In every school, there are always bullies who act like they run the place. Hogwarts was no exception. For example, the one Rey bumped into while wandering the halls: Marcus Flint.
Marcus Flint was a third-year student and the newly appointed Chaser for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Seeing Rey, he immediately decided to have some fun. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the famous Rey Faest. The Ravenclaw who almost broke his neck falling off a broom."
Rey's fall had become a running joke among the students. Historically speaking, Rey had taken one of the most spectacular tumbles a first-year ever had.
"It's a miracle you're not dead."
"Yeah. Do you need us to teach you how to ride a broom properly?"
Unpleasant jeers rang out from the small group behind Flint. Every bully always has a few lackeys to back them up.
Marcus Flint was in a great mood. Seeing Rey—the kid who couldn't even stay on a broom—made him feel superior.
If he didn't take this chance to humiliate the kid, he wouldn't be Marcus Flint.
"Excuse me. I just want to get past."
Rey spoke calmly to the towering boy blocking his path.
Having lived through school once before, he was all too familiar with bullying. He wasn't afraid in the slightest.
---
Why does bullying happen? It's often just a power trip for the bully.
It's about enjoying the process—seeing the victim's fear, weakness, and helplessness gives the bully a sense of pleasure and accomplishment.
People who grow up in unhealthy environments are prone to this behavior during adolescence. Clearly, the buck-toothed Marcus Flint was a textbook example.
He wanted to feel important by dominating Rey. Unfortunately for him, Rey—who was half a head shorter—remained perfectly calm. His eyes didn't even flicker with fear.
This made Flint lose face. He was a third-year; Rey was a first-year.
Rey should be afraid of him. So Flint stepped closer, looking down at Rey with what he hoped was a terrifying glare.
Rey remained calm. Frustratingly calm.
Flint's cronies started booing and jeering. If Flint didn't do something soon, he'd look weak in front of his "brothers."
He had just become a Chaser for Slytherin. He couldn't look soft in front of a first-year.
There was no logical connection between the two, but in the mind of an adolescent bully, pride was everything. So, Flint made his move. He shoved Rey hard on the shoulder.
School fights always start with shoving. It rarely begins with punches and kicks; there's usually an escalation process.
You push me, I push back. The conflict escalates to punches, then maybe weapons, and finally, if reason disappears completely, lethal force.
That's the typical escalation ladder. But for students, it usually stops at punching and kicking. Lethal intent is rare.
Because most kids aren't mentally prepared to kill someone—though accidents happen.
"This guy dared to sneak into the girls' dorms. Today, we're gonna pull down his pants and check if Rey Faest is actually a boy or a girl..."
Flint shouted, instantly getting a laugh from the other Slytherins. Apparently, quite a few people were curious about that.
---
Rey had neutralized Flint's shove by simply taking a step back. It had no effect.
To the onlookers, it looked like Rey had dodged effortlessly. This angered Flint even more. Now he was determined to pants the kid and humiliate him in front of everyone.
The jeering from the Slytherins fueled Flint's ego. He felt like the center of the universe. He reached out to grab Rey's shoulder.
Once he grabbed the little runt, he could do whatever he wanted. As a third-year Quidditch player dealing with a first-year, Flint didn't even think he needed his wand.
Flint was taller and stronger. If Rey were just a normal eleven-year-old, Flint would have been right.
But Rey had an adult soul inside him. And adult skills.
As Flint reached out, Rey's left hand shot up and grabbed Flint's right wrist. Rey stepped in close, pivoting his body. His right arm hooked under Flint's armpit, he bent his knees, and executed a perfect shoulder throw.
Wham!
It was fast, crisp, and fluid. To the onlookers, it looked like Rey simply raised an arm and bent his back.
Wizards fought with wands. Describing it in Muggle terms, a wand duel was like fencing. But in hand-to-hand combat? Rey, with his background , was practically a grandmaster compared to these kids.
Martial arts had been a hobby in his past life. Even if he hadn't practiced much after getting married, handling a clumsy teenager was child's play. Besides, a shoulder throw like that relied on leverage, not brute strength.
Flint slammed into the stone floor. To prevent him from getting up, Rey immediately grabbed a handful of Flint's hair and pinned his face to the ground.
Honestly, the throw alone had knocked the wind out of Flint. He lay there gasping, unable to even scream.
Seeing their leader taken down so effortlessly, the surrounding Slytherins involuntarily took a step back. A few of Flint's closer friends panicked and drew their wands, pointing them at Rey.
---
"Disperse!"
A sharp, authoritative voice froze the students in their tracks.
Greasy black hair hanging to his shoulders, a hooked nose, and black robes that seemed to suck the light out of the hallway.
Severus Snape. Head of Slytherin House. He had arrived at the critical moment. And standing next to him was Agnes.
Seeing that Rey still had Flint pinned, Snape waved his wand. Rey felt an invisible force lift him off Flint and deposit him gently to the side. Agnes immediately stepped forward to steady him. Only then did Marcus Flint manage to scramble to his feet.
"Fighting in the corridors?"
Snape glared at Flint and Rey. His voice was low and silky, impossible to read.
"Professor, Marcus Flint started it. And he threatened to pull down my trousers..."
Normally, a first-year would be too embarrassed to say that. But Rey had no such qualms. If he didn't speak up, he knew exactly what was coming: detention and point deductions, while Flint—a Slytherin—would get off light.
Snape wasn't evil, but he was biased. He protected his own.
It was normal. Even the fair Professor McGonagall had let Harry and Ron off the hook when they crashed a flying car into the Whomping Willow.
"Pull down my trousers." Rey said the phrase deliberately. It struck a nerve with Snape. After all, he had suffered the exact same humiliation at the hands of James Potter in his youth.
"Marcus Flint."
Snape's voice dropped an octave, becoming dangerously quiet. Flint, standing opposite Rey, visibly shuddered.
"Professor..."
Flint tried to explain, but the words died in his throat. Rey had told the truth.
"To use such a method to humiliate a younger student... I am extremely disappointed. Twenty points from Slytherin. And you will be doing extra Quidditch practice every day as punishment."
Snape's harsh tone silenced the hallway. No one dared to breathe.
Snape deducting points from Slytherin? That was unprecedented. Though, the "punishment" of extra Quidditch practice was... well, hardly a punishment at all.
"And you, Miss Greengrass. Finding me and bringing me here just in time to witness this... the timing is far too convenient. Thirty points from Ravenclaw."
Agnes's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Snape to penalize Ravenclaw for her getting a teacher.
"As for you, Mr. Faest. You have been wandering all over the castle lately. What exactly are you looking for?"
"Professor, I just wanted to appreciate the scenery of Hogwarts."
Snape was sharp. He had deduced too much from a simple incident, catching Rey off guard. Luckily, Rey managed to keep his answer calm.
"Scenery, is it? Since you enjoy scenery so much, tonight you will report to Hagrid. You can join him for a trip into the Forbidden Forest to see a different kind of scenery. perhaps that will cure your habit of wandering."
The strict Potions Master was shrewd. He sensed that Rey and Agnes were plotting something, but he didn't waste energy digging deeper. They were just first-years, after all, and he had better things to do.
"Yes, Professor Snape."
Rey agreed with a bitter smile. He had thought mentioning the pants incident would earn him some sympathy from Snape. Turns out, Snape saw right through him and wasn't buying it.
---