Chapter 651: What Do You Mean, You Provoked Him?
Chapter 651: What Do You Mean, You Provoked Him?
As he felt the double-edged sword pressed against his head, Montague felt as if he had been doused with cold water, a chilling sensation running from the top of his head to his toes.
This sudden realization not only jolted him awake but also reminded him of Kyle's impressive track record and his top-of-the-class status in the school.
Montague felt he had just done something incredibly foolish—picking a fight with Kyle.
He might have the upper hand in a physical brawl, but when it came to magic, even ten of him together wouldn't stand a chance against Kyle.
Yet, what he couldn't understand was why Kyle dared to use magic here, right outside Professor Umbridge's office, without any fear of punishment, and with such a dangerous spell, no less.
As Montague stood there dumbfounded, a thrilled scream pierced through the silence in the corridor.
"Wow, this feels amazing!"
The armored head bobbed up and down on its neck, shouting excitedly, "Let's do it again! Come on, one more time!"
"Of course."
Kyle tapped his wand, and the armor once again slowly raised its arm.
The others finally snapped out of their daze.
"Ah!" Milicent's scream echoed through the corridor, alerting Umbridge, who was still in her office.
"What are you doing?" She flung the door open. "Keep the noise down!"
"Professor!" Montague cried out as if he had grabbed a lifeline, his voice filled with terror. "It's Kyle... he's trying to kill me!"
"Nonsense! Kyle would never do such a thing!"
"It's true!" Montague gestured frantically at the armor in front of him. "Look, he did this!"
Umbridge frowned as she looked at the armor holding the double-edged sword.
While she never believed Kyle would kill Montague at Hogwarts, the current scene before her was indeed a bit unnerving.
"I demand an explanation."
"My apologies, Professor," Kyle said with a smile. "Mr. Montague here seemed to question your decision and was reluctant to follow my instructions, so I thought it necessary to demonstrate my capabilities to him."
"Question my decision?" Umbridge looked sternly at Montague. "Is this true?"
"I... I didn't..." Montague shook his head repeatedly.
However, Umbridge still caught a glimpse of guilt in his eyes.
"Don't go overboard," she said, glancing at Kyle. "I don't want to see anyone sent to the hospital wing."
"Rest assured, Professor, I know my limits," Kyle said as he directed the armor back to its original position and put away his wand.
Umbridge was satisfied with this response and nodded before returning to her office.
"That's it?" Montague was stunned.
After casting spells in the corridor, damaging the castle walls, and nearly killing someone, there was no punishment at all?
Even when Professor Snape showed them leniency, he would at least give them a verbal reprimand.
The office door slammed shut, and the corridor returned to its previous quietness.
Perhaps feeling a sense of unfairness or having lost face, the humiliated Montague subconsciously drew out his wand, intending to cast an evil curse on Kyle.
But just as he was about to utter the curse, a scene suddenly flashed into his mind—a memory from the previous year's Triwizard Tournament, where Kyle had used a fire spell to pierce through half of the maze.
The courage Montague had mustered instantly vanished, and as Kyle turned to face him, he instinctively spun around and ran.
"This is... a diversion?" Kyle blinked, realizing he had been about to use the Disarming Charm, but it seemed unnecessary now.
"Stop!"
Before Kyle could say anything, the armor interjected, shouting loudly, "Stop right there, you little rascal! Get back here!"
Instead of heeding the command, Montague ran even faster.
"You coward..." The armor cursed angrily, then turned its head to Milicent at its side. "How about we go for her instead? I think chopping her up would be just as fun!"
If it had been any other matter, Kyle wouldn't have bothered to argue with Montague. He could do as he pleased, and Kyle could wash his hands of the matter, perhaps even shift the blame onto Montague later. It would be a win-win situation.
But not this time.
While the Room of Requirement was secure, there was still a chance that others could stumble upon it, and with the D.A. now boasting over seventy members, it was impossible to guarantee that they were all genuinely interested in learning magic.
If word got out and they were discovered, it would be a disaster, so Kyle couldn't leave everything to the Slytherins.
The simplest way to deal with them was to demonstrate his strength and make them aware of the gap between their abilities.
After what had just happened, Kyle believed they wouldn't dare pull any more stunts.
However, he would still need to remind Cedric about this matter, in case Umbridge had recruited others without his knowledge.
After leaving the corridor, Kyle quickly made his way towards the Hufflepuff common room.
"This is so boring and lame!" the armor grumbled in disappointment. Peeves then popped out, grumbling and cursing as he stormed off, throwing water-filled balloons everywhere in a fit of anger.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the corridor...
Draco Malfoy watched as Montague fled without a backward glance, a smile spreading across his face, and an indescribable feeling washing over him.
He felt as though he had just gulped down a large cup of hot butterbeer on a frigid, snowy day, a warmth spreading throughout his body.
"That was terrifying... that Kyle," Crabbe said, patting his chest as if to calm his racing heart. "Draco, did you somehow know this would happen and kept quiet about it?"
"Huh?"
"That Kyle would directly attack us and not get punished by Professor Umbridge," Crabbe clarified.
Draco turned to face them, cleared his throat, and said seriously, "Yes, of course, I knew... I had my suspicions."
"And Slytherin respects strength. I believe that's why Professor Umbridge chose Kyle to lead us. As long as he has the power, I don't mind which house he's from."
"What a pity that Montague, that fool, doesn't understand," Draco said, glancing in the direction Montague had fled. "I mean, why did you have to provoke him?"
He then recalled Montague's arrogant and domineering attitude after becoming the Quidditch captain, and his heart swelled with happiness.
Although they were in the same house and on the same team, the two of them didn't get along.
A few days ago, after losing the Quidditch match, Montague had scolded him in front of everyone, blaming the loss on Draco's poor flying skills and claiming that he was far inferior to Potter.
That was something Draco couldn't tolerate—others could criticize his flying, but saying he was worse than Potter was unacceptable.
If it hadn't been for their presence in the school hospital with Madam Pomfrey nearby, Draco might have started a fight with Montague then and there.
But now... as he recalled Montague's pathetic display, Draco's previous frustration vanished without a trace.
"Let's go..." Draco said, waving his hand cheerfully. "My father brought me a pack of high-quality candies yesterday. Help yourselves."
"Really, Draco...?"
"Wonderful!"
At the mention of food, Crabbe and Goyle immediately forgot about Pansy, who had gone to comfort Millicent, and rushed after Draco.
(End of Chapter)
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