Wade froze everything, stepping into the chaotic classroom, carefully treading on areas untouched by the Dungbombs. Then he restored the cockroaches and spiders to their original size, watching the helpful insects scurry into the cracks in the wall.
He looked up and saw that some people even gave him grateful looks.
Wade was speechless for a moment.
Looking around, the floor, walls, and even Malfoy and his cronies were covered in Dungbomb "remains." Shattered glass shards emitted thick green smoke, and the ground was corroding with a sizzling sound.
The Slytherins were petrified in various struggling poses; some were crying with snot and tears streaming down their faces, some were wide-eyed with terror, and some, for some unknown reason, were covered in horrible red, swollen scabs that looked very painful. Only Daphne in the corner was slightly better off; she wasn't injured but was thoroughly scared, with a few strands of spider silk still clinging to her.
Wade couldn't help but wonder—that's it?
He had thought Malfoy would have prepared an elaborate trap to dare cause trouble again after their last defeat. He never expected them to just rely on numbers for an ambush?
Wade thought about himself—he had prepared over a dozen spells and specifically practiced five different combinations. To successfully cast spells in the shortest amount of time and to be able to attack while moving, he had practiced for a long time in the Room of Requirement.
The Room of Requirement only provided wooden targets. To train himself, Wade had found various small insects to practice with; [Engorgio] was one of the spells he frequently used during this time. Of course, spiders and cockroaches were a bit too much for his sanity, even Wade couldn't stand them. He usually looked for emerald green mantises with two large blades.
At this moment, for Wade, it felt like he had just greeted his opponents, and they had all collapsed, wailing dramatically as if "faking an accident in front of a car"...
It made all his thorough preparations seem a bit excessive.
"Scourgify!"
Wade waved his wand, and the green liquid and Dungbombs vanished, leaving only a lingering stench. He then used a Summoning Charm to collect everyone's wands before finally lifting the Petrificus Totalus charm.
A loud burst of crying and screaming immediately erupted in the classroom.
"Quiet!" Wade said with a frown.
Instantly, all sounds ceased.
Wade walked towards Malfoy. The blonde boy instantly turned pale, frantically pushing himself backward with his feet, screaming, "You, you, you... don't come closer—"
Wade pressed his retrieved wand against Malfoy's shoulder, half-crouching, looking seriously into his eyes: "Do you know? If you were my enemies, I would break your wands right now."
Malfoy froze, then stammered, trembling, after a long pause: "You... you can't..."
For wizards, a wand was akin to half their being; some adult wizards couldn't even cast simple spells without their wands. While a broken wand could be replaced, generally, only the wand chosen in childhood that accompanied the wizard through growth was the most suitable and loyal. Most wizards' wands would accompany them to their life's end and then be buried with them.
It was a companion from birth to death.
In the classroom, someone let out a sob.
"Of course, I won't do that." Wade watched Malfoy's relieved expression and continued, "But it's not because of who your father is, or who your grandfather is—it has nothing to do with any of that. It's simply because we are classmates and should get along amicably... Wouldn't you agree?"
Malfoy: "..."
—Look at the swellings on me, smell the stench on me, do you know that spider almost ate me? Do you know what it feels like to be hugged by spider legs? And you call this getting along amicably?
"—Yes," young Master Malfoy mumbled, looking down.
"Thank you, it's good that you understand—after all, I just want to study quietly and don't like stirring up trouble."
Wade had initially wanted to pat his shoulder, but remembering that these people had just been covered in Dungbombs, his raised hand fell back down.
Malfoy, however, felt his heart violently constrict with Wade's movement, a dull pain beginning in his chest. Hearing Wade's words, he nearly burst into tears.
—Is this devil-like person really the Ravenclaw he knew? Which one of them is the Slytherin anyway?
"Also, could you please not bully my friends anymore? And stop using such despicable tactics... otherwise, I will be very—very—angry! I'm someone who always repays grudges," Wade said very sincerely. "If you think you can ignore my warning, you'd best defeat me first—I personally welcome all open challenges."
Seeing Malfoy just staring at him blankly, with no reaction, and no one else speaking up, Wade, who was talking to himself, started to feel a bit awkward. He put down the Slytherin wands and turned to leave. Just as he was about to exit, he suddenly turned back.
Malfoy, who had just touched his wand, dropped it with a clatter. Nott quickly hid behind Goyle, and everyone else was startled.
"Don't be so nervous. I just wanted to ask—" Wade asked, "You won't complain to the professors, will you—saying you were scared to tears by spiders and cockroaches? I think there's a big difference between one person knowing something embarrassing and the whole school mocking you... Don't you agree?"
Everyone's faces stiffened.
Especially Malfoy, who had already fumed countless times in his mind—tell the professor... tell Dad... break your wand... get this bastard expelled...
But Wade seemed to hear his thoughts, smiling gently, "—Just using an Engorgement Charm to play a prank on classmates won't get anyone expelled. We still have over six years to spend together! Let's put the past misunderstandings behind us and get along well from now on—can we?"
Everyone understood his threat and nodded stiffly.
Wade smiled. "Good—then it's settled."
Wade hadn't walked far from the Potions classroom when he saw Michael and Padma peeking around the corner. Seeing him approach, the two jumped out from the corner and circled Wade, looking him over.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Padma asked anxiously. "I heard a lot of screaming from inside just now."
"I'm fine, I didn't get the worst of it," Wade said.
"Cool! Everything's resolved?" Michael said excitedly. "Let's go quickly—someone tried to check just now, but we blocked them. I wonder if they'll go get Professor Snape."
The three hurried away down the corridor, revealing a large eye around the corner.
Wade looked back and blinked, his right hand behind his back, giving an "OK" gesture.
Mickey the house-elf grinned, extending a long, thin finger to return an "OK." Then he vanished into the shadows, his large ears swaying, listening to the Slytherins' movements.