"You cheated!" Malfoy screamed, clutching his nose, tears streaming down his face from the pain.
Standing on either side of the platform, Crabbe and Goyle rushed over to help, grabbing Harry by the neck, ready to punch him. Ron immediately joined the fray, and within moments, the small wizards were tangled up in a chaotic mess.
Ivy quickly waved his wand, and the carpet beneath them pulled them apart.
Though it only lasted a few seconds, all of them were already bruised.
Ron had a cut on his lip, with blood dripping from it; Harry's glasses were completely broken, leaving deep marks on his face; and Goyle and Crabbe each had a black eye.
Hermione was completely stunned. She hadn't expected these boys to make such a mess in such a formal setting. Even Ivy, who usually seemed so serious, was now involved, helping them with the scuffle in an almost objective way.
"You dare hit me! Potter!" Malfoy looked furious, "Even my dad never—! You wait! My father is a Hogwarts governor, and I will tell him everything! You'll be expelled for sure!"
"Really?" Ron scoffed, "Are you going to do it?"
Malfoy hesitated. After all, today's mess was his fault. But that didn't mean he would back down. He quickly changed the subject, "Judge them, Ivy! I told you during dinner! It's only fair to use wands!"
Harry and Ron immediately looked to Ivy, clearly hoping he'd side with them.
Ivy sighed and looked at Malfoy. "Do you want to tell everyone tomorrow: 'I won the duel against Harry Potter because he punched me in the nose!' Hmm?"
Sure enough, Malfoy hesitated. That sounded too pathetic.
"Though Harry did break the rules and should be disqualified," Ivy decided to mediate, "I'm sure neither of you is happy with that outcome."
Both nodded. Harry wasn't willing to lose, and Malfoy didn't want a tainted win.
"So," Ivy cast a spell to restore the platform to the ground, "I suggest you two fight another day. Especially after you've learned more spells."
The two rivals glared at each other but reluctantly agreed to Ivy's proposal.
"Great." Ivy clapped his hands. "Now, to show reconciliation, let's shake hands!"
Both grimaced, their hands barely brushing together before quickly pulling away, but Ivy watched them with amusement.
"Alright, alright! Now, let's heal up. You first, Ron." Ivy raised his wand and pointed at Ron's bleeding lip, chanting, "Heal quickly."
"It doesn't hurt at all! Thanks, Ivy." Ron touched his lip and smiled.
Ivy then fixed Harry's glasses, healed Goyle and Crabbe's black eyes, and even wiped the snot off Malfoy's collar.
"I think the midnight adventure is a success," Ivy nodded with satisfaction. "You all know the way back, right? It's time to go to bed. And I still need to unfreeze Filch and Peeves."
At his words, the young wizards, still growing, yawned in unison. It had been a very full day for everyone.
Back in the common room, Ron collapsed into a soft armchair, sighing in genuine amazement, "Today was amazing! Right, Harry?"
Harry nodded, finding it hard not to agree, especially since Professor McGonagall had recommended him for the Quidditch team.
Ron continued to recap everything that had happened that night: "The three-headed dog, Ivy's magic, and most importantly, you socked Malfoy in the nose! I'd go through it all again in a heartbeat."
"Go through it again?" Hermione, who had already made it halfway up the stairs, overheard him and stormed over, crossing her arms like an angry goose. "We broke so many school rules, and you're thinking of doing it all over again? Today was just luck. With Ivy's help, we avoided punishment and even escaped the three-headed dog's mouth!"
"But you guys don't learn from it; you take pride in it. You're thinking of doing it again?" Hermione's face was flushed with anger; she hated people who disregarded rules. "Maybe I should tell Professor McGonagall and have her deduct points from you!"
"Come on! No one asked for your opinion!" Ron rolled his eyes, but quickly became uneasy. "…You're not going to tell Professor McGonagall, are you?"
"I'm not that stupid!" Hermione screamed. "Keep this up, and sooner or later, you'll face the consequences! Ivy won't always be there to bail you out!"
Fuming, Hermione stomped up the stairs, leaving Harry, Ron, and Ivy looking at each other in silence.
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Malfoy had been talking nonstop about how he would defeat Harry with some dark, vicious spell during the next duel.
So when the lights in the common room suddenly flickered on, he was startled.
"Draco? Are you okay? How did the duel go?" It was Pansy Parkinson, always hanging around Malfoy, but he was too consumed with thoughts of "Harry Potter" to pay her any attention.
Malfoy hesitated, unsure of how to explain the duel to the Slytherin students. He couldn't exactly tell them, "Because Potter punched me in the nose, I won, right?"
"Oh, Pansy," Malfoy forced a professional fake smile, "This doesn't concern you…"
Pansy blushed and hastily added, "I… I'm just concerned about Slytherin's honor. After all, I'm part of Slytherin too."
"Fine." Malfoy nodded with feigned seriousness. "I'll just say that Potter won't be our problem for a while."
"He's expelled?" Pansy's voice was full of excitement, and she immediately began to compliment Malfoy. "I knew you could do it…"
"What? Of course not!" Malfoy interrupted her angrily, "Why would you think that?"
Pansy was caught off guard by Malfoy's reaction and stood frozen.
Malfoy pretended to yawn and spoke with a tired voice, "I'm exhausted, Pansy. If you don't mind, I'm going to bed now."
"Of… of course," Pansy said, dazed.
She watched as Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, climbed the stairs.