Chapter Seventy-Nine: Conflict

“Oh, isn’t that Moody?” Abraxas glanced curiously at the two Gryffindors, then grinned and pulled Hewin and Mobley along with him. “Come on, let’s go see what’s happening!”

The Gryffindor first-year facing off against Moody looked somewhat familiar—probably someone Hewin had seen in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Given the small number of new students this year, he was most likely one of Moody’s roommates, which meant he was probably one of the three who had skipped class all morning.

“Hey, Moody! What a coincidence!” Abraxas strode forward with the easy familiarity of someone who knew how to make trouble, his tone dripping with mockery. “Having a spat with your roommate? Want your dear desk-mate to come stick up for you?”

“This has nothing to do with you, Malfoy,” Moody replied coldly.

Yet his roommate didn’t agree. Instead, he sneered, “What now, Alastor? Can’t win an argument, so you call over some Slytherins to help you out? With someone like you, Gryffindor should be ashamed!”

“Say that again!” Moody’s voice grew even colder, anger tightly leashed.

“I said, having someone like you in Gryffindor is a disgrace—” his roommate drawled, drawing the words out. “Did you hear me clearly?”

“Jelly-Legs Jinx!” Moody suddenly cast the spell, sending his roommate collapsing limply to the floor.

At that moment, the other two Gryffindors, who had been watching from the side, sprang to their feet and drew their wands at Moody. But they clearly weren’t very skilled—their spells were nothing more than childish pranks.

“Mucus ad Nauseam!”

“Densaugeo!”

Moody dodged one jinx with agility, and the other missed altogether, flying off toward Hewin and his companions.

Hewin, who had been searching for an excuse to intervene, was secretly delighted. He blocked the errant curse with little effort, composed his expression, and strode forward with a cold face.

“Hewin, what are you doing?” Mobley asked in confusion, watching his movements.

“Watch closely. I’m about to teach these Gryffindors a lesson,” Hewin said, winking at his two roommates before turning to face the three young Gryffindors again, his expression fierce.

“You can fight amongst yourselves, but once you involve me, you’ve crossed the line,” he said coldly. “So, I’ll be taking charge of this little incident.”

One of Moody’s roommates glared at Hewin, his tone hostile. “So you’re another one of Moody the freak’s Slytherin helpers, is that it?”

“First of all, my name isn’t ‘Slytherin.’ It’s Hewin Rosier,” Hewin said, raising a finger. “Secondly, I have no obligation whatsoever to help your roommate Moody.”

“Not to be rude, but I’m just saying—all four of you Gryffindors here are trash.” He spoke with deliberate provocation. “The three of you can attack together, or I’ll take you down one by one without breaking a sweat.”

No Gryffindor could tolerate such an insult. If they could put up with this, what couldn’t they endure? So they sprang into action, throwing everything they had—

“Mucus ad Nauseam!”

“Densaugeo!”

Hewin cast the Shield Charm he had prepared, looking at the two in front of him with a hint of exasperation. “Is that all you know how to do—just those two spells?”

Just then, the Gryffindor Moody had knocked down behind Hewin began moving stealthily.

Sitting on the floor, he muttered his favorite jinx: “Langlock!”

Abraxas and Mobley were about to call out a warning, but Hewin, as though he had eyes in the back of his head, deftly shifted the Shield Charm to cover his rear, blocking the spell perfectly.

“Heh, not bad. But it’s not enough,” Hewin laughed, then turned to Moody. “Why aren’t you attacking with them? Or do you just plan to watch your three roommates get humiliated?”

At this, all three of Moody’s roommates glared at him in anger, forgetting entirely how they’d treated him earlier, and forgetting that the true culprit was the Slytherin standing before them.

Moody clenched his jaw and tried a Leg-Locker Curse:

“Locomotor Mortis!”

To his credit, Moody’s spellcasting was far stronger than the combined efforts of his three companions—he must have had some proper training.

“Protego!” Hewin cast another Shield Charm, blocking Moody’s curse.

Seeing his attack fail, Moody quickly moved to stand with his two upright roommates, whispering something to them. Then he called out loudly to the one still sprawled on the floor, “Creel, when we cast, you attack from behind at the same time!”

Hewin paid them no mind, only smiling and waiting patiently for Moody to finish setting up his strategy. “Are your plans in order? Come at me all together—I’d like to see what you’re really capable of!”

Moody’s eyes locked onto Hewin, a deadly seriousness flickering across his round, unusual face.

“Now! Go!” Moody shouted the instant Hewin blinked casually.

Immediately, multiple spells shot toward Hewin—

Two Mucus Jinxes sealed off his left and right escape routes, a Langlock came from behind, and in the center, Moody launched a powerful Disarming Charm directly at Hewin.

Driven by house rivalry and a sense of humiliation, each Gryffindor fought as if their life depended on it.

Hewin smiled as he saw the onslaught.

Then, in a single leap, he maneuvered at an almost impossible angle between the leftward Mucus Jinx and the central Disarming Charm. Twisting in mid-air, he had the presence of mind to use a Blocking Charm to parry Moody’s follow-up Leg-Locker Curse.

“Incarcerous!”

With a graceful landing, Hewin flicked his wand. Magical ropes shot from its tip, instantly binding all four Gryffindors together.

“Looks like I win,” Hewin said, brushing his slightly tousled hair back and grinning at the four Gryffindors trussed up before him.

“As the final victor, I believe I have every reason to take charge of your little dispute, don’t I?” Hewin went on. “So, why don’t you tell me what this argument was all about?”

“We’re not going to yield to a vile Slytherin like you!” cried Creel, the Gryffindor on the ground, putting on a brave front despite the panic in his eyes.

“Still so tough, are you?” Hewin glanced at him, nodding. “Let’s see how tough you are in a moment.”

He pointed his wand at Creel, saying, “I’m sure you’ve heard of this spell before…”

“Ah, Avada—”

A faint green light flickered at the tip of his wand!

…

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