A Second Clash

"I don't think Will's a bad person." Harry thought Ron was going too far. Will might be a Slytherin student, but he didn't look anything like a Dark Wizard.

Besides, Professor McGonagall had praised Will for helping his classmates. Harry looked at Neville and Hermione beside him and fell silent.

First Year students at Hogwarts didn't have many classes.

History of Magic was interesting, but Professor Binns's dry, flat, hollow voice drained all the fun from it. His tone never varied, leaving Will with the strange impression that he was listening to White Noise.

It was the perfect class for catching up on sleep. Professor Binns didn't take attendance or ask questions. He barely interacted with the students, and a last-minute bout of memorization was enough to pass the History of Magic exam. Hardly anyone listened in class, Will included.

He sat in the back row and read on his own. History of Magic was still useful to him: it offered clues about Wizards of the past. He could find out which ones had excelled in particular fields, then seek out their writings or accounts of their deeds and learn from them.

For instance, the paper lying in his Book Trunk, "The Secret of Andros: An Unorthodox Approach to the Patronus Charm," was a scholarly analysis of the ancient Wizard Andros. His Patronus had been as large as a Giant, and he could perform Wandless Magic.

Herbology was one of the few classes where Will drew little attention. Their lessons were simple for now, focused mainly on cultivating basic magical plants. Nothing was particularly unusual or dangerous, and many young Wizards who had read ahead could answer Professor Sprout's questions.

In Charms, Professor Flitwick paid Will a great deal of attention. He soon discovered, however, that Will's skill with spells had already gone far beyond that of a First Year student.

"Will, I thought you'd come to Ravenclaw." Professor Flitwick sounded regretful when Will stayed after class to ask him a question.

"I thought so too, but I have no idea what was going on with the Sorting Hat."

"Now, now, let's not get into that. What did you want to ask?"

"Professor, I read about how modern Magic evolved..."

[You gained new spell knowledge. Charms experience +1]

[You gained new spell knowledge. Charms experience +1]

[You gained new spell knowledge. Charms experience +1]

Will was beginning to enjoy life at Hogwarts. He gained experience far faster here than he had at home, and his Transfiguration was almost at LV3.

On Wednesday evening, Will was enjoying dinner: a perfectly seared Veal Steak with Mashed Potatoes, England's national dish of Fish and Chips, and a large glass of Orange Juice.

For once, Sylvia wasn't beside him. She seemed to have some activity planned with a few Slytherin girls.

[You gained new Transfiguration knowledge. Transfiguration experience +1]

[You gained new Transfiguration knowledge. Transfiguration experience +1]

Will was stuffing fries into his mouth while reading when a group of young Wizards suddenly surrounded him. Two or three of them clearly weren't First Years; they looked to be at least Third or even Fourth Year students.

The student in front was obviously older. At his side stood Ivan Selwyn and Auburn Nott, who hadn't returned to their dormitory in two days. Apparently, that had been enough time for them to find someone to back them up.

"Hey, Ravenclaw's spy. Not hiding behind a girl today?" Auburn was clearly nursing a grudge. Since arriving at Hogwarts, he hadn't spent a single night in his own bed.

"Merlin, why must a pack of pests disturb my peaceful life?" Will pressed a hand to his forehead as if he had a headache.

All he wanted was to gain experience in peace!

"Let me give you a little advice, junior." The student in front spoke with a hint of arrogance. "I know you're clever and talented, but as your senior, I suggest you keep your head down. Wizards with talent like yours aren't rare in the Wizarding World. If you apologize to these two, I can arrange a reconciliation in the name of the Yaxley Family. Of course, if you're willing to work with the Yaxley Family, you'd be welcome."

The student named Yaxley was plainly clever. He knew Will was more than merely talented. On the first day of school, the boy had used an offensive spell that most Second Year students still hadn't mastered, and he had done it with ease. His talent was obvious.

And in just two days, Will had earned the nickname "Ravenclaw's spy." He clearly loved reading, too. A gifted student who loved to study was bound to go far. Even as an assistant, he would be far more useful than the usual good-for-nothing from a Pure-blood family.

As a Third Year, Yaxley knew perfectly well that plenty of children from Pure-blood families were useless fools.

"Senior, I don't know where you get your confidence, but my advice is to keep these pests from bothering me again. I just want to study in peace. If anyone has a problem with that, I don't mind making them spend the night up on the wall lamps in the Common Room." Will popped the last bite of fried fish into his mouth and calmly slipped his book into the Book Trunk he carried with him. It was time certain Slytherin idiots understood the gap between them.

"So you really mean to be the troublemaker among the new students?" Yaxley's expression stiffened. Will had shown him no respect. "Do you know what the Yaxley name represents?"

"Yaxley, that fool Selwyn, and Nott all belong to the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight. You don't need to remind me. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Very good. Very good."

Will thought Yaxley looked a little worked up.

"Well, are you going to stand there like idiots, or do you want a 'Fair Duel'? I should warn you, I'm in a hurry." Will picked up his Book Trunk, stood, and pushed past the student blocking his way, heading toward the Slytherin Common Room.

Not far away, platinum-haired Draco Malfoy had seen the whole thing. He put down his fork and followed the group. "Hey, Goyle, Crabbe, hurry up. Come on."

The Slytherin Common Room.

"Will, what happened? I took my eyes off you for a moment, and now you're with this lot—" Sylvia rushed anxiously toward Will, looking as though she meant to put herself between him and Yaxley's group.

"Okay, okay, okay, Lestrange. This has nothing to do with you. You'd better not get involved over this Muggle boy, all right?" Yaxley waved a hand. Two Slytherin students immediately stepped forward to stop Sylvia.

"It's all right, Sylvia. Don't worry. I'll be fine." Will raised his Wand and pointed it at the two Slytherin students. They froze where they stood, not daring to come closer.

"Behrens!"

"Really, don't worry. I don't know why you're so concerned about me, but trust me, I'll be fine. Besides, if I don't make a few things clear to this lot, they'll keep interrupting my studies." Will decided it was time to make these young Wizards leave him alone. How was he supposed to get good at Magic if he kept wasting time on them?

His LV4 Charms skill wasn't just for show.