If you suck, practice more. If you can't take losing, don't play!

Argus could not even be bothered to dodge the wildly veering spells.

"What a fine example you are, Mr. Weasley, launching a sneak attack before the duel has even begun."

"No wonder you need your brothers to clean up your mess after you make a mistake!"

"Shut up! You disgusting dark wizard!"

Like a rat whose tail had been stepped on, Ron brandished his wand at Argus over and over.

Unfortunately, he knew far too few spells.

At home, he spent every day eating, drinking, and having fun. At school, without Hermione supervising them, he and Harry practically wished they could skip classes altogether.

He cycled through the same few spells, sometimes even stumbling over the incantations and nearly hitting himself.

"Levicorpus!"

Argus could not be bothered to keep playing this childish game and simply hoisted Ron into the air.

Watching Ron writhe like a live maggot, bleeding-heart Harry once again could not bear it.

"Argus..."

"Harry, are you going to plead for Weasley?"

This time, Draco could no longer hold back and challenged him outright.

"You do know how he treated Argus back then and what he said in the hall, don't you?"

"I didn't see you pleading for Argus when Ron attacked him just now!"

"Is this Weasley the only friend you care about? What does that make Argus and me?"

No wonder people had shipped Harry and Draco for so many years in his previous life!

Draco's accusations alone really did sound a little like a couple fighting and breaking up!

Ever since Harry had pleaded with Argus in the hospital wing last time without considering the circumstances, Argus had been utterly disappointed in this excessively softhearted Chosen One.

Harry's repeated pleas stirred nothing in him.

After struggling for a long time, Harry only managed to squeeze out one sentence.

"You... you're all my friends."

"Ron, he... he just..."

"Shut up! Potter!"

Draco's love turned to hate, and he drew his wand and aimed it at Harry.

"You already made your choice when you came to the Trophy Room with Weasley!"

"Fight, Potter! Don't make me look down on you!"

Harry still wanted to explain, but seeing how worked up Draco was, he decided to wait until he had cooled down and find another time to apologize.

"Rictusempra!"

"Tarantallegra!"

"Incarcerous!"

The education pure-blood families provided their heirs was never something a novice like Harry could compare with.

With Argus's coaching on top of that, Draco was far stronger than in the original story.

Dealing with Harry, who had barely cast a handful of spells, was practically effortless!

"Fight back, Potter!"

"You coward!"

A few spells sent Harry scrambling in disarray, unable even to fight back.

"Meow!"

As Draco vented his anger, a cat's cry came from the doorway!

Harry jolted in fright.

Draco panicked too and hurriedly asked Argus.

"What do we do?"

In these young wizards' eyes, Filch and his cat were no different from demons!

Both his terrifying figure and his attitude toward young wizards filled them with fear.

No sooner had he spoken than Draco saw Mrs. Norris rush into the Trophy Room.

"We're done for. Filch must be blocking the door."

"Professor Snape will skin us when we get back!"

Draco felt like crying but had no tears, already bracing himself for hours of Snape's venomous remarks followed by detention.

Ron, however, grew excited!

The mockery of those around him, his jealousy of Argus, and being left dangling by Argus for so long today had piled up.

Resentment had already consumed his mind!

He would rather get caught himself than let Argus off easy!

He twisted his body and shouted toward the door with reckless abandon!

"Someone's in here! Come quickly!"

"People are sneaking around after curfew! Come catch them!"

His shouting left not only Draco dumbfounded, but even Harry beside him stunned!

Seriously, mate!

Are you kidding me?

If you have a fucking death wish, don't drag me into it!

I risked falling out with my friends to come here with you, and this is what you pull?

Sure enough, Filch heard the commotion outside and hurried into the room.

His heavy footsteps struck everyone's hearts like the dull beating of a drum.

Just as Draco sank into despair, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.

Mrs. Norris, whom everyone else avoided like the plague, actually nestled quietly at Argus's feet!

Catching hold of his wizarding robes, she leaped lightly into his arms.

"Argus, this..."

"It's nothing. I've seen her a few times before and given her a little food, that's all."

Argus's casual explanation only left them more astonished.

But that was far from the end of their astonishment.

As Filch entered the Trophy Room, the delight of revenge spread across Ron's face.

He hastily bellowed at Filch.

"I want to report them! They broke school rules by wandering around after curfew!"

"Catch them!"

Unexpectedly, Filch did not seize Argus with a sinister grin as Ron had imagined.

What happened next nearly made his eyes pop out!

His perpetually gloomy face actually softened a little the instant he saw Argus.

Even more unbelievably, Filch took the initiative to greet Argus!

"Mr. Grindelwald, long time no see!"

"Long time no see, Mr. Filch! Sorry for troubling you with patrols every night, and thank you for your hard work!"

"It's my job!"

"No, if you weren't so devoted to your duties every night, who knows what a mess Hogwarts would be!"

Argus's words made Filch's smile broaden.

Several deep wrinkles creased his face.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Filch!"

"Draco and I helped you catch two young wizards sneaking around after curfew tonight. They're tied up inside."

"They're waiting for you to deal with them!"

"Tied up!"

Filch's eyes lit up the moment he heard that!

He kept shackles and handcuffs in his office all year round, hoping that one day he would get to use them.

Unfortunately, none of Hogwarts's successive professors or headmasters had ever supported him.

Seeing how well Argus understood him, he grew even fonder of him!

"Leave this to me! You and your friend should head back!"

"Young wizards who don't obey school rules need a good punishment!"

Seeing Filch pay no further attention to Argus and Draco and head straight toward them, Harry and Ron were utterly dumbstruck!

Why!

We were all out after curfew, so why were we being treated so differently!

This is a shady arrangement! A backdoor deal!

I won't accept this!

Ron swore furiously. "You're abusing your authority!"

"Why are you only catching us!"

"Squib!"

The instant that word came out, Filch's expression changed.

But Ron failed to notice and kept ranting.

Argus smiled faintly and lifted his Levicorpus.

Thud!

Ron, who had been dangling all this time, crashed heavily to the floor.

"Mr. Filch, we'll leave this to you. Draco and I will head off now."

The next day.

At the entrance to Hogwarts Castle, Gryffindor's hourglass was back down to zero.

Harry and Ron were like rats scurrying across the street, scorned by countless Gryffindors.

Unwilling to accept this, Ron kept explaining himself to his classmates.

All he received in response was their sneering mockery.

Why did he only catch you and nobody else?

Couldn't you look at yourselves a little more for the reason?

If you suck, practice more. If you can't take losing, don't play!

What Ron found even harder to accept was that his parents had heard the news.

They would soon be coming from the Burrow...