**Chapter 16: The Frequency of Flight Class (Part 3) [Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!]**
"Petrificus Totalus!"
As the incantation for the Full Body-Bind Curse left Ivan's lips, a grayish-white beam of light shot from his wand, flying towards Malfoy in the distance.
Mid-air, Malfoy, who had been feeling triumphant, never expected Ivan's move. He was struck squarely by the curse. His originally pale skin turned into a stiff gray color in less than half a second, his expression and posture frozen at the moment of petrification.
In this state, Malfoy couldn't move a single finger, let alone control the broom beneath him. He immediately toppled stiffly from his high altitude.
Of course, while his body was petrified, Malfoy's consciousness remained intact.
However, if given a choice, Malfoy would rather not know anything.
After all, falling from a great height, watching the ground get closer and closer—this sensation of gradually approaching death was enough to make anyone崩溃 (break down). If he weren't petrified, Malfoy would have been screaming at the top of his lungs.
The moment Ivan hit Malfoy with the Body-Bind Curse, he turned to Hermione and said,
"Hermione, now!"
The clever young witch understood his plan the moment Ivan acted. But now, Hermione clearly had no time to scold Ivan anymore. She only had time to shoot him a glare before shouting loudly...
"Wingardium Leviosa~"
By this time, Malfoy had already been terrified to the extreme, imagining himself shattering into several pieces in his petrified state.
Malfoy even thought about how, after his death, his father would torture Ivan, Harry, and the others to avenge him.
Just as Malfoy was imagining the possible decline of the Malfoy family due to his unfortunate demise, his rapidly falling body came to an abrupt halt. Malfoy hung suspended in mid-air, neither rising nor falling...
Miss Granger, who had successfully performed the emergency spell, breathed a sigh of relief. Ivan beside her also quietly lowered his wand.
"Malfoy..." Once Malfoy landed safely, the young wizards from Slytherin immediately surrounded him.
The Gryffindor students gloated, as Malfoy's earlier haughty demeanor had been truly detestable.
The only one dissatisfied with this was Miss Granger.
"Ivan, how could you use a Body-Bind Curse on Malfoy... You know, you almost killed him!" Hermione stared at Ivan angrily, her eyes full of disbelief.
"So your Levitation Charm was excellent. If Professor Flitwick saw it, he'd definitely give you points," Ivan said with a smile.
Malfoy certainly wouldn't die from just one Body-Bind Curse from him. At most, he'd suffer a bit. Even if Hermione's spell had failed, wasn't he there as backup?
"Yes... Maybe Professor Flitwick would also expel you while he's at it!" Hermione retorted huffily.
Probably not, right? Ivan scratched his head, thinking it would likely just be point deductions, at most polishing trophies or a night trip to the Forbidden Forest?
If it were the latter, Ivan thought that might not be so bad...
Of course, this semester, Ivan absolutely did not plan to go to the Forbidden Forest. Not even if beaten to death.
After all, Quirrell, who was possessed by Voldemort, often liked to wander around the Forbidden Forest. Who knew if he'd have the bad luck to run into him...
So it was better to lay low. If he didn't actively seek death, Hogwarts was quite safe before fourth year.
Recalling his somewhat unreliable golden finger, four years, plus having the system as a cheat, he should at least have the strength to protect himself, right?
Thinking this, Ivan walked towards Malfoy.
Halfway there, he was stopped by a few Slytherin young wizards. The leader was a Slytherin Ivan vaguely remembered, named Blaise.
"Hals, what are you coming over for?" Blaise asked, gripping his wand tightly, frowning.
Facing an external foe, Slytherin House was quite united. Although Malfoy usually acted high and mighty, now many young wizards were willing to stand up for him. The group subtly formed a circle around Ivan.
The chivalrous Gryffindor lions, of course, all stood behind Ivan. Both sides had drawn their wands... though these early-stage magic skills might be less effective than fists.
Ivan shook his head, raising a hand to stop Ron, who was ready to roll up his sleeves. He said to Blaise,
"I'm here to undo the Body-Bind Curse on Malfoy. I believe you all saw clearly what happened earlier; Malfoy started it..."
Blaise seemed hesitant but, after a moment's thought, signaled for everyone to step aside. True to his word, Ivan removed the Body-Bind Curse from Malfoy.
Having just experienced a dramatic rise and fall, Malfoy's legs were still trembling. But to avoid losing face in front of everyone, he stiffly climbed to his feet and shouted at Ivan with a fierce expression and voice,
"You dare curse me! You're finished, Hals!"
"Is that so?" Ivan looked at Draco Malfoy. "What would happen if I told a professor about you snatching Neville's Remembrall and flying without permission?"
Ivan stepped closer to Malfoy, his tone suddenly turning serious.
"I heard Filch likes to take disobedient children to his office, chain their hands, and hang them from the ceiling, then do strange things with whips and sticks..."
Malfoy was momentarily terrified. Among the older students at school, there were indeed such rumors. He even forgot that if this were true, Ivan, who had also broken school rules, would share the same fate.
Seeing the effect was good, Ivan prepared to press on. But before he could speak, he heard Madam Hooch's voice from behind.
"You... How dare you!"
Madam Hooch, who had taken Neville to the hospital wing and hurried back, had seen Malfoy falling from the sky on her way. Now, seeing the young wizards of Gryffindor and Slytherin in a tense standoff, she was furious.
Especially since Harry, holding the Remembrall, happened to land his broom at that moment with a bewildered look on his face, which only added to Madam Hooch's anger.
Ivan covered his face helplessly with his hand. He had calculated everything but hadn't expected Madam Hooch to return at this exact moment. He had originally planned to have a good talk with Malfoy. Now, it seemed they were probably done for...
Thinking about it carefully, Ivan realized he might have dug his own grave. If he hadn't used the Levitation Charm to save Neville earlier, Madam Hooch would probably still be worried about Neville in the hospital wing.