Malfoy glared angrily at Kael, as if he wanted to throw a spell in his face.
In fact, that's exactly what he did.
"Leg-Locker Curse!"
Malfoy suddenly attacked, using the Leg-Locker Curse on Kael first, trying to stall him in order to buy time to escape.
It wouldn't take long, just enough for him to find other Slytherin students, and Kael wouldn't be able to do anything to him anymore.
As the light flashed on the wand, Malfoy turned to run.
"Protego Totalum!"
Kael calmly waved his wand, and a transparent shield appeared in front of him, reflecting Malfoy's spell back.
The next second.
"Thud..."
As Malfoy was running away, he fell to the ground, his legs locked tightly together as if bound by something.
At this point, Crabbe and Goyle finally reacted.
Seeing Malfoy groaning on the ground, they charged forward with their fists without a word.
Fred and George stepped forward simultaneously, but before they could act, Kael threw a few pieces of licorice candy at them.
The brown candies twisted in midair, instantly transforming into several thin ropes that securely bound Crabbe and Goyle.
"Stop!"
A furious shout came from nearby, with several Slytherin students angrily watching them.
The commotion here naturally attracted a lot of attention, including quite a few Slytherin students.
"Kael, how dare you bully our freshmen!"
They recognized Draco Malfoy lying on the ground and immediately regarded him as one of their own.
After all, he's a Malfoy—of course, he's a Slytherin.
Leading them was a fourth-year student who, upon recognizing Malfoy, raised his wand without hesitation.
"Inverted Golden Bell!"
"Protego Totalum!"
The transparent shield appeared again, but unfortunately, the opponent was not a rookie like Malfoy and wasn't hit by the reflected spell.
Kael stopped those who wanted to help, seriously saying: "Although your sneak attack is despicable, I still accept your challenge."
His voice was loud, and the surrounding young wizards heard him very clearly.
"Challenge us? Don't be ridiculous."
The leading Slytherin student sneered, "You just got lucky saving a waste, and that's how you randomly earned a Special Award for Services to the School. Don't really think you're so great.
Anyone who dares to challenge us Slytherins will pay the price!"
Saying this, he raised his wand again.
Kael looked at him admiringly, silently giving a thumbs up.
Daring to call Conna a waste in front of so many people... this guy really doesn't care about Snape.
Just for that courage, he truly deserves to be in Gryffindor, not here.
Of course, admiration aside, Kael wasn't going to stand still and let himself be hit.
Using the Iron Armor Spell to block the attack, Kael raised his hand and cast two charms.
"Debilito!"
"Inverted Golden Bell!"
The Slytherin wanted to mimic Kael by using the Iron Armor Spell to block, but as soon as he raised his wand, his feet went weak, and he stumbled slightly.
The Iron Armor Spell didn't have time to form before being interrupted; Kael's Inverted Golden Bell struck his face immediately.
In an instant, he was hung upside down from the roof, and a sharp needle suddenly stopped in front of his eyes.
"I advise you not to move," Kael said calmly. "Otherwise, you'll be spending your first day in the hospital wing."
Without Kael having to emphasize, the person fell silent, watching the needle before him, not daring to breathe.
Then, Kael walked over to the stunned Malfoy and asked, "Can we talk properly now?"
"I'm not afraid of you."
Though trembling all over, Malfoy persisted stiff-neckedly, "If you extort me, I'll tell Professor Snape."
"I already said, it's just normal compensation."
Kael took out a stack of maps from behind and laid them on the ground.
There were ten in total, all made of golden-threaded parchment, and not one was complete.
Kael picked one up and pointed to a long cut on it, saying, "Because you suddenly slammed the door, my spell was severely disrupted, and all my newly made maps were destroyed. I'm asking for compensation; this is reasonable, right?"
"But they aren't worth two hundred Galleons!"
Malfoy protested angrily, "They're just a few pieces of parchment. The two Galleons I gave you last time should more than cover ten times that."
"No, no, no, look closely."
Kael placed the map in front of Malfoy's eyes, seriously saying, "Look carefully, this piece of parchment alone is worth a Galleon.
Also, look at the pattern at the top; it's woven with unicorn hair and adorned with gems from a Fire Crab.
This kind of premium map is valuable, and charging you two hundred Galleons is already the cost price."
As Kael spoke, Cedric and the others behind him kept their lips tightly sealed, expressions very serious.
Malfoy was stunned, reaching out to touch and realizing that the pattern was indeed made from unicorn hair.
There was a unicorn tail hair tapestry at his house with the exact same feel.
Kael was right; these maps were truly valuable.
Malfoy's heart sank as he hurriedly said, "Then, then you can use the Repairing Charm!
Just a simple spell, and they'll be as good as new. If you don't know it, I can... "
"Repairing Charm? Are you kidding?"
Before he could finish, Kael cut him off.
"These are the most high-end products from our Hogwarts Magic Items Shop, meant for sale, and you're telling me to use a Repairing Charm?"
Malfoy was startled by Kael's sudden outburst, stammering, "Is there, is there a problem?"
Kael sternly asked, "Do you know what a high-end product is? It means it cannot have any flaws, not even a slight ding, let alone a long tear like this."
Moreover, in our business, integrity is paramount; never would we sell a damaged product to someone, even if it has been repaired.
This is the bottom line of a conscientious shop and a responsibility to everyone who purchases our products."
...
Kael spoke righteously.
Malfoy sat there dazed, strangely feeling that Kael was right.
Even the surrounding Slytherin students listened, enthralled and thoughtful...
Gradually, the anger towards Kael in some of their eyes faded quite a bit, turning to consider Malfoy instead.
Being the center of attention, Malfoy was silent for a moment before suddenly looking up, "Two hundred Galleons, right."
"That's right," Kael nodded.
Without speaking, Malfoy took a badge from his collar and handed it along with his wallet to Kael.
"I only brought one hundred and fifty Galleons this time; I'll give you the rest in a few days.
This Quidditch Champion Commemorative Badge worth a hundred Galleons is collateral."
Previously, he had refused simply because he didn't want to be extorted, and now that the misunderstanding was cleared, he had no more to say. Two hundred Galleons was not a small amount, but for him, it was just a matter of writing a letter home.
Kael accepted what Malfoy handed over but only kept the wallet, returning the badge after just a glance.
Vratsa Vultures... what a lousy team.
"No need for collateral," Kael said calmly, "I believe the Malfoy family wouldn't produce someone who disgraces the family honor."
"Of course!" Malfoy puffed out his chest, his impression of Kael improving greatly.
No wonder Kael won a Special Award for Services to the School in his first year; his judgment indeed was sharp.
...