Tris had no idea what the guy opposite him was trying to pull. It was only the first day back from the holidays, and Tris was certain he had kept a very low profile. Apart from mouthing off at a few people during his morning run, he had offended absolutely no one.
Although older students bullying younger ones was common at Hogwarts, especially in Slytherin, they usually had to come up with some sort of excuse.
Shocker, standing opposite him now, was clearly just looking for trouble.
Tris neither knew nor cared why he was doing this. He simply pulled out his wand. "Skip the bullshit. Let's see what you've got."
That threw Shocker off a little.
He hadn't bullied first-years all that often, but this certainly wasn't his first time.
When had he ever seen a first-year brat this cocky? And pulling out a wand, too? How many spells could a first-year possibly know? Had he even figured out the Levitation Charm yet?
With that thought, Shocker lazily drew his own wand. "New students these days really need to be taught some manners. Since you don't know what's good for you, I'll just..."
"Would you shut the hell up?" Tris wasn't about to indulge all that chatter. He raised his wand and flicked it, rapidly spitting out an incantation.
The Leg-Locker Curse?
The instant he heard the syllables, Shocker identified it as the basic Leg-Locker Curse.
A rookie, just as I thought!
Then again, first-years could only master a handful of spells anyway. And that wand movement was clearly wrong. Whether he could even cast the spell was anyone's guess.
Pathetic.
Shocker couldn't help feeling contemptuous. The rumors had made this kid sound so impressive, and this was all he had?
Still, to be safe, Shocker waved his wand.