"Harry… we should go too…"
Ron tugged at Harry, pulling him quickly down the corridor in the direction Wade and the others had gone. The two, who had been at the center of the scuffle, weren't attracting much attention anymore, and they managed to slip away easily.
As they turned the corner, Harry looked back and saw Pansy and Goyle finally going to help Malfoy, only for him to swat their hands away forcefully. The usually proud blond boy was now disheveled, fiercely wiping blood from his nose. The other Slytherins gathered around him, grinning as they tried to comfort him.
Harry could tell the falseness and indifference on their faces even from across the corridor.
All this time, Harry had thought that besides Snape, Malfoy was the worst person he'd ever met, even more annoying than his cousin Dudley. But now he suddenly realized that Malfoy wasn't as popular as he'd previously thought; he didn't seem to have any true friends in Slytherin.
Then, the wall blocked his view.
"—What are you looking at?" Ron asked curiously.
"Nothing—" Harry turned his head and said, "I was just thinking, if I were facing an unbeatable enemy, you and Hermione would definitely stand by my side and fight with me."
"Of course!" Ron thought he was talking about Malfoy and his cronies bullying Neville, and immediately said indignantly, "Slytherin has always been so annoying, and we'll never give in! We can't let them get too cocky! Neville's just too timid, he needs to be brave."
"He is brave, remember? He helped you punch Malfoy, for Hermione—right on the nose!"
"Oh, right!" Ron recalled the scene just now, still excited. "Neville's finally acting like a Gryffindor! Did you see Malfoy's face just now? I think he was about to cry!"
Ron's words made Harry a little uncomfortable—even though Malfoy absolutely deserved it, such scenes always reminded him of the times Dudley and his gang used to chase and beat him.
As they spoke, they saw Wade and the others in the distance. They were standing together, and a strange aura seemed to form among the otherwise ordinary classmates, making it difficult for others to easily join them.
Harry's steps suddenly stopped.
"Ron—"
"What?"
"They're SSC—the extracurricular study group Hermione recommended I join—" Harry said in a very, very soft voice.
Ron suddenly became a bit uncomfortable, the smile vanishing from his face. He stammered, "Y-yes—that's right—"
"I want to join," Harry suddenly decided. "I want to learn some real skills, practice actual spells, not just recite textbooks with Quirrell in class!"
"That's good—I mean—you really should go—maybe you can join the ranks of the advanced students later—" Ron didn't look at Harry, and his tone didn't quite sound like himself.
"Aren't you going, Ron?" Harry asked in surprise.
"I wasn't invited—Hermione only recommended you—" Ron forced a smile and said, "You just go ahead. I might… I think I need to go to the Hospital Wing—I guess Crabbe might have kicked my ribs broken—"
"—Maybe Hermione just forgot to mention it, let's go ask them together!" Harry pulled Ron towards the group.
"Don't—Harry—"
Ron looked reluctant, as if Harry was dragging him against his will, which made it easy for Harry to pull him along. Ron had a faint hope in his heart—maybe Hermione really just forgot to tell him? After all, he and Harry were inseparable; people always saw them as a pair, so maybe she thought there was no need to say anything extra… And just now, they had fought alongside Neville…
As the two walked over, they heard Wade telling the others, "Neville, you need to go to the Hospital Wing and see Madam Pomfrey, your arm might be fractured—everyone be careful of Slytherin's retaliation during this time, don't wander off alone…"
"Wade, what about you?" Theo asked with concern.
"I'm going to Professor Flitwick to receive my punishment. Using spells on a classmate in the corridor, a detention is unavoidable, no matter what," Wade said.
"You're going to—oh—" Michael was surprised at first, then nodded in agreement. "That's how it should be."
"Why?" Ron, who had just approached, asked in confusion. "If the professor didn't see it, it's like it didn't happen. Why turn yourself in?"
Harry and Theo both nodded in agreement, while Ryan looked thoughtful.
"You don't think Malfoy would take such a big loss and not complain, do you?" Michael reminded them. "Turning yourself in to Professor Flitwick is better than being punished by Professor Snape later."
"You're right. If it were Professor Snape, he might deduct dozens of points and give a month of detention," Neville said, nodding with lingering fear. In Potions Class, Professor Snape was always very harsh on Neville, which had given Neville a bit of a phobia of Professor Snape.
"Then let's all go together!" Ryan said. "We can't let the professor think it was all your fault."
"You didn't do anything." Wade saw Neville open his mouth to speak and shook his head, saying, "Neville, you were the one being bullied. If you were to be punished for that, it would be too unfair—go to the Hospital Wing soon, and check on Hermione while you're there."
He waved his hand and turned to leave.
Harry opened his mouth, intending to ask if Ron could join SSC, but he found there was no opportunity to speak. Seeing that Wade had already left, he just said, "Then let's go together."
At that moment, he realized that he was aching all over, and was surprised he hadn't noticed it before.
...
Wade knew Professor Flitwick should be in the staff room at this time. He went 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 opened automatically.
Wade saw Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Flitwick all in the staff room, and he paused, feeling a little hesitant.
Professor Flitwick was grading papers, and when he looked up and saw Wade, a smile spread across his face. "Wade? What is it, more questions today?"
Wade walked in, looking a bit embarrassed. "Uh… while I do have questions, more importantly—Professor, I'm here to receive punishment for violating school rules."
"Punishment?" Professor Flitwick's face was filled with surprise, and the other two professors also looked over.
In all their years of teaching, they had never seen a student voluntarily turn themselves in after making a mistake—unless they had an ulterior motive.
"What did you do, Wade?" Professor Flitwick asked gently.
Wade hesitated, looking at the other two professors—not out of fear of trouble from Professor Snape, but because, in doing so, his attempt to avoid trouble now seemed a bit like tattling on a child.
Wade suddenly felt as though the words "the villain makes the first accusation" were flashing above his head.
—Even though he wasn't a villain at all.
Professor McGonagall sensed there was more to it, and her expression immediately became serious. "Mr. Gray, I believe all professors have the right to know about a student's violation of school rules."
"Alright," Wade had no choice but to say. "It's like this, Professor—"
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