Surprised, Rey and Cedric exchanged a glance. It was obvious neither of them had expected to be held back.
But before they could say anything, Professor Dorry materialized behind Cedric, just as he had with the other students, and casually pressed his wand against the boy's neck.
"Mr. Diggory, your vigilance is lacking. How does it feel to experience an attack firsthand?"
Rey didn't understand why Dorry was doing this again. He had already pulled this stunt on every student in the class. But before Rey could process it, Dorry vanished and reappeared behind him.
The cold tip of the wand touched Rey's neck. It felt freezing, numbing, and for a split second, there was a sharp sting.
The contact lasted less than a second. Rey reacted instantly, throwing a backward elbow strike.
Dorry was clearly caught off guard by Rey's speed. However, he still managed to teleport back to the podium before the elbow could connect.
"Your reaction speeds are faster than the other students. Very good. Practice responding to surprise attacks in your own time. You may go."
Dorry nodded in satisfaction, praised them for no apparent reason, and then dismissed them just as abruptly.
The entire class, from start to finish, had been bizarre.
Cedric seemed to feel the same way. After leaving the classroom, the two boys parted ways without much conversation.
Classes were over for the day. Rey walked down the corridor, bathed in the light of the setting sun, unconsciously rubbing his neck.
The numbness had faded, but the spot where the wand had touched was now throbbing with a sharp, stinging pain.
It felt inflamed, like an allergic reaction to a caterpillar sting.
"That Defense class wasn't right."
"It was weird."
"It seemed like Professor Dorry appeared behind every single student and touched the back of their neck with his wand."
"Yeah, that's exactly what happened..."
Rey suddenly felt a jolt of realization. If his theory was correct, he just needed to confirm something with his classmates to find the common thread in this strangeness.
The moment the wand touched his neck, he felt a prick, like a needle piercing skin. It reminded him of getting an injection in his past life.
But unlike an injection, which puts medicine in, Dorry's wand felt like it had taken a small amount of blood out.
His wand likely had a numbing effect, like a mosquito bite. It anesthetized the nerves while it extracted blood, so the victim wouldn't notice.
If this was true, then Professor Dorry's bizarre teaching method had a very clear purpose.
---
It was still early. After class, many students had headed to the library.
Sure enough, when Rey arrived at the library, he found Agnes and Penelope sitting together, engrossed in a magical book.
A brief conversation with the two girls left Rey confused.
Agnes and Penelope had been among the first victims of Dorry's "demonstration."
However, they both said they only felt the touch of the wand—no stinging pain, no numbness. And unlike Rey, they had no allergic reaction or redness on their necks.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Rey's puzzled expression, Agnes asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing. Just asking around. Since you two got scared first, I wanted to check on you," Rey lied smoothly with a faint smile.
He didn't share his theory. He had already asked several other classmates, and their answers were similar to Agnes and Penelope's.
"Just 'checking on us'? Does that include me, or are you just checking on her?"
Penelope's big eyes twinkled mischievously as she looked from Rey to Agnes. Her teasing grin made her seem far more mature than her age.
"Of course I'm checking on both of you. Isn't it only natural for a gentleman to care about the ladies?"
"Since you're both fine, I'll head back now."
Rey delivered the line without blushing or skipping a beat, then stood up to leave. His smooth exit deflated Penelope's plan to tease the "couple." She pouted, bored, and went back to discussing the book with Agnes.
---
Not getting the answer he expected only deepened Rey's suspicion.
He didn't understand. Why did he have a different reaction to the same experience? Out of the whole class, why was he the only one who felt the sting?
Even Cedric seemed fine. Why?
Lost in thought, Rey wandered down the long corridor leading to the Ravenclaw common room.
"Aha! A tiny tot with heavy thoughts! Here, catch my generous gift of ink!"
A raucous voice snapped Rey out of his trance.
It started with a screech that echoed from one end of the hall to the other, startling Rey.
A small, floating figure hovered about five meters ahead of him in the air.
Rey recognized him instantly. It could only be the legendary poltergeist he had heard so much about but never met: Peeves.
He was small, with a wide face, a wicked grin, and bright, malicious eyes.
He wore a loud green tailcoat, tight red trousers, and a black bowler hat with two flamboyant feathers stuck in it. To top off the look, he wore open-toed slippers.
The outfit was unforgettable—a chaotic, punk-rock jester.
He was holding an ink bottle, and a wastepaper basket floated beside him. Only after he was sure Rey saw him did he hurl the ink.
He wanted Rey to know it was coming.
Rey dodged the ink bottle easily, but the wastebasket and a barrage of chalk followed immediately.
"Dodging so smoothly? Why don't you trust your instincts?"
"Got your conk!"
With another shrill cackle, Peeves swooped in. Rey, still recovering from the dodge, turned just in time for Peeves' transparent hand to grab his nose.
It felt cold and solid. Peeves squeezed hard, cutting off his air.
Peeves was a poltergeist—a spirit of chaos, solid enough to touch the world. He wasn't a ghost in the traditional sense, and the other ghosts of Hogwarts certainly didn't claim him.
---
"Peeves! Pranking again..."
The bloody, raspy roar of the Bloody Baron rang out at the perfect moment. Peeves looked panicked, instantly let go of Rey's nose, and vanished into thin air.
Rey hadn't heard the Baron's voice before, but seeing Peeves' terrified reaction, it had to be him.
Ever since the Sorting Feast, Rey had been wary of the Bloody Baron. That sharp glare had left a lingering fear.
However, once Peeves was gone, the Bloody Baron didn't appear. Instead, Agnes walked out from behind a corner.
"Are you alright? You have to use the Bloody Baron's voice to deal with Peeves. Otherwise, he won't stop until you're exhausted."
Agnes's voice was lovely, like a songbird. Rey couldn't fathom how she had imitated the terrifying rasp of the Baron so perfectly.
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought about what you said earlier. I replayed the feeling in my mind. The sting... I think I felt it for a split second too."
"Really?"
Rey perked up instantly. If someone else shared his sensation, then it was almost certain that Professor Dorry was using the class as a cover to extract blood samples from the students.
Although it was only Agnes confirming it so far, it was possible Dorry had numbed everyone, but for some reason, the anesthesia hadn't fully worked on the two of them.
"What are you investigating? Can you tell me now?"
Agnes was a Ravenclaw through and through. Her curiosity was piqued, and she wanted to know exactly what Rey was trying to prove.
---