The atmosphere instantly grew tense. The Slytherins instinctively avoided his gaze, some unconsciously stepping back a couple of paces. Only Malfoy stood his ground, forcing out, "This is between us Slytherins and Gryffindor. Don't meddle, Wade Gray!"
"Draco—" Nott tugged his arm, quietly saying, "This isn't fun anymore. Let's go—"
"It's because of me!" Neville bravely spoke up, trembling slightly. "I ran into them on the road. Malfoy used the Leg-Locker Curse on me. He said he wanted to practice the spell on someone—Harry—and Ron and Hermione—they stood up to Malfoy to help me, and then Malfoy called Hermione a—a Mudblood—"
"Neville!" Michael snapped.
Neville's voice cut off abruptly. He looked bewildered for a moment, then, seeing the others' gazes, he reacted, looking at Wade with some apprehension.
Everyone present suddenly realized that there was also someone from a non-magical family here—Wade had never explicitly stated at school that his parents were Squibs, only that they couldn't do magic.
Because to wizards, Squibs were no different from Muggles—in fact, Squibs were even more discriminated against than Muggles. Muggles had made some amazing, world-changing contributions, but what did Squibs have? They were just discarded waste from the wizarding world.
When he first started school, Wade had been looked down upon by some because of his non-magical background. But soon, he completely shattered people's prejudices with his abilities. No one mentioned his lineage anymore; some classmates even thought Wade was from a Pure-blood family and had received elite wizarding training since childhood.
—Otherwise, it couldn't explain why they were rendered utterly useless in comparison.
At this moment, everyone was reminded again that Wade was also from a non-magical family. The air suddenly became silent, the faint murmuring completely vanishing. It was so quiet you could hear your own breathing.
Nott released Malfoy's hand.
"So that's it—practicing spells among classmates, isn't that common?" Wade looked at Malfoy. "Coincidentally, I've also learned a spell and would like to ask Malfoy to guide me."
If he had yelled and charged forward angrily like Harry and the others, Malfoy would have felt more at ease. But now, Wade's expression was just a half-smile, as if he wasn't even angry, and this made Malfoy afraid.
"Wh-what—" He clutched his wand, stammering.
If Malfoy could look in a mirror, he would find that his current expression was remarkably similar to Neville's when he was surrounded earlier, even more timid and guilty.
Wade raised his wand, bowing slightly, his icy gaze fixed on the person in front of him—
"Bow, Mr. Malfoy."
"I—I refuse—" Malfoy instinctively refused. He pointed his wand at Wade, trying to explain, "I mean Granger, that Mu—I wasn't insulting you—Longbottom was the one who said it just now—"
This person... is truly both vicious and naive...
Wade sighed inwardly, flicking his wand—
"*Expelliarmus!*"
A dazzling red light flashed. Malfoy was struck by the spell's light, flying backward violently, directly knocking over Crabbe behind him. His wand also flew out of his hand, landing with a clatter at Nott's feet.
Nott looked left and right. He didn't pick up the wand; instead, he took two steps back.
No one noticed him. Everyone was looking at the blond boy curled up on the ground. Pansy Parkinson wanted to do something, but Michael quickly pointed his wand at her with a smile.
"I usually don't hit girls, Pansy—don't make me break my rule—" Michael said in a gentle tone.
Theo and Ryan were staring at the other Slytherins, poised to act.
No one else actually did anything, not even Malfoy's two perpetually plump followers. They just stared stupidly at Malfoy on the ground, not even thinking of helping him up.
Malfoy got up, clutching his head. He glared hatefully at Wade, shouting, "Don't think I'm scared of you, Wade Gray! Do you know who my father is?"
Wade just kicked his wand over, saying, "Continue."
Malfoy picked up his wand, his arm trembling slightly. He was furious and resentful, but fear was the strongest emotion in his heart.
The Wade Gray in front of him wasn't that bookworm Granger. It was said he knew more spells than some fifth-year students—
"Ah, I seem to have forgotten to count to three just now," Wade said mockingly. "After all, I'm also a Mudblood, so I don't quite understand your Pure-blood wizard etiquette—"
That word, "Mudblood," felt like a slap across the faces of the Slytherin students. Everyone's expressions showed varying degrees of embarrassment.
"—If I remember correctly, count to three, Malfoy, and then comes the first spell—"
Malfoy gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering.
"One... two..."
He had only counted to two when Malfoy forcefully waved his wand, shouting, "*Locomotor Mortis!*"
The prepared Wade began to dodge the instant Malfoy opened his mouth. The beam of the spell hit Nott, who had been pretending to be invisible nearby, and his legs immediately stuck together, causing him to fall with a thud!
"Three—"
Wade calmly counted to three, then flicked his wand again: "*Tarantallegra!*"
Malfoy's legs immediately began to twitch, as if performing a lively dance, but he still wanted to attack Wade. His lower body and upper body twisted in completely opposite directions. He quickly followed in Nott's footsteps, his back twisting with a snap, and he fell.
Even so, his legs continued to twitch rapidly in the air, aggravating his sprained back and making Malfoy cry out in pain.
It was truly a comical sight, and even some of the Slytherin students accidentally laughed out loud.
Malfoy's pale face turned crimson. He glared with murderous intent, but from his angle, everyone in his field of vision seemed to be just a jumbled mass of colors. The familiar faces had become strange and cold, making it impossible to distinguish who was mocking him.
Wade deliberately waited for a while, and the Slytherins just watched. To other uninvolved students, this scene looked as if this group of people were all in it together, bullying Malfoy, who was alone.
Only when Malfoy was almost sobbing did Wade walk over and lift the curse. He crouched beside the sweating, utterly disheveled Malfoy, asking sincerely—
"Is bullying—fun?"
Malfoy looked at him with fear, breathing rapidly, but said nothing.
Wade smiled, then stood up. The Slytherin students automatically parted, watching him leave with the others.
No one spoke, and no one tried to stop them.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------