Harry put down his soda and said, "When I reached the door, I ran into Percy, and before I could get in, I heard the Ravenclaw Class Prefect calling him, saying that Colin was in trouble?"
"Colin's in trouble?" The three of them grinned together.
"Yes, he's been petrified." Harry sighed, "Just like Fitch's cat last term, totally petrified by a very vicious dark magic. Undoing the magic spell is not an easy task. We'll need to wait until the Mandrakes mature to brew the remedy and release his petrification spell."
Seamus and Neville exchanged glances, somewhat excited, saying, "So that means we'll have some peace and quiet? No one's gonna bug you anymore, waiting by the classroom door with your schedule every day?"
Actually, Harry hadn't thought of it that way just now; he also felt sorry for Colin.
But with Seamus's reminder, Colin's non-stop, 360-degree surveillance made his sympathy quickly vanish.
He pressed one hand on the sheet, grabbed the bedpost with the other, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
But as he laughed, he felt it wasn't quite right, so he tried to control his facial expression, recalling all the sad things he'd been through to stop smiling, showing a somber look.
"What a tragedy..." Harry sighed.
"Tragedy." "Tragedy." "Tragedy." Ron, Seamus, and Neville echoed together.
"He was a... well, a good classmate," Harry added.
"A good classmate," the three echoed in unison.
"We should make time to visit him in the medical ward," Harry said again.
"Visit him," the three said as well.
"Even if we can get mature Mandrakes, brewing the remedy will take at least two months," Harry said.
"Which means, Colin and his camera will be out of sight for that long," Ron added.
"Alas..." Harry lamented.
"Alas..." the three sighed together.
"But honestly, if Creevey hadn't been petrified..." Ron added, "I might just have had to petrify him myself. The guy's just too annoying."
Harry thought for a bit but didn't respond to that.
But honestly, he also felt it might not be such a bad thing.
They didn't have class until a bit past eleven the next morning, so they didn't rush to get up. They stayed cozy in their dorms for a while before finally getting out of bed.
When they arrived at the Great Hall, the students were all abuzz, discussing Colin Creevey's predicament.
Most of the chatter was schadenfreude, as everyone found Colin quite irritating, always taking photos without any sense of personal space.
For this reason, Draco sat down mysteriously next to Harry.
"Hey, Harry." Draco asked in a low voice, "Did you petrify that Muggle Species, Creevey?"
Harry gave him a bewildered look.
"In this school, only you could've done it," Draco said with some excitement in his tone, "Can you teach me that magic spell? I mean, you're a legendary wizard, such a spell shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"
"What are you two whispering about?" Ron came over to ask.
"He thinks I petrified Colin," Harry told Ron.
"Want a taste of my fists, Malfoy?" Ron immediately raised his fists to threaten Draco, "How could Harry do that? Professor Dumbledore said it was a very advanced dark magic..."
To his surprise, Draco showed a disdainful expression upon hearing that, rolling his eyes and looking at Ron with his nose in the air, "Fool, you don't know, do you? Harry's a legendary wizard from a hundred years ago! That Harry Potter, who had especially good relations with my great-grandma..."
Harry glanced at Draco, knowing this kid couldn't keep a secret, couldn't help but spill the beans.
Though he didn't try to stop him either.
"Oh, give it a break, Malfoy." Hermione rolled her eyes, pursing her lips, "Even if you're making things up, make it believable, please?"
"If you don't believe me, ask him!" Draco, anxious, pointed at Harry.
Harry nodded, not planning to hide it from his friends, "Yes, I indeed am. He's not wrong."
To his surprise, Hermione and Ron laughed together upon hearing Harry's confirmation.
"Alright, Harry, you're just having a laugh at our expense—"
"I really am," Harry said, lifting a napkin to wipe his lips gently.
Hermione and Ron laughed again, thinking Harry was just joking with them.
"Do you think we believe it?" Ron said, rolling his eyes.
Harry shrugged, well, I've told the truth, so if you find out the truth later, don't blame me for not telling you—
Draco, however, sat there, frustrated, rubbing his slicked-back hair.
Why doesn't anyone believe me?
What I'm saying is all true!
"This kid, can't say a single truthful word!" Ron watched Draco's sullen figure walk away and commented.
Harry thought to himself, but what he's saying is all true—
That evening, the Hufflepuff Class Prefect Cedric Diggory came over.
"Harry," Cedric smiled warmly, "When do we start? I can't wait."
"Tonight, after dinner," Harry said softly, "Other than you, who else is from Hufflepuff?"
"And Megan Jones." Cedric smiled, "She's a good friend and also very interested in the Dueling House."
"Alright." Harry nodded, "We'll meet at the staircase on the eighth floor at six thirty—"