Hearing Professor McGonagall's footsteps approaching, a faint smile flickered in Draco's eyes.
Then he leaned down slightly and whispered in Peeves's trembling ear, " Little Peeves, you go first."
Upon hearing the word " Little Peeves," Peeves, already terrified, trembled violently once more.
Draco added casually, "Otherwise, things will get complicated."
This sentence is like a key to break the Full Body-Bind Curse, or even a pardon.
In an instant, the invisible Peeves binding Mischief were released.
"Whoosh--!"
Almost at the same instant Draco finished speaking, Peeves ' stiff body trembled violently.
It then burst forth with the fastest speed it had ever experienced, transforming into a panicked streak of colorful light that "whooshed" through the nearest ceiling.
In an instant, Peeves vanished without a trace, leaving not even a shadow.
It didn't even dare to make a sound.
Gone were the strange screams and angry curses that accompanied their escape.
A moment later, Professor McGonagall pushed aside the last few students blocking the stairwell, still craning their necks to try and see what was going on, and stepped into the still noisy corridor.
Her gaze swept across the scene, and this was what she saw.
Dozens of students with varying expressions gathered in the corridor—some excited, some surprised, some whispering—forming a loose circle, with all eyes focused on the center of the circle.
In the very center of that circle, there was only one person.
Draco Malfoy.
He stood there alone, his wand long since hidden away.
His face held a very subtle expression, somewhere between calm and just the right amount of confusion.
Throughout the entire process, he showed not the slightest sign of panic.
There's nothing left.
The only remaining sounds in the air were the students' suppressed chatter that had not yet subsided, and a faint, lingering magical fluctuation.
Professor McGonagall's sharp eyes, like the most precise searchlights, instantly swept across every corner of the scene.
There was nothing there.
Peeves has also vanished without a trace.
Just then, Professor Snape appeared silently beside Professor McGonagall, like a silent black phantom.
He wore a black robe that trailed on the ground, his face expressionless, his deep black eyes scanning the entire room with the same speed and precision.
Wherever their eyes fell, the students instinctively held their breath, and even their chatter subsided.
Finally, that cold gaze locked firmly onto Draco's face.
That gaze seemed to possess a penetrating power, seeking to uncover the truth deliberately hidden beneath the calm surface.
Professor Flitwick also rushed over.
He was short, and his view was blocked by the students in front of him, so he had to hop on tiptoe to barely see what was happening in the field.
Professor Flitwick then let out a small gasp, his voice full of confusion.
"Huh? Where's Peeves? That strange magical fluctuation from earlier... it was clearly nearby!"
In an instant, an invisible pressure fell upon the students present, as well as Draco himself.
Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring slightly, trying to catch any lingering trace of magic in the air.
But the disappearance of the Peeves caused the fluctuations to recede rapidly like a tide, vanishing completely and making it impossible to trace their source.
Her brows furrowed instantly, her two straight eyebrows almost forming a vertical line, and her stern gaze swept over every student present like a sharp blade.
Finally, Professor McGonagall's gaze pierced Draco like an icicle. " Mr. Malfoy!"
The rebuke was so forceful that it silenced the entire corridor instantly.
What happened here?
Professor McGonagall's voice grew increasingly cold.
"Why are so many people gathered here? And what was that unusual magical fluctuation just now? Also,"
Her gaze swept across the empty center of the corridor again, and her tone suddenly became more forceful.
"Where is Peeves? A student reported that Peeves is causing chaos and disturbing everyone here!"
Professor Snape remained silent, not even changing the slightest curve of his lips.
But that scrutinizing gaze never left Draco's face.
That silent pressure was even more suffocating than Professor McGonagall's stern questioning.
He was also waiting for Draco's answer, while subtly observing the subtle reactions of the students around him.
I tried to find a clue in those flickering eyes.
Draco met two extremely imposing gazes and said calmly, "It's a long story, Professor McGonagall."
His tone was calm and unhurried, as if he were merely narrating a trivial, ordinary matter.
" Peeves was indeed here just now, and... he was trying to cause me trouble."
Professor McGonagall's brow furrowed even more, and the doubt in her eyes deepened.
Peeves is notorious for his mischievous nature and love of playing pranks on students.
But Peeves has always been a bully who preys on the weak. Although Draco was abandoned by his family, why did Peeves specifically target him?
Before Professor McGonagall could press further, Draco slowly spoke again, "I was just... trying to communicate with it."
Facing the astonished gazes of the crowd, he said with utmost seriousness, "With my silver tongue, and... a little understanding and patience, I tried to influence it with love and reason."
Dead silence.
It was as if time itself had been stolen away by those earth-shattering words.
The entire corridor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All the students were stunned, staring at Draco in disbelief.
Shock, astonishment, disbelief, and a strange mix of suppressed laughter and trembling.
Can love and reason be used to reform the Peeves?
This was probably the most absurd and outrageous thing they had ever heard in their lives!