After getting Neville's Remembrall back, Harley casually drew her wand and pointed it at the ground.
Crabbe and Goyle, who were still grappling with Ron, Dean, and the others, had their feet frozen in place and were promptly knocked to the ground.
Seeing this, the other Slytherins wanted to keep fighting and recover their lost pride, but a voice suddenly rang out:
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
Professor McGonagall strode over, her face a mixture of shock and anger.
Professor McGonagall stopped in front of them, then demanded, "What are you doing!
If I'm not mistaken, Madam Hooch is supposed to be teaching Flying Class right now! I could see you fighting from my office!
And Miss Potter—"
Professor McGonagall stared into Harley's eyes. "How dare you be so reckless?
If I remember correctly, this is your first time on a broom! You could have broken your neck!"
Harley replied without hesitation, delivering the speech she had prepared:
"But Professor, Malfoy insulted Gryffindor! He sullied Gryffindor's honor and bullied a fellow Gryffindor!"
As she spoke, Harley recounted what had happened, making almost no effort to hide anything. Of course, she left out her own motives. No one knew what she was really after, anyway.
The Gryffindors listened to Harley's account and nodded repeatedly.
The Slytherins wanted to argue, but everything Harley said was true.
And Professor McGonagall had witnessed part of what happened, so the Slytherins couldn't deny it. They could only nod in acknowledgment.
After hearing Harley out, Professor McGonagall's anger eased a little. Though she was always fair, deep down she still favored Gryffindor.
Hearing that one of her favorite students had broken the rules to defend Gryffindor's honor and protect her fellow students made Professor McGonagall quite pleased.
But admiration was one thing; the proper punishment still had to be handed down.
A beam of silver light shot from Professor McGonagall's wand toward the castle.
Then Professor McGonagall looked at them all. "I don't have the authority to punish Slytherin students, so I've already notified Professor Snape.
Gryffindor loses fifty points! Everyone who took part in the fight will serve detention for a month! I'll have Filch assign you your work!
Miss Potter, you don't need to—"
Professor McGonagall turned to Harley. "—you don't need to go see Filch. I'll arrange your detention myself!"
Harley silently breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't the lack of punishment that mattered so much as fairness. If she hadn't been punished this time, it might have had a negative effect.
That was something Harley didn't want to see, because it might undermine the Anchor in the future.
Luckily, Professor McGonagall was still as strict as ever, treating everyone fairly and punishing even her favorite student.
"Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Harley after surveying the silent crowd. "Come with me for a moment."
Professor McGonagall strode toward the castle, with Harley following behind. Harley even waved to the Gryffindors behind her and gave them a reassuring smile.
Harley was in a wonderful mood. The harsher Professor McGonagall's punishment seemed, the more the Gryffindors would respect and support her.
But Harley seemed to have been mistaken. Professor McGonagall wasn't going to punish her; she had called over the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.
And so Harley found herself invited to join the Gryffindor Quidditch Team for no apparent reason.
But it seemed like a good thing, too. Quidditch was the most highly regarded sport in the Wizarding World, and its most popular competition.
Naturally, Harley accepted gladly.
"Your father would be proud of you," Professor McGonagall said, smiling at Harley. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."
By the time Harley left Professor McGonagall's office, it was already late, so she didn't return to her dormitory and headed straight for the Great Hall.
As soon as Harley entered the Great Hall, she sensed that something was off. The mood was clearly divided.
The atmosphere around the Slytherin table was oppressive. Many sat in silence, looking unhappy.
After learning that Malfoy had started the trouble by provoking Harley, Professor Snape mercilessly took fifty points from Malfoy alone, then docked the other Slytherins ten points.
The Slytherin upper-years thought this was humiliating. Not only had they lost points, they had also lost to Gryffindor. Slytherin had been utterly disgraced!
But the Gryffindor table was filled with joy, and everyone was beaming.
Although quite a few Gryffindors, like the Slytherins, had to serve detention, and Professor McGonagall had taken a full fifty points from them,
those points had bought Gryffindor a tremendous victory over Slytherin!
"Nicely done, Potter!" "Harley, you were amazing!"...
Many students crowded around, including upper-years who barely knew Harley.
Angelina, who had introduced Harley to the professors at the opening feast, clapped her on the shoulder and gave her a warm hug. "What a brilliant victory, Harley!"
Even Percy, who always cared deeply about points and school rules, strode over to congratulate Harley in person:
"Good job, Harley! We lost quite a few points, but don't worry—we'll earn them back!
As long as we've put those awful Slytherins in their place, losing those points was worth it!"
Harley nodded without the slightest embarrassment, thanking everyone for their enthusiasm while modestly saying she had only fought for Gryffindor's honor.
The mood around the Gryffindor table soared once more. Many of the upper-years had even begun to acknowledge in their hearts that Harley was Gryffindor's king!
Perhaps the only Gryffindor who wasn't happy was Hermione.
Sitting beside Harley, she repeatedly told Harley that she shouldn't have broken the rules and cost Gryffindor points, while constantly calculating how long it would take to earn them back.
Harley wasn't angry. After all, she knew her best friend's personality very well.
But the other Gryffindors nearby weren't pleased. Since Harley was there, they didn't say anything outright, but their expressions were displeased.
Harley noticed, but could only sigh silently. Hermione was even more stubborn and upright than those Arbiters. She suspected she was the only one who could put up with her.
That evening, Gryffindor Common Room held an extra celebration.
After pooling their money, the Weasley Twins came back with a huge pile of sweets and drinks, along with two mysterious bags.
Harley was curious how they'd managed it and decided she'd have to find out if she got the chance.
Long after the celebration had begun, Fred opened one of the bags. It was full of party poppers.
A shower of confetti drifted across the ceiling of Gryffindor Common Room.
Amid the falling confetti, George pulled a huge bunch of roses—the national flower of Britain—from the other bag, knelt on one knee in front of Harley, and declared dramatically:
"Great Lion Queen, please accept these roses, a symbol of Britain, and lead Gryffindor to victory over Slytherin forever!"
Harley had been talking with her upper-year, Alicia Spinnet, about the Gryffindor Quidditch Team when she suddenly found herself the center of everyone's attention.
Harley's mouth twitched. The scene felt a little off somehow, but she couldn't quite say why.
Hello? 999? There's a creep here!
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