74

Chapter 74: Front Teeth

Upon hearing Harry's voice, Malfoy swiftly turned around, but before he could react, Harry shoved him aside. Malfoy collided with Goyle, who was chuckling beside him, and both boys tumbled to the ground.

"Harry Potter!" Malfoy shouted furiously.

Ron rushed over, standing beside Harry, ready to confront the others. His mind raced—Gryffindors were outnumbered. Maybe they should retreat to the library...

"Harry, don't—oh, Neville!"

Upon seeing Neville's condition, Hermione's lips whitened with anger. She hurried to Neville's side to undo the spell.

With Hermione's help, Neville finally stood, trembling all over, glaring fiercely at the Slytherin student clutching his wand—Theodore Nott.

Under Neville's intense gaze, Nott cautiously took a step back.

"This is too much! You—" Hermione glared at everyone, her voice shaking. "How could you do this to him?"

"What's it to you?" Malfoy sneered, dusting himself off and spitting out, "You filthy Mudblood!"

Before Harry could process what was happening, Ron and Neville erupted into shouts and charged forward.

"Don't use that word!" Ron yelled. "Don't!"

Neville, showing unprecedented courage and anger, threw punches at Malfoy's face.

The typically refined Draco Malfoy cried out as blood spurted from his nose.

"How dare you!" Pansy Parkinson screeched, grabbing Ron's robe and scratching his neck with her nails.

The other Slytherins didn't stand idle. Goyle kicked Neville in the stomach, and Nott shoved Ron away.

Harry hesitated for only a moment before lunging at Crabbe, tackling him to the ground without hesitation.

Slytherin and Gryffindor students clashed fiercely, resorting to fists and kicks instead of spells. Despite a brief advantage, the three Gryffindor boys quickly found themselves overwhelmed.

While Hermione didn't understand Malfoy's insult, she didn't hesitate to cast the spell she knew best—

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Wands waved vigorously, and Slytherins felt their robes tightening around their throats, lifting them off their feet. After a few seconds of suspension, they crashed back to the ground with a resounding thud.

Harry, pinned down and being beaten, glanced up in shock at Hermione.

"Ah!"

Pansy cried out in pain, clutching her nose. "You damned Mudblood—"

Malfoy, his face streaked with blood, scrambled to his feet, drew his wand, and pointed it at Hermione. "Let's see how you like growing front teeth!"

"Stop!" Harry whipped out his wand, recalling a spell from a book—

"Tarantallegra!"

Their spells clashed in mid-air. Malfoy's spell hit Hermione, who whimpered and covered her face. Her front teeth began growing alarmingly fast, extending past her lips towards her chin. Harry's spell struck Malfoy, causing him to stumble backward due to his lack of skill.

Spells flew through the corridor, students hurrying to avoid them. Soon, however, they realized their spells were no match for fists and kicks, and the young wizards returned to physical combat.

Hermione's teeth reached her chin. Attempting to leave, she was stopped by Pansy, who Hermione headbutted fiercely, causing them both to scream.

"Immobulus! (Freeze!)"

A voice rang out suddenly, freezing everyone in place in comical postures. At first glance, it seemed almost humorous.

—A professor?

This thought raced through the students simultaneously, inducing panic.

Only Neville shouted joyfully, "Wade!"

Harry, struggling with Malfoy and Nott, froze in a contorted position. Straining to look sideways, he glimpsed a slender figure outlined by sunlight from the window.

"Neville?" Wade Gray's voice carried surprise. "And—um, Hermione—what's going on?"

Before Neville could respond, Wade cast two spells in quick succession. "Finite! "

The group unfroze, limbs weak and tempers subdued. Harry pushed Malfoy's face away with one hand, still entangled with Nott, and twisted to see Wade.

It wasn't just Wade Gray who arrived; Michael Corner and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw, along with Theo Mancini and Ryan Carrow from Hufflepuff, stood with him.

Despite being from different houses, the students knew each other by reputation. Harry and Ron recognized them as top students, often praised and awarded points for their houses. Unlike the Weasley twins, they weren't known for breaking school rules. Wade Gray especially had a good rapport with professors and was the inventor of the Friendship Book...

Facing these peers, a sense of distance mixed with inferiority and helplessness washed over Harry and Ron. An invisible restraint seemed to bind their hands, feet, and tempers.

The Slytherins began picking themselves up, glancing around warily under Michael's watchful eye, but refrained from resuming the attack.

Wade paid them no mind. He knelt down to help Hermione, who looked disheveled with her hair in disarray and teeth extending comically. Hermione attempted to cover them with her hand, but the teeth continued to grow, reaching almost to her shoulders.

The elongated white teeth gleamed, simultaneously eerie and amusing.

Whimpering in shock and fear, tears welled in Hermione's eyes as she touched the teeth.

"It's alright; Madam Pomfrey will fix this in no time," Wade reassured her, then removed his robe to cover Hermione's head. "Padma, please take Hermione to the school infirmary."

"Of course, leave it to me," Padma responded decisively, helping Hermione depart. She adjusted Hermione's robe to conceal the teeth and shield her from prying, mocking eyes.

As the girls left, Wade turned to the others, offering a gentle smile. "Now, who can tell me what happened here?"

His face remained calm, but his eyes held no hint of a smile.