A Certain Scientific Harry Potter 22

Flitwick shook his head, clearing certain thoughts that had just flashed through his mind.

Although he was getting on in years, he was not a stuffy old man, and naturally, he wouldn't use sordid thoughts to speculate on the private relationship between two children; he was simply curious about the fact that they could share a single wand.

"It's alright, Professor Flitwick," Harry said with a faint smile, shaking his head. "Besides, I just wanted to let someone get a taste of what a sore backside feels like in advance~"

"Damn it! Harry, you..."

"Malfoy, you'd better remember this feeling!" Before Malfoy could open his mouth, Harry continued to mock him from a position of superiority, "Lest you scream too hideously when you actually get your comeuppance later!"

Chapter 38: Bratty Kids Need Educating

Having been mocked to his face by Harry, the prideful Malfoy naturally wouldn't let it go, so the conflict between the two in Charms Class eventually escalated into a direct physical brawl during the lunch break.

Harry and the Malfoy trio started chasing each other from the corridor outside Charms Class all the way to the Great Hall. Harry successfully shook off Crabbe and Goyle, then gave the now-isolated Malfoy another sound beating.

By the time those two pig-like teammates arrived late to the scene, Malfoy had already been hammered into the ground by Harry.

The situation at this moment had already been taken over by Professor McGonagall, who happened to be passing by, so even if Crabbe and Goyle had the heart to attack Harry, they couldn't find the opportunity.

So, it could be said that Malfoy, this brat, was still a bit too green to play the tough guy in front of Harry.

Back in Little Whinging, Harry had been able to maneuver and circle around his cousin Dudley and his gang of cronies, even managing to leave Dudley's face a mess while pulling chestnuts from the fire.

The Malfoy trio were simply not enough for Harry to play with on his own~

However... Harry inevitably ended up with a few scrapes, though not because of the Malfoy trio, but because of Hermione.

Being caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall meant that Harry losing points was a certainty; and when Hermione discovered that Harry had ignored her warnings, causing Eagle House to lose points again, it was also a certainty that she would pinch his waist for all it was worth~

"Mr. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, this is the first time, but I also hope it is the last time I find you fighting in this school!"

Deducting five points each from Eagle House and Slytherin House, and giving Harry and Malfoy a stern warning, Professor McGonagall turned and left with a stony face.

"Harry, look at the good work you've done! I worked so hard to win those points back, and now they're gone again!" Hermione tugged at Harry's ear, fuming. "You burned the Sorting Hat yesterday, and today you get into a fight. It's lucky Professor McGonagall didn't pursue it further, otherwise you'd be in detention again!"

"Mm-hmm, it's all my fault~" Harry agreed with a cheeky grin, though he felt a slight regret in his heart.

To think it was only a point deduction; it seems I went too easy on him just now~

"Forget it, I can't be bothered to talk to you! Let's go eat!"

They were family after all, and since the cause of the incident wasn't entirely unrelated to Hermione, she couldn't scold Harry too much.

But even while eating, Hermione still couldn't help but lecture Harry.

"We have Transfiguration Class this afternoon, I beg you, please don't get caught breaking the rules by Professor McGonagall again, okay?"

Looking at Harry, who was all smiles but clearly hadn't taken a word of it to heart, Hermione suddenly felt like she had exhausted all her efforts.

After lunch, to prevent Harry from causing any more trouble, Hermione didn't even return to the dormitory for a nap, instead dragging Harry to the Transfiguration classroom early.

However, as they passed through the corridor, Harry suddenly felt something hit the back of his head.

He looked back and discovered it was a piece of spoiled bread that had turned mushy and sour.

"Hee hee hee! Hit him, hit him, that annoying little first-year brat!"

A short figure with black eyes and a large mouth suddenly appeared in mid-air in the corridor. It sat cross-legged and giggled, seemingly very satisfied with its recent masterpiece.

"It's Peeves," Hermione whispered. "I've heard the older students say this guy is very difficult to deal with; just ignore him."

"So you're the student who burned the Sorting Hat? You don't look like anything special~"

Harry and Hermione didn't want to pay any attention to Peeves, but Peeves kept pestering them relentlessly. It circled them constantly, even disappearing and reappearing suddenly to make faces at the two annoyed students.

"Get lost!!"

Finally, when Peeves appeared again and tried to stick its tongue out right against the tip of Hermione's nose, Harry, who had reached the limit of his patience, swung his palm and slapped it more than a meter away.

And this slap instantly ignited Peeves's temper.

"A student is misbehaving! Right here in the corridor where Transfiguration Class is held!!"

It shrieked while grabbing a potted plant from the windowsill, smashing it at the feet of Harry and Hermione, splattering mud and ceramic shards everywhere.

Seeing the tips of his and Hermione's shoes stained with black flower mud, Harry's expression darkened instantly.

"Hermione, give me the wand."

"Harry, Headmaster Dumbledore has requirements that first-year students cannot... alright~"

Feeling Harry's displeasure, Hermione pursed her lips and struggled for a long moment, but in the end, she handed the Holly Wand to Harry.

Of course, she didn't want Harry to continue causing trouble, but she cared even more about Harry's mood, and besides, she was actually quite fed up with this Peeves who had come to provoke them for no reason.

"Heh, what are you going to do? Are you going to use magic indiscriminately?" Peeves pointed at Harry's nose and shrieked. "This should be reported to Filch! Yes! Filch, come quickly! A student is going to use magic in the corridor..."

"Waddiwasi!"

With a sharp flick of the wand, a sharp piece of ceramic suddenly shot out like a bullet, instantly piercing through Peeves's hat!

"Oh, damn it! You actually ruined my hat?" Peeves shrieked viciously at Harry. "Do you know how much I love it?!"

"Waddiwasi!", "Waddiwasi!"...

However, Harry ignored Peeves's blustering threats entirely, simply casting the Waddiwasi Spell repeatedly, launching every piece of ceramic near his feet at Peeves!

Peeves cursed loudly, constantly turning invisible and changing directions to try and dodge Harry's attacks; however, the sound it made while moving couldn't escape Harry's ears, and it was hit squarely by the ceramic shards every single time.

Harry was no stranger to Peeves. Before coming to Hogwarts, Scamander had given him many pointers, and among them were instructions regarding Peeves.

This guy was absolutely one of the most troublesome creatures at Hogwarts. To deal with it, Scamander had even specially taught Harry the Waddiwasi Spell via telephone correspondence.

Peeves could turn invisible and fly, and like most ghosts, it was unaffected by spells. However, what set it apart from other ghosts was that Peeves possessed a physical form.

Strictly speaking, Peeves was a poltergeist that loved to cause trouble. It could touch objects and humans around it... so, the reverse was also true!

Barraging Peeves with the Waddiwasi Spell was the best way to deal with it!

"Nasty first-year brat! I'm really going to get angry now!!"

Having intended to pull a prank, only to end up with a head full of bumps from Harry's Waddiwasi Spell—and even having his favorite hat ruined—Peeves was instantly enraged!

It smashed through the corridor window, then grabbed a large cloud of scattered glass shards and lunged at Harry, claws bared!

"Harry! Watch out..."

Hermione panicked and tried to call out a warning, but Harry had already pulled her behind him.

"Angry? I should be the one saying that!!"

Hum!!

Harry's five fingers curled into claws. His fair palms turned pitch-black in an instant. The surging Obscurus suddenly blew away the shattered glass in front of him, and at the same time, Harry grabbed Peeves by the throat and hoisted it out of the castle through the broken window!!

Are you kidding? Harry had just beaten up Malfoy not long ago; did they really think he was a soft target?

Since a brat like Peeves had crossed him, if he didn't teach it a proper lesson, was he supposed to just keep it for the holidays?

Chapter 39: Professors Can Be Challenged Too

"D-damn it! This is an Obscurus... you nasty first-year brat! Ahhh!!"

With the Obscurus constantly invading its body, Peeves dangled in mid-air, its short legs kicking wildly while it screamed incessantly.

However, Harry turned a deaf ear to it all, continuing to release the Obscurus to ravage Peeves's body.

Poltergeists like Peeves were almost impossible to kill. Harry's Obscurus might be able to tear it to pieces, but it wouldn't make it disappear completely.

Therefore, Harry didn't need to hold back; letting it suffer a bit more wouldn't hurt.

The pitch-black, sinister wind continued to rage. Peeves's body was constantly torn apart and reformed, and its shrieks were so exaggerated that they echoed throughout the entire campus!

"Stop! Mr. Granger, please stop immediately!!"

Peeves's screaming finally attracted attention. When Professor McGonagall, who was heading to class early, saw this scene, she was utterly shocked!

She never expected that after Harry had fought with Malfoy in the morning, he would be in a conflict with Peeves by the afternoon!

Harry, whom the entire wizarding world held in such high regard, was actually a more troublesome child than his father, and... he was actually an Obscurial?!

"Peeves, I'm warning you... if you continue to mess with me and Hermione, I will definitely become even more terrifying than the Bloody Baron!"

He still had to show some respect to a professor, so after threatening Peeves, Harry retracted the Obscurus that was torturing it.

"Don't... don't mention the Bloody Baron! Heh heh, Lord Granger, Master Granger, the professor is here, aren't you going to let me go yet? Ya-ha-ha!!"

The Bloody Baron was the ghost of Slytherin and the existence Peeves feared most. Upon hearing that name, its body began to shiver uncontrollably.

It shrieked in a humble and fawning manner, begging Harry for mercy, though it was clearly mostly just playing the fool and hadn't truly submitted.

"Get lost!"

"Ahhh~"

Harry didn't want to deal with this poltergeist any further and casually tossed it out the window, prompting a series of shrill, clearly exaggerated screams.

"Mr. Granger, I really didn't expect... that you would be so restless! From burning the Sorting Hat yesterday to today's incident, you have committed far too many violations!"

Watching Harry, who remained calm despite causing such a huge mess, Professor McGonagall's lips trembled, as if she were too angry to speak.

Of course, she was mostly nervous, because she never imagined that Harry was a ticking time bomb carrying an Obscurus!

It was fortunate that it was discovered early!

And it was fortunate that, aside from Hermione Granger, there were no other students around him at the moment...

"Professor McGonagall, it's not what you think..." Catching sight of the professor's ugly expression, Hermione hurried forward to explain for Harry, emphasizing that Peeves had started it.

"Even so, Mr. Granger's behavior is absolutely unacceptable!" Professor McGonagall shook her head sternly. "Using magic to attack Peeves in the corridor, and to think there was an Obsc... in any case, Ravenclaw will be docked another ten points for this!"

"And now, I must go see Headmaster Dumbledore! Miss Granger, please help me inform the students coming to class later that your first Transfiguration Class will be delayed!"

"Please wait, Professor McGonagall!" Harry called out to stop the professor as she turned to leave, pointing at the empty window as he requested, "Before you go, could you please restore the broken window and the flower pots?"

"They are too badly damaged to be restored by spells." Professor McGonagall shook her head. "And this is not something you should be concerned about, Mr. Granger. What you need to do now is stay in the classroom and wait for me to return for class! As for the debris in the corridor, Mr. Filch will come to clean it up. The mischievous Peeves, and of course the damage caused by you students, will all be handled by Mr. Filch."

"Mr. Filch?" Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, Harry's expression gradually darkened!

"Why?" He stepped forward, blocking Professor McGonagall's path. "Peeves is clearly the one causing the destruction, so why is it Mr. Filch who has to suffer and do the hard work?"

They had just eaten hot pot together yesterday, after all; Harry naturally had to speak up for his new roommate.

"This..." Professor McGonagall was stunned by Harry's question. After a long while, she managed to explain, "Mr. Granger, some things cannot be helped, such as the work Mr. Filch must do. I admit that Peeves is indeed a troublemaker, and past teachers and caretakers have all tried various methods to drive it away, but all have failed without exception."

"But now, we have at least found a way to coexist with it peacefully. So, Mr. Granger, please try to be like the other students: learn to ignore it, and stop focusing your attention on such meaningless things..."

"I don't think this is meaningless." Harry clearly voiced his disagreement. "Just because there's no way to deal with it, you let such a poltergeist run wild in the school, dragging Mr. Filch into constantly cleaning up the mess. I think your words just now, and the school's overall attitude of indulgence toward Peeves, make absolutely no sense, and it is even less fair to Mr. Filch!"

"Mr. Granger... I admit that what you say may have merit, and I too wish that Peeves could become a law-abiding citizen of Hogwarts, but sometimes wishes are just wishes." Professor McGonagall shook her head and turned to step past Harry, who was blocking her path. "In any case, I will convey your thoughts to Headmaster Dumbledore. Now... I must be going."

"Hermione, let me return your wand."

Glancing at Professor McGonagall's retreating figure, Harry sullenly shoved the wand back into Hermione's hand and turned to greet Filch, who was approaching from the other direction, taking the broom he had brought.

"Mr. Filch, I am very sorry..." While sweeping up the potting soil and broken glass from the floor, Harry apologized to Filch in a low voice.

"You don't need to apologize. I know it was that bastard Peeves again!"

Filch carefully used tweezers to pick up the tiny shards of glass that the broom couldn't reach, while wiping the mud off the floor with a rag. Although his tone was sour, his expression did not appear particularly cold or harsh.

"Harry..." Watching Harry crouched on the floor working alongside Filch, Hermione felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of heartache.

She wanted to step forward to help, but Harry refused, citing the risk of the broken glass cutting her fingers.

As the afternoon class time approached, students from Eagle House and Slytherin House began to gather in the corridor. When they saw Harry working with Filch, it was inevitable that they would gossip.

Curiosity, pointing fingers, schadenfreude... there were all sorts of voices, but not a single one of them offered to help like Hermione had.

Those like Malfoy, who already had a grudge against Harry, stood to the side and laughed loudly without restraint, their laughter filled with endless snide remarks.

Yet Harry seemed to turn a deaf ear to it all, silently repairing the broken window alongside Filch.

He had his own reasons for what he wanted to do, and there was no need to pay attention to the judgments of others!

Chapter 40 Students really want to complain about this