How Not to Get Expelled from Hogwarts
Draco took one look at Percy's furious expression and grew nervous. Several Slytherins immediately ran to surround him, pulling out their wands at once, ready to face Percy purely out of house pride.
Percy grabbed the broom he had tossed earlier… but not to fly, of course. He grabbed it and swung it through the air, making swishing sounds, like someone preparing an improvised weapon. And when everyone realized what he was planning to use it for, Percy suddenly pushed off with his legs and charged at the entire Slytherin group, using the broom as if it were a combat staff.
What followed could only be described as a massacre… thankfully without blood. Percy used the broom to strike ankles and legs; the spells the Slytherins tried to cast barely left their wands before he was already ducking, dodging them with ease, only to appear right in front of the caster and deliver a slap that knocked the air—and dignity—out of them.
In one particularly incredible moment, one of the Slytherins launched a desperate Wingardium Leviosa. Percy swung the broom as if it were a sword; the spell collided with it, and the broom shot up floating above his head. Percy wasn't even surprised; he simply let it drift away and kept advancing with his fists clenched.
And right then, everyone understood it would have been better if he had kept using the broom as a weapon, because Percy's punches hurt far more.
When Draco Malfoy realized what was happening, all those who had run to "defend" him were already lying on the ground. The Slytherin girls, terrified of being hit as well, had backed away quickly, their faces pale.
Then, before Draco could react, he felt a violent shove. Percy tackled him, knocking him to the ground, and then straddled him, raising both hands.
Then…
Smack.
Smack.
Smack.
Smack.
Slap after slap landed on his face. Draco tried to shield himself with his arms, but Percy always found the perfect angle for the blows to get through.
"This… smack… will… smack… teach you… smack… not to mess… smack… with people you shouldn't… smack!" Percy shouted between slap and slap, while Draco sobbed, unable to understand how his life had reached this point.
"Stop! Stop! Stop it! I'll tell my dad!" Draco cried through tears, his voice trembling, his face swelling so fast it looked like the head of a red pig.
Even the Gryffindors froze, staring at one another, unsure how to process the scene. Everything had happened too fast, too brutal, too… Percy.
Some, like Ron Weasley, were cheering Percy on, excited by the epic beating Draco was receiving.
"Stop this immediately!" a furious voice suddenly yelled from the castle entrance. The instant Percy heard it, he felt something rushing toward him.
With his reflexes, he rolled backward just in time to dodge a spell that whistled past him. He grabbed a rock from the ground and aimed it at whoever had attacked him.
But when he saw who it was, he stopped.
Professor Snape. Head of Slytherin House. The spell he had cast seemed to be a simple repelling charm meant to push him off Draco; even so, Snape's expression shifted from anger to disbelief and surprise upon seeing that Percy had dodged the spell without even looking.
Then the professor's expression returned to absolute rage as he saw the swollen state of Draco Malfoy's face.
"How dare you attack one of the students?" Snape said furiously, his voice aimed entirely at Percy.
Percy stared back at him with a serious expression full of anger.
"And what, your students can attack and do whatever they want, and we're not allowed to defend ourselves?" Percy said without a shred of fear. After all, he had seen many times how Draco and his followers bothered others and nothing ever happened.
For a magical school, the bullying was even worse than in a normal school.
"Shut up!" Snape shouted, losing patience. "Follow me immediately. You will be expelled. To the Headmaster's office." His rage was obvious.
He then looked at Draco, who was still crying while his swollen face made it hard to understand what he was saying.
"Take Malfoy to the infirmary. And then send him to the Headmaster's office afterward," he ordered the other Slytherins.
Snape approached and grabbed Percy's arm roughly. Percy looked at him without fear, without pain, only with contempt. Snape was an adult, yes, but he was a wizard. And although wizards believed magic made them superior, Percy had trained his entire life with adults who fought using real swords. To him, Snape wasn't intimidating at all.
Snape marched Percy away while the students remained in shock, unsure what to say or do.
Draco kept crying in pain, though deep inside his suffering there was a certain satisfaction; in his mind, he was certain those two boys his father hated so much would soon be expelled.
But oh, how his face hurt.
…
Percy was taken through the castle corridors while Snape gripped his arm tightly. At this point, Percy knew he was probably going to be expelled; but honestly, he didn't mind that much. He was even wondering if he could maybe injure this annoying professor a little on the way, watching Snape's hand squeezing his arm. He felt that if he wanted to, he could break Snape's wrist right then and there, taking advantage of how distracted he was.
But then he remembered his mother's words and felt a bit deflated. Reality hit him: his mother would definitely be disappointed. Maybe Harry and he would both be expelled… again. Though at normal school they had often been one step away from expulsion, most of the time they hadn't been guilty. Luckily, Gema, who eventually became their teacher, had helped them more than once.
"Whatever. Whatever comes will come," Percy thought as Snape stopped in front of what looked like a statue guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's office.
"Lemon drop," Snape said, and the gargoyle moved slowly, revealing a spiral staircase beginning to rotate. Snape pushed Percy upward and knocked on the door of the Headmaster's office.
"Come in, Snape," Dumbledore's voice was heard from inside.
Snape opened the door. Sure enough, Dumbledore was there, sitting with a slightly serious expression before looking at Percy.
"Headmaster, I've brought the student who attacked his classmates and left Malfoy's face in terrible condition," Snape said in his harsh tone as he pushed Percy forward.
"Yes, I heard the message you sent earlier," Dumbledore said, nodding with a sigh. Then he looked directly at Percy. "Would you like to say anything in your defense, boy?"
Percy looked at him without a shred of regret.
"I don't regret it. Malfoy deserved a beating. His constant bullying of my friends has gone well past the limit of my patience. If you want to expel me, just do it. This school isn't really what it seems. Even your Potions professor is just… this," Percy said, glancing at Snape as if he were nothing important.
Snape filled with fury instantly and was about to speak, but Dumbledore raised his hand, stopping him.
"Why do you say that?" the Headmaster asked, with the tone of someone who genuinely wanted to understand Percy's perspective, his frustrations, and why he had acted the way he did.
Percy hesitated for a moment. He had never had a Headmaster who truly wanted to hear his side of things. Normally everyone defended the teachers no matter what. Until Gema arrived at his previous school; then things changed, the principal changed, and everyone's behavior started being reviewed. Whenever Percy and Harry got into trouble, it turned out that almost always the guilty ones were the other students.
Percy took a deep breath and decided to speak.
"Your Potions professor always supports only his own house, no matter if they behave badly or not. He pretends not to see when his own students harm or bully others. And if someone dares to complain, the house of the student who spoke up is the one that loses points. So they feel like they can do whatever they want all the time without anyone stopping them," Percy said, releasing everything in one go.
Dumbledore nodded slowly and then looked at Snape.
"Severus, that is indeed true. Sometimes you can be far too partial toward your house, and that can create moments of friction," the Headmaster said calmly.
Snape frowned deeply at Dumbledore's words.
"Even so, that does not justify a student leaving half of his classmates beaten and lying on the ground. And one of them had to go to the infirmary with his face completely swollen from the blows," Snape said seriously.
"Well, that is also true. Although I must admit that there are always student fights. All the time. It is a problem born from the existence of the houses; even for me as Headmaster, sometimes it is difficult to mediate. But Hogwarts was created this way," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Was any student seriously injured?"
"Draco Malfoy," Snape said.
"He's not injured. I only slapped him. A bit of ice and he'll be fine," Percy said quickly.
"Slaps?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.
"I promised my mother not to get into trouble, and I didn't want to hurt anyone, even if they were really annoying," Percy said. This made Dumbledore stifle a slight smile; but since Snape was present, he cleared his throat.
"It is… an interesting method of not harming your classmates. Although slaps can hurt quite a bit. Hmm… Severus, have you already deducted points?" the Headmaster asked.
Snape tightened his frown even more. He already knew what was coming.
"Then allow me to give the punishment, since I am here," the Headmaster said. "For hitting Slytherin students, Gryffindor will lose 20 points. And Percy Jackson will have two weeks of detention. I haven't decided what it will be yet; I will let you know later."
"Huh? You're not going to expel me?" Percy asked, confused.
"Do you want to be expelled?" Dumbledore asked with a slight smile.
"But… what about Harry?" Percy asked immediately.
"What is going on with Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked.
Percy opened his eyes wide for a moment. Harry had not been taken to the Headmaster's office by McGonagall. That meant… he hadn't been expelled.
"Oh, no, nothing," Percy said quickly, trying not to mess things up.
"Then you should return to class, Mr. Jackson. And remember: expect your punishment," the Headmaster said.
"Yes, sure… I guess," Percy said before practically running out of the office. He let out a sigh along the way, not without first giving Snape a quick glance; Snape looked truly furious… but unable to say anything against the Headmaster's decision.
…
Dumbledore watched Percy leave, a faint smile on his face. Then he turned to Snape, who was standing there with his black eyes fixed on him, clearly wanting to say many things.
"I know what you want to say, Severus. And I understand your anger," Dumbledore said.
"Then why didn't you expel him? He attacked students," Snape said.
"From your house, correct? If they were from another house, would you be so determined to have him expelled? Surely you would. You seem to hold a certain resentment toward him. Perhaps because he is connected to those who sent an old friend of yours to prison," Dumbledore said calmly.
Snape deepened his scowl.
"If Percy Jackson deserved to be expelled, don't you think Draco Malfoy does too? With everything he does trying to get those two expelled… and yet you do not seem worried about his behavior. After all, he is from your house," Dumbledore added.
Snape's expression grew even more annoyed before he turned around. "If we are done, I shall take my leave," he said, heading toward the exit.
"I don't know what Lucius is planning, Severus. But he had better stop. And you, as his friend, should warn him. There is much that could be endangered… even his own life," Dumbledore said seriously.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Snape said before leaving.
Dumbledore simply let out a tired sigh and walked over to his desk. He took a box of chocolate cockroaches, pulled one out, and placed it into his mouth with a calm gesture as silence filled the office once again.