"Petrificus Totalus!"
As Evan uttered the incantation for the Full Body-Bind Curse, a pale beam of light shot from his wand towards Malfoy, who was still gloating in midair. Caught off guard, Malfoy was hit squarely by the curse, his skin turning to a rigid grey in less than a second, his expression and movements frozen in that instant.
In this petrified state, Malfoy couldn't twitch a finger, let alone control his broom, and he plummeted straight down from the sky.
Of course, even though his body was petrified, Malfoy's consciousness remained intact. If he had the choice, he would have preferred to be blissfully unaware.
After all, falling from such a height, watching the ground approach—it was enough to drive anyone to the edge of insanity. If it weren't for being petrified, Malfoy would have undoubtedly been screaming in a high pitch.
The moment Evan's curse hit Malfoy, he turned to Hermione and called out.
"Hermione, now's the time!"
The intelligent young witch understood Evan's plan the moment he acted, but now there was no time for scolding. She could only manage a glare at Evan before shouting…
"Wingardium Leviosa~"
At this point, Malfoy was at the peak of terror, imagining himself shattered into pieces upon hitting the ground while petrified.
He even fantasized about how his father would torment Evan, Harry, and the others for revenge after his death.
As Malfoy pondered the potential decline of the Malfoy legacy due to his unfortunate demise, his rapidly descending body abruptly stopped just inches from the ground, close enough for him to see the patterns on the floor tiles.
Miss Granger, successful in her emergency spellcasting, breathed a sigh of relief, and Evan discreetly lowered his wand.
"Malfoy..." Once Malfoy was safely on the ground, the Slytherin students quickly gathered around him.
The Gryffindor students couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude, considering Malfoy's previously arrogant demeanor.
The only one dissatisfied with the turn of events was Miss Granger.
"Evan, how could you use the Full Body-Bind Curse on Malfoy... Don't you realize you almost killed him?" Hermione glared at Evan, disbelief written all over her face.
"That's why your Levitation Charm was so spot-on. If Professor Flitwick had seen it, he would have surely awarded you points," Evan said with a smile.
Malfoy was never going to die from his curse, at worst he'd just suffer a bit of discomfort. And even if Hermione's spell had failed, Evan was there as a backup, wasn't he?
"Yeah... And maybe Professor Flitwick would have expelled you, too!" Hermione retorted, clearly unamused.
That wouldn't happen, right? Evan scratched his head, figuring at worst he'd lose some points, or perhaps end up polishing trophies or taking an unscheduled trip into the Forbidden Forest?
If it was the latter, Evan thought it might not be so bad...
Of course, Evan had no intention of visiting the Forbidden Forest this term, not for all the tea in China.
After all, Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, liked to wander there, and Evan had no desire to bump into him by bad luck...
It was better to lay low. As long as he didn't actively seek trouble, Hogwarts would be safe until at least his fourth year.
Reflecting on his unreliable "golden finger" and considering he had the system as a cheating tool, Evan figured he should have enough survival skills to last him four years, right?
With these thoughts in his head, Evan headed towards Malfoy.
Halfway there, he was intercepted by a group of Slytherin students. The leader was someone Evan vaguely recognized as Blaise.
"Halse, what are you doing here?" Blaise gripped his wand tightly, furrowing his brow.
When facing an external threat, the Slytherin house stood united. Despite Malfoy's usual haughty air, many students were willing to step forward to defend him, forming a protective circle around Evan.
The gallant Gryffindors, naturally, lined up behind Evan, wands drawn... although their novice spells might not be as effective as a good punch.
Evan shook his head, gesturing for the eager Ron to hold back, and addressed Blaise.
"I've come to remove the Full Body-Bind Curse from Malfoy. You all saw what happened; Malfoy started it..."
Blaise seemed hesitant, but after a pause, he signaled the others to step aside. True to his word, Evan lifted the petrification curse from Malfoy.
Having just experienced a dramatic fall, Malfoy's legs were still shaking, but not wanting to lose face in front of everyone, he managed to get up, glaring at Evan fiercely.
"You dare curse me! You're finished, Halse!"
"Am I?" Evan looked at Draco Malfoy. "What if I told the professors about you snatching Neville's crystal ball and flying without permission?"
Evan stepped closer to Malfoy, his tone suddenly serious.
"I've heard Filch likes to take disobedient kids to his office, chain their hands to the ceiling, and then do some strange things with whips and sticks..."
Malfoy was genuinely scared, as this rumor was indeed circulating among the older students. He even forgot that if it were true, Evan would have to endure the same punishment for breaking the rules.
Evan, seeing his tactic was working, was about to press on when he heard Madam Hooch's voice from behind.
"You... how dare you!"
Madam Hooch had returned from the hospital wing just in time to see Malfoy falling from the sky, and now the standoff between Gryffindor and Slytherin students had her fuming.
Especially seeing Harry, clueless with the crystal ball in hand, descending from above on his broom, only fueled her anger.
Evan covered his face with his hand in resignation; he hadn't anticipated Madam Hooch's return at this particular moment. He had hoped to have a proper talk with Malfoy, but now it seemed they were all doomed...
Upon reflection, Evan realized he might have been the architect of his own predicament. If he hadn't used the Levitation Charm to save Neville earlier, Madam Hooch would likely still be in the hospital wing worrying about him.