Chapter 76: Villain Pretending to be the Victim?
Chapter 76: Villain Pretending to be the Victim?
"Harry... let's go..."
Ron tugged on Harry's arm, pulling him quickly down the corridor in the direction that Wade and the others had taken off. The two boys, who had been at the heart of the melee, were no longer the center of attention, and they managed to slip away unnoticed.
As they turned a corner, Harry looked back and saw that Pansy and Goyle were trying to help Malfoy, but he angrily brushed them off. The usually proud blond boy now looked disheveled and furious as he angrily wiped the blood from his nose. The other Slytherins formed a circle around him, offering insincere smiles of comfort.
Even from across the corridor, Harry could see the hypocrisy and nonchalance on their faces.
Harry had always thought that, aside from Snape, Malfoy was the worst person he had ever met, even more detestable than his cousin, Dudley. But at this moment, he suddenly realized that Malfoy didn't have the unanimous support he had assumed; he didn't seem to have any truly sincere friends among the Slytherins.
Then the wall blocked his view.
"What are you looking at?" Ron asked curiously.
"Nothing..." Harry turned and said, "I was just thinking that if I were facing an unbeatable enemy, you and Hermione would stand by my side and face them with me."
"Of course!" Ron thought he was talking about Malfoy and the Slytherins bullying Neville. He immediately became indignant and said, "Slytherins are always so detestable! We will never give in to them! We can't let them get too full of themselves! Neville just needs to be braver. He's too timid."
"He is brave," Harry reminded him. "Don't forget, he punched Malfoy in the face for Hermione, along with you."
"Oh, right!" Ron recalled the scene excitedly. "Neville finally showed some Gryffindor spirit! Did you see Malfoy's face? I think he was about to cry!"
Ron's words made Harry feel a little uncomfortable. Even though Malfoy deserved what he got, scenes like this always reminded him of the times when Dudley and his gang had chased him.
As they spoke, they spotted Wade and the others in the distance. There was something peculiar about the way these ordinary students stood together, as if they had formed a unique aura that made it difficult for others to approach them.
Harry's footsteps suddenly stopped.
"Ron—"
"What?"
"They're the SSC—the study group Hermione recommended me to join," Harry said softly.
Ron suddenly became a little uneasy, his smile fading. He stammered, "Y-yes..."
"I want to join them," Harry suddenly decided. "I want to learn some real skills and practice actual spells instead of just reciting textbooks in class with Quirrell."
"That's great—I mean—you should definitely go for it—maybe you'll be on the honor roll soon enough—" Ron didn't meet Harry's eyes, and his tone didn't sound like himself.
"Aren't you coming, Ron?" Harry asked in surprise.
"I wasn't invited—Hermione only recommended you—" Ron forced a smile and said, "You go ahead. I think I need to go see Madam Pomfrey—I think Crabbe might have kicked a rib out of place—"
"Maybe Hermione just forgot to mention it. Let's go ask them together!" Harry pulled on Ron's arm and started walking towards the group.
"No, Harry—" Ron looked reluctant, as if he was being dragged along against his will.
Ron's heart held a faint hope—maybe Hermione really had just forgotten to mention it to him? After all, he and Harry were inseparable, and people often considered them a pair, so perhaps she thought it unnecessary to say... And just now, they had fought alongside Neville...
As the two of them approached, they heard Wade say to the others, "Neville, you should go see Madam Pomfrey and get that arm checked. It might be fractured. Be careful of any retaliation from the Slytherins, and don't wander around alone..."
"What about you, Wade?"
"Theo asked with concern.
"I'm going to see Professor Flitwick to accept my punishment. Using spells on classmates in the corridor is definitely going to result in detention, at the very least." Wade replied.
"You're going to—oh—" Michael exclaimed, then nodded in agreement. "That's probably for the best."
"Why?" Ron asked, puzzled as he drew closer. "If the professor didn't see it, it's as if it never happened. Why turn yourself in?"
Harry and Theo nodded in agreement, while Ryan seemed deep in thought.
"You don't think Malfoy will let this slide, do you?" Michael reminded them. "It's better to take the initiative and face Professor Flitwick now than to deal with Professor Snape's punishment later."
"Yeah, if it were Professor Snape, he might deduct a ton of points and give us a month's worth of detention," Neville nodded anxiously. Potions class with Professor Snape always left him traumatized.
"Then let's go together!" Ryan suggested. "We can't let the professor think it was all your fault, Wade."
"But we didn't do anything," Wade said, seeing that Neville was about to speak. He shook his head and added, "Neville, you were the one being bullied. It wouldn't be fair if you got punished for this too. You should go see the school nurse, and maybe check on Hermione as well."
Waving his hand, Wade turned and left.
Harry opened his mouth, intending to ask Ron about joining the SSC, but he didn't get the chance as Wade had already walked away. Instead, he said, "Let's go then."
Only then did he realize that his whole body was aching terribly, and he was surprised he hadn't noticed it earlier.
...
Wade knew that at this time, Professor Flitwick was likely to be in the staff lounge. He made his way to the first floor of the castle and knocked on the door. Soon, he heard Professor McGonagall's voice, "Come in."
At the same time, the door swung open automatically.
Wade was surprised to see Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick all in the lounge. He paused, hesitating for a moment.
Professor Flitwick, who had been grading papers, looked up and smiled when he saw Wade, "Wade? What's the matter? Do you have more questions?"
Wade stepped inside and said, a little embarrassed, "Er...While I do have some questions, there's something more important I need to address first. Professor, I've come to accept my punishment for breaking school rules."
"Punishment?" Professor Flitwick's face registered surprise, and the other two professors looked up as well.
In all their years of teaching, they had never encountered a student who took the initiative to turn themselves in after making a mistake—unless they had an ulterior motive.
"What did you do, Wade?" Professor Flitwick asked gently.
Wade hesitated, glancing at the other two professors. It wasn't that he was afraid of Professor Snape causing trouble, but he realized that his attempt to avoid trouble now made him seem like he was tattling on his classmates.
Suddenly, Wade felt as if the words "villain pretending to be the victim" were flashing above his head.
—Even though he wasn't a villain at all.
Sensing that there was more to the story, Professor McGonagall's expression turned serious. "Mr. Grey, I believe that when it comes to students breaking school rules, all professors have a right to be informed."
"Alright," Wade relented. "It's like this, Professor—"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
