The Spell Takes Effect

After a moment of silence, Rosier's voice rang out again, but his tone had completely changed.

"I really hate seeing that little bitch from the orphanage being popular everywhere."

The words exploded in the Great Hall like thunder.

Lucretia's hand, holding her fork, froze mid-air.

She bit her lower lip, trying hard to keep her expression neutral, but Lily had already noticed and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

The Great Hall was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Students at the other long tables were stunned, then began pointing and whispering towards the Slytherin table.

At the Ravenclaw table, several older students reading The Daily Prophet put down their papers and stood up with dark expressions.

Some whispered that it was too much, others shook their heads.

Rosier's face turned deathly pale, all color draining away.

He covered his mouth, his eyes wide with horror, unable to believe those words had come out of his own mouth.

Little Barty shot to his feet.

His chair toppled backward, hitting the floor with a harsh clatter, making the cutlery on the entire Slytherin table rattle.

His face turned terrifying, his coldness instantly replaced by pure rage.

His wand was clenched tightly in his hand, his knuckles white from the force.

Regulus tugged lightly at Little Barty's sleeve, but couldn't even grasp the hem of his robes.

The tip of his wand was already pressed against Rosier's tie, mere centimeters from his throat. "What did you say? Say it again to my face?"

Rosier shook his head frantically, tears welling up. "No, it wasn't me... I didn't mean to... I just..."

But a few seconds later, the treacherous voice spoke again.

"I hate her so much! Barty should have been mine, why did she steal all the attention the moment she arrived?"

This time, even he himself was in despair.

Lucretia almost choked on her toast, coughing a few times as Sirius subtly pushed a glass of water towards her.

Lily and the expressions of the girls next to her also became very strange.

She glanced uncertainly towards the Slytherin table.

Little Barty froze in place, the hand holding his wand trembled, and the disbelief on his face turned to disgust within seconds, as if he had smelled something foul.

He let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yours? Don't be disgusting, Rosier. I'd rather date an Acromantula than look at you."

Over at the Gryffindor table, James was drinking Pumpkin Juice when he heard this and immediately snorted it all over the table, choking and coughing.

He finally caught his breath, wiping his mouth while slapping the table and roaring with laughter. "That's classic! Date an Acromantula! I never knew Crouch had such peculiar tastes, hahaha!"

Sirius leaned back in his seat, snapping shut the Quidditch magazine he'd long since lost interest in, his eyes full of mischief.

"Indeed classic, Forks. Don't you feel a twinge of something when you hear familiar lines? How dare you laugh at others?"

He cleared his throat and drawled, imitating Lily's tone.

"I'd rather date a Giant Squid than go to Hogsmeade with you! Get lost, Potter!"

James's laughter stopped instantly. He grabbed Sirius by the collar. "Are you asking for a beating?"

Sirius grinned even wider. "Bring it on, I'm not scared of you!"

The two began to wrestle in their seats, the cutlery on the table clattering noisily.

Lucretia watched them make a scene, temporarily forgetting her earlier discomfort.

Lily rolled her eyes, pulled Lucretia closer into her embrace, and whispered, "See? These boys are so childish. But what's interesting is that this time they're on the same side as Slytherin."

Amidst the pointing and laughter, Rosier's friends began to back away, trying to distance themselves from her.

No one wanted to be caught up in this disaster.

Her appearance began to change.

Her originally neat dress started to wrinkle, and her shirt developed inexplicable stains, as if a potion had been spilled on it.

Her meticulously styled blonde hair became messy and dull, like a bird's nest.

Her skin also lost its luster, becoming sallow.

Her nails began to change color, growing long and yellow.

"You... what did you do to me?"

Rosier covered her face, her voice trembling, and tears finally fell.

Little Barty looked at her pathetic state and sneered, "I didn't do anything, Rosier. You actually look more like your true self now. I really don't know where you got the confidence to say 'yours' so shamelessly?"

"I just wanted him to like me."

Her voice betrayed her one last time, but this time with genuine emotion.

Lucretia watched Rosier's near-tearful expression, opening her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately lowering her eyes with a touch of pity.

Lily noticed her expression and gently shook her head. "She brought this upon herself. It has nothing to do with you. You don't need to feel guilty about what happened to her."

But Lucretia couldn't help but glance at Rosier.

The latter finally couldn't take it anymore, covering her face and turning to rush out of the Great Hall, her high heels clacking rapidly on the stone floor.

Her friends hesitated for a moment before finally following her.

The Great Hall erupted in even louder laughter and discussion.

Some were imitating Rosier's earlier words, while others were discussing the changes in her appearance.

Little Barty returned to his seat, still seething with anger, and slammed his coffee cup onto the floor of the Great Hall with a clang.

Regulus's face turned red from holding back his laughter. "She really doesn't understand you at all, does she? Speaking of which, did you consider this when you cast the spell yesterday? That she might confess to you?"

Little Barty commented briefly, flipping open the Survival Guide to continue reading. "Disgusting. Her self-righteous attitude makes me want to vomit."

"Barty should have been mine."

Regulus mimicked Rosier's tone, then quickly shut his mouth under Little Barty's fierce gaze.

"Alright, alright, I won't mention it. But the Gryffindors seem pretty happy? They've sprayed Pumpkin Juice all over the table."

Little Barty glanced at the Gryffindor table. "As expected, Potter and your brother never miss an opportunity to watch a good show."

At the same time, Lily was scrutinizing James and Sirius. "So, this is your new creation?"

James stopped fooling around and immediately put on an innocent face. "Creation? I don't know what you're talking about, dear Lily. But if you're saying Rosier suddenly became honest, I completely agree."

Sirius stood up and stretched his shoulders, seemingly tired from all the commotion. "Honesty is a terrible punishment for some people. I have to go, I have homework to catch up on, thanks to certain people's detentions."

He paused as he passed Lucretia, giving her an extra look.

"Does the Strawberry Jam taste alright?"

Lucretia whispered her thanks, hesitated, then asked, "It's very good, thank you. Did you make it? To make her tell the truth?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, not answering directly.

He lowered his head slightly, his gray eyes fixed on her. "Do you think she deserved it? Judging by your reaction just now, you don't seem to think so entirely."

Lucretia was somewhat surprised that he noticed this detail. "I just... I didn't expect her to say that. What she said was indeed excessive, but that last sentence..."

Sirius finished her sentence, a knowing look in his eyes, as if confirming something again. "But in the end, she's still a person with feelings, is that what you're thinking? What's interesting is that Crouch doesn't seem to have noticed this."

Both of them fell silent.

Lucretia blinked. She saw a kind of... recognition in his eyes?

Sirius waved to James. "Let's go, Fork. We still have that Transfiguration Class essay to finish."

James grumbled but followed him anyway. "That essay isn't due until next week."

He stopped again as he passed Lily.

"So, Lily, admit it. You think we were right this time too, don't you? Even if our methods weren't exactly... orthodox?"

Lily shot back, but her voice lacked its usual annoyance. "I didn't say anything, Potter. However, Rosier really does need to watch her mouth."

James seized the opportunity. "Then how about considering my invitation for the next Hogsmeade weekend? I promise you won't run into any Acromantulas."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lily's lips. "Ask me again in a hundred years, Potter."