Chapter -75.
The event in the Slytherin common room teaches us an important lesson: sometimes, having a crowd doesn't make a difference at all.
Unfortunately, Slytherin wasn't going to share that wisdom with Gryffindor.
"Hermione, are you alright?"
Dudley, ever so casual, helped Hermione to her feet, brushing off her clothes and gathering the books scattered on the floor.
He hardly regarded the Gryffindors as a threat.
With the support of their friends, the confidence of the two girls and three boys began to swell. One girl with short hair laughed while pointing at Dudley, "Are you really a first-year? You look just like a gorilla! Right, a Slytherin gorilla and a Gryffindor beaver!"
"I see why you're sticking up for Miss Beaver; you two are quite the pair!"
Their laughter rang out unfazed.
But before Dudley could react, Hermione, who had been quiet up until then, rushed forward, grabbing the girl's hair and yanking it forcefully before landing a punch right on her nose.
"Apologize to Dudley!"
Hermione roared like a fierce lioness, her fierce gaze fixated on the girl.
While she could endure bullying herself, when Dudley was insulted, Hermione would always be the first to defend him.
Don't be fooled into thinking Hermione is just a bookworm; as Dudley's childhood friend, he knew that her true personality was far more fiery than her usual reserved nature.
She was known to resort to physical confrontation over minor squabbles.
" you dare hit me?! Even My dad has never hit me!"
The girl clutched her nose, blood seeping between her fingers from where Hermione's punch had landed.
Thankfully, her nose wasn't fake; otherwise, it would have been flattened by that hit.
"I'm going to get you!"
The girl flailed her fists at Hermione like a wild animal, but one of her swings accidentally struck Dudley, who had stepped in to shield her. It felt like punching a wall.
"My hand is going to break!"
She howled in pain, holding her injured hand aloft.
"Look, Slytherin hurt me!"
The Gryffindors quickly surrounded Dudley and Hermione.
Though they weren't entirely sure what had happened, they knew it was time to rally against Slytherin, the so-called evil house.
And as for Hermione, the insufferable know-it-all had chosen to associate with Slytherin, so she clearly wasn't innocent either.
The foolish Gryffindors didn't think much about right or wrong; they just wanted to confront Slytherin.
They tried to move toward Hermione, but Dudley stood between them, and their courage faltered.
"Hermione is right; she should apologize, but to her, not to you," Dudley addressed the surrounding Gryffindors.
His gaze moved around the crowd, finally resting on the group of five. Without needing to say much, he understood the gravity of what had unfolded.
Is bullying at Hogwarts really this rampant?
First him, now Hermione.
In truth, if it hadn't been for the run-in with Malfoy, Hermione wouldn't have come close to him, a Slytherin, and none of this would have happened.
Bullying was often a reality at Hogwarts due to the rivalry between houses, as prevalent as it was in any school.
Dudley's Uncle James had even participated in bullying back in his day.
"No, we Gryffindors will never accept defeat to Slytherin!"
Even though he'd just been hit by Hermione, he still had his wits about him.
It was clear the other side was escalating this into a Gryffindor versus Slytherin situation.
As those words were spoken, Dudley noticed the Gryffindors around him wear expressions of shared anger.
They even readied their wands in unison, pointing them at Dudley.
Dudley let out a cold snort, his expression becoming more indifferent.
What a spirited Gryffindor, full of bravery and unity.
'Not asking for reasons, not discerning right from wrong—everything is just black and white.
To call them brutes would be generous; their collective intellect barely compares to that of a troll.
The issue isn't the house but the individuals.'
"What's your next move?"
Dudley heard Harry's angry voice cutting through the crowd.
"Potter, we know he's your brother, but this doesn't concern you. If you don't want to get hurt, please step aside!"
When it suits them, they say, 'We've got Potter,' but when it doesn't, it's 'Get lost if you don't want to be hurt.'
Dudley heard Harry's frustrated shout fade away; without his reputation as the savior, he was just a first-year wizard—talented but still limited in his abilities.
"I think we should… clear things up first,"
Ron's timid voice piped up.
He didn't have a bad impression of Dudley; in fact, he admired him a bit since he was Harry's brother, so Ron felt compelled to speak up.
Unfortunately, he overestimated his standing and influence in Gryffindor.
"Rofsky, this isn't your fight."
Poor Ron received the same treatment as Harry and was pulled away.
"My name is Ron! Not Rofsky!"
His protests were swallowed by the growing noise.
At this point, most Slytherins had already departed, with only a few remaining, quietly giving their thumbs up to the Gryffindor "warriors."
They had not only annoyed Miss Granger and Mr. Dursley but also faced off against Mr. Potter.
They weren't eager to join the fray; Slytherin was a tightly-knit house. They could squabble among themselves, but when it came to outsiders, they banded together.
There was no fear in facing Gryffindor. Even if they added Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff into the mix, they still wouldn't back down.
But they did worry about derailing that adult's plans.
'If it weren't for Mr. Potter wanting to stay incognito, this would likely have turned into chaos by now.'
'Just look at that self-hatred and frustration on display—it's really quite convincing; I might've almost believed it myself if I hadn't already known the truth,' thought the Slytherin students in their hearts.
Carlo's speeches had long circulated within Slytherin; it was no secret anymore. There were no real secrets among Slytherins, and Carlo's opinions were widely accepted among most.
Why say "most"?
Because Malfoy didn't agree. He claimed that Dudley was the true dark wizard behind Harry and that only he had realized it.
"Hermione, stay close behind me."
Dudley positioned himself in front of Hermione: "We are in the right!"
His words seemed to carry additional weight.
At that moment, the tension in the air reached a freezing point; the atmosphere felt almost solid. The young Slytherins around them dared not even breathe, afraid they might miss a moment they would remember forever. The Gryffindors, despite their numerical advantage, were sweating profusely, gripping their wands tightly.
"Apologize."
Dudley's stare turned icy as he faced them.
He wasn't the type to play with words; he preferred to settle matters through reason.
But if reason didn't work, he was ready to take a stand physically.
Suddenly, golden sparks of energy danced around Dudley, and his muscles appeared to swell as if he were growing before their eyes, his confidence radiating outwards.
In that moment, he seemed transformed; he was no longer just Dudley.
The young wizards felt as if they were staring at an unstoppable force.
Just like when Malfoy had confronted Dudley, even their breaths seemed to stop.
"Step back!"
"mutatio!"
The young wizards, lacking courage, erupted in a flurry of panic, launching their spells at Dudley.
After some time learning magic, they had grown capable of casting more than the basics taught by their professors.
Amidst their frantic spells were a handful of simple curses.
Countless beams of red and green light sped toward Dudley.
However, Dudley was no longer the same. He stood firm, chest out, as the spells hit him—his powerful frame barely flinched, dissipating the magic without a scratch.
His magical resistance was clearly remarkable.
Unscathed.
The attackers—only a handful of first-year wizards—were casting weak spells.
"You started this."
Dudley flashed a bright, intimidating smile.
"Hermione, close your eyes."
He gently covered Hermione's eyes with his large hand while reaching for his wand for the first time.
The other first-year Gryffindors could only stand by, intimidated, and hesitated to make a move.
'Is he about to show his true power? Could it be the Soul-Sucking Curse? The Cruciatus Curse? Or maybe the worst of em all?!'
The Slytherin students were genuinely excited; they'd grown up hearing tales of the three Unforgivable Curses and couldn't wait to witness Dudley's real abilities.
Yet, surprising everyone, Dudley uttered a spell they didn't expect.
"Lumos!"
The young Slytherins collectively crashed mentally, but Dudley wasn't giving them any time to react.
From Dudley, a dazzling, blinding light erupted, engulfing everyone nearby in a brilliant radiance, causing them to feel as if they were being pierced by countless tiny needles.
It was like staring directly at the sun.
The onlooking young wizards felt an excruciating pain in their eyes, and they instinctively covered them.
'I can't see anything!'
'My eyes!'
'Is this what you call wand lightning charm?!'
***
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