Chapter 331. Levicorpus
A large group tramped to a clearing by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where a thin layer of snow still lay on the ground.
This spot was remote; ordinarily no one came here.
It was the perfect place for students to settle their disputes.
After making sure no one else was around, Ron and Malfoy stood in the centre of the clearing, facing off.
Harry whispered to Hermione beside him, "Do you think Ron can beat Malfoy?"
"Not my concern," Hermione said, arms folded and expression blank.
Harry fell silent and fixed his eyes on Malfoy and Ron.
It did seem Ron was right—Hermione had been acting oddly these past two days, and her temper was short.
Still, she cared about Ron at least a little, or she wouldn't have shown up.
"The rules are simple," Malfoy drawled, drawing his wand. "Whoever's knocked down—or yields—loses."
Ron gripped his wand, eyes steady. "Suited to me. But this is between the two of us. No one else butts in."
As he spoke, he shot a warning glance at Crabbe and Goyle behind Malfoy.
"Of course," Malfoy replied, though he glanced warily at Harry—who, after all, was the bloke who'd beaten a dragon.
He couldn't beat Harry, perhaps, but a Weasley was another matter.
At the same time, Neville swallowed hard.
Harry, too, felt a twinge of worry.
True, Ron and Malfoy had scrapped long ago.
But now they were fourth-years.
Times had changed; the spells they'd learned could make for a proper duel.
Which also meant their duel was more dangerous.
"Ready, Weasley?" Malfoy smirked. "Try not to run home crying to Mummy."
"I'm not you, Malfoy," Ron shot back without mercy. "You're the one who can't stop name-dropping Daddy."
"Shut it."
Malfoy's face darkened. He snapped up his wand. "Densaugeo!"
A streak of blue light shot at Ron's face. Ron twisted aside; the hex skimmed past his ear and hit a tree behind him. The bark swelled with several ugly boils.
It was a simple hex that made a person's front teeth grow very long.
It didn't sound particularly dangerous, but Harry knew it was very practical—especially against a wizard.
If it hit, those enormous teeth could keep a person from speaking incantations.
Hermione pressed her lips together, eyes never leaving the duel.
Regaining his footing, Ron shot back at once. "Rictusempra!"
It was a charm of the same sort as the teeth-lengthening hex.
Malfoy flicked his wand with contempt. "Protego!"
A translucent barrier flared in front of him. Ron's charm struck it, sparked briefly, and vanished.
"Warm-up's over, Weasley," Malfoy said lazily, a dangerous light in his eyes. "Now we begin for real!"
He suddenly whipped his wand in quick motions, a flurry of spells pelting Ron like a downpour.
"Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"
!
Ron clearly couldn't cope. He dove and rolled, his robes smeared with a mess of mud and snow.
After barely blocking the last strike with a shaky Shield Charm, Ron was left gulping for breath.
Harry took in the scene and thought, Uh-oh.
Ron was going to lose.
They'd only traded one volley, but it was obvious.
They weren't on the same level as duelists.
Ron was far behind.
Seeing how effective his spells were, Malfoy grew bolder and more arrogant, a smug curl at his lips.
"What's wrong, Weasley? Already winded? That's all you've got? Pah!"
"Cut the rubbish, Malfoy!"
Ron's face was scarlet with anger.
He swung his wand stubbornly, but Malfoy merely sidestepped and dodged with ease.
And then—
"Levicorpus!" Malfoy shouted.
It was a spell that had once spread widely among Hogwarts students, though few knew who had invented it.
Its effect was to hoist a person upside down, exposing vulnerable spots and often causing the humiliation of flipped-up robes.
In short: not much damage—maximum insult.
Ron hadn't even managed to swing his wand when Malfoy's jinx struck him in the chest.
The world spun; an invisible force jerked Ron's ankles upward, hanging him head-down in mid-air. His wand tumbled to the ground.
His robes flipped over at once, revealing his underpants.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Malfoy and his cronies burst into raucous laughter. "Look! Look! Hilarious. Goyle, where's your camera?
We've got to capture this."
Goyle fumbled for the camera—clearly they'd come prepared.
Harry wasn't about to let that happen.
If this image got around…
To be blunt, Ron wouldn't be able to show his face afterwards, never mind finding a partner for the Yule Ball.
Harry snapped his wand up. "Expelliarmus!"
He wasn't entirely sure a camera counted as a weapon.
But luckily, with a flash of red light, the camera flew out of Goyle's hands, arced through the air, and landed in Harry's.
Goyle stared around in confusion, not understanding what had happened.
Dangling upside down, Ron's face burned red; fury blazed in his eyes.
"Put me down, Malfoy!" he struggled.
Harry sighed. He knew Ron had lost, utterly.
As Ron's friend, he wanted to help. But this was a one-on-one duel Ron himself had demanded; there wasn't much he could do.
At that moment—
"What do you think you're doing!"
A cold voice cracked through the air.
Everyone froze. Professor Snape slid out from behind a tree like a great bat.
His gaze swept over them—Harry holding a camera, Malfoy with his wand raised—and finally settled on Ron hanging upside down.
He flicked his wand.
Levicorpus broke. Ron dropped with a smack into the snow, then climbed up, scowling, brushing off slush and mud.
"I assume you all have excellent reasons to explain what I am witnessing." His voice was like a venomous snake, making the blood run cold.
Malfoy stepped forward at once, a smile pasted on as he gave a small bow. "Professor, we were merely… practising our spellwork amicably. I'm sure you understand—practical experience is important."
As he spoke, he threw a provoking look at Harry and the others.
He knew that as Head of Slytherin House, Snape would never—
"Ten points from all of you."
The icy sentence shattered his illusion.
Malfoy's smile froze on his face.
Wait!
Had he heard that right?
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