Chapter 74: Door Teeth
Hearing Harry’s voice, Malfoy spun around in panic—but it was too late. Harry charged straight into him, sending him flying backward. Malfoy crashed into Crabbe, who was still giggling mindlessly, and the two of them tumbled to the floor in a heap.
"Harry Potter!" Malfoy roared, furious.
Ron dashed over and stood beside Harry, joining the confrontation. His mind raced—Slytherins outnumbered them, and maybe they should run toward the Library...
"Harry, you lot—oh, Neville!" Hermione gasped, her face turning pale as she took in Neville’s state. She rushed forward and quickly broke the spell binding him.
Neville finally staggered to his feet with Hermione’s support, trembling violently. His eyes burned with fury, fixed on the Slytherin student who had been standing on his wand—Theodore Nott.
Under Neville’s fierce, seething glare, Nott subtly shifted his foot back a fraction.
"This is outrageous! You—how could you do this to him?" Hermione shouted, glaring at the group. "How dare you treat him like this?"
"Mind your own business!" Malfoy spat, brushing dirt off his robes as he stood. "You filthy little mudblood!"
Harry still didn’t understand what had happened—but Ron and Neville roared in unison and charged forward.
"You’ll pay for that, Malfoy!" Ron bellowed.
"No one says that word! Not ever!" Neville shouted, his voice cracking with rage and courage he’d never shown before.
Two fists landed on Malfoy’s face—one after the other.
The handsome Malfoy heir screamed in pain as blood gushed from his nose.
"How dare you!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked, lunging at Ron and clawing at his robes. Her nails ripped open his neck.
The other Slytherins didn’t stand idle. Crabbe kicked Neville in the stomach, while Nott shoved Ron aside.
Harry froze for just a second—then snapped into action. As Crabbe swung his fist at Neville’s head, Harry threw himself in the way.
Slytherin and Gryffindor students erupted into a chaotic brawl. No time for spells—only fists and feet. At first, the three Gryffindors held a brief advantage, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed.
Hermione didn’t know what Malfoy had said, but she didn’t hesitate. She raised her wand and cast her most familiar spell:
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
She waved her wand fiercely. Instantly, every Slytherin felt as if their robes had tightened around their throats. Without warning, their own clothing yanked them off the ground, lifting them into the air. They hung there for a few seconds—then crashed back down with a loud thud.
The battered Harry and Ron, still on the ground, stared in shock.
"Ah!" Pansy landed hard on her nose, wailing in agony. "You cursed mudblood—!"
Malfoy scrambled up, blood still streaming from his nose. He whipped out his wand and shouted, "Molar Club!"
"Stop!" Harry shouted, pulling his own wand. He frantically recalled a spell he’d seen in a book—"Tarantallegra!"
The two spells crossed in midair. Malfoy’s hit Hermione. She whimpered, clutching her face—but it was too late. Her teeth began sprouting at an alarming rate, shooting past her lips and down toward her chin. In seconds, they were already nearing her shoulders.
Harry’s spell struck Malfoy—but because he was still clumsy with it, the effect was only enough to send him stumbling backward.
The corridor was now a storm of flying spells. Passing students scrambled out of the way. But soon, they realized most of the spells were weaker than a good punch. So, once again, wands were abandoned and fists flew.
Hermione’s teeth were now nearly at her shoulders. She tried to back away—but Pansy blocked her path. Without hesitation, the brunette slammed into her, delivering a brutal headbutt. Both girls screamed in pain.
"Immobulus! (Freeze!)"
A calm voice rang out across the corridor.
Everyone froze in place—suddenly rigid, their movements arrested mid-action. It looked almost comical.
—Professor?
The students all thought it at once, panic flaring in their chests.
Only Neville smiled. "Wade!"
Harry, still pinning Malfoy’s face to the floor while tangled with Nott, strained to turn his head. His body was twisted into an unnatural pose, but through the corner of his eye, he saw a long, lean shadow stretching across the floor from the window.
"Neville?" Wade Gray’s voice came, laced with surprise. "And—uh… Hermione—what on earth is going on here?"
Before Neville could answer, Wade cast two spells in quick succession: "Stop Spell!" and "Relax Strength!"
The group finally unfroze—but collapsed instantly, limbs weak, muscles drained. Harry nearly fell into Malfoy’s arms, quickly pulling himself away and turning to face the newcomer.
Wade Gray wasn’t alone. Behind him stood Michael Conner from Ravenclaw, Padma Patil from Hufflepuff, Theo Mancini from Hufflepuff, and Liam Caro from Hufflepuff.
The four students came from different houses, but as upper-year peers who often shared classes, they were familiar faces—though not close friends. They’d known each other by sight, but rarely spoken.
Yet even so, Harry and Ron knew exactly who these people were. They were top students—always praised, always awarded points for their houses, never caught breaking rules. Not like the Weasley Twins, who were notorious for their pranks.
Especially Wade Gray—there wasn’t a professor who didn’t like him. He’d even invented the Book of Friends...
Facing such peers, Harry and Ron felt a strange mix of insecurity and helplessness—a silent, invisible chain weighing down their spirits.
The Slytherins slowly rose to their feet, glancing at Michael and the others with wary eyes. They exchanged glances, then backed off—no longer willing to fight.
Wade ignored them. He crouched down, gently helping the disheveled Hermione to her feet. His eyes scanned her grotesquely elongated teeth.
Hermione tried to shield her face with her hands—but it was useless. The teeth were still growing, already brushing against her shoulders.
The long, slender, gleaming white teeth shimmered in the light—both terrifying and absurd.
Hermione whimpered, trembling, tears welling in her eyes as she touched her own face in horror.
"It’s okay," Wade said calmly. "Madam Pomfrey can fix this in two minutes."
He removed his outer robe and draped it over Hermione’s head, shielding her from view. "Padma, can you take her to the Infirmary?"
"Of course," Padma said immediately, stepping forward. She guided Hermione away, adjusting her robes to cover the monstrous teeth and hide her from prying eyes and mocking stares.
As the girls left, Wade turned back to the others. He smiled—warm, gentle—but his eyes remained cold, devoid of humor.
"So… someone care to tell me what actually happened here?"
(End of Chapter)
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