"Hey, Bilson, I think we're screwed!"
"Shut up, Joe. We saw it crystal clear—you were the one who fired the first spell at the professor. That means we're all done for, and you're going to get it the worst!"
"Come on, stop arguing. Maybe nothing will happen. Look around—so many people from different schools showed up. Everyone's involved in this attack. Can they really punish every single wizard here?"
"Heh, you actually believe that? We're basically the ringleaders here—I bet there are countless witnesses who can confirm that. Do you think Headmaster Charlid will let us off that easily?"
A heavy silence fell. As prefects, they knew exactly how terrifying their headmaster could be. Hoping this would be quietly overlooked was as absurd as expecting to win the magical lottery.
"Can we really be blamed? Isn't this all the professors' fault? So many of them ganged up on one student, and that student fought them off! Honestly, I think they're the biggest disgrace in Beauxbatons' history!"
Their words resonated—if today's events hadn't been such a humiliation, would they have dared to assault professors in the first place?
Watching the chaotic crowd around them, one person slowly relaxed his frown. After subtly casting a spell to manipulate the crowd without anyone noticing, he whispered, "Do you see all these people? I have a brilliant idea. Let's try to guide them. You know how strong these professors are, right? None of us could ever overpower them. But amidst this chaos, we effortlessly sent powerful professors to the hospital."
"What's the point? Are you seriously planning to use this crowd to attack the Ministry? That's a huge undertaking—and where are we even supposed to find the Ministry from here?" Another's tone was sharp.
"Heh, how about we attack the Hogwarts camp instead?"
"Hogwarts camp? What… oh, you mean that guy?"
"Yes—that guy. I refuse to believe he can handle this many people attacking at once! And even if he does… so what? Burning down Hogwarts' camp means victory! If we make Hogwarts lose an adult, I'm sure the headmaster won't care about the initial incident. And if that guy ends up hurting a few students in the process—especially his own house members—it's a disaster. I definitely wouldn't suggest reporting a story about a guy rampaging across campus and injuring multiple wizards!"
The others didn't reply, but their eyes gleamed with curiosity. They were intrigued—the logic was simple: if we're all disgraced, why not compete over who does worse?
After all, in shame, the person who causes more trouble draws attention away from others. Surely their headmaster would accept that reasoning.
And so, in secret, the aimless, chaotic parade began to have a subtle leader. Temporary though it was, a seed had been sown.
Ten minutes later, sweat trickled down their foreheads—the plan had failed.
An angry crowd can be guided, but chaotic crowds? Impossible.
They tried everything to provoke and direct the crowd, but it was like talking to ducks—they simply didn't care. "Who are you anyway? We don't know you!"
They couldn't say, "We're here to attack Hogwarts, join us to fight the boss!" That might get some followers, but the sober ones would never go along, and they'd likely target the instigators instead. After all, there were Hogwarts students in the crowd. Who gave them permission to cause chaos in their school?
Time ticked away, and the professors might show up at any moment. The group scrambled like ants on a hot pan—if the parade were suppressed now, the most notorious instigators among them would be finished!
Then one of the quieter members suddenly stood up.
"Don't ask questions. No time to explain. Just follow my lead. This is our last chance—I'm not leaving school with my tail between my legs!"
Everyone stared in surprise as he floated into the air with a spell. At the top of the crowd, he pulled out a bottle of alcohol and shouted loudly to the people below:
"Hey! Is everyone having fun tonight?"
Before anyone could react, he gulped down a swig.
"I'm having a great time! So tonight, on this beautiful night, I've decided to spice things up for everyone!"
All eyes were on him as he drew his wand and pointed it at the nearest tent.
"This is my tent—now! Incendio!!"
With the incantation, the tent erupted in fire. He laughed recklessly in midair. The others stared in disbelief—had he lost his mind?
The quickest to react shouted in turn: "Beautiful, beautiful! That's my tent! Let's light fireworks!" Blue flames streamed from his wand, consuming his tent as well.
The others finally understood—this was about sacrificing their own possessions to drive the crowd into frenzy.
One by one, they set their personal prefect tents ablaze. As the flames roared, chaos and insanity spread rapidly through the crowd. They began setting fire to everything nearby, regardless of ownership.
Within moments, the entire Beauxbatons camp was engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, the professors—along with the three Hogwarts professors and staff from Japan—were still arguing, having just received news of the riot.
Once everything was burning, the crowd went wild, but there was nothing left to ignite.
Then, a voice shouted sharply: "Hogwarts' camp is still standing! We can keep going!!!"
The crowd surged forward, howls filling the air as random spells propelled them toward the Hogwarts camp.
Only a few of the more sober Beauxbatons students were left, helpless and tearful. While they protected some of the crowd, material losses were catastrophic.
At this moment, everyone—those who had lost possessions, those stirring trouble, and even some half-sober participants—shared the same thought:
Burn it! Burn it! Hogwarts' camp must burn!!!