The Anchor She Prepared in Advance

Thus, the clash between Gryffindor and Slytherin broke out for no apparent reason.

Students from the two Houses fell into a brawl, while plenty of those who weren't throwing punches cheered them on from the sidelines.

Only Hermione tried to break up the fight. She kept reminding everyone that they were breaking school rules and would be punished if they continued, but it did no good.

The Slytherin students obviously weren't going to listen to a Muggle-born Witch. Not dragging her into the brawl was already an act of gentlemanly restraint.

The Gryffindors thought Hermione was politically incorrect for not joining them against Slytherin, and considered her a traitor to Gryffindor. So they ignored her.

Harley watched the "battle" with a thoroughly bewildered expression. She even wondered if she had somehow triggered her provocation ability without realizing it.

Otherwise, how had a fight between Gryffindor and Slytherin suddenly broken out?

The brawl between the two Houses had barely begun, yet it was already proving effective. Plenty of the boys were learning firsthand that fists worked better than jinxes—at least, their damage was more immediate.

Most of them had a few fist-shaped bruises and shoe prints on them, and some had even drawn blood from the nose.

Malfoy, the one who had started it all, hadn't joined the brawl.

As if! He was the heir to the noble Malfoy family. How could he stoop to something so low-class?

His battles were supposed to involve him waving his wand and elegantly defeating his enemies amid thunderous applause.

Malfoy decided to provoke Harley directly, forcing her to accept his challenge so he could defeat her in front of everyone.

He mounted his broom and shot into the air, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Potter! Have you got the guts to come up here and face me?

"If you can grab this ball, I'll give that big oaf's ball back to you! If you can't, I'll throw it into a tree.

"He's a Gryffindor, after all. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

As he shouted, Malfoy tossed a gleaming ball in his hand.

Malfoy's voice drew the attention of nearly everyone. Some students immediately recognized the ball in his hand as Neville's Remembrall, which he had received from his grandmother that very morning.

Harley sighed helplessly and pulled her hand out of her pocket.

She had been about to step in and subdue the Slytherin students. But now, Harley reached for the broom beside her.

Malfoy's actions had thrown her plans off course, but it looked like this unexpected turn of events could still work in her favor.

Harley planned to put Malfoy down quickly. He was only taunting her like a child, and putting him in his place barely even qualified as "defeating" him.

Then Harley would turn back and take control of the other Slytherins, bringing her closer to her goal: promoting her image and creating "Anchors."

Using the various materials she'd gotten from Hagrid, Harley had easily brewed a bottle of "Bard" Potion that very night.

The next day was Saturday. That evening, Harley caught a rabbit at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and fed it the expensive "Bard" Potion.

The rabbit lost control on the spot, and Harley killed it immediately. It yielded a Beyonder Characteristic, proving that the Potion was the real deal.

The test confirmed one thing for Harley: this world had materials that could be used to brew Potions, so she probably had a chance to keep advancing!

For the sake of her future, Harley had to start thinking about creating "Anchors."

Before becoming a Grounded Angel, the corruption contained in a Beyonder Characteristic couldn't interfere with a demigod. A demigod's will was strong enough, and they didn't contain all that much divinity.

Even so, after reaching Sequence 3, Harley occasionally felt signs that she might lose control.

After all, the Demoness Pathway was one of the craziest Pathways, and one of the likeliest to cause someone to lose control.

Fortunately, after completing her acting as the Demoness of Unaging, Harley had soon been forced to seal her powers and return to the magical world. The risk of losing control had therefore disappeared for the time being.

Still, since she had a chance to advance further, Harley naturally needed to start creating "Anchors" for herself.

So lately, Harley had been cultivating the image of a good student who didn't strictly follow the rules but was willing to mingle with her classmates.

That way, the teachers would like her, and her classmates wouldn't think badly of her.

Combined with Harley's existing fame, this had made her the de facto leader of the first-year Gryffindors without her even realizing it. At least, most of them were willing to listen to her.

So Harley needed to step in and handle this, further cementing her good image.

Seeing Harley mount her broom, Malfoy sneered. "Potter! You don't actually think a Muggle-raised Warlock like you can beat me on a broom, do you?"

As he spoke, Malfoy circled through the air, taunting Harley with crude gestures in an attempt to rile her up and make her lose control.

Harley smiled faintly. Ignoring Hermione's warning—"Don't do anything reckless. You'll get expelled"—she took off and waved to the students below.

The students who had been cheering turned their attention to the sky. Many of those who had been fighting also stopped and looked up.

In the first-years' eyes, this was a battle between the leaders of the two sides!

Malfoy showed off his excellent flying skills, darting around on his broom and circling Harley recklessly as he laughed aloud.

At first, Harley hadn't wanted to let him get away with such arrogance. She had planned to use the Witch's frost and end the farce as quickly as possible.

But in the end, Harley chose not to. Instead, she rode her broom after him.

Defeating him on his own terms would undoubtedly earn her more prestige!

And Harley suddenly realized that she seemed to have a remarkable talent for flying on a broom. This undoubtedly made her plan much more likely to succeed.

She had been planning to use her supernatural charm to distract Malfoy if she couldn't end the fight quickly.

It seemed she wouldn't need to—for now.

After their aerial duel had gone on for a while, Harley had completely figured out Malfoy's patterns.

No matter where Malfoy flew, Harley could easily cut him off.

Malfoy seemed to be getting desperate. He flung the ball high into the air. "Potter! If you're any good, catch that!"

Harley shot Malfoy a look as if he were an idiot. Upset that he was losing, so he flipped the board over instead? Was that how a proper leader behaved?

Oh, right. Harley had forgotten that Malfoy was only eleven, and wasn't deliberately trying to create "Anchors."

While letting her mind wander, Harley steered her broom and caught the ball with ease.

A wave of cheers broke out below. The Gryffindors clapped as hard as they could, while the Slytherins looked distinctly unhappy.

Through her divinity, Harley faintly sensed a little Spirituality. She couldn't help feeling satisfied.

Sure enough, she'd made the right choice. This had earned Harley a whole bunch of "Anchors." Maybe she could even turn them into believers someday!