Prefect Rivalry

"Impedimenta."

Skylar's voice was calm and unhurried, yet carried an undeniable power. The moment he raised his index finger, the air seemed to tremble, and an invisible barrier suddenly rose in the middle of the corridor.

At the same time, he naturally reached out with his left hand, firmly grasped Hermione's wrist, and gently pulled her behind him, protecting her. Hermione was caught off guard and stumbled slightly, looking up to see Skylar and focused profile.

"Bang!"

The spell exploded before the transparent barrier. McLaggen's Stupefy was like a pebble thrown into a deep lake, swallowed up without a trace before it even made a ripple.

Wandless Magic!

The students watching gasped in surprise, and many instinctively reached out to shield their eyes from the red light. But when they came to their senses, Skylar remained calmly standing in place, as if the attack had been nothing to worry about.

"You really are—" Skylar raised an eyebrow slightly, his index finger twitching as the wand nimbly returned to his palm. He glanced casually at McLaggen, a faint smile playing on his lips, yet tinged with sharp sarcasm, "Is this all you can do, sneak attacks?"

McLaggen's face flushed crimson. He roared like an enraged lion, raising his wand high, his eyes filled with resentment and rage. Clearly, the Stupefy he had just cast was not his last.

Hermione and Ron were terrified. There was no room to maneuver or dodge in the cramped carriage, and everything happened in the blink of an eye—only a few seconds had passed since McLaggen the Stupefy.

"Stop!" Skylar's wand pointed at McLaggen almost simultaneously, but Skylar's magic had already taken effect before he could even utter the word.

"Levicorpus!"

An invisible force suddenly acted on McLaggen, his body was violently flipped over from the front by an invisible giant force, and then an invisible hook precisely caught his ankle, suddenly suspending him upside down in mid-air!

His wand slipped from his hand, spinning as it fell to the ground. He frantically tried to grab something, but could only struggle awkwardly in the air, like a fat fish being lifted up.

A gasp of surprise erupted from all around. The students who witnessed the scene widened their eyes, some suppressing laughter, others gasping in astonishment.

"Damn it! Put me down!" he roared angrily, looking around at the Gryffindor students with hope that someone would step forward to free him from this awkward position. However, to his surprise, everyone was intimidated by Skylar's imposing presence, and no one had the courage to step forward.

Skylar remained unmoved, slowly lowering his wand, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over McLaggen, as if the sixth-year Prefect before him was no different from a pig in a slaughterhouse, and this was nothing more than a contest with no suspense.

Cho Chang was still in shock, her chest heaving slightly, her fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. Everything had happened too fast; before she could even react, Cormac had gone from an aggressive madman to a lamb hanging upside down from the ceiling, at the mercy of his men.

Skylar stood before her, like an unshakeable barrier, completely protecting her behind him.

The moonlight accentuated the sharp angles of his profile, his slightly upturned eyes revealing a nonchalant yet sinister charm, while the cold smile at the corner of his mouth sent chills down one's spine. He dealt with McLaggen cleanly and efficiently, completely disregarding school rules and showing no fear of the McLaggen family's background. That unbridled and domineering attitude stirred a strange emotion within Cho Chang.

She slowly raised her eyes and looked at Skylar.

"Skylar..." she called softly, her voice trembling slightly, partly from lingering shock, and partly from a surge of indescribable emotions welling up inside her.

Skylar put away his wand, glanced back at her, his deep eyes scrutinizing her as if checking for injuries. Seeing her still flustered expression, his gaze softened slightly. "It's good that you're alright."

Cho Chang looked at him, her heart filled with a mixture of gratitude and a sense of security.

She knew perfectly well that Cormac McLaggen was a man not to be trifled with. He was tall, burly, and acted with impunity because of his family background. Even within Gryffindor, many people disliked him but dared not confront him directly. However, Skylar disregarded all of this for her sake.

Thinking of this, her heartstrings trembled slightly, and besides gratitude, a strange flutter arose. She already had considerable feelings for Skylar, but because Skylar was already taken, she never dared to imagine that she and he could take things further.

But at this moment, her eyes could hold nothing but Skylar.

At the same time, Harry, standing among the onlookers, remained rooted to the spot, his fingers still gripping his wand tightly, his knuckles white from the force. He had witnessed the entire process— Skylar's spell was cast flawlessly, giving McLaggen no chance to react whatsoever.

Fast, ruthless, and accurate.

At that moment, Harry realized with absolute clarity that if he had acted impulsively, he would probably have been subdued by Skylar before he could even swing his wand.

He gritted his teeth, his gaze dark as he watched McLaggen struggle in mid-air, listening to his angry yet powerless curses. But his attention was no longer on him.

Cho Chang stood beside Skylar, her expression still showing some lingering shock, but her gaze... never left Skylar.

Throughout the entire process, she didn't even glance at herself again.

Harry's heart clenched, as if gripped tightly by the sharp claws of an owl, the claws tearing at his heart, drawing blood little by little.

At this moment, Skylar ignored the loser and swept his sharp gaze across the room. He coldly said, "Let's go," and then turned and left with Cho Chang and Luna.

Cormac shouted in a hoarse voice, "Malfoy, this isn't over! You've humiliated the McLaggen family today, and I'm going to tell my uncle—you just wait!"

Skylar stopped walking, not even turning his head, and said calmly, "Suit yourself." His figure disappeared with the sound of his footsteps.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a glance, then looked at Harry and Ron, who were still stunned. They both sighed helplessly, and finally Ginny broke the silence. "Let's go back."

She tugged at Harry and Ron's sleeves, but Harry remained silent, still staring intently in the direction Cho Chang had gone, until her figure completely disappeared from sight before slowly shifting his gaze.

An indescribable emotion surged within him—jealousy, anger, resentment—intertwined into a tangled black vortex that lingered in his chest.

Before the others left, Hermione didn't forget her duties as Prefect. She frowned, waved her wand, and broke the spell Skylar had cast on Cormac. Cormac fell to the ground in a sorry state, staggered to his feet, his face flushed red, his eyes filled with shame and anger.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" he glared at Hermione through gritted teeth, his tone vicious. "What, seeing that bastard Malfoy make a move, you can't help but help him? Granger, I've heard you two have a special relationship, could it be—"

"Shut up!" Ron took a step forward, his fist clenched, his eyes blazing with anger. "Try spouting another word of nonsense!"

McLaggen sneered, dusting himself off, his tone increasingly mocking. "What, Weasley? Protecting your friend? Too bad, no matter how much you stand up for her, she won't even glance at you."

Ron was so angry that his face turned red, and he raised his fist to punch her, but Hermione grabbed him.

"Ron, ignore him." Hermione's voice was weary, clearly wanting to avoid further conflict with McLaggen. She pulled Ron's arm, preventing him from acting impulsively, and glanced at McLaggen with a cold, distant look. "Let's go."

Ron glared angrily at McLaggen, but ultimately refrained from attacking after Hermione's persuasion. Harry remained silent, his face grim, his eyes darkening as if he were distracted.

McLaggen snorted coldly, watching the group leave with a disdainful smile, but he couldn't hide the resentment and unwillingness in his eyes.

Skylar, Cho Chang, Luna returned to the private room and told the others what had just happened, which naturally led to another round of sarcastic and bitter mockery from Draco and the others.

Daphne frowned deeply as she listened. The McLaggen family was not to be trifled with, and besides, because of Scrimgeour, Skylar and Tiberius McLaggen had previously had a fairly good relationship. Was it really worth offending his nephew like this?

Skylar waved his hand dismissively, not taking Cormac McLaggen seriously at all. His uncle probably wouldn't really choose to antagonize him for such a disappointing descendant.

Even if he were to lose the McLaggen family as an ally, it wouldn't matter much—the core members of the Sleeping Dragon Society were his family, and he would never allow his family to be violated in front of him!

He has now seriously offended McLaggen, which means that he will be facing a new hostile force at Hogwarts this semester.

And from the way he had observed Ron and Harry's attitudes earlier, it seemed that they harbored a subtle hostility towards him.

Based on his understanding of Hermione, after learning of Voldemort's resurrection and facing Umbridge's impractical, purely theoretical teaching methods, Hermione would definitely create "Dumbledore's Army" as depicted in the original books.

The question remains: without the Marauder's Map and without Dobby providing clues about the Room of Requirement, how will Harry, Harry, and their trio evade Umbridge's surveillance and form Dumbledore's Army, this underground student organization?

It seems that this semester will also see turmoil within Hogwarts —their own Sleeping Dragon Society may have to face both Dumbledore's Army and McLaggen's forces simultaneously...

Skylar smiled. Although his opponents were all students whose strength was far inferior to his own, the competition between these student organizations was not simply about combat power, but about strategic planning, tactics, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

The thought of his opponent being Hermione Granger, the know-it-all from the original story, stirred a sense of anticipation in Skylar's heart.

Hermione, let me see how many surprises your strategies can bring to my dull days, as the strategist of the trio!

As for McLaggen, that's a force that doesn't even appear in the original story. Who will he ally with? And what schemes and tricks will he secretly plot against you?

It seems this semester is starting to get interesting!