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Chapter 369: Nothing Will Happen!!
Not a Dementor?
Then… what was it?
Harry was stunned.
He saw Lupin and the other professors running ahead. Subconsciously, he remembered the cry he had just heard.
It sounded like Darren.
His heart lurched.
Nothing happened to Darren… right?
He rushed forward in panic and found Darren standing there with clenched fists, his expression slightly unnatural.
The professors nearby all looked as if they did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Before Harry could ask anything, a student beside him explained everything in a low voice.
When Darren had been beating Malfoy, he had accidentally struck Malfoy's amulet—shattering it again—and hurt his own hand in the process.
Darren lowered his fist when he saw Harry.
Then anger returned to his face.
"This can't just be brushed off," he said coldly. "Points must be deducted. I'll tell Professor Snape to deduct fifty points from each of you."
"And detention," he added. "You've disgraced Slytherin. I—"
Malfoy interrupted bitterly, muttering, "You beat us, and you still want to deduct points? Do you think the Head of House will agree?"
"Yeah! At worst, you'll just give us detention. You think you get to decide point deductions?"
They were furious.
Darren, however, was completely unconcerned.
Snape would definitely listen.
So his expression hardened.
"Besides you," he said, "I should be punished too. I shouldn't have reacted so impulsively. I was wrong. I'll tell the Head of House myself—"
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
Another batch of "Holy Father" points was harvested.
The more he spoke, the heavier he felt inside.
He felt guilty—
But his eyes were full of stubborn resolve.
He did not regret it.
At that moment, a cold voice cut in.
"I suppose the final decision has nothing to do with you, does it?"
Snape had arrived.
He walked over slowly, expression dark.
Darren pressed his lips together and lowered his head.
Snape stared at him for a moment—
Then turned sharply to Malfoy and Crabbe.
Anger flashed in his eyes.
"To commit such a low and disgraceful act is completely unworthy of Slytherin," he said coldly.
"Slytherin: fifty points deducted. Every one of you."
"And detention. All of you will report to Filch."
Then he looked back at Darren.
"As for Darren Potter—"
"Severus," Professor McGonagall said quickly, worried, "Darren didn't mean harm. He was only acting out of impulse—"
Snape remained unmoved.
He addressed Darren calmly.
"For the dignity of Slytherin: Slytherin gains fifty points."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"At a critical moment, you protected the Savior. Slytherin gains another fifty points."
More gasps.
"And when the professors arrived, you admitted fault and responsibility. Slytherin gains another fifty points."
Silence.
Then realization.
In total?
No net loss.
If anything, Slytherin gained points.
Everyone knew Snape favored his house.
Whether it was Darren or not, Snape would probably twist things to benefit Slytherin anyway.
But when they saw Darren's astonished, dazed smile—
They laughed.
Fred and George immediately lifted Darren into the air, throwing him up and catching him repeatedly.
Darren desperately tried to preserve his "pure and holy" image—
And almost lost his soul in the process.
By the time they finally carried him to the Gryffindor common room and put him down, he was dizzy.
Fortunately, even with Colin's camera in action, every photo still made Darren look harmless and well-behaved.
Not a trace of his true personality leaked through.
The Gryffindor common room was roaring with celebration.
Fred arrived with large crates of butterbeer, along with cakes, steak, pudding, and all kinds of snacks.
Darren was halfway through a steak when girls started coming over in groups to toast him.
He drank politely.
Cup after cup.
Soon—he noticed something was wrong.
The girls looked… surprised.
As if they were all silently wondering:
Why hasn't he fallen yet?
This put Darren in a dilemma.
He considered explaining that nothing would happen even if he got drunk in Gryffindor Tower.
Then he realized—
That explanation would ruin future opportunities.
After a moment of hesitation, Darren accepted the butterbeer Lavender handed him—
Then slowly, deliberately, "lost consciousness" and lay down.
Everything went exactly as planned.
Before anyone could do anything—
Professor McGonagall came in.
She was furious.
Lights out.
Everyone to bed.
When she saw Darren passed out on the sofa, her anger rose another level.
After finding out it was the girls who had pushed him to drink, she assigned them extra homework on the spot.
Clearly, she thought they were far too idle.
She then checked Darren carefully.
Finding no problem other than intoxication, she prepared to send him back to Slytherin.
But Harry immediately volunteered.
"I'll take care of him, Professor."
Professor McGonagall hesitated.
After thinking of Slytherin's cold dormitory—
She finally trusted her own students.
Another bed was set up in Harry's dormitory for Darren.
Before leaving, she issued a final warning:
"Any more trouble tonight—and I will deduct points."
Her footsteps faded away.
Darren sighed silently.
At least… it was over.
He yawned—
And fell into a deep sleep.
He did not wake—
Until Ron screamed.
Darren jolted awake.
A dark figure was retreating beside his bed.
Black.
Sirius Black—in human form.
He vanished just as Ron's scream echoed through the room.
"I saw him!" Ron yelled frantically. "Sirius Black! He was holding a knife—right next to Darren's bed! He was going to kill him!"
Ron pointed tremblingly to the curtains beside Darren's bed.
A long, deep slash was clearly visible.
"I saw him rush past me to Darren. He cut the bed and was about to strike again—he was trying to kill Darren!"
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