Old broomsticks were scattered at the feet of each young wizard as Mrs. Hooch, dressed impressively, began her flying lesson. She urged everyone to exercise caution, yet an incident was inevitable. Neville, struggling to control his broom, shot up into the sky, only to come crashing down, his Remembrall tumbling from his grasp. Despite the fall being somewhat cushioned, Neville still ended up with a broken arm. Mrs. Hooch, prioritizing Neville's well-being, escorted him to the infirmary, leaving the rest of the students behind.
The students from both houses exchanged wary glances. Draco Malfoy seized the opportunity to taunt Harry by picking up Neville's Remembrall. His provocation, however, inadvertently revealed Harry's natural talent for flying to Professor McGonagall. Meanwhile, John, choosing not to engage in the brewing conflict, struggled with his own broom. After several attempts, he finally managed to take flight. Hermione, ever the rule-follower, advised against emulating the rule-breakers, but to no avail, and could only watch in frustration as John's initial wobbly flight stabilized.
[Ding, receive blessing: Pilot]
[Pilot: Increases the flying speed of the broom and enhances control]
"Is this really happening?" John marveled at his newfound stability and freedom in the air. Snape, happening upon the scene, observed John's performance with a cold snort before departing. The ability to fly, a long-coveted human dream, was now within John's grasp. He flew with such reluctance to land that he stayed airborne until the very end of the lesson.
At dinner, John encountered Malfoy, who, bolstered by his cronies, shed his earlier timidity. "Wick, fancy a duel with me? I challenge you. Meet me at 11:30 tonight in the trophy room on the third floor," Malfoy declared arrogantly before strutting away with his entourage.
John watched them leave, bemused, and muttered, "This kid must've been inspired by Liang Jingru's songs to be so bold. Doesn't he know about my cleaning duties in the trophy room?"
Armed with a bag of cat food from Mrs. Wick, John proceeded to his usual cleaning duty in the trophy room. Mrs. Norris, the cat, greeted him with her glowing red eyes. Over time, John had grown familiar with Mrs. Norris, and he fed her before starting his cleaning task. Afterward, he gently combed her fur, to which she purred in contentment. Filch, likely preoccupied with catching rule-breaking students, trusted John enough to leave him to clean the trophy room alone.
"I'll see what Malfoy is up to," John thought, curious about Malfoy's challenge but not overly concerned since he was already there for cleaning duty.
At 11:30, instead of Malfoy, whispers heralded the arrival of four individuals. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and a bandaged Neville stumbled upon John. Both parties were surprised by the encounter.
"Why are you here?" John inquired, puzzled.
Harry, equally confused, responded, "Malfoy invited us here. Are you working with him?"
John, taken aback by the accusation, replied, "Do you really think Malfoy's actions at the start of term were without motive?"
This left Harry speechless, and the realization dawned on them. "We've been tricked by Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed in frustration.
Ron added, "That despicable Slytherin... John, no offense meant to you."
With the memory of John's brave stand against three opponents at the start of the school year, the group found themselves inadvertently united by Malfoy's deceit. John Wick had become an anomaly at Hogwarts, the only Slytherin whom Gryffindor students admired. When the four houses discussed John, their unanimous opinion was disbelief at the Sorting Hat's decision. "He's clearly a Gryffindor," they would say, even the Gryffindors themselves, including the Weasley twins, joked that the Sorting Hat must have been too dusty, impairing its vision, and even attempted to clean it with detergent.
During one of their late-night adventures, John, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were almost caught by Filch, thanks to a tip-off from Malfoy. Without a moment's hesitation, Neville and Hermione grabbed John's hand, pulling him along in their flight, embodying the true Gryffindor spirit of bravery, albeit a bit recklessly. John, caught in the whirlwind, had no choice but to run with them, even saving Neville from a potential fall in the process.
As they fled, with Filch and his ever-alert cat, Mrs. Norris, on their heels, John couldn't help but feel betrayed by the cat despite all the cat food he had given her. They managed to escape to the Charms classroom, where, out of breath, they leaned against the cold walls. John, however, remained unfazed, a testament to his physical strength over magical exhaustion.
Hermione, gasping for air, managed to say, "Malfoy tricked us. He never planned to meet you; he set us up for Filch."
Harry, though realizing the truth, was too proud to admit it outright. They knew they had to return to the Gryffindor common room undetected or face expulsion.
Their situation worsened when Peeves, the poltergeist, appeared, threatening to alert Filch. In a moment of frustration, Ron attempted to hit Peeves, only aggravating the situation. John, observing Peeves' behavior, silently vowed to find a way to deal with him once and for all, even making a threatening gesture that Peeves didn't understand.
Their escape led them to a locked door at the end of a corridor. With a sense of doom hanging over them, John stepped forward and confidently cast "Alohomora," unlocking the door. They quickly slipped inside, closing the door behind them, and listened as Filch was misled by Peeves' antics outside.
However, the relief was short-lived. As John surveyed the room, he was met with the sight of a massive creature with three heads, its body nearly filling the space. The creature's six eyes, full of surprise and curiosity, fixed on them. John swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he realized the gravity of their situation. "Hermione, Harry, Ron, Neville, I think you should see this," John called out, prompting the group to turn around. What they saw next left them momentarily paralyzed with shock. Before them stood Death and Filch, though in this peculiar moment, Filch seemed the more approachable of the two.
Without a moment's hesitation, John sprang into action. He reached for the door handle, flung the door open, and shouted, "Run!" His warning snapped the others out of their stupor. Grasping Neville, who was closest to him and visibly trembling, John pulled him along. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, their survival instincts kicking in.
With a loud bang, the door slammed shut behind them, sealing off the ominous presence they had just escaped. The urgency of John's actions and his quick thinking had averted what could have been a disastrous encounter.
_________
If you are tired of reading I also have this converted to an audio novel on my youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@NovelAudioForge/featured
Direct Link to playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Hg-qsW4rM&list=PLKskshYG-OcPTR4-Nw7IWFEBZm07D8pBV&ab_channel=NovelAudioForge