Chapter 54: Longbottom Pummels a Red Cap
"The professor's instructions were very clear," Hermione announced, standing at the entrance to the tunnel. Ryan, standing nearby, noticed that her eyes were still slightly red and swollen from crying over the lost house points. "There are fifty Red Caps. If we work as a single house, the maximum we can get is fifty points. If our two houses compete, we'll get even less. But if we cooperate, each house can get fifty points!"
Ryan decided he needed to have a little chat with her after class about her obsession with the House Cup. He remembered how Penelope Clearwater had been the same way in her first year, until a few well-chosen words from him had completely shattered her competitive spirit. Come to think of it, he mused, I know why Vaisey and I are friends. But why is Penelope so friendly with me? The question stumped him. He decided to stop thinking about it.
Hermione's plea to restore their house's honor was met with a resounding "yes" from Harry, and the other Gryffindors, their own hourglass now a source of deep shame, also agreed. The Hufflepuffs, ever agreeable, were more than happy to cooperate. The students began to divide themselves into teams.
Ryan watched, a skeptical smile on his face. Did they really think they could get a hundred points between them? Even in their weakened state, the Red Caps were seasoned veterans of a thousand bloody battles. The students, on the other hand, had zero combat experience. Unless they employed a swarm tactic—the entire class ganging up on a single Red Cap—their chances of success were slim. He decided to follow them in, just in case.
They're all so confident, he thought, watching them split into teams of four. This is going to be good. He only wished he had some popcorn.
The Gryffindor, Neville, was paired with the Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott. After several failed spell-casting attempts, Neville was tackled by a Red Cap. The other three students in their group immediately tried to intervene, one with a jinx, another with a Levitation Charm. But under the pressure of their first real combat situation, their aim was unsteady. Hannah's Levitation Charm missed the Red Cap and hit Neville in the waist.
Friendly fire, a classic rookie mistake, Ryan thought. But it seems Miss Abbott's luck is better than her aim... The object in Neville's pocket, a small, glass sphere, was affected by the spell. It shot out of his pocket with the force of a cannonball, slammed into the Red Cap, and sent it flying.
"My Gran's Remembrall!" Neville cried. A sudden, surprising surge of strength coursed through him. He scrambled to his feet, not even bothering to pick up his fallen wand, and charged at the Red Cap. The creature, having regained its footing, was holding the Remembrall in one hand and reaching for Neville with the other.
Neville grabbed the Red Cap's outstretched arm, ducked under its swing, and kicked its legs out from under it. He pinned it to the ground, raised a surprisingly large fist, and roared, "You took my Gran's Remembrall!" And then he punched the Red Cap squarely in the face.
Blood gushed from its nose. The Red Cap, dazed and confused, dropped the Remembrall and let out a series of pathetic squeals. Neville retrieved his treasured possession. For a moment, he hesitated, and Ryan was sure that the bloodlust had passed, and that the Red Cap was about to gain the upper hand.
But Neville surprised him. After a brief moment of indecision, he steeled himself and continued to pummel the Red Cap with his bare fists.
A lion cub without a pride, indeed, Ryan thought, a spark of admiration in his eyes.
Neville's teammates were stunned. They had no idea their timid classmate was a bare-knuckle brawler.
"The professor said we could use any means necessary to defend ourselves!" Hannah exclaimed, a sudden realization dawning on her face. Her nerves had made it impossible for her to cast a spell, but that didn't mean she couldn't throw a punch. She charged forward and landed a solid blow on the still-squealing Red Cap.
Seeing his teammate join the fray, Neville was re-energized. He rained down a series of heavy blows on the unfortunate creature. The other two members of their team stared, dumbfounded. Are you a boxer, too? one seemed to ask the other with his eyes. No! They don't teach boxing at Hogwarts! Thank Merlin. I thought I was the only one. So what do we do now? Join in! We can't let them fight alone!
The two of them let out a simultaneous war cry and jumped into the fray, delivering a series of "manual persuasions" to the Red Cap.
Ryan moved on to check on the other groups. Did I say something wrong? he wondered, a little concerned that he had just created a brawling addict. I can see it now, the Hogwarts war god, Longbottom, taking on Voldemort with a well-aimed punch to the jaw, shouting 'The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms!'
"Professor, what are you smiling at?" Hermione asked, seeing the strange, mischievous grin on his face.
"Just thinking of something amusing," he replied.
Hermione frowned. If she hadn't known from Penelope that Ryan would never laugh at a student's mistake, she would have thought he was mocking her for taking three tries to cast her first successful spell.
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