Draco glared at Kyle with fury, his expression making it clear he wanted to cast a spell — which is exactly what he did.
✭ Locomotor Mortis ➜ Leg-Locker Curse ✭
He struck first with the curse, hoping to immobilize Kyle and buy himself time to escape. If he could just reach other Slytherin students, these people wouldn't dare touch him.
As the spell's light burst from his wand, Draco spun to flee.
✭ Protego ➜ Shield Charm ✭
Kyle calmly waved his wand, conjuring a transparent shield that reflected the spell back at its caster.
The next second—
Thud—
Draco crashed to the ground, his legs bound together by his own spell.
Crabbe and Goyle finally sprang into action. Seeing Draco sprawled and groaning, they charged forward with fists raised.
Fred and George moved to intercept, but Kyle was faster. He tossed several licorice candies that twisted mid-flight, transforming into ropes that quickly bound Crabbe and Goyle.
"Stop!"
The shout came from nearby Slytherin students who had gathered, drawn by the commotion. They glared at the scene with unmistakable anger.
"Kyle, how dare you bully our new student!"
They'd spotted Draco on the ground and immediately claimed him as one of their own — he was a Malfoy, after all, destined for Slytherin.
A fourth-year student, recognizing Draco's identity, immediately raised his wand.
✭ Levicorpus ➜ Dangling Jinx ✭
✭ Protego ➜ Shield Charm ✭
The transparent shield appeared again, but unlike Draco, this opponent was no novice and avoided the reflected spell.
Kyle held back those who tried to help him, "Though your sneak attack is disgraceful. I'll accept your challenge."
His voice carried clearly to all the young wizards watching.
"Challenge us? Don't make me laugh." The leading Slytherin student sneered, "You just got lucky saving some worthless person and earned a Special Award. Don't think that makes you powerful. Anyone who dares provoke us Slytherins must pay the price!"
With that, he raised his wand again.
Kyle gave him an admiring thumbs up. To dare call Kanna worthless in front of everyone — this guy clearly hadn't taken Snape's warnings seriously. With such boldness, it was a shame he wasn't in Gryffindor.
Of course, admiration aside, Kyle wasn't about to stand there and take a hit.
After deflecting the opponent's attack with another Shield Charm, Kyle cast two spells in rapid succession.
✭ Infirmare ➜ Weakening Hex ✭
✭ Levicorpus ➜ Dangling Jinx ✭
The Slytherin attempted to mimic Kyle's defense with a Shield Charm, but his legs suddenly gave way, making him stumble. Before his shield could fully materialize, the Levicorpus struck him directly in the face.
In an instant, he dangled upside down from the ceiling, a sharp needle materializing before his eyes.
"I suggest you stay still." Kyle said coolly, "Unless you'd prefer spending your first day of school in the hospital wing."
His opponent fell silent immediately, staring at the needle before him, hardly daring to breathe.
Then, Kyle approached the dumbstruck Draco and asked, "Can we talk properly now?"
"I'm not afraid of you." Though his body trembled, Draco jutted his chin defiantly, "If you try to extort me, I'll report you to Professor Snape."
"As I said, this is just normal compensation." Kyle produced a stack of maps and laid them on the ground.
There were ten maps in total, crafted with gold-threaded parchment, each one damaged.
Kyle lifted one map and indicated a long tear, "When you slammed the door, my spell went awry, ruining all these newly made maps. Surely you agree compensation is reasonable?"
"But they're not worth two hundred Galleons!" Draco snapped, "They're just parchment! The two Galleons I gave you earlier would cover ten times this many!"
"No, no — look closer." Kyle thrust the map before his face, "This parchment alone costs one Galleon. See the pattern? It's woven with unicorn hair, and those decorative gems are from fire crabs. These are premium maps. Two hundred Galleons barely covers the cost price."
Behind Kyle, Cedric and the others bit their lips, maintaining serious expressions.
Draco stared in disbelief. He reached out to touch the map — the pattern was indeed unicorn hair. His family owned a tapestry woven with unicorn tail hair; the texture matched exactly.
Kyle was right — these maps were valuable.
Draco's heart sank, "Then… then couldn't you use the Reparo charm? One simple spell would fix them. If you don't know how, I could—"
"Reparo? Are you serious?" Kyle interrupted, "These are premium items from our Hogwarts School Magical Items Shop, meant for sale, and you suggest using Reparo?"
Startled by Kyle's outburst, Draco stammered, "Is… is there a problem?"
Kyle kept a stern face and asked, "Do you know what makes a high-end product? It's the absence of flaws — not even the slightest bump, let alone a tear this long. Moreover, in our business, we value integrity above all else. We never sell damaged products to anyone, even if they've been repaired. That's the bottom line of an honest shop, and it's our responsibility to everyone who has ever bought our products."
He spoke with absolute conviction.
Draco sat there stunned, finding himself unable to deny the logic of these words.
Even the surrounding Slytherins listened in a daze...
Gradually, the anger in their eyes toward Kyle faded, and they turned to look at Draco with contemplation.
Having become the center of attention, he fell silent for a moment before looking up, "Two hundred Galleons, right?"
"That's right." Kyle nodded.
Without another word, Draco removed a badge from his collar and handed it over with his wallet.
"I only have a hundred and fifty Galleons with me now. I'll give you the rest in a couple of days. This Quidditch Championship commemorative badge, worth a hundred Galleons, is collateral."
He had only refused earlier because he thought he was being extorted, but now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, he had nothing more to say. Though two hundred Galleons wasn't a small sum, for him it was merely a matter of writing home.
Kyle took what Draco offered but kept only the wallet. He glanced at the badge before handing it back.
Falmouth Falcons... what a garbage team.
"No collateral needed." Kyle said coolly, "I trust the Malfoy family wouldn't produce someone who would tarnish their family honor."
"Of course not!" Draco puffed out his chest, his impression of Kyle improving considerably.
As expected of someone who earned a Special Award for Services to the School in their first year — he had good judgment.
✭✭✭
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