Chapter 75: Seeking Guidance, Dueling

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. The Slytherins instinctively avoided his gaze, some unconsciously stepping back two paces. Only Malfoy, feigning bravery, managed to say, "This is a matter between us Slytherins and Gryffindors. Don't meddle, Wade Gray!"

"Draco—" Nott tugged his arm, whispering, "This is getting boring. Let's go—"

"It's because of me!"

Neville gathered his courage, trembling slightly as he spoke, "I ran into them on the way, and Malfoy used the Leg-Locker Curse on me. He said he wanted someone to practice that spell on—Harry—and Ron and Hermione—they only confronted Malfoy and them to help me. And then Malfoy called Hermione a—a Mudblood—"

"Neville!" Michael snapped.

Neville's voice abruptly cut off. He looked bewildered for a moment, then, under the gazes of the others, he reacted, looking at Wade with a hint of panic.

Everyone present suddenly realized that there was another person of non-magical origin here—Wade had never specifically mentioned in school that his parents were Squibs, only that they weren't magical.

Because in the eyes of wizards, Squibs were no different from Muggles—in fact, Squibs were even more discriminated against than Muggles. Muggles had, after all, made some incredible, world-changing advancements, but what did Squibs have? Only the discarded dregs of the wizarding world.

When he first enrolled, Wade had been looked down upon by some due to his non-magical background. But soon, he utterly shattered their prejudices with his strength. No one mentioned his lineage anymore; in fact, many classmates even believed Wade was of pure-blood descent, having received elite wizarding training since childhood.

—Otherwise, there was no explanation for why they were made to look so useless in comparison.

At this moment, everyone recalled that Wade was originally from a non-magical family. The air suddenly became silent, the faint murmur completely vanishing, so quiet that one could almost hear their own breathing.

Nott released Malfoy's hand.

"So that's how it is—practicing spells among classmates, isn't that common?" Wade looked at Malfoy. "As it happens, I've also learned a spell and would like to ask Malfoy for some guidance."

If he had shouted and charged in angrily like Harry and the others, Malfoy would have felt more at ease. But at this moment, Wade merely wore a half-smile, not even seeming angry, which paradoxically made Malfoy more afraid.

"Wh-What—"

He gripped his wand, stammering.

If Malfoy could look in a mirror, he would find his current expression remarkably similar to Neville's earlier, when he was surrounded, even more so with an added touch of cowardice and guilt.

Wade raised his wand, bowed slightly, and his cold gaze fixed on the person in front of him—

"Bow, Mr. Malfoy."

"I—I refuse—" Malfoy instinctively refused. He pointed his wand at Wade, attempting to justify himself, "I mean Granger, that Mud—I wasn't cursing you—Lombard said it just now—"

[This person… is truly both malicious and naive…]

Wade sighed inwardly, flicking his wand—

"Expelliarmus!"

A dazzling red light flashed. Malfoy was struck by the spell's glow, flying backward and directly knocking over Crabbe behind him. His wand also flew out of his hand, clattering to the ground at Nott's feet.

Nott looked left and right. He didn't pick up the wand; instead, he took two steps back.

No one noticed him; everyone was looking at the blond boy curled up on the ground. Pansy Parkinson wanted to do something, but Michael immediately pointed his wand at her with a smile.

"I usually don't hit girls, Pansy—don't make me break that rule—" Michael said in a gentle tone.

Theo and Ryan stared at the other Slytherins, ready to strike.

No one else actually did anything, not even Malfoy's two perpetually plump cronies. They stared foolishly at Malfoy on the ground, not even thinking of helping him up.

Malfoy picked himself up, clutching his head. He glared at Wade, hating him, and shouted, "Don't think I'm scared of you, Wade Gray! Do you know who my father is?"

Wade merely kicked his wand back to him and said, "Continue."

Malfoy picked up his wand, his arm trembling slightly. He was furious and resentful, but more than anything, he felt fear.

The Wade Gray before him was not that bookworm Granger; he was rumored to know more spells than some fifth-year students—

"Ah, I seem to have forgotten to count down earlier," Wade said mockingly. "After all, I'm also a Mudblood; I don't quite understand your pure-blood wizarding etiquette—"

That word, "Mudblood," felt like a slap across the faces of the Slytherin students, all of whom showed varying degrees of embarrassment.

"—If I remember correctly, count to three, Malfoy, and then comes the first spell—"

Malfoy gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering.

"One… two…"

Before he even reached two, Malfoy violently swung his wand and shouted, "Locomotor Mortis!"

Wade, already prepared, began to dodge the moment Malfoy opened his mouth. The beam of the spell hit Nott, who was pretending to be invisible nearby, and his legs immediately stuck together, making him fall with a thud!

"Three—"

Wade calmly counted to three, then flicked his wand again: "Tarantallegra!"

Malfoy's legs immediately began to twitch, as if dancing a lively jig, but he still wanted to attack Wade, his lower and upper body twisting in completely different directions. Thus, he quickly followed Nott's fate, his back twisting with a snap, and he fell to the ground.

Even so, his legs continued to twitch rapidly in the air, aggravating his twisted back, causing Malfoy to let out a loud wail.

The sight was truly comical; even some of the Slytherin students accidentally burst into laughter.

Malfoy's pale face turned crimson. He glared with murderous intent, but from his angle, the crowd seemed to be just a jumbled mess of colors in his vision, once familiar faces now strange and cold, unable to distinguish who was laughing at him.

Wade deliberately waited a while longer, and the Slytherins just watched. To other unrelated students, the scene looked as if Wade and his group were the bullies, picking on Malfoy, who was alone.

When Malfoy was almost sobbing, Wade walked over and lifted the spell. He crouched beside the sweating, utterly dishevelled Malfoy, and asked sincerely—

"Bullying people—is it fun?"

Malfoy looked at him with fearful eyes, panting rapidly, saying nothing.

Wade smiled, then stood up. The Slytherin students automatically parted, watching him leave with the others.

No one spoke, and no one tried to stop them.

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