The Christmas holidays always flew by, and the day before classes resumed, Hermione returned to Hogwarts Castle.
Not long after the holidays began, the Hogwarts Quidditch season resumed. This time, Gryffindor was set to face Hufflepuff. Since the Gryffindor team had already defeated Slytherin, winning against Hufflepuff would put them one step closer to securing the Inter-House Quidditch Cup.
Irina, Hermione, and Ron were cheering Harry on during his Quidditch practice sessions.
However, when Hermione and Ron found out that the referee for the match was none other than Professor Snape, their enthusiasm quickly turned to dread.
To them, Snape had been the one who jinxed Harry's broom during the last match. Now that he was the referee, they were convinced he'd try to harm Harry again.
"You can't play in this match!" Hermione urged Harry.
"Just say you're sick!" Ron added.
"Fake a broken leg!" Hermione suggested.
"Or actually break your leg!" Ron concluded dramatically.
The other three turned to stare at Ron in disbelief. Was he actually suggesting that Harry injure himself?
"I can't just drop out," Harry said with a sigh. "Gryffindor doesn't have a reserve Seeker. If I don't play, we might have to forfeit!"
While Hermione and Ron worried about Harry, and Irina listened with mild amusement, Neville suddenly burst into the Gryffindor common room.
His legs were bound together by the Leg-Locker Curse, forcing him to hop awkwardly like a rabbit.
"Who did this to you?!" Irina demanded, her face immediately darkening.
Neville had become a good friend over the past term, and Irina wasn't about to let anyone bully him.
"What happened?" Hermione quickly cast the counter-curse and helped Neville sit down.
"It was Malfoy," Neville stammered. "I ran into him outside the library. He said he wanted to practice some spells…"
Irina didn't say a word. She simply grabbed Neville's arm and started toward the common room exit.
"Wait—Irina, where are you taking me?" Neville asked, his voice shaking.
Irina's tone was firm. "Listen, Neville. No one gets to bully my friends. And you should never let anyone bully you, either. Stand up for yourself! Come on, I'll help you confront Malfoy."
Hearing this, Harry and Ron immediately jumped up to follow, eager to see what would happen.
Guided by Neville, Irina soon found Malfoy loitering near the library. His smug expression left no doubt that he was proud of what he'd done to Neville.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Irina's wand was already in her hand as she cast the spell without hesitation.
Malfoy's legs snapped together as he stumbled, barely managing to stay upright.
"You're asking for trouble, Lowell!" Malfoy snarled, raising his wand to retaliate.
"Expelliarmus!" Irina fired back without giving him a chance to act.
The red flash of the Disarming Charm sent Malfoy flying backward. His wand soared through the air, landing neatly in Irina's outstretched hand.
"Go on, Neville," Irina said, gesturing toward the now-defenseless Malfoy. "This is your chance. Teach him a lesson."
Neville hesitated. "I… I can't…"
Irina placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "What are you so afraid of? It's just Malfoy. If you let him walk all over you, he'll keep doing it. You have to show him you won't stand for it. Go on."
With a small push from Irina, Neville found himself face-to-face with Malfoy.
Neville raised his fist, but he froze. His nerves got the better of him.
"Longbottom, you wouldn't dare lay a finger on me!" Malfoy sneered, his voice wavering slightly.
Hearing Malfoy's taunt, Neville flinched, shrinking back.
"Hit him, Neville!"
"Yeah, give it to him!"
Harry and Ron cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines.
Bolstered by their encouragement, Neville finally closed his eyes, balled his fists, and swung. His punches landed squarely on Malfoy, who cried out in exaggerated wails.
"Ooooh! Stop! Ooooh!" Malfoy's screams echoed dramatically, like a character in a cartoon.
By the time Neville was done, Malfoy was sprawled on the ground, his face bruised and swollen.
"Stay away from Neville from now on!" Ron declared, emboldened by Irina's presence. "Or we'll do this every time!"
With their message delivered, the group headed back to the Gryffindor common room, leaving Malfoy on the floor.
From the shadows, Crabbe and Goyle finally emerged, cautiously approaching their fallen leader.
"Boss! Are you okay?"
"Do you need help?"
"Stop shaking me, you idiots!" Malfoy snapped, his voice hoarse. "If you keep shaking me, I'll throw up! Damn that Lowell, and damn Longbottom! I'll tell my father about this!"
---
Back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione finally broke her silence.
"Irina, you've gotten a lot stronger," she remarked. "I remember when you only used the Freezing Charm to handle situations like this."
Irina laughed, pulling Hermione into a friendly hug. "A high-level witch should know more than one trick. The Freezing Charm is great, but casting other spells is just as easy."
In truth, Irina had been keeping a secret. While she'd openly revealed her ability to cast the Freezing Charm without a wand, she had quietly mastered non-verbal casting for other spells as well. She intended to save that as her ace in the hole.
Turning to Harry, Irina said confidently, "Don't worry about the match, Harry. If Snape tries anything, I'll hit him with Expelliarmus before he can blink."
Harry nodded eagerly, admiration shining in his eyes.
To Harry and the others, Irina had long since become their trusted older sister. With her watching their backs, nothing seemed impossible.
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