Seamus's Serpent Suppression

At the height of the tension between the two sides, Hermione's scream drew everyone's attention.

Everyone looked at Hermione, who was holding Charles's sleeve and nervously saying, "You can't go fight. If someone dies again, you'll end up in Azkaban!"

Everyone froze. What was the meaning of "again"?

Charles's face instantly darkened. Annoyed that Hermione brought it up, he shook off her hand and said to her in Snape's tone, "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Hermione was stunned. In all the years she had known him, this was the first time she had seen Charles angry.

The others didn't take it seriously, assuming Hermione was just making excuses to stop a fight. The two sides resumed their shouting match.

Charles naturally didn't intend to fight, nor did he want anyone else to. He needed to prove to Madam Hooch in this class that he could use a broomstick so he could get his own broom as soon as possible. He didn't want anyone ruining this lesson.

He walked up to Malfoy and said, Malfoy seemed less afraid of him because of the crowd around them.

The other Slytherin students were the same. No one took Hermione's words seriously. Several boys looked at him provocatively, and Goyle and Crabbe even waved their fists.

Charles ignored the two losers who Harry had defeated and stared into Malfoy's eyes. He said very seriously, "You need to think carefully about the consequences if you decide to fight. It's not a big deal if you provoke Ron; he can't beat you. It's not a big deal if you provoke me; I'll just break your nose at most."

Then he pointed to the ground across the stream and said, "But do you know what will happen if you provoke Seamus Finnigan?"

"See that patch of scorched grass? Finnigan burned it with a spell. Professor Dumbledore said that spell can even harm a dragon. Do you really think you're more powerful than a dragon just because your name is Draco?"

At this point, Malfoy seemed to want to say something, but Charles didn't give him a chance. He said very seriously, "If you don't believe me, go ask Professor Dumbledore, go ask Professor Sprout and the other students who were in the greenhouse nearby at the time. See if I'm lying. Did a blue flame appear then?"

After speaking, Charles looked at the other Slytherin students again and said with a cold laugh, "Hmph, if any of you dare to say you can withstand Finnigan's spell, then step forward and try. I guarantee I'll send a 10-foot wreath to your funeral."

Seamus, playing along, took out his wand and stood beside Charles, looking triumphantly at the Slytherins opposite them.

Ron also said proudly from the side, "Hmph, you guys don't know yet. Seamus blew up the dormitory on his first day at Hogwarts."

Seeing Ron's smugness, one would think he had accomplished something earth-shattering.

The Slytherins, who had been ready to fight, began to back down.

Most of them came from pure-blood wizarding families and had a deeper understanding of spells. They could discern the underlying meaning in Charles and Ron's words.

Damn it, he caused an explosion in Hogwarts on his first day, unleashed a powerful spell outside the castle in the second week, and Dumbledore himself said it could kill a dragon. More importantly, he wasn't expelled. Even the Dark Lord wasn't this awesome back then.

Thinking of the Dark Lord, some students from older families recalled a historical event. The Dark Lord Grindelwald had also used blue flames when he unleashed his power back then.

Several Slytherins began whispering to each other, exchanging opinions. They became even more intimidated.

Many of them thought that if Seamus killed them, he could probably kill Dementors and escape even from Azkaban.

Seamus suddenly took a step forward, a confident smile on his face as he looked at the Slytherins opposite him.

The Slytherin students seemed to feel an invisible pressure and involuntarily took a step back. Some of them broke out in a sweat.

At this moment, Seamus alone had intimidated all the first-year Slytherin students.

Madam Hooch returned soon after and was pleased to see the students standing obediently.

However, she noticed the sweat on some of the Slytherin students' foreheads and said, "Don't worry, everyone. Lumbardon's injury was an accident. I will fly with you all next."

The subsequent flying lesson was uneventful. All the students flew safely off the ground and a short distance forward.

Then Madam Hooch taught them how to turn, and everyone formed a large circle, circling above the grass.

Finally, everyone lined up in two columns, following Madam Hooch, and slowly circled Hogwarts Castle. The speed gradually increased, and their altitude unknowingly surpassed that of the castle.

Charles felt that riding a broomstick was like riding a bicycle. No matter how much theoretical knowledge you had, it was useless; you had to try it yourself.

Once you learned it, you learned it. Ascending, diving, and turning became second nature, difficult to forget.

When the class ended, he returned his broom later than everyone else. In front of Madam Hooch, he flew a perfect "S" and "B".

"Alright, alright," Madam Hooch managed a smile. "I'll speak to McGonagall. You go have dinner quickly."

Seeing her like this, Charles quickly slipped away. He wondered if Neville's incident today counted as a teaching accident and if she would have her salary docked or something.

The topic in the Great Hall that day was Seamus.

Charles found an empty seat. Next to him was Parvati Patil from India. After a brief chat, Parvati's twin sister, Padma, came over from the Ravenclaw table.

"Is what they're saying about Finnigan true?" Padma asked curiously. "Did a dragon really appear outside the castle that day, trying to destroy the greenhouse, and he burned it to ashes with a spell?"

Charles blinked. What's going on? Have the rumors already turned into this?

Before he could finish half his steak, a girl came looking for him.

Hannah and Charles had met a few times in the library, so they could be considered acquaintances.

"Smith," Hannah asked him curiously, "I heard a dragon was outside the castle that day, about to eat you, and Finnigan discovered it and burned the dragon to death, saving you?"

Charles replied earnestly, "Yes, it was very dangerous. The dragon was sprinkling pepper on me. If Seamus had been a moment later, I would have been roasted."

Seeing Hannah's reaction, she actually believed him and asked, "Did you sneeze when the dragon was sprinkling pepper on you?"

Charles was speechless. He took an empty plate and kept piling food onto it.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked.

Hannah immediately replied, "Of course, what do you need?"

Charles placed a large plate of steak, bread, and vegetables in front of her and said, "My friend Lumbardon got injured in flying class today and is in the hospital wing. Could you help me take his dinner there?"