Leading the way was Professor McGonagall.
Usually a strict presence, right now she looked like a tabby cat with every hair standing on end, eyes blazing with fury.
Her gaze swept across the messy battlefield before finally freezing on the two students still pointing wands at each other. The lingering smell of gunpowder in the air testified to the explosive tension that had just filled the space.
She took a deep breath.
McGonagall crouched down to briefly examine the Slytherin students lying in miserable heaps and Didier, who had passed out with a face covered in blood.
More professors arrived one after another, and among the crowd, Lucius and his gang of followers could be seen.
There was not a trace of fear on their faces at being caught in the act.
Instead, they giggled and chatted loudly about the wretched state of their victims, causing even the usually good-tempered Professor Flitwick to look dark and grim.
As their leader—
Lucius, who had been confident of victory, finally showed a flicker of inevitable surprise when he saw the scene before him.
Seko was his right-hand man, the potential seed he had personally selected for the Death Eaters.
No matter how you looked at it, his opponent Didier shouldn't have posed any threat. So why was the scene such a disaster?
His gaze landed on Snape.
Instinctively, Lucius realized that this unremarkable little wizard he had no memory of was likely the root cause of everything!
"Who's there?"
A stern shout interrupted Lucius's thoughts.
Turning toward the sound, he saw Professor Slughorn pointing his wand warily at a pile of fallen leaves nearby.
The pile shook a few times.
Two dirty heads popped out, terror still lingering deep in their eyes.
By now, Professor McGonagall had finished checking the petrified James and Sirius.
Confirming they were fine, and then spotting the missing Peter and Lupin emerging from hiding, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
But her expression grew even more severe.
No one doubted that the anger burning in her heart would ensure the culprits behind this spent every weekend in detention until graduation!
But before she could even question him, Lucius spoke up leisurely.
"Professor McGonagall, as I said earlier, Mr. Ormod felt he couldn't defeat the mighty Slytherin team in Quidditch, so he ambushed us while we were unprepared, hoping to use despicable means to steal glory from Slytherin!"
He raised his chin.
Lucius's condescending tone sounded less like an explanation and more like malicious mockery.
"Since Mr. Seko has been found, I think it's time we returned to rest. After all, not everyone escaped this ambush unscathed."
The Slytherin students grinned silently.
Their attitude made Professor McGonagall tremble with rage. She marched straight up to Lucius and glared at him.
"True bravery never seeks so-called glory through such means!
We all know exactly what happened today. I only hope you remember one thing, Mr. Malfoy: the Headmaster of Hogwarts is Albus Dumbledore, not your family or your so-called Board of Governors!"
"...Of course. I am deeply aware of that."
Lucius's smile faded slightly.
He took half a step back under McGonagall's glare, but the flame of ambition flickered visibly in his eyes.
"But pure-bloods should be superior, shouldn't they? If Dumbledore refuses to acknowledge that, a great leader will eventually step forward who does."
Without waiting for McGonagall's reaction—
Lucius swished his magnificent robes with their golden embroidery and turned to leave, disappearing into the darkness surrounded by his Slytherin cohort, utterly disregarding the professors' judgment!
"It seems our duel will be postponed. But I will find you."
Watching Lucius walk away—
Seko put away his wand, casually kicking the subordinate who was still vomiting slugs.
After taking a deep look at Snape, he strode off to catch up with the Slytherin group, vanishing from everyone's sight.
Professor McGonagall's expression was ugly to the extreme.
She stared death at Professor Slughorn, the Head of Slytherin House, making the old walrus-like man shrink his neck guiltily.
"Slytherin will lose three hundred points for today's events!"
"...Of course, I have no objection at all."
"And you must discipline the students in your house properly. Dangerous ideas are spreading among them. Even the most mischievous students in history wouldn't do such things in broad daylight!"
Professor Slughorn didn't dare breathe loudly, but bitterness filled his heart.
If he could, he would have loved to stop the spread of pure-blood ideology in Slytherin.
But as Head of House, he had long lost control. The ones truly spreading influence in the Snake House were the pure-blood families outside Hogwarts, sparing no effort to recruit potential Death Eaters and manpower for their cause!
Seko Bestd was one. Narcissa Black was another.
And Lucius Malfoy was merely the most successful among them, having even gained the recognition and trust of that terrifying existence!
Even if Slughorn wanted to change things—
The very next day, representatives from several pure-blood families would be knocking on his door. If he didn't know when to back down, it wouldn't be surprising if he inexplicably vanished from the wizarding world one day!
Only then did Professor McGonagall notice there was still one little snake left on the scene.
"Mr. Snape, if you don't leave now, you won't catch up with your glory-laden team."
McGonagall's tone was tinged with sarcasm.
But contrary to her expectation, Snape merely glanced at her.
He calmly wiped the sweat from his wand with a handkerchief he carried, stowed it away close to his body, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, and spoke evenly.
"I'm not on the same path as them. But I think going to the library to read a book might be a good choice right now."
He nodded politely to the three professors.
His indifferent gaze swept casually over the four Marauders, who wore varying expressions. He didn't pause even when looking at Lupin, leaving the boy—who was tending to the recovering James and Sirius—with mixed feelings!
Lupin and Peter had been forgotten by the battlefield, and thus were lucky enough to witness Snape's true strength!
Lupin had to admit, he was truly shocked!
He knew Snape was strong, but this strong? It was far beyond his expectations, and he felt genuinely happy for him from the bottom of his heart!
But when Snape's cutting glance swept over him before leaving—
Lupin couldn't help worrying about Snape's feelings, fearing his closeness with James would push his relationship with Snape further away.
To Lupin, friends were incredibly precious treasures.
One was a close companion inseparable in his own house; the other was the peer who had first welcomed his lonely self. Lupin couldn't bear to abandon either!
But soon Professor McGonagall's voice rang out again, pulling the sentimental Lupin back to reality.
"Gentlemen, the thrilling adventure is over. If you don't mind, could you please explain to us exactly what happened here?"
Hearing Snape's words and recalling the standoff she saw upon arrival—
McGonagall vaguely realized she might have misunderstood something.
And who better to explain the cause and effect than these two audacious first-year lions who had witnessed the entire process?
Curious and scrutinizing gazes from the professors fixed on the two of them.
Professors Flitwick and Slughorn also looked over with immense curiosity, making Peter—who was clutching a crystal ball like a treasure—tremble, while Lupin swallowed hard as he came back to his senses.
"I recall that's a Omniocular Recording Ball, isn't it?"
Professor McGonagall murmured meaningfully.
"That toy seems quite popular among students lately. Mr. Pettigrew, could you show us what's stored inside your recording ball?"
Trembling, Peter looked up to see the kindly faces of three professors blocking every escape route.
Then he looked at the frontline footage he had risked his life to film, solely to make a fortune afterward.
He had been chased, run for his life, and played dead.
After surviving such an unprecedentedly fulfilling day, seeing his windfall about to be confiscated and being forced to hand over the recording ball personally—Peter finally couldn't hold back hot tears under the iron fist of life!
Dammit, why is it always me who gets unlucky?!
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