Leaving Dumbledore's office, Charlie headed to the Great Hall with a light step.
Pushing open the heavy oak doors of the Great Hall, a fragrant aroma wafted towards him.
The rich scent of roasted beef mixed with the fresh aroma of bread instantly piqued Charlie's appetite.
He walked straight to the Hufflepuff table and sat next to Ernie.
Ernie and Justin were in a heated discussion, both red-faced.
"Our next Quidditch match is against Gryffindor."
Ernie poked the mashed potatoes on his plate with his fork, a clear note of worry in his voice.
"Their new Seeker, Harry, flies so fast and well, are we really a match for him?"
Charlie listened, his ears perked up, as he served food onto his plate.
Justin swallowed a mouthful of pumpkin juice and shook his head:
"Don't be so unconfident, we have Cedric."
Cedric Diggory, sitting opposite them, smiled gently.
His golden hair shimmered in the candlelight, and his grey eyes showed confidence.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best."
Cedric's voice was calm and firm.
On the first day of school, he had initiativegreeted Charlie. Although they hadn't exchanged many words, Charlie had a good impression of the gentle and polite senior.
Justin then said mysteriously:
"Harry is indeed very strong, but he's definitely no match for Cedric right now."
"Why do you say that?"
"Professor McGonagall caught them out after curfew and deducted ninety points!"
"Ninety points?" Ernie's eyes widened.
"Yes! Now even the Gryffindors dislike them, so Harry definitely won't perform well in the match."
Charlie chewed on his roasted beef, wondering why Harry, who had an Invisibility Cloak, was caught. His little brother was really bad.
Just as Harry was being discussed, Harry's voice came from the adjacent Gryffindor table.
"Neville, are you alright?"
Charlie turned his head and saw Harry bending down to help Neville Longbottom up from the floor.
Poor Neville was pale, his legs stiff, clearly under a Leg-Locker Spell.
Not far away, Draco Malfoy stood with Crabbe and Goyle, his platinum-blonde hair particularly striking in the candlelight.
A smug sneer was on his face, and his wand was still in his hand.
"Malfoy!" Harry roared angrily.
"Why did you cast a Spell on Neville?"
Malfoy shrugged, looking indifferent.
"Just wanted to test how effective the new Leg-Locker Spell was. Longbottom is a perfect target, isn't he?"
Hermione hurried over, knelt down to check on Neville, then raised her wand.
"Finite Incantatem!"
Neville's legs regained feeling, but his face turned even redder.
"Malfoy, you've gone too far!" Harry clenched his fists, his green eyes behind his glasses burning with anger.
"Too far?" Malfoy sneered.
"Potter, you're always surrounded by such foolish people. Tell me, what does it feel like to be with a bunch of losers?"
The surrounding Slytherin students snickered.
Crabbe and Goyle burst out laughing, doubling over.
Neville hung his head, his hands clenched into fists.
His friends were sticking up for him, but he couldn't do anything.
This feeling of powerlessness made his chest tight.
Charlie put down his knife and fork, shaking his head helplessly.
He disliked bullies, but if Neville was always bullied and didn't fight back, there was no need to stick up for him.
One must learn to fight for himself.
Hermione pulled Neville away.
"We're going to Professor McGonagall; she'll make things right."
"I don't want to cause any more trouble." Neville's voice trembled.
The Gryffindors around him sat down, speechless. You can never help someone who has given up on himself.
"Be brave, Neville!" Ron encouraged him, but it had little effect.
Seeing this, Malfoy burst into laughter.
"I have to say, Longbottom, compared to the other reckless Gryffindors, you are indeed the cautious one, cautious to the point of being timid."
Neville clenched his fists. Once again, he had caused his friends to be humiliated along with him.
He was indeed clumsy; as a child, he was almost mistaken for a Squib with no magic talent, so he had been unconfident since childhood.
This lack of confidence manifested in magic, making it difficult for him to learn anything well.
Being humiliated himself was nothing, he was used to it, but he didn't want his friends to be mocked by Malfoy because of him.
Neville remembered what Charlie had once told him: The tougher you are, the less others dare to provoke you.
At this moment, all the taunts converged in his heart. Neville's fists clenched tighter and tighter, his face growing redder and redder.
Malfoy continued to taunt: "Longbottom, hurry up and contact your grandmother to drop out..."
Before he could finish, Neville suddenly erupted.
He roared and lunged at Malfoy.
His right fist slammed into Malfoy's left eye socket.
"Ah!"
Malfoy shrieked, falling directly to the ground, clutching his eye and rolling around.
The entire Great Hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone was stunned. Was this still the timid and cowardly Neville Longbottom?
"Neville! Well done!"
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table.
Seamus Finnigan jumped up and shouted, Dean Thomas clapped vigorously.
For Gryffindors, if you are bullied and don't fight back, they will look down on you.
But if you actively resist, no matter the outcome, they will wholeheartedly approve of you.
"Malfoy!"
The Slytherin students, seeing their leader suffer, instantly exploded.
Pansy Parkinson shrieked and rushed over, and other Slytherin students also pulled out their wands.
"Help Neville, fight the snakes!"
The Gryffindors were not to be outdone; everyone stood up.
Spells began to fly everywhere.
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Tarantallegra!"
"Densaugeo!"
Colorful Spell lights intertwined in the Great Hall, tables and chairs were knocked askew.
The shouts of students and the explosions of Spells mingled together.
Charlie watched with relish from the side; such a scene was rare.
The foolish monarch incited his study companions to a great battle, which is utterly despicable, tyrant points + 10.
Charlie paused, "Why me again? Are you just dumping everything on me?"
He ignored the idiotic system, preparing to continue watching the fight.
Suddenly, a red light grazed his ear.
A dancing Spell.
Charlie sharply turned his head, only to see Ernie's legs next to him uncontrollably begin to twist, his hands flailing wildly in the air.
"No, no, I don't want to dance, help!"
Ernie's face was beet red, his voice tearful.
Charlie's face instantly darkened.
Dare to hit my little brother who helps me with homework?
What did he ever do to you?
He slowly put down his knife and fork, and drew his wand from his robe.
The dark wand body gleamed coldly in the candlelight.
"Finite Incantatem!"
An invisible wave of magic spread from the wand tip, instantly covering the entire Great Hall.
All the flying Spells dissipated simultaneously, Ernie stopped his comical dance moves, and other students who had been hit by Spells returned to normal.
The entire Great Hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone turned to look at Charlie, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Charlie slowly stood up, raising his wand towards the ceiling.
His voice was exceptionally loud in the silent Great Hall:
"Deep Forest Emergence!"
The power of magic erupted instantly.
The tables and chairs in the Great Hall began to tremble violently, their wooden surfaces glowing green.
Immediately after, they began to grow, twist, and deform.
Thick vines sprouted from the table legs, climbing madly upwards.
The armrests of the chairs transformed into flexible branches, swaying freely in the air.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Great Hall became a sea of vines.
The students who had just been fighting were instantly entangled by the vines, unable to move.
Malfoy was hanging upside down in mid-air, his nose still dripping blood.
Pansy was bound by vines like a zongzi, only her head exposed.
Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione were gently surrounded by vines; though unharmed, they couldn't move either.
Charlie put away his wand, sat back down, and continued to cut his beef.
"Be quiet while eating."
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