Flitwick shook his head, clearing the thoughts that had flashed through his mind.
Though he was getting on in years, he wasn't an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud. Naturally, he wouldn't use any vulgar assumptions to speculate about the private relationship between two children. He was simply curious about the fact that they could share a wand.
"It's all right, Professor Flitwick," Harry said with a faint smile and a shake of his head. "Besides, I only wanted someone to get an early taste of what a sore bottom feels like~"
"Damn it! Harry, you..."
"Malfoy, you'd better remember this feeling!" Before Malfoy could open his mouth, Harry continued taunting him from above. "That way, when you really get what's coming to you, you won't scream quite so pathetically!"
The Brat Needs to Be Taught a Lesson
Naturally, Malfoy couldn't let Harry insult him to his face without retaliating. So the conflict between the two of them in Charms Class eventually escalated into a full-on fistfight during lunch break.
Harry and the three Malfoys began their chase in the corridor outside Charms Class and ran all the way to the dining hall. Harry managed to leave Crabbe and Goyle behind, then gave the now-isolated Malfoy another thorough beating.
By the time those two useless teammates finally arrived, Malfoy had already been knocked flat by Harry.
The situation had already been taken in hand by Professor McGonagall, who happened to be passing by. Even if Crabbe and Goyle wanted to go after Harry, they couldn't find an opportunity.
So, the brat Malfoy was still far too green to act like a gangster in front of Harry.
Back in Little Whinging, Harry had managed to maneuver around his cousin Dudley and his gang of cronies, picking his way through their encirclement and giving Dudley a face full of bruises.
Malfoy and his two sidekicks weren't nearly enough to give Harry a proper challenge~
Unfortunately... Harry still ended up a little banged up in the end, though not because of the three Malfoys. It was because of Hermione.
Professor McGonagall had caught him fighting, so Harry was bound to lose points. And when Hermione found out that Harry had ignored her warning and cost Eagle House more points, she was bound to grab him by the waist and pinch him for all she was worth~
"Mr. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, this is the first time, but I sincerely hope it will also be the last that I find you fighting at school!"
After 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 stiff expression.
"Harry, look what you've done! I worked so hard to win those points back, and now they're gone again!" Hermione huffed as she tugged on Harry's ear. "You burned the Sorting Hat just yesterday, and now you've gotten into a fight. It's lucky Professor McGonagall didn't pursue it too seriously, or you'd have landed in detention again!"
"Mhm, it's all my fault~" Harry agreed with a cheeky grin, though he felt a little regretful inside.
It was only a points deduction? Looks like I really went too easy on him just now~
"Forget it, I'm tired of lecturing you! Let's go eat!"
They were family, after all, and Hermione had played no small part in how things had started, so she couldn't bring herself to scold Harry too much.
Even so, she couldn't resist lecturing him at length over lunch.
"We have Transfiguration Class this afternoon. I'm begging you, please don't get caught breaking the rules by Professor McGonagall again, all right?"
Looking at Harry's beaming face and knowing full well that none of her words had sunk in, Hermione felt as if she'd worried herself sick.
After lunch, to keep Harry from causing more trouble, Hermione didn't even return to the dormitory for a nap. Instead, she dragged him to the Transfiguration classroom early.
But as they walked down the corridor, Harry suddenly felt something hit the back of his head.
He turned around and saw a piece of stale bread that had gone soft and sour.
"Heh heh heh! Bull's-eye! Horrid little first-year!"
A short figure with black eyes and a huge mouth suddenly appeared in midair in the corridor. It sat cross-legged, cackling smugly, apparently pleased with its handiwork.
"That's Peeves," Hermione said quietly. "I've heard the older students say he's a real nuisance. Just ignore him."
"So you're the student who set fire to the Sorting Hat? You don't look like anything special~"
Harry and Hermione didn't want to deal with Peeves, but Peeves kept pestering them. He circled around them again and again, even vanishing and reappearing out of nowhere to pull faces at the two of them, who were rapidly losing patience.
"Get lost!!"
At last, when Peeves appeared again and tried to stick his tongue out right in front of Hermione's nose, Harry, who had long since reached his limit, swung his hand and slapped him a meter away.
That slap was enough to make Peeves lose his temper.
"Students are misbehaving! Right here in the corridor outside Transfiguration Class!!"
He shrieked as he grabbed a potted plant from the windowsill and smashed it at Harry and Hermione's feet, scattering dirt and broken porcelain across the floor.
When Harry saw that the tips of both his and Hermione's shoes were stained with black potting soil, his expression suddenly darkened.
"Hermione, give me your wand."
"Harry, Headmaster Dumbledore said first-years aren't allowed to... All right~"
Sensing Harry's displeasure, Hermione pressed her lips together and hesitated for a long moment, but in the end she handed him the Holly Wand.
She certainly didn't want Harry to cause more trouble, but she cared more about how he felt. Besides, she was sick of Peeves too, especially since he'd picked a fight with them for no reason.
"Oh? What are you going to do? Are you going to use magic recklessly?" Peeves pointed at Harry's nose and shrieked. "This is exactly the sort of thing Filch should be told about! Yes! Filch, come quickly! A student's going to use magic in the corridor..."
"Waddiwasi!"
Harry's wand flashed. A sharp piece of porcelain suddenly shot out like a bullet and pierced Peeves's hat in an instant!
"Oh, damn it! You ruined my hat?" Peeves shrieked furiously at Harry. "Do you have any idea how much I love it?!"
"Waddiwasi!" "Waddiwasi!"...
But Harry ignored Peeves's blustering threats and kept casting the Waddiwasi Spell, sending every shard of porcelain around his feet flying at Peeves!
Peeves cursed loudly, vanishing and changing direction over and over as he tried to dodge Harry's attacks. But the sounds he made while moving couldn't escape Harry's ears, and every time, a shard struck him squarely.
Harry wasn't unfamiliar with Peeves. Before coming to Hogwarts, Scamander had told him about many things he needed to know, including Peeves.
Peeves was definitely one of the most troublesome creatures at Hogwarts. Scamander had even specially taught Harry the Waddiwasi Spell over the phone so he'd know how to deal with him.
Peeves could turn invisible and fly. Like most ghosts, he was unaffected by spells, but unlike other ghosts, he had a physical form.
Strictly speaking, Peeves was a poltergeist who loved causing trouble. He could touch the objects and people around him... so the reverse was just as true!
The best way to deal with Peeves was to fire the Waddiwasi Spell at him!
"Horrid little first-year! I'm really going to get angry now!!"
Peeves had only wanted to play a prank, but Harry had pelted him with the Waddiwasi Spell until he was covered in bumps and even ruined his favorite hat. He was now beside himself with rage!
He smashed headfirst through the corridor window, then swept up a whole cloud of scattered glass shards and lunged at Harry, claws outstretched!
"Harry! Watch out..."
Hermione tried to cry out a warning, but Harry had already pulled her behind him.
"Angry? I'm the one who should be saying that!!"
Voom!!
Harry's fingers curled into a claw, and his once-pale hand turned pitch-black in an instant. The Obscurus surged out, blasting the shattered glass in front of him away. At the same time, Harry grabbed Peeves by the throat and lifted him outside the castle through the broken window!!
As if! Harry had just beaten Malfoy to a pulp not long ago. Did Peeves really think he was an easy target?
When a brat like Peeves got on Harry's bad side, he had to be taught a proper lesson. What, was Harry supposed to save it for a special occasion?
Professors Could Be Talked Back to, Too
"D-damn it! It's an Obscurus... You horrid little first-year! Aaaah!!"
As the Obscurus kept tearing into his body, Peeves dangled in midair, his little legs kicking wildly as he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Harry paid him no mind, continuing to release the Obscurus and tear apart Peeves's body.
A poltergeist like Peeves was almost impossible to kill. Harry's Obscurus might be able to rip him to pieces, but it wouldn't make him disappear for good.
So Harry had no need to hold back. Letting Peeves suffer a little more wouldn't hurt.
The black wind raged on, repeatedly tearing Peeves apart before his body re-formed. His screams rang out across the entire school!
"Stop! Mr. Granger, stop at once!!"
Peeves's shrieks finally drew someone's attention. When Professor McGonagall, who had arrived early for class, saw the scene, she was utterly shocked!
She'd never imagined that Harry, who had gotten into a fight with Malfoy that morning, would clash with Peeves that same afternoon!
Harry, whom the entire Wizarding World had held in such high regard, was a child even more troublesome than his father. And... he was an Obscurial?!
Thank goodness she'd discovered it early!
And thank goodness there were no other students beside him at the moment, apart from Hermione Granger...
"Peeves, I'm warning you... If you cause trouble in front of Hermione and me again, I'll become even more terrifying than the Bloody Baron!"
A professor's authority still mattered, so after threatening Peeves, Harry withdrew the Obscurus that had been tormenting him.
"Don't... don't mention the Bloody Baron! Heh heh, Lord Granger, Master Granger, the professor's here. Why don't you let me go already? Yahahaha!!"
The Bloody Baron was Slytherin's ghost, and the being Peeves feared most. At the mention of his name, Peeves began to tremble uncontrollably.
He shrieked obsequiously, begging Harry for mercy, though it was clear he was mostly clowning around and hadn't truly surrendered.
"Get lost!"
"Aaaah~"
Harry couldn't be bothered to deal with the poltergeist any further. He tossed Peeves out the window, and Peeves let out a series of piercing screams that were obviously just theatrics.
"Mr. Granger, I never thought... you would be so unruly! Between setting the Sorting Hat on fire yesterday and what happened today, you've broken far too many rules!"
Looking at Harry, who had caused such a huge mess yet still seemed perfectly calm, Professor McGonagall's lips kept trembling. She seemed so angry she could barely speak.
But what she felt most was nervousness, because she'd never imagined that Harry would be a ticking time bomb with an Obscurus inside him!
Thank goodness she'd found out early!
"Professor McGonagall, it isn't what you think..." Seeing her grim expression, Hermione hurried forward to explain on Harry's behalf, emphasizing that Peeves had attacked first.
"Even so, Mr. Granger's behavior was completely unacceptable!" Professor McGonagall said sternly, shaking her head. "Using magic to attack Peeves in the corridor, and on top of that, using an Ob... In short, Ravenclaw will lose another ten points!"
"Now, I must go see Headmaster Dumbledore! Miss Granger, please tell the students when they arrive that your first Transfiguration Class will have to start a little later!"
"Wait, Professor McGonagall!" Harry called out, stopping her as she turned to leave. He pointed at the empty window and asked, "Before you go, could you please repair the broken window and flowerpot?"
"They're too badly damaged to be repaired with magic," Professor McGonagall replied with a shake of her head. "And this isn't something you need to worry 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 mess in the corridor, Mr. Filch will take care of it. He'll deal with Peeves's mischief, of course, as well as the damage caused by students like you."
"Mr. Filch?" Harry's expression gradually darkened as he listened to Professor McGonagall.
"Why?" He hurried forward and blocked her path. "Peeves was the one who caused the damage, so why is Mr. Filch the one who has to suffer and clean it up?"
They'd shared hotpot just the day before, after all. Harry had to speak up for his new roommate.
"Well..." Professor McGonagall was taken aback by Harry's question. It took her a while to come up with a reluctant explanation. "Mr. Granger, some things can't be helped. For instance, Mr. Filch has work he has to do. I admit that Peeves is fond of causing trouble. Past teachers and caretakers have all tried one method or another to drive him away, but every attempt has failed."
"But for now, we've at least found a way to coexist with him peacefully. So, Mr. Granger, please try to ignore him, like the other students do, and stop fixating on pointless things like this..."
"I don't think this is pointless." Harry firmly disagreed. "Just because no one can do anything about him, the school lets a poltergeist run wild, leaving Mr. Filch to clean up his messes again and again. What you just said, and the school's attitude of letting Peeves do whatever he wants, make no sense to me. And it's certainly not fair to Mr. Filch!"
"Mr. Granger... I admit you may have a point, and I hope Peeves will become a law-abiding Hogwarts citizen, but sometimes hope is all it can be." Professor McGonagall shook her head and stepped around Harry. "In any case, I'll pass your thoughts on to Headmaster Dumbledore as well. For now... I must be going."
"Hermione, I'll give your wand back now."
Harry glanced at Professor McGonagall's retreating figure and, looking glum, returned the wand to Hermione. Then he turned to meet Filch, who was approaching from the other direction, and took the broom he'd brought along.
"Mr. Filch, I'm sorry..." Harry apologized quietly as he swept up the dirt and broken glass.
"You don't have to apologize. I know that bastard Peeves did it again!"
Filch carefully picked up the tiny shards of glass the broom couldn't reach with a pair of tweezers, then wiped the dirt off the floor with a rag. His reply sounded unpleasant, but his expression wasn't particularly cold.
"Harry..." Seeing Harry down on the floor working alongside Filch, Hermione felt a pang of sympathy.
She wanted to go help, but Harry refused on the grounds that the broken glass could cut her fingers.
As the afternoon class drew closer, students from Eagle House and Slytherin began gathering in the corridor. Seeing Harry working with Filch, they couldn't help but talk about him.
There was curiosity, pointing, schadenfreude... all sorts of reactions, but not one of them offered to help the way Hermione had.
Those who already had a grudge against Harry, like Malfoy, laughed at him loudly without a hint of restraint, their laughter full of snide remarks.
Harry, however, seemed not to hear any of it. He simply kept working with Filch to repair the broken window.
He had his reasons for doing what he did. He didn't need to care what other people thought!
Students Really Wanted to Make Some Snarky Remarks
Before you continue