"Unprecedented"
The hospital wing was filled with the sound of Professor McGonagall's angry voice, which overpowered the wails of the young wizards, the urgent commands of Madam Pomfrey, and the gentle reassurances of the heads of houses. They were all doing their best to calm the students who had just faced a horrifying ordeal in Professor Watson's Defense Against the Dark Arts 'practical class' that afternoon. Outside the hospital wing, Headmaster Dumbledore and Bryan stood in front of the enraged Professor McGonagall, looking guilty. They could feel her fury radiating from her like heat.
In the corridor, many nosy senior students acted as if they were just walking by, hoping to see some of the exciting details of what had happened in the maze. But they were all chased away by Professor McGonagall's 'fierce' glare, which made them feel like they had been caught doing something wrong.
"Never in the history of Hogwarts has there been such a serious teaching accident, Professor Watson. Maybe your fanciful teaching methods are novel enough, but I think you have to stop, unless you want to send all the children home before that heir does!"
Dumbledore blinked his eyes and pretended to be fascinated by a star chart on the ceiling, as if he had no intention of intervening in Professor McGonagall's interrogation. He knew that she was very protective of her students and that she would not let this matter go easily.
"…You know, Professor McGonagall, we took a lot of precautions to make sure that nothing would go wrong. Headmaster Dumbledore himself cast several powerful binding spells on those two inferi. No one would get hurt…"
Bryan smiled bitterly and defended himself,
"I just wanted to train their courage…"
"Do you think it's only a matter of getting hurt, Professor Watson!"
Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed with a terrible light. She glared at Bryan, as if she could pierce him with her stare.
"Don't say they are just a bunch of children. How many adult wizards can stand the shock of an inferius?"
She spat out the word with disgust and fear. She had seen enough inferi in her life to know how dreadful they were.
"That's the point, Professor McGonagall–"
Bryan shrugged helplessly, "No one is born a warrior. If we want those children to be able to quickly make accurate and effective responses when facing dangerous situations that threaten their lives, we have to train them, exercise their courage, test their determination. Professor McGonagall, if under our comprehensive protection, the children can't even deal with only two inferi that only need a simple spell to solve…forgive me for being blunt, is the teaching purpose of Hogwarts just to let the young wizards pass two pointless exams?"
He raised his voice slightly, challenging her with his words.
"Pointless exams?"
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and stared at Bryan with hawk-like sharp eyes, "Is that what you think, Professor Watson? Those are two exams that determine their fate. Well, let's not talk about that…maybe your intention is good, but I think they are too young. You might want to wait until…"
She tried to reason with him, but he interrupted her before she could finish.
"Wait until when?"
Bryan smiled sarcastically and asked back,
"Wait until the danger's claws are on their necks before teaching them how to use wisdom and courage to resist danger?"
He gestured with his hands as if he was holding a knife to his throat. Seeing that the argument was gradually sliding into a quarrel, Dumbledore finally stepped in. He walked between Professor McGonagall and Bryan and said succinctly,
"In my opinion, why not give the decision back to the children?"
He looked at them both with his twinkling blue eyes and smiled gently. He hoped that they would listen to him and respect the students' choices.
Because of time constraints, only half as many young wizards participated in the trial this afternoon. And none of them knew how to deal with the inferi. Quite a few of them gave up completely after crying and running back shortly after entering the maze. And among those who persisted, there was none who succeeded in meeting like Harry and Draco did at the end of the maze.
Hermione fell into the ditch when she passed through that small waterway that was supposed to lead her to the exit. When she struggled to climb up with the help of a piece of wood that had turned over in the water, she accidentally found a pair of eyes covered with white film staring at her from below. After a scream that pierced her eardrums and made her blood run cold, she fainted cleanly.
And Daphne Greengrass who was in her group was scared by the inferius that fell from the ceiling and ran in the wrong direction, thus failing in the trial as well. She tripped over a root and sprained her ankle, and had to be rescued by Professor Flitwick who heard her cries for help. She wished she had never signed up for this nightmare.
The most astonishing and admirable display of skill that afternoon in the classroom came from two unexpected candidates: Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom. Ginny had a discerning eye and a clever mind. She realized that the piece of wood bobbing in the ditch was not what it seemed. She cast a small spell to reveal its true nature: a corpse of a human being, animated by dark magic. Instead of panicking or fleeing, she bravely faced her fear and used a freezing spell to create a layer of ice on the surface of the water, trapping the inferius below. It thrashed and twisted in the water, but could not break free or reach her. Unfortunately, Ginny did not know the proper way to destroy the inferius for good, and she ran out of time before she could figure it out. She failed the task, but earned respect for her courage and cleverness.
Neville Longbottom, on the other hand, was known for being timid and clumsy. He had always struggled with magic and confidence. But when he fell into the ditch like Hermione, he showed a different side of himself. He wrestled with the inferius in a desperate struggle for survival, screaming at the top of his lungs. He managed to hold his own for a while, but he was no match for the strength and speed of the undead creature. He was finally rescued by Snape, who had a pale and disgusted expression on his face as he pulled Neville out of the water by his collar.
Madam Pomfrey had just given everyone a jar of chocolate milk infused with a cheering charm. The atmosphere in the hospital wing was much better than it had been earlier. Because of Bryan's magic contract, no one could talk about what they had experienced in that classroom. They could only deal with their own emotions and injuries.
"What…what happened…"
Lying on the bed in the innermost part of the hospital wing with Colin and Justin, Professor Lockhart, whose cheeks were swollen like a squirrel's from being slapped by Hermione, tried to crane his neck and kept asking questions, but Hermione, who was closest to him, ignored him completely.
"We can't possibly deal with that kind of thing…"
Hermione was obviously still traumatized by her encounter with the inferius. She curled up in the blanket, her body trembling slightly, and her tearful eyes were lost and helpless. She felt like she had failed herself and everyone else.
Harry was lying next to her. His condition looked fine, except that his face was a bit pale. But he didn't know how to comfort Hermione either. His hollow eyes stared at the white ceiling and he was thinking about what Malfoy had said that afternoon—dark wizards, ruthless and vicious Professor Watson in private? What did Malfoy know that he didn't?
"Potter…"
Leaning on the opposite bed, Malfoy, who had been staring at Harry's face since he entered the hospital wing, said with a gloomy face.
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
Harry had no intention of reconciling with Draco because of their failed cooperation. He had always considered him as his most outspoken enemy in the school. He subconsciously gave Malfoy an unhappy look.
Malfoy's lips tightened and his cheeks reddened visibly. He glared at Harry and then turned his head away. However, a few minutes later, Malfoy couldn't suppress his curiosity and stared at Harry's cheek again and asked,
"Why did you do that this afternoon?"
Harry understood what Malfoy wanted to ask, but he didn't know how to answer. In that moment of life and death, his decision was completely driven by instinct. Even when he came back to his senses, he felt that his decision was very absurd and ridiculous. How could he choose to save Malfoy, the one he hated most among all the young wizards in the school? The one who had insulted him and his friends countless times?
"…If you're willing to tell me what you meant by those words you used to evaluate Professor Watson, Malfoy, maybe I can tell you honestly why I made that stupid decision at the time."
"Potter!"
This time, Malfoy's heart was completely free of any slight gratitude or guilt that he might have felt earlier. He bared his teeth like a threatened hyena and glared at Harry, "Do you expect me to thank you for your insignificant help? Huh? You're just like everyone else. You didn't do anything!"
"Oh yeah, thank you!"
Harry also got angry. He sat up from the bed, his eyes equally sharp. "I never dared to hope for your thanks…to be honest, Malfoy, I doubt you really understand what that word means or how to say it sincerely!"
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