CHAPTER 65 Terrorizing Lessons
Flint found himself in disbelief, facing a relentless assault from an 11-year-old. Elmi's punches carried an unexpected force, each blow landing like a heavyweight boxer's and sending him flying to the wall. When he was lying on the ground, Elmi mounted him and started to punch him continuously. Those punches were not as powerful as the first ones, but the enchanted gloves seemed to amplify the pain, making it feel like a swarm of enraged bees attacking Flint's face with every punch.
The gloves inflicted torment beyond the physical. But what unnerved Flint the most was the look in Elmi's eyes—a cold, determined gaze that bore an unfamiliar kind of menace. As the relentless assault continued, Flint's attempts to defend himself proved futile.
He raised his hands in a feeble attempt to ward off the blows, but Elmi pressed on with unrelenting vigor. The fear gripping Flint's heart intensified, reaching an unbearable level. The impending sense of doom weighed heavily on him, a suffocating pressure building in his chest.
The fear of impending death overwhelmed him, and the unbearable pressure reached its zenith. Unable to endure any longer, Flint succumbed to unconsciousness, foaming at the mouth as darkness claimed him. The haunting echo of Elmi's relentless assault lingered in his heart, leaving an indelible mark on Flint's shattered consciousness.
Elmi concluded his assault on Flint, his attention swiftly shifting to Bole and Derrick, who now stared at him with faces twisted in terror. As Elmi straightened, blood dripped ominously from his eerily glowing gloves.
With every step forward, Elmi's mere presence sent a shiver down their spines. The menacing sight of blood on his gloves added an extra layer of dread. The realization struck Bole and Derrick simultaneously, and panic set in: It was their turn.
Bole and Derrick turned and sprinted away in a frenzy of fear. Their screams were like the frightened cries of little girls. Elmi made sure to terrorize them so they would know there were consequences that awaited those who dared to challenge him.
Elmi knew he had broken them, and they would never dare to do something similar ever again. Elmi patted Flint's pocket to see where he had put the photo. When he found it, Elmi burned it right away. As he nonchalantly packed his gloves into his bag, the silence of the bathroom was interrupted by the entrance of Professor Snape and Nott.
Snape's sharp gaze fell upon Elmi. "What transpired here?" Elmi, showcasing the small wounds on his face, recounted the attempted beating. "They tried to take me down, Professor. Luckily, I held my ground."
Snape's eyes looked around the bathroom and inspected Flint to see if he was okay. "It looks like you did more than hold your ground."
Just as Snape and Elmi engaged in their exchange, the door swung open once more, revealing the stern presence of Professor McGonagall. Her eyes widened in abhorrence at the scene before her. She crouched next to Snape and asked if Flint was okay.
"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall demanded, her voice sharp as she took in the aftermath of the confrontation. Snape, maintaining his composure, explained, "He defended himself against an attack, Minerva."
McGonaall's gaze shifted to Elmi, her expression reflecting both concern and disapproval. "Defending oneself is one thing, but this seems excessive. There will be consequences."
Snape, unwilling to concede, asserted, "This is a matter within Slytherin. I will handle it. He isn't at fault; they shouldn't try to ambush someone."
McGonagall looked enraged and said, "Do you not see this, Severus? how is this not at fault." She turned to Elmi and said, "Young man, do you not feel ashamed to do this to someone from your own house?"
Elmi shook his head and said, "They were not ashamed to ambush me. Why should I be ashamed to defend myself?"
"This is not defense, and you almost killed him."
"No, I made sure he wouldn't die. He just has a broken nose, which is why there is that much blood. I have no regret; he deserves worse than this, but I am not that ruthless."
McGonagall was going to say something, but Snape held her back and said, "Why did you act this heavy-handed? You are not a violent child; this is out of character for you."
Elmi thought for a second about whether he should tell them the truth or not and then decided to do it. "I did it to win every other fight after this one."
McGonagall looked at Elmi like she was saying what do you mean, so Elmi continued his explanation. "Professor Snape might know what kind of person Flint is, but you might not know him really well, Professor McGonagall. Flint is a menace and a bully. If I had knocked him out or beaten him with a stunning spell, he would have come after me until he was successful, but now, every time he thinks of doing something, he will remember what happened here, and this will most likely make him give up if not, he will at least know I will do something worse if he ever comes after me again."
As Elmi finished explaining his unconventional strategy, McGonagall's expression hardened, appalled by the tactics he employed. Snape, however, seemed to see a certain pragmatism in Elmi's approach, though he would never tell this out loud to a student.
"This goes beyond Slytherin matters. It involves the well-being and discipline of the entire school," McGonagall insisted, trying to assert her authority as Deputy Headmistress.
Snape, firm in his position, cut her off with determination in his voice. "Minerva, it is not. Do not blow this out of proportion. This is all caused by Flint and his friends; you cannot expect a child to hold his punches when he is surrounded by 5th-year students when he is only a 1st-year student."
McGonagall's disapproval lingered, but she acknowledged Snape's point with a reluctant nod. "Fine, Severus. Handle it within Slytherin, but make sure the consequences are clear. We cannot tolerate violence becoming a solution."
Snape nodded, and McGonagall left the bathroom, shaking her head in disapproval. As she left, Snape turned to Elmi. "You need to be more cautious. This may have consequences beyond just your House. You are still acting too reckless."
"Professor, I wasn't acting reckless, and you know it as much as I do; if I didn't beat the living shit out of him, those little death eaters would never give up. They only understand one language, and that is violence."