Just Fight

The little snakes passed it around with proud smiles. What could they do? Their Slytherin had produced such an all-around genius as Tom.

They can publish top-tier academic papers with ease, crushing the mediocre students from other departments!

After breakfast, Tom followed the crowd out of the Great Hall and was about to go upstairs to the Transfiguration classroom.

Qiu Zhang quickly caught up, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and said sincerely, "Congratulations on publishing another academic paper!"

In response to the girl's blessing, Tom smiled faintly and waved his hand.

"It's just an ordinary paper, nothing serious. Thank you for your kind offer."

Since their chance encounter at the library, the two have started chatting more often. They'll exchange a few pleasantries whenever they bump into each other on the street, and occasionally they'll arrange to read together, gradually becoming good friends.

Qiu rolled her eyes in exasperation, her tone slightly teasing.

"Do all geniuses talk like Versailles? That's a top-tier academic journal in the field; it's not even worth mentioning to you."

"Everyone pursues different goals," Tom said with a calm smile.

"I have a natural inclination to delve into various fields of knowledge, and I will continue to produce more articles in the future."

"This is at most a general overview; there's really no need to take it to heart."

"Then I'll patiently wait for your new work to be released."

The girl's eyebrows curved slightly, and after chatting for a few more minutes, she turned and left, her high ponytail swaying gently with each step.

Daphne stared at Qiu's departing figure, a sense of unease inexplicably rising within her.

I don't know when it started, but suddenly there's someone who can chat and laugh with Tom.

Hannah of Hufflepuff is also on good terms with Tom, and she is always carefree, but Cho has a different kind of exotic charm.

He's always been quite popular at school, which makes people a little uneasy.

She instinctively clung tightly to Tom's arm, leaving Tom momentarily bewildered.

However, the girl beside him was soft and sweet, and since he was the one who would benefit, he decided not to think about it anymore.

On the other side, Qiu hadn't gone far when her friend Marietta Edgecombe quickly stopped her, her eyes full of gossip.

"I just saw you go and talk to Riddle. When did you two become so close?"

"What do you mean by 'familiar'? That's such a harsh way to put it." Qiu gently patted her friend's arm.

"I just came here specifically to congratulate him on publishing his paper."

"Sisters, you've got the wrong idea," Marietta Edgecombe teased, raising an eyebrow. "What I'm curious about is how you two met."

Qiu awkwardly smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We met by chance a few times, and gradually got to know each other."

Marietta Edgecombe's smile didn't reach her eyes; she patted Qiu on the shoulder, her tone tinged with regret.

"Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right. This time last year would have been fine."

"Riddle is now surrounded by the Greengrass sisters, and that academic superstar from Gryffindor."

"The circle is already packed, so it's not easy to build a closer relationship."

"Stop reading romance novels and getting all over the place," Qiu said, pursing her lips as she was about to retort, when suddenly a commotion and gasps came from ahead.

A Gryffindor student tumbled down the stairs, followed closely by Malfoy, who also fell to the ground, and the two immediately began to wrestle.

Professor McGonagall happened to be walking to the entrance of the Great Hall when she saw this. She immediately strode forward and sternly reprimanded him.

But the two were already engrossed in their fight and completely ignored the advice of those around them.

Ron gripped Malfoy's neck tightly, and Malfoy, not to be outdone, stuck his fingers straight into Ron's nostrils, creating chaos.

With no other option, McGonagall waved her wand, and magical power instantly separated the two.

"Who can give a clear and truthful account of what happened?"

The professor's gaze swept over the crowd of onlookers, all of whom were watching with a spectator's mentality, and no one took the initiative to step forward and explain the situation.

Malfoy was the first to raise his voice in defense. "Professor, it was Potter who attacked me first! They started this trouble!"

"You're talking complete nonsense!" Ron retorted angrily. "You deliberately elbowed me down the stairs!"

"It was just an accidental bump when I turned around. I lost my balance and fell, but I'm blaming someone else." Malfoy wiped the blood from his nose, still looking arrogant.

Harry immediately pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the professor, looking at Malfoy with displeasure.

"I can testify that he did it on purpose; he just mocked Ron for relying entirely on luck in the last chess game."

"When we argued back, he immediately shoved Ron."

"How can stating a fact casually be considered sarcasm?" Malfoy shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yesterday, Weasley lost three games in a row, and his face turned as red as Shanks'. With this level of skill, how can he boast about winning a game against Professor McGonagall?"

This vivid description drew laughter from the students in the audience, and even many Gryffindor members couldn't help but laugh.

Tom, who was watching the commotion from the crowd, looked completely bewildered.

Yesterday he spent the whole morning in the library, and in the afternoon he accompanied Astoria to search for unicorns.

They had no idea about Ron's embarrassing defeats on the giant chessboard yesterday, and how no one wanted to listen to his instructions anymore.

In terms of intellect and strategy, Ron was not particularly outstanding. You could say Ron was good at chess, but you couldn't call him a genius.

"Quiet down!"

Professor McGonagall spoke in a deep voice, and the noise gradually subsided.

"Weasley's victory in the chess game was indeed due to his skill; Malfoy is not allowed to slander his classmate so casually."

Even if the collision was unintentional, fighting and causing trouble in public is still inappropriate.

Malfoy touched his bruised eye socket and, taking the opportunity, dragged Harry into the mix, intending to make them share the punishment.

McGonagall's face darkened, and she was about to finalize the punishment when Wilkinson, who had been watching the commotion, interrupted her.

"There's no need to deduct points or lock yourself out for such a small thing," Wilkinson said with a smile.

"It's perfectly normal for young people to have conflicts, and such disputes are commonplace on the campus of Ilvermorny."

"How does your school typically resolve conflicts?"

McGonagall became curious, as the traditional management methods of Hogwarts were gradually revealing their drawbacks.

In recent years, Ilvermorny has gained considerable fame, attracting many students from home and abroad to study there.

The fact that the school can operate in an orderly manner with more than 5,000 students must mean it has a unique way of handling things.

"The method is simple and direct." Wilkinson pointed to Ron and Malfoy respectively.

"Since we're all young men, let's settle our grudges and entanglements with a magic wand."

"Eight Ilvermorny dueling stages are set up within the school. Students can apply to their instructors to take to the stage for a duel."

"Disputes within the academy and personal grudges can all be resolved through duels. There's no need to dwell on right and wrong; strength is the best judge."

The corridor fell silent instantly, McGonagall's face filled with disbelief.

"Isn't this a rather heavy-handed approach? Won't it encourage a culture of bullying the weak?"