Frequent Flying Lesson (2)

"Petrify them all!"

As Ivan chanted the Petrifaction Charm, a grayish-white beam of light shot out of his wand towards Malfoy.

In mid-air, Malfoy was so pleased with himself that he was caught off guard by Ivan's move, and was hit squarely by the Petrifaction Charm. His fair skin turned a hard grey colour in less than half a second, and his expression and movements were frozen in place.

Malfoy, unable to move a finger, let alone control the broom beneath him, immediately fell from the sky.

Malfoy was, of course, conscious despite being petrified.

However, given the choice, Malfoy preferred to know nothing.

Falling from a great height and watching the ground approach was, after all, a near-death experience, and Malfoy would have been blaring if he hadn't been petrified.

Ivan turned to Hermione the moment he hit Malfoy with the Petrifaction Charm.

"Hermione, now!"

The clever little witch saw through Ivan's plan the moment he made his move, but Hermione apparently had no time to criticise Ivan any further, and only had time to glare at him and shout …

"Wingadim Leviosa ~"

Malfoy was horrified, imagining himself being smashed to pieces while petrified.

Malfoy even imagined how Malfoy would torture Ivan, Harry, and the others to avenge his death.

Just as Malfoy was beginning to think that the Malfoy family's downfall was due to his unfortunate death, the plummeting body came to an abrupt halt, leaving Malfoy dangling in midair…

Miss Granger breathed a sigh of relief as the emergency spell was successfully cast, and Ivan quietly lowered his wand.

"Malfoy…" When Malfoy landed safely, the Slytherin house wizards immediately surrounded him.

The Gryffindor House students gloated, as Malfoy's arrogant manner was annoying.

The only person who resented this was Miss Granger.

"Ivan, how could you use the Petrifaction Charm on Malfoy… you nearly killed him, you know!" Hermione stared at Ivan in disbelief.

"That's why you used the Levitation Charm so well. Professor Flitwick would have given you extra points for that," Ivan said with a smile.

Malfoy, of course, could not simply die from one of his petrification spells. At best, he would suffer a little, and even if Hermione's spell failed, he would still be there as insurance.

"Yeah… maybe Professor Flitwick will even fire you!" Hermione snapped.

It can't be that bad, can it? Ivan scratched his head, thinking it would only cost him a few points, maybe a trophy-wiping or a night in the Forbidden Forest?

If it was the latter, Ivan thought it would be nice…

Of course, Ivan would never go to the Forbidden Forest this term.

After all, having been possessed by Lord Voldemort, Quirrell often liked to wander around the Forbidden Forest. God only knew if he would be unlucky enough to run into one…

Therefore, it was best to play it safe. Hogwarts would be safe until their fourth year unless they chose to commit suicide.

Ivan thought back to his unreliable cheat code. After four years, coupled with the fact that he had the System as a cheat, he should have the ability to survive, right?

Yvonne considered this as she approached Malfoy.

Halfway there, he was stopped by a group of young Slytherin wizards, led by a Slytherin Ivan who had a vague memory of him.

"Hales, what are you doing here?" Bryce asked, frowning at his staff.

The Slytherin house was very united in the face of foreign enemies, and despite Malfoy's usual high-and-mighty attitude, many young wizards and witches were willing to stand up for him.

The Gryffindors' loyal young lions, not to mention Ivan's, moved to stand behind him, and both drew their wands… though the beginner's magic may not have been as good as the fist.

Ivan shook his head and stopped Ron from rolling up his sleeves.

"I'm here to help Malfoy get rid of the Petrifaction Charm. As you can see, Malfoy was the one who started it…"

Bryce hesitated for a moment, but then gestured for the others to move aside, and Ivan did as he said and removed the Petrification Charm from Malfoy.

Malfoy's legs were still shaking from his recent experience, but he forced himself to get up and shout at Ivan, not wanting to lose face in front of everyone.

"How dare you cast a spell on me! You're finished, Harls!"

"Really?" Ivan said, looking at Draco Malfoy. "What if the Professor found out about you stealing Neville's crystal ball and flying without permission?"

Ivan advanced on Malfoy, his tone suddenly serious.

"I've heard Filch's favourite pastime is to bring unruly children to his office, then chain their hands to the ceiling and do strange things with whips and sticks…"

Malfoy was momentarily horrified, as it was rumoured among the school's upperclassmen. He had forgotten that if it were true, Ivan, who had broken the school rules, would be treated the same.

Seeing that it was working, Ivan tried again, but before he could speak, he heard Mrs Hodge's voice behind him.

"How… how dare you!"

Madam Hodge, who had rushed Neville back to the infirmary, was furious when she saw Malfoy falling from the sky, and then saw the hostile looks on the faces of Gryffindor and the Slytherins.

This was exacerbated when Harry descended from the sky on his broom with a blank look on his face.

Ivan covered his face with his hands in frustration. He had never expected Mrs Hodge to return at this hour, and he had hoped to have a good talk with Malfoy.

Now that she thought about it, Yvonne realised that he had got himself into trouble. If he hadn't saved Neville with the Levitation Charm, Mrs Hodge would still be in the infirmary worrying about him.