The Grangers were about to stand up, but Professor McGonagall stopped them. She shook her head, signaling them to keep watching. As she looked at the girl standing beside Malfoy, a glint appeared in McGonagall's eyes.
Is she a member of that family?
Why is she with Malfoy?
Hermione was about to continue arguing, but Cro stopped her. She looked at him, puzzled, not understanding why he was holding her back. Was he afraid of this Malfoy boy too?
Just as Hermione began to feel disappointed, Cro stepped forward, placing himself between her and Malfoy.
"I don't know what a Malfoy is, and I don't want to know. But I do know that your family must have terrible manners!" Cro said coldly.
"Or maybe it's your parents who lack manners—because they've clearly failed to raise you properly!"
"You think you're so noble, but to others, you're just a ridiculous little clown! You're no better than a monkey at the zoo."
Cro's icy words echoed through the shop, leaving everyone—including Professor McGonagall—stunned. This was the first time someone had compared the Malfoy family to monkeys for public amusement. It wasn't just a slap to their face; it was rubbing their face in the dirt, stomping on it for good measure.
[Detected: Two intense feelings of shock!]
[Reward: Diamond Treasure Chest, Golden Treasure Chest!]
[Detected: Intense feeling of joy!]
[Reward: Golden Treasure Chest!]
[Detected: Intense feeling of anger!]
[Reward: Golden Treasure Chest!]
[Detected: Two feelings of satisfaction!]
[Reward: Two Bronze Treasure Chests!]
A series of notification sounds rang in Cro's mind, but he paid them no attention. His cold eyes were still locked on Malfoy. If Malfoy had targeted anyone else, Cro might not have cared, but this time, he had picked a fight with Hermione—Cro couldn't ignore that.
What Malfoy family? What Sacred Twenty-Eight?
Are they more important than my precious girl?
"You know who you're insulting, right? You filthy Muggle! Today I'll show you what it means to be a Malfoy!" Malfoy spat.
"Dobby, make him regret it!"
At Malfoy's command, a scruffy, ugly house-elf appeared beside him. The elf stretched out its bony fingers toward Cro.
"Bone-Crushing Curse!" the elf muttered in a hoarse, cold voice. A gray beam of light shot from its sharp fingers, zooming toward Cro at high speed.
"Cro, dodge!!" Hermione cried out in alarm. She didn't know what the Bone-Crushing Curse would do, but the name alone made it sound bad. She frantically tried to push Cro aside, but despite his slender frame, it felt as if Cro was rooted to the spot—no matter how hard she pushed, he wouldn't budge.
Professor McGonagall and Angeloi both started to intervene, but before they could act, Cro raised his hand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
A nearby 60-centimeter wooden board flew over at lightning speed, positioning itself in front of Cro.
Bang!
The Bone-Crushing Curse slammed into the board, shattering it into a shower of splinters. Professor McGonagall and the others stared wide-eyed in shock.
[Detected: Four intense feelings of shock!]
[Reward: One Diamond Treasure Chest, Two Golden Treasure Chests, One Silver Treasure Chest!]
[Detected: Two intense feelings of shock!]
[This target has reached the daily limit for rewards!]
"Wandless magic? How could a Muggle possibly cast wandless magic? It must be an illusion—yes, that's it!" Malfoy stammered, pulling the others out of their stupor. Meanwhile, the blonde girl next to him subtly put away her wand, studying Cro with great interest.
How curious! A Muggle who can perform wandless magic... truly an interesting fellow!
"Dobby, you useless creature! You can't even deal with two Muggles. Why are we keeping you around? What are you waiting for? Finish him off!" Malfoy shouted angrily at the elf.
"Apologies, Master! Dobby will make sure this Muggle pays for insulting the noble Malfoy family! Bone-Cru—... McGonagall!" The elf trembled, its voice faltering mid-curse when it saw Professor McGonagall standing in front of Cro.
Dobby instantly ceased his magic, bowing fearfully to her.
"Professor McGonagall! How could this be? No one was there just now. I mean... Professor, I—" Malfoy stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief. Once he realized it really was McGonagall, he became flustered, struggling to explain himself.
McGonagall must have used some kind of invisibility magic. But how much did she see?
If she witnessed everything, no excuse would suffice.
Malfoy clenched his fists and shot a glare at Dobby, who lowered his head in shame. If Dobby had known Professor McGonagall was there, he would have warned Malfoy. Then, none of this would have happened.
---------------------
T/N:
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