Under Hermione's disdainful gaze, Howard retreated in defeat.
Though he was confident he could handle adult women, he truly had no way to deal with little girls. What was more, another little girl—Natasha—was looking at him the exact same way. Howard was left completely speechless.
Come to think of it, Howard really had nothing to defend himself over. When Josh had previously brought Natasha to find him, he had been in bed with a blonde he had known for less than an hour. That was nothing unusual to him, but now it made him seem like some sort of freak.
"What do a bunch of kids who haven't even grown all their hair know?"
What Howard found most unbearable was that the other two boys in wizard school uniforms were also looking at him with disdain. It made him extremely unhappy. If magic's combat power were not a factor, he really would have liked to grab those two little brats and beat them up first.
But that was clearly wishful thinking. He did not think he could beat a wizard—even if it was only a child. But if that child had a handgun and knew how to pull the trigger, charging in would just be suicide. Magic was no different from a handgun in his eyes, and perhaps even more powerful, so Howard could only admit defeat.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, stop making things difficult for him. Professor Dumbledore will be here soon. If you still have classes later, you should hurry up instead of standing here mocking this guy."
Josh stepped in at just the right moment to smooth things over. It was not because he was worried Howard would be embarrassed, but because Dumbledore really was on his way. Besides, while Howard's behavior seemed excessive in these children's