"Let's give it a try…"
With the newly acquired wooden boards and differently sized balls in hand, Andrew found an empty classroom, set up the boards, and pulled the curtains shut—he still didn't know how to fix broken windows, and whether someone was called in or Filch showed up, it wouldn't be good…
"It's still kind of weird—just four branches really… Transfiguration is seriously magical."
After another sigh of amazement, Andrew drew his wand and muttered an incantation softly.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
With a final elegant flick of the wand, the smallest fake Snitch jolted as if yanked by something and shot toward the wall.
"Pretty accurate, but too slow…"
Andrew then cast the spell on a second fake Bludger—this one moved even slower, and its destructive power was far from deserving the name "Bludger."
Clearly, just like the older student said, these were just for show. For a real trial, he'd need the actual pitch.
Still, it was good enough.
There was no need to test the biggest ball.
Andrew began to calm his mind and repeatedly used the Levitation Charm to strike the fake Snitch. One thought occasionally crossed his mind—why is it called a floating charm if it can move that fast?
But that didn't affect his growing mastery of the spell. As time passed, the sound of the spell striking the fake Snitch became sharper, and his wand movements became more natural.
He could even stop mid-sprint and flick the Snitch forward with precision, making it smack crisply into the 70% or 80% marked area on the board.
"Who's there?"
Just as Andrew was immersed in practice, he heard the door open. He immediately turned around, pressing a nail in his pocket with his left hand just in case.
"Ah… sorry… I didn't know…"
The voice, broken and mixed with sobs, belonged to a boy—Andrew recognized him. He was the one who lost his toad on the Hogwarts Express. Neville, was it?
"Come in. Tell me what happened."
Though reluctant to be interrupted, Andrew had made a promise to face life positively and responsibly. So if someone needed help—and it wasn't morally wrong—he would offer limited aid, just like on the train.
Simply put, if he couldn't swim, he wouldn't dive in to save someone—but he'd at least look for a longer branch while asking others for help.
"N-Nothing…"
"I'm sure I can help somehow," Andrew said with a warm smile. "You probably remember me—we met on the train."
"Ah…" The crying boy looked up. It didn't take long before he recognized Andrew. "Yes, that time on the train… thank you."
"So what happened? Maybe I can offer some useful advice."
"I messed up… They're making up stuff about me… and I lost a lot of points…"
"Everyone loses points sometimes… but who's 'they'?"
"The Slytherin guys… They said I'm not cut out to be a wizard… And I'm starting to believe it…"
Got it. From bits of gossip at the table, Andrew had already guessed—Neville was the Gryffindor first-year target chosen by a professor this year. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing well in other subjects either, and now he was on the verge of a breakdown.
"There's no way you're not meant to be a wizard. The school wouldn't have admitted you otherwise. You're just too nervous…"
Andrew gave some brief comfort, then went straight to the most important question. "Did you hit them?"
"Huh?"
Even Neville was stunned by Andrew's train of thought. "H-Hit them?"
"Yeah. When they said that, did you give them a punch in the nose?"
"No… My gran taught me—"
"Your gran told you not to hit people who attack you?"
"No, she said not to mess around at school."
"That's not messing around… Well, I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to hit them now… upper years can't get involved either… Let me think…" Andrew paused for a moment before an idea sparked. "Have you gone to Harry Potter yet?"
"Huh?"
"Yeah, go find Harry Potter," Andrew said firmly. "He's the most influential first-year in Gryffindor, right?"
"You were bullied by Slytherins. Go tell him. What's the problem?"
Sure, it might seem aggressive, but if those bullies weren't stopped now, things would just escalate. Even fighting back later could be twisted into an attack against them.
Miss the best chance, and your only option is to pick the next best—go under a stronger figure's wing and retaliate. That actually makes it less likely they'll mess with you again.
It might be dragging Harry Potter into it, but Gryffindors were used to losing points—at Hogwarts, fighting usually just cost you points. Andrew had researched this, even sacrificing time practicing spells.
"Is that… okay?"
"Of course. I suggest you talk about it in the common room—trust your housemates!"
Maybe it was house solidarity, or maybe Neville trusted Andrew from the train, but he quickly left.
"Not perfect, but it's really for his own good—this kind of thing won't stop unless someone steps up… lesser evil and all that."
Andrew shook his head, closed the door, and resumed practicing his spells.
——
"A fight? An ambush?!"
"Ganging up on one student! And you led it, Potter!"
"Who else was involved? Never mind—you won't tell. Toilets, Potter. Clean them!"
In Professor McGonagall's office, Harry—with a bloody nose and grass in his messy hair—listened to the scolding.
"If Professor Sprout hadn't walked by, you would've heroically knocked those Slytherins flat!"
"You even ran for it. First-years don't run—that means older students were involved. And you won't say who!"
"Or maybe you brought them along. Fine. Gryffindor loses twenty points. One week cleaning toilets. Report to Filch, Mr. Potter!"
Harry was thrown out of the office—his head still spinning. Neville had come to him for help, older students had explained the "usual method," and before he knew it, he had rallied a bunch of students out of the common room.
He hadn't even meant to gather that many, but everyone eagerly joined in, found those Slytherins—who were still mouthing off—and…
…next thing he knew, he was in McGonagall's office.
Oh no…
A whole week of toilets…
Dragging his feet, he returned to the common room—only to be shocked by the crowd waiting there.
"Awesome!"
"You didn't rat anyone out to McGonagall!"
"Beautiful ambush!"
"They were totally provoking first!"
"We lost twenty points!"—but that voice was quickly drowned out.
Gryffindor's common room was as lively as a holiday celebration.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle