Lyon's Dominant Response, Snape's Protection

Snape was extremely angry today.

He had thought Lyon would at most cast a Fiendfyre Curse here to establish his authority, giving him a voice in Slytherin House.

But now...

He had indeed established his authority.

But he had gone a little too far.

What first-year student opened with an Avada Kedavra?

If the Avada Kedavra had not missed by just a little, Snape felt that Amis lying on the ground would already be dead.

Now, even Snape found it hard to defend Lyon.

"Professor, isn't he still alive?"

Lyon calmly looked at Snape's face, then swept his gaze over the prefects glaring at him nearby.

The other prefects were already furious. They stepped forward and began cursing him out.

"How dare you say something like that? Were you hoping he would die?"

"I'm telling you, you're finished! No one can cast the three Unforgivable Curses on another wizard. Shelby, just wait to be sent to Azkaban!"

"I'll make Amis sue you! We'll take you straight to the Ministry of Magic!"

Snape frowned beside them. This was troublesome now.

Once Lyon ended up at the Ministry of Magic, even if he had not truly harmed Amis, Fudge and those useless fools on the jury would certainly not spare Lyon.

Lyon might be Britain's youngest godfather, but he probably only had connections in the Muggle world.

If those pure-blood families joined forces, Lyon would truly be in for it!

Did he have to ask Dumbledore to intervene?

Compared to Snape's concern, Lyon appeared exceptionally composed.

He glanced over the prefects around him, who were staring at him like venomous snakes, and suddenly smiled.

No one knew what Lyon was laughing about, but then he spoke.

"Under Article Two of Clause Four of the Wizard Safety Act, no wizard may use the three Unforgivable Curses to cause harm to another wizard."

"The Wizard Safety Act merely states that the three Unforgivable Curses cannot be used to harm another wizard."

"And I did not harm him. The Avada Kedavra just now only struck the floor behind him."

Everyone stared at Lyon in utter disbelief.

They had always heard that Unforgivable Curses could not be used on other wizards, but they truly did not know the exact law.

Yet Lyon, a first-year, could actually recite the damn Wizard Safety Act?

Was he really that bored in his spare time?

What normal wizard would memorize that thing?

But...

They had to admit that what Lyon had said was indeed logical and well-founded. They could find no flaw in it.

Amis, lying on the ground, was still alive, and the Unforgivable Curse had not hit him.

It seemed like there really was nothing wrong with it... right?

No, they had let Lyon lead them around in circles.

"Shelby, even if you didn't hit Amis, you scared him unconscious!"

"And you actually studied the three Unforgivable Curses. That's Dark magic! You violated school rules!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation. Only David stood among them with a dark expression as he watched Lyon.

Slytherin had been perfectly under his control before this. The other prefects either flattered him or treated him like royalty.

But Lyon had come in and wanted to flip the table?

He could not allow someone like Lyon to exist.

Beside them, Snape listened to the discussion and turned his gaze to Lyon. "Lyon, do you have anything to say?"

He did not question him or become angry. Instead, he asked Lyon if he had anything to say.

It was obvious favoritism!

"Professor, I suggest expelling him immediately. He actually learned the Unforgivable Curses. Someone like him deserves to die!"

Foke, the prefect who had wanted to fight Lyon earlier, spoke from the crowd. Based on Lyon's estimate, he should have been a fifth-year prefect.

After he spoke, Snape looked toward Lyon instead.

Snape was giving Lyon a chance to defend himself.

"The school has no rule forbidding students from studying Dark magic."

"Besides, today's matter was provoked by you prefects in the first place."

"If Wizarding Society wants another Voldemort, then go ahead and expel me."

After Lyon spoke, everyone shuddered. Snape had not expected Lyon's words to be so forceful.

If Wizarding Society wanted another Voldemort, it could expel Lyon. Did that mean Lyon was confident he could build the same power Voldemort had once possessed?

Though they did not know where Lyon's confidence came from, after hearing those words, everyone somehow felt that Lyon truly could make it happen.

"Lyon, calm down."

Snape said that, but there was a trace of appreciation deep in his eyes.

Though he was a professor, he disliked students with no opinions of their own, who merely echoed whatever others said all day.

He preferred people like this: steady in speech but not weak, ruthless in their methods, willing to do whatever it took to achieve their goals.

Once such people left school, they were destined to be anything but ordinary.

And in truth, these were precisely the ideals Slytherin sought in its students.

No wonder Lyon had been sorted into Slytherin. He truly was born Slytherin material.

"Professor, look at him! He actually dared to talk back to you!"

Foke spoke again. By his reasoning, Snape could never tolerate students who defied him.

Lyon was finished!

But in the next moment.

"Enough. Quiet."

Snape frowned and silenced everyone, looking at Lyon and the other prefects.

"Lyon, what you did today went too far. I'm sentencing you to one month of detention, during which you will assist our groundskeeper, Mr. Hagrid, in the Forbidden Forest."

"David, you and the others actively provoked today's incident. You will assist Filch with his work for one month of detention. You may not use your wands."

After Snape spoke, David's eyes widened. He stared at Snape in disbelief, then looked at Lyon.

"Professor, this..."

"Do you not intend to obey a professor's orders?"

"I... all right."

David gave Lyon a sinister look, then covertly glanced at Snape.

Something was wrong with Snape today. He had been favoring Lyon all along.

Lyon had fired a Killing Curse at a fellow student, yet Snape had only given him one month of detention!

And it was with that big idiot Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest!

Meanwhile, they were prefects, yet they had also been given detention, and with Filch at that!

Even a pig would know that Hagrid was infinitely better than Filch!

This was blatant favoritism!

Lyon had talked back to Snape. You were Snape, yet instead of getting angry, you were even favoring Lyon?

David could not understand it, but he did not dare question Snape.

"All right, this matter is settled. I hope no one lets anyone else know about what happened tonight." Snape spoke as he met the eyes of everyone around him.

"And carry him out."

Snape pointed at Amis on the ground, then left the prefects' lounge directly with a cold expression.