This scene, however, took on a different meaning in the eyes of others.
"Dudley, you're amazing."
Mimicking Hermione's tone, a mocking voice came from the Gryffindor seats. The voice wasn't loud, but it echoed throughout the quiet classroom. A rustling sound of suppressed laughter rippled through the crowd. The mockery was unmistakable.
Slytherin, on the other hand, fell silent in an instant. In the hearts of almost all the young Slytherin wizards, a single thought immediately arose: 'Gryffindor, you're truly brave.' This was definitely not a compliment on their courage; it was merely a taunt about them being reckless fools. They waited quietly, ready to watch the show. It wouldn't be fair if only they got beaten up.
Dudley glanced indifferently at Gryffindor with a blank expression, seemingly searching for the target. They were still in class now, and it was just a single sentence. He couldn't possibly beat someone up just for that. Hmm, from the pronunciation, he could tell it was a young male wizard who had spoken.
Dudley saw Hermione shake her head slightly at him, signaling that she could handle the matter herself. In her eyes, he read a familiar stubbornness. The little girl was always this stubborn, just like back at Oxford Bridge Primary School. Harry's face showed some displeasure; Dudley was his brother, and Hermione was his friend. Malfoy's face was gloomy as he surveyed the Gryffindor side, wondering what he was thinking. Only Professor Flitwick remained oblivious, still immersed in his spell teaching.
Oh, no, that wasn't right. Ron was still poking the feather on his desk with his wand, evidently not having paid attention to what had just happened. Seeing that things seemed to have quieted down, he looked around with a bewildered expression.
The strange atmosphere continued until class ended. Nothing happened. This left the Slytherins somewhat disappointed.
Professor Flitwick finished assigning today's homework and left in a hurry; he still had to rush to teach the fifth-year students. Today was outdoor spell practice.
Hermione had just finished packing her textbook and was about to stand up when a figure suddenly darted out from behind her. A strong, forceful shoulder slammed into her. She felt a surge of power, lost her balance, and fell to the ground, her neatly packed books scattering everywhere.
"Excuse me, Miss Know-It-All. Are you alright?" Although it was an apology, there wasn't a trace of sincerity; it sounded more like mockery. "Who told you to be so conspicuous, blocking my way?"
Three young Gryffindor wizards, with arms around each other's shoulders, looked at Hermione with mocking expressions. And behind them stood two young witches.
"We warned you, didn't we, Miss Know-It-All? Don't get too close to certain people."
"Next time, it won't be as simple as missing shoes or lost textbooks."
"Miss Know-It-All probably didn't bring many clothes, did she? It's quite normal to have rats in the castle that chew up people's clothes." One of the young witches leaned down and whispered a warning to Hermione. After speaking, she tossed her head with a haughty look, while the others wore smirking expressions.
"Look, her hair is like a messy bird's nest."
"And those two big front teeth of hers, just like a beaver."
"That's right, Miss Beaver, hahaha."
The two girls laughed at Hermione without restraint, and the three boys joined in with a barrage of comments. They were about to leave. Turning and taking a step forward, they heard a 'thud,' as if they had run into a wall.
"Ouch!"
The young wizard walking at the front was bounced back and landed on his backside. The young wizards behind him followed suit like dominoes, all falling to the ground. After all, their attention had just been on Hermione. 'How could there be a wall here?'
There was indeed no wall there. It wasn't a wall, but Dudley's body. At this moment, he was looking down at them from above. From their conversation, Dudley could roughly piece things together. This was bullying, wasn't it? Just like when he was first in Slytherin. The only difference was that he was bullied because he had offended 'the powerful' (Malfoy), while Hermione was isolated and bullied because her personality didn't fit in and she associated with him, a Slytherin. In essence, there was no difference between the two. It was all school bullying.
"What are you going to do?" one of the five Gryffindor young wizards shrieked, like an angry Chihuahua, speaking to Dudley with bluster but no real courage. But we all know about Chihuahuas; they just bark fiercely. They look like they can beat anyone, but in reality, they can't beat anyone.
"That's exactly what I want to ask," Dudley said in a leisurely tone, slowly leaning down closer to the group. "What are you going to do?" Hermione had changed into a different pair of shoes; Dudley had noticed it early on, but she never said anything, so he didn't press the matter, just assuming she wanted a change.
"First, you should apologize. Second, I think it's necessary to discuss the matter of the shoes." Dudley said word by word. "Third... I think you should learn to respect people." Miss Beaver is a name even I haven't used.
"Dursley, are you going to stick up for her?"
"Don't... don't think we're afraid of you. There are five of us here." The last sentence was said with absolutely no confidence. From a distance, most people thought Dudley was just a first-year who was unusually strong for his age. But facing Dudley up close, the group felt a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts. He was definitely more than just strong.
Regarding the young witch's words, Dudley just looked at her indifferently. One look... just one look... merely one look... It was as if she had been targeted by some terrifying primordial beast, opening its bloody maw to swallow her whole. It was as if she were in the deepest ice hell; the blood in her body instantly flowed backward or even froze, and even her breath was about to be stolen. Aura is something very mysterious, but it does exist. Like Snape, his words had a kind of magic that made people have to listen. Under Dudley's aura, the two girls and three boys trembled. This was still in the classroom; if they had encountered him alone... perhaps they wouldn't even have the courage to stand up.
Brave Gryffindor... ha.
That's right, this is the classroom, there are Gryffindors everywhere! The young witch from before's eyes darted, and she immediately raised her voice several octaves, screaming in surprise: "Slytherin, what are you doing? Trying to bully Gryffindor?"
A very clever move. Gryffindor is often like a pile of loose sand, but there is one thing that makes them gather together and become a single unit. Hmm, when confronting Slytherin. Hearing her call, the Gryffindor young wizards who had left or were leaving all stopped in their tracks, turning their gaze towards Dudley and the others. Before long, a crowd of Gryffindors had gathered.
Look, we have so many people. Now you know how powerful we are. Seeing so many people gathered, the fear in the hearts of the five Gryffindors greatly decreased, and their lost 'courage' once again occupied the high ground.
The question is, does quantity matter?
[Chapter Complete]
***
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