Chapter 74: The Bogey Hex
Chapter 74: The Bogey Hex
Upon hearing Harry's voice, Malfoy turned around in a fluster, only to be knocked aside by Harry, who then collided with Goyle, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
"Harry Potter!" Malfoy shouted angrily.
Ron rushed to Harry's side, confronting the others as his mind raced—outnumbered by the Slytherins, perhaps they should make a run for the library...
"Harry, don't—Oh, Neville!"
Hermoine's eyes flashed with anger at the sight of Neville, her lips pressed into a thin line. She quickly moved to help him, undoing the jinx on him.
Neville, now standing with Hermoine's support, trembled with rage as he glared at the Slytherin student, Theodore Nott, who had been standing on his wand.
Under Neville's fierce and angry gaze, Nott cautiously took a small step back.
"This is outrageous! How could you treat him like this?" Hermoine shouted angrily, her eyes darting between the group.
"It's none of your business, you filthy Mudblood!" Malfoy snapped back as he dusted himself off and climbed to his feet.
Before Harry could grasp the situation, he heard Ron and Neville's furious roars as they charged forward.
"You'll pay for your words, Malfoy!" Ron shouted.
"Don't you dare say that word again, ever!" Neville displayed a courage and fury never seen before.
Two fists, one after the other, landed squarely on Malfoy's face.
The usually well-groomed Malfoy screamed in pain as blood gushed from his nose.
"How dare you!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked, grabbing Ron's robe with her hand, her nails digging into his neck.
The surrounding Slytherins didn't stand idle. Goyle delivered a kick to Neville's stomach, while Nott shoved Ron away.
Harry hesitated for only a moment before reacting. As Crabbe drew back his fist to strike Neville, Harry pounced without hesitation.
The Slytherins and Gryffindors were now engaged in a full-blown brawl. With no time to cast spells, they resorted to fisticuffs, and the three Gryffindor boys, despite gaining a brief advantage, quickly found themselves overwhelmed.
Although Hermoine didn't understand what Malfoy had said, she didn't hesitate to use the spell she knew best—
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
With a forceful wave of her wand, the Slytherins present felt as if their robes had wrapped tightly around their throats. They were lifted into the air against their will, hovering for a few seconds before crashing back down to the ground with a loud thud.
Harry, Neville, and Ron, who had been pinned down and pummeled, stared at her in astonishment.
"Ah!"
Pansy clutched her nose, letting out a pained moan as she cursed, "You bloody Mudblood—"
Malfoy, his face covered in blood, rolled over and leaped to his feet. He pointed his wand at Hermoine and bellowed, "Bogey Hex!"
"Stop!" Harry quickly drew his wand, frantically recalling a spell he had read about before—
"Tarantella!"
The two spells intersected in midair. Malfoy's spell hit Hermoine, and she whimpered, quickly raising her hands to cover her face. Her front teeth began to grow at an alarming rate, extending past her lips and down toward her chin. Harry's spell struck Malfoy, and due to his inexperience with the spell, it only caused Malfoy to stumble backward.
Spells flew in the corridor, and passing students scurried for cover.
But the group soon discovered that most of their spells were less effective than their own fists and feet, so the young witches and wizards resorted to physical altercations once more.
Hermione's teeth had already grown past her chin, and as she attempted to leave, Pansy Parkinson blocked her path. With determination, the brown-haired girl rammed into her, delivering a forceful headbutt that caused both of them to cry out in pain.
"Immobulus!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the corridor, freezing everyone in their tracks in awkward and comical poses.
"Professor?" The students' minds raced with the same thought, filling them with anxiety.
Only Neville exclaimed with delight, "Ved!"
Harry, with one hand pushing Malfoy's face, was still entangled with Nott. He was frozen in an extremely contorted position, his eyes straining to look to the side, catching only a glimpse of a slender figure elongated by the sunlight streaming through the window.
"Neville?" Ved Grey asked in a puzzled tone. "And... erm, Hermione... What are you all doing?"
Without waiting for Neville to respond, Ved quickly cast two spells: "Finite Incantatem! Relaxare!"
The group was finally released from their awkward frozen state, but they felt weak and limp. Harry nearly fell into Malfoy's arms and quickly disentangled himself, turning to face the newcomers.
Approaching them were not only Ved Grey but also Michael Corner and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw, and Theo Mancini and Ryan Carroll from Hufflepuff.
With the inter-house classes, the students from different houses in the same year were not complete strangers to each other, but they weren't exactly close either. They mostly knew each other by face but hadn't exchanged many words.
However, Harry and Ron were aware that the individuals before them were top students in their classes. They often received praise and earned points for their houses, and they had never heard of any misdeeds or rule-breaking like the Weasley brothers. Especially Ved Grey, it seemed like there wasn't a professor who didn't like him, and he was also the inventor of the Friend's List...
Facing peers like these, it was natural to feel a sense of distance mixed with inferiority and powerlessness, as if an invisible chain restrained their hands, feet, and tempers.
The Slytherins also got to their feet, and under the watchful gaze of Michael and the others, they glanced at each other and refrained from continuing their attack.
Ved paid no heed to these students. He bent down to help the disheveled Hermione to her feet and examined her elongated front teeth. Hermione tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but it was difficult as the teeth continued to grow, reaching almost to her shoulders.
The slender, white teeth glistened, appearing both frightening and comical.
The girl whimpered, touching her teeth with a mix of astonishment and fear, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's alright," Ved reassured her. "Madame Pomfrey can fix this in two minutes." He took off his outer robe and draped it over Hermione's head. "Padma, please accompany Hermione to the infirmary."
"Of course, leave it to me," Padma replied decisively as she supported Hermione and led her away, also helping her pull her robe down to cover the increasingly frightening teeth and shield her from the stares of curiosity and mockery.
As the girls left, Ved turned to the others and smiled gently, his eyes devoid of any hint of a smile. "So... can anyone tell me what happened here?"
(End of Chapter)
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