Consequences

...

Dyroth was unwilling to dodge the twisted curse aimed at him.

"Well done, Mr. Weasley, for sneaking an attack before the duel even started. No wonder you always need your brothers to clean up your messes afterward!"

"Shut up, you disgusting dark wizard!" Ron spat, as if someone had stepped on his tail. He waved his wand furiously at Dyroth.

Unfortunately for Ron, he knew very little magic. At home, he spent most of his time goofing off, and at school, without Hermione to push him, he and Harry barely attended their lessons. The spells he knew were few and poorly practiced, and sometimes he was so clumsy he nearly hexed himself.

"Dangling Jinx!"

(The Dangling Jinx (Levicorpus) was a jinx, which was intended to be cast nonverbally but the incantation could also be spoken aloud, caused the victim to be hoisted into the air by their ankle; the counter-jinx for this jinx was Liberacorpus.)

Dyroth, growing tired of this childish game, used a spell to hang Ron in the air. Watching Ron flail like a writhing worm, Harry couldn't help but step in.

"Dyroth..." Harry began, his voice pleading.

"Harry, are you really going to plead for Weasley this time?" Draco couldn't hold back his frustration anymore.

"You don't even know what he said about Dyroth earlier, do you? You weren't there when he insulted Dyroth in the Great Hall, either, right? And when Ron attacked just now, I didn't see you rushing to his defense! Is Ron your only friend, Harry? What about me and Dyroth?"

It was in moments like these that Dyroth found it easy to understand why Draco and Harry had been rivals for so many years in another life. Draco's questions, filled with a mix of hurt and anger, sounded like the pained accusations of someone breaking up with a close friend.

Ever since Harry had begged for mercy during that hospital room encounter, Dyroth had given up on the Boy Who Lived. His constant pleading and overwhelming empathy for others, even when it wasn't warranted, had worn thin. Now, as Harry tried once again to intercede, Dyroth felt nothing.

"You... you're all my friends," Harry stammered. "Ron just... he just..."

"Shut up, Potter!" Draco snapped, pulling out his wand and pointing it at Harry.

"When you walked into this room with Weasley, you made your choice! Duel me, Potter! Or are you too much of a coward?"

Harry tried to respond, but the words failed him. He thought it best to let Draco cool off and then find time later to explain.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried, casting a spell.

Draco retaliated quickly, using spells with a speed and precision Harry couldn't match.

"Tarantallegra!"

"Rictusempra!"

Harry's few hastily cast spells were no match for Draco's practiced attacks. Trained under Dyroth's guidance, Draco had far surpassed his original abilities. He easily overwhelmed Harry, who was soon dodging frantically, unable to even mount a defense.

"Fight back, Potter!" Draco shouted. "Don't just run away like a coward!"

As Draco vented his frustration, a sudden meow startled the group.

"Mrs. Norris!" Harry gasped.

Draco froze in panic and turned to Dyroth. "What do we do?"

To these young wizards, Filch and his cat were the closest thing to a living nightmare, ever watchful and ready to dole out punishment.

Just then, Mrs. Norris pranced into the room, purring softly and curling up at Dyroth's feet.

Draco gawked. "What... how?"

Dyroth shrugged. "I've seen her a few times before. Gave her some food, that's all."

Draco was speechless, as were the others. But the surprises weren't over.

Filch stormed into the room, his heavy footsteps echoing like doom. Ron, desperate to take Dyroth down with him, yelled, "They're out of bed! They're breaking school rules! Get them!"

But to everyone's shock, Filch's face softened as soon as he saw Dyroth.

"Mr. Grindelwald," Filch greeted with unexpected politeness, "long time no see."

"Good evening, Mr. Filch," Dyroth replied smoothly. "I appreciate the hard work you do patrolling every night."

"This is my job," Filch said, a smile creeping onto his usually sour face.

"No, really. Without your dedication, Hogwarts would be chaos at night," Dyroth complimented.

Filch's smile widened, creating deep creases on his face.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Filch," Dyroth added, "Draco and I managed to catch a couple of students sneaking around at night. We've tied them up for you."

"Tied them up?" Filch's eyes gleamed with delight. He had long kept shackles in his office, but had never been allowed to use them. To have someone understand his need for discipline—it was almost too good to be true!

"Leave them to me, Mr. Grindelwald," Filch said, almost glowing with appreciation. "You and your friends head back to your dorm. These rule-breakers will be punished."

Harry and Ron stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Ron, livid and incredulous, shouted, "This is abuse of power! Why are you only punishing us? Squib!"

Filch's smile vanished at the insult, but Ron, oblivious, continued to rant. Dyroth let the boy hang in the air for a few more moments before casually ending the spell, letting Ron crash to the floor.

"Mr. Filch, I'll leave them in your capable hands," Dyroth said as he turned to leave with Draco.

The next day, Gryffindor's house point hourglasses had reached zero. Harry and Ron were treated like pariahs, shunned by the rest of their house.

Ron, unwilling to accept the situation, tried explaining his side of the story to his classmates. His efforts were met with nothing but ridicule.

Why only punish you and not the others? Maybe the problem lies with you.

"If you're bad at something, practice more," one Gryffindor snarked. "But if you can't handle the consequences, don't do it."

The final blow came when news of the incident reached Ron's parents. Soon, a letter would arrive to them.

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