. “These are Muggle weapons. I wanted you to see what Muggles used to kill each other with. I thought I’d have to ask a friend to borrow some, but then I checked—turns out, the school already has them.”
“But… they look completely broken,” Padma frowned, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“True,” Abigail admitted. “They’re nearly antique. But with a little repair, they’ll be as good as new.”
She ran a hand along the barrel of a cannon. “Of course, I’ve also prepared some new equipment—just in case any of you start thinking Muggles aren’t serious.”
“Hmm…” the students murmured, expressions ranging from curiosity to skepticism.
“So, who wants to lend a hand? Cleaning these won’t be easy.”
Professor Abigail crossed her arms, waiting.
The students had long grown accustomed to receiving extra guidance from her after class. Now, no one dared refuse.
One by one, they approached. Dozens of 【Scourgify】 spells lit up the air, sweeping away years of grime and restoring the weapons’ former luster.
Where magic failed, brute force took over—Cleaning Agent, scrub brushes, and iron shovels worked their way into the rusted joints.
“Ha! Look at this!” Peeves suddenly burst out of the castle, spiraling around the old weapons like a mischievous ghost. Then, with a wicked gleam in his eye, he lunged at Professor Abigail and shrieked:
“Are you going to Violate the Contract?”
(End of Chapter)
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