Chapter 60: Retribution for Alaric

After the Ravenclaw and Slytherin match, young wizards on their way back to the castle witnessed an astonishing scene.

A cage hung from the ceiling in the corridor behind the castle, containing three mice. Below the cage, a crowd of cats had gathered—over a dozen of them, possibly every cat in Hogwarts. 

Even Mrs. Norris was among them. Notably, no young wizard had succeeded in befriending Mrs. Norris despite attempts to use their own cats.

The cats were clearly captivated by the mice, leaping one after another, attempting to reach the iron cage hanging from the ceiling.

Each time a cat jumped, the mice inside the cage would spin in place out of fear.

Several times, the cats came close to success, but they ultimately failed.

Even so, the mice inside the cage were terrified beyond measure.

Young wizards curiously gathered to witness this spectacle, speculating on who might be behind it.

It wasn't until an eyewitness revealed the truth that they were shocked—Alaric had transformed Draco Malfoy and his cronies into mice, then put them in a cage to amuse the cats.

The cage instantly became a rare sight for everyone, and Gryffindor's students rushed over to witness the pitiful state of the Malfoy trio.

Harry and Ron also joined the crowd, relishing in the sight of Malfoy making a fool of himself.

Ron's twin brothers, George and Fred, arrived as well. They praised Alaric for his prank and expressed their desire to recruit him into their joke props production group.

"He has extensive knowledge and is quite skilled in potions and alchemy," George evaluated Alaric.

"Now we see his creativity in pranks; clearly, no one is more suitable than him, to join us."

Professors arrived last. Snape rudely separated the young wizards, squeezing to the front of the crowd with his wand, shooing away all the cats, and then lowering the cage.

Professor McGonagall also arrived, an expert in Transfiguration. Alongside Snape, they lifted the curse on Malfoy and his friends.

In full view of everyone, the three mice transformed back into Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

They crawled toward a corner, disheveled and emitting squeaky sounds, looking disoriented and frightened, obviously not fully recovered from their mouse state.

Witnessing their humiliation, another round of laughter erupted from the onlookers.

Ron laughed the loudest and got his house penalized by Snape in frustration, deducting five points from Gryffindor.

Madam Pomfrey arrived hastily and escorted the trio to her care.

Lucius Malfoy's retaliation was swift. That evening, he barged into the Headmaster's office, loudly demanding Alaric's expulsion but Dumbledore staunchly refused.

Later, in the Headmaster's office, Lucius confronted Alaric, hurling insults and even pointing his wand at him. However, Alaric disarmed him with a Charm, sending his wand flying.

"How dare you... How dare you use magic on me? Who do you think you are?" Lucius roared in embarrassment, attempting to mask his humiliation of being disarmed by a first-year student.

"You should apologize to Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore calmly said to Alaric.

"Mr. Malfoy was merely overexcited. In Hogwarts, you've always been safe, and there was no need to defend yourself so vigorously."

As Dumbledore emphasized the last word, he increased its weight and playfully winked at Alaric.

Alaric responded with a knowing wink.

"Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy," Alaric turned to Lucius Malfoy, nodding politely. "It was just a reflex for 'self-defense.' I didn't realize your wand would so easily... oh, never mind. I apologize."

He noticed that Mr. Malfoy's already pale face became even more ghastly after this statement.

"Do not give me a chance, or I will make sure you end up in Azkaban!" Lucius threatened, glaring at Alaric, then wrapped his cloak around himself and left in haste.

Afterwards, Dumbledore turned his gaze to Alaric.

"I know you're a great kid, always have been. Mature, kind, eager to learn, and willing to help others. I've always considered you one of the best students here," Dumbledore said warmly. 

"I also believe that if it weren't for Miss Granger, you wouldn't have taken it this far, am I right?"

"Yes," Alaric nodded. "I don't usually stoop to the level of these kids."

Dumbledore nodded approvingly. "You've always been more mature than them. I've always thought so.

But you have to understand, not everyone is as sensible as you, especially not Malfoy."

At this point, he paused and glanced towards the door.

"You've seen what kind of person his father is, haven't you? He grew up in such a family; he's just a spoiled child who knows nothing.

But fundamentally, he's not a bad kid. You've given him enough lesson this time, and I believe he won't be so reckless in the future. So, please, don't stoop to his level, okay?"

"Alright, alright, for your sake," Alaric nodded indifferently. "As long as he doesn't bother me again."

"Thank you, Alaric. You can go now," Dumbledore smiled, opening the door to usher Alaric out. 

"By the way, I really like your Christmas gift. It's been a while since someone gave me socks; they're always in short supply."

"Oh, these are specialties from Eastern Europe. I'm glad you like them," Alaric waved and left the Headmaster's office.

There was a sound of stone mechanisms moving behind him.

However, the next day, Snape retaliated against Alaric.

In Ravenclaw's Potions class, he loudly announced a deduction of twenty points for Alaric and immediately decided to confine him to the high tower for a week.

Slytherin's students finally had their wish come true. They congratulated each other, proclaiming that this heartthrob of Ravenclaw would pay for what he had done.

However, the next day, they were proven wrong.

During breakfast, Himari led a group of cats, including Mrs. Norris, into the Great Hall, surrounding Malfoy and his two cronies.

Upon seeing the cats, Malfoy, just recovered from Madam Pomfrey's care, immediately recalled the nightmare-like experience. They screamed and ran away as Himari and her kittens relentlessly pursued them.

Malfoy would never forget that day—Himari treated the entire Hogwarts castle as her hunting ground.

For an entire day, she and her kittens subjected Draco Malfoy to a relentless and inhumane chase—although they didn't need to do much; the mere sight of them sent Malfoy fleeing. 

They would appear suddenly at any time, from any corner, pouncing on Malfoy, frightening him into fleeing.

For the entire day, he could hardly do anything else, eventually retreating to the common room, shivering under a blanket.

Finally, just before dinner, the door to the tower was opened with a "bang," and Alaric looked over to see Professor Snape standing at the entrance with a stern face.

"You win," he said in a hoarse voice. "Take your cats and leave. And don't let me catch you using magic in the corridors again!"

That night, everyone was surprised to find out that Alaric, who had been confined, had appeared, after only one day, before them.

All young wizards were convinced that Alaric had triumphed over Professor Snape.

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