It was obvious that the harsh, sarcastic remark came from Mr. Draco Malfoy. After Madam Hooch's temporary departure, he approached Neville, who had just been helped to his feet by Dean and Seamus. He held his head high.
"Look at you—how shameful! Your parents never taught you how to ride a broom, did they?" He said smugly, "My father already provided me with a top-notch broom, and he even hired players from Puddlemere United to teach me how to fly... the oldest team, befitting the noblest bloodline."
It was obvious that the harsh, sarcastic remark came from Mr. Draco Malfoy. After Madam Hooch's temporary departure, he approached Neville, who had just been helped to his feet by Dean and Seamus. He held his head high.
"Look at you—how shameful! Your parents never taught you how to ride a broom, did they?" He said smugly, "My father already provided me with a top-notch broom, and he even hired players from Puddlemere United to teach me how to fly... the oldest team, befitting the noblest bloodline."
Hearing his taunts, Neville, usually gentle, self-deprecating, and even somewhat weak, blushed crimson. He was furious, the flesh on his chubby face practically tensed.
"No! Insulting my parents!" Neville exclaimed.
Seamus, Neville's roommate and familiar with his family situation, angrily added, "Oh! Shut up, Malfoy!"
Malfoy's gaze immediately turned to Seamus, tinged with contempt and anger. "How dare you speak to me like that, you filthy half-blood..."
He didn't finish his words as he saw the crowd behind Seamus naturally move aside. Ryan approached through the crowd. His expression was grave. His figure, not much taller than Malfoy, seemed incredibly large against the sunlight, almost making it difficult for Malfoy to breathe.
"You..." Malfoy instinctively took a step back, covering his mouth, as if recalling what had happened in front of the Great Hall. But this time, he only saw the look Ryan gave him—anger and coldness, but neither was intense. In his eyes and expression, Malfoy saw something more... pity.
"Pathetic," Ryan whispered.
"What?!" Malfoy almost thought he'd misheard, but the next moment he was furious.
"Elias, you..." he started to rant, and Crabbe and Goyle beside him seemed eager to chime in.
But Ryan didn't give him a chance. "I say... you're pathetic," he repeated.
He raised his wand—a movement that made Crabbe and Goyle shudder almost instinctively, but they didn't turn to stone. Ryan continued, "I thought after your last lesson, you might have changed a little..." He sighed. "But apparently, that's not enough."
He was indeed angry, but not at Malfoy and his followers, nor at the young Slytherin wizards. He was angry at their fathers, even their ancestors before them. What could an eleven-year-old understand? Their behavior, actions, bitterness, and malice—all came from their family and elders.
From birth, they'd been immersed in the toxic pool of "blood honor" and "pure-blood supremacy," leading to their current state.
But Ryan felt relieved... "It's not too late."
He looked at Malfoy—or rather, at the Slytherins, who now looked at him with near-disgust. Indeed, he felt it wasn't too late. At least these children had just entered Hogwarts. He could still change their way of thinking, even though his method would probably be a little bit 'forceful'. However, compared to their states right now…
He shook his head quickly, trying to banish that thought. The boy glanced at the Slytherins and whispered, "Gentlemen... a duel." As he spoke, the young wizards' eyes widened.
"What!?" Malfoy blurted out.
The Slytherins' reactions mirrored his—their expressions filled with barely concealed surprise, anger, and sarcasm.
"Duel," Ryan simply smiled and repeated. "I challenge you—the Slytherins—to a duel."
"Tonight."
The young wizards erupted in laughter. Even Seamus couldn't help but whisper to Neville, who had calmed down, "Merlin's beard—what's Ryan talking about?"
One man challenging the entire Slytherin freshman class to a duel?
"Isn't Ryan being too impulsive? This is almost like something Ulric the Weirdo would do..."
"I mean, that sounds a bit exaggerated—doesn't it? Maybe he's a bit too reckless?"
Hermione frowned, muttering to Ron and Harry, clearly worried. Unfortunately, Ron and Harry had slept soundly in History of Magic class, so they had no idea who Ulric the Weirdo was. They just thought Ryan's words were incredibly cool and handsome.
Malfoy, however, sneered at this. "Elias, I see through your ruse—you're trying to trick us into leaving the dorms for a night out so you can report us, right? You despicable..."
He hadn't finished his words when Ryan gently raised his hand and interrupted him.
"Of course not—I mean, why would you even think that?" Ryan gave Malfoy a strange look before adding, "The duel will be tonight, and the location... is in the Slytherin common room."
The young wizards began to discuss again, and only then did they realize a problem they had previously overlooked. Ron wasn't just a Gryffindor student; he was Hogwarts' most special young wizard. Headmaster Dumbledore had granted him access to all four house common rooms.
Now, he was about to put that privilege to use for the first time... tonight, he would go to the Slytherin common room and duel with all the Slytherin freshmen!
"Cool!" Harry and Ron exchanged excited glances.
As two legitimate lion cubs, they naturally disliked the little snakes. But now...
"Oh, kids... what are you doing?" With a crackling sound, Madam Hooch descended from the sky on her broom. Her expression was a little puzzled, and in her right hand, she held a broom—if the thing that had broken into four pieces could still be called a broom.
All the young wizards fell silent for a moment, then, surprisingly, it was Ryan who spoke first: "Nothing, Madam Hooch... We were talking about a date, which I thought would be fun."
"I don't think you're old enough to date," Madam Hooch sternly reminded her students against premature romance. Then she said, "Very well, then, let's continue our flying lesson—though since we're missing a broom, Mr. Elias might have to use mine..."
The flying lesson quickly got back on track. But the young wizards were clearly no longer interested in fiddling with their brooms. The young wizards at the Serpent Courtyard were especially impressed. They kept glancing at Ryan, who appeared composed, as if trying to determine if he was joking or just acting on impulse.
It wasn't until the flying lesson ended and Madam Hooch dismissed the group, hurriedly leaving with the broken broom, that they heard Ryan's words, "Gentlemen, don't forget your appointment tonight."
They turned to see Ryan smiling at them.
"Bring your wands and prepare your best spells. See you there."
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Author's note
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