The three girls exchanged glances. One of them visibly wavered, her resolve crumbling, but a sharp look from the other two forced her to stand firm.
"It seems you're not going to confess," Hermione sighed, her patience wearing thin.
She had given them a chance. If they had admitted their mistake honestly and repented sincerely, they would have received a lighter punishment. Originally, Hermione had just wanted to use the shoes as a breakthrough to severely punish the school bullies, but she hadn't expected Luna to be so persistent about them. It made her see the girl in a new light.
In terms of persistence, she felt Luna was very similar to herself. Of course, that was provided she didn't mention those Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.
"We didn't do anything. I don't know what there is to confess," Audrina said smugly. She believed Hermione was bluffing. Without evidence, it didn't matter if you were Granger. Even if you were Dursley, it would be useless.
Besides... even if you prove I did it, what can you do? You dare cast a spell on me? I'm not one of those Gryffindor idiots. If you dare touch me, I dare have my family complain to the Ministry of Magic.
Moreover, if force was needed... Audrina glanced inconspicuously at her brother, a sixth-year Ravenclaw prefect, standing in the crowd. How many spells could three second-years possibly know? With the crowd on her side, she couldn't see how she could possibly lose.
Thinking this, Audrina became even more brazen. "Miss Granger, before you say such things, I want to ask you... do you have proof?"
"Since you want proof, then I'll give it to you."
Hermione had made up her mind to teach them a lesson.
"Playing mysterious," Audrina curled her lip in disdain.
"I thought you could wait a day or two, but I didn't expect you couldn't resist the same day." Hermione wasn't provoked by the other's attitude and continued to speak unhurriedly. "Perhaps you don't know..."
"The shoes stolen from Luna were lent to her by me... and those shoes were a gift from Dudley. A curse was placed on them. An evil curse... touching those shoes without my permission will result in severe punishment."
Indeed, casting spells on young wizards on the spot, even if professors didn't pursue it, risked a complaint to the Ministry of Magic from their parents. Not everyone was like Gryffindor, who would only try to get back at you themselves after losing a fight and would never do something as shameful as tattling to their parents.
But if you messed with someone else's private belongings and got cursed, that was what you deserved. Let alone complaining to the Ministry, even going to the Wizengamot would be the same. Wizards took their personal belongings very seriously, because a single mispronounced word could lead to irreversible consequences, even death. Luna's mother, Pandora Lovegood, had died accidentally while experimenting with spells.
Hermione's words made the three of them suspicious and uncertain.
"Do you want to try?"
Hermione took a step forward, and the three of them all took a step back.
"You dare to study Dark Magic in private?" another girl standing next to Audrina said sharply, thinking she had found the key point.
"Foolish," Hermione sneered at the other, her eyes full of mockery.
Mocking her ignorance. An evil curse was not equal to Dark Magic. Placing a curse on one's own private belongings was a perfectly normal thing to do. Even some Aurors did it, like that famous retired Auror, Mad-Eye Moody.
There was even an old saying in the wizarding world. "Never touch a wizard's belongings without permission, unless you're prepared to pay with your life."
"Is that so? I'd like to see what kind of curse it is!"
Audrina was still being stubborn, though she was actually bluffing.
"Is that so?" Hermione's tone gradually became calm, as if narrating a trivial matter. "Actually, it's no big deal."
"Are your arms feeling... red, swollen, and itchy?"
The three unconsciously pulled their arms back into their sleeves. Now that she mentioned it, they really did feel a bit itchy.
"That's just the beginning. First on the arms... then your neck will gradually turn red... slowly it will move to your face... countless poisonous sores and pimples will cover your entire face... that's nothing... at this time you must be very careful, your movements must be light... very light... you must not break these pimples... otherwise your face will... well, let's just say it will be quite the explosive mess."
Hermione's expression was as if she were telling a ghost story. Not just the three, but even the surrounding young wizards couldn't help but shrink their necks after hearing it.
Actually, it was just a simple spell that made pimples grow on the body and face, and it wasn't even cast by Dudley. Of course, this simple spell was only simple relative to Hermione.
"Stop it, stop it..." The young witch from the trio who had been wavering from the beginning was so scared she broke down on the spot, covering her ears and collapsing to the ground trembling. "We... we were just joking with her."
Scared. At this moment she was truly scared. No young witch was indifferent to her appearance.
Her collapse not only confirmed the act of stealing the shoes but also scared the other young witch into a panic. What psychological resilience could you expect from a young witch who had just enrolled? A few words and her defenses were broken.
"A joke? When everyone laughs, that's a joke. When only you yourselves are laughing, that's not a joke," Hermione said without a hint of softness.
Can everything be explained away with the word "joke"? Putting aside whether a joke goes too far, when some people don't want to joke with you and you force them, it's no longer a joke.
"It was Audrina! Audrina told us to do it."
One of them pointed at Audrina and shouted. Selling out teammates was normal—never expect their friendship to be that strong.
"You... are you all crazy?"
Audrina's face turned pale with anger. She hadn't expected her companions to be so pathetic. Looking at the three members of the Disciplinary Squad approaching, she suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.
Just then, a figure as thin as a beanpole stepped out from the crowd.
"Children, the farce ends here. Now everyone go back to class, on my authority as prefect."
Hearing this voice, Audrina's expression improved again. She knew she was saved, because her brother was about to intervene.
Alec Shacklebolt. A sixth-year Ravenclaw prefect.
"This matter ends here. Everyone disperse."
Alec's words were directed at the other young wizards. He tried to dismiss everyone right away. As long as there were fewer people, a big issue could be made small, and a small issue could be made to disappear.
But this would greatly affect the Disciplinary Squad's authority. So it had to be stopped.
Thus, Ron, who had been silent, finally found an opportunity to speak.
"Prefect Shacklebolt, what great authority you wield."
The words dripped with a perfect imitation of Malfoy's signature sarcasm. Ron had been dying to speak in that tone for ages. It was exhilarating.