stonecrandall Page 22
Page 22
Chapter 24 The Mischievous Spirit and the Heart-Piercing Prick
"Levin? Levin? Are you there?"
Harry couldn't find Levin, so he called out softly.
"I'm here."
Levin deactivated his invisibility spell behind them, and the sudden sound almost made them jump.
"Levin...Levin, when did you get here!" Ron patted his chest, still shaken. When Levin spoke, he almost thought he had been discovered by a professor.
"It's been about ten minutes."
"Why are you two so late? Weren't you looking forward to tonight's duel?" Levin glanced at the two figures behind them.
One of them had a head of thick, curly hair, while the other was quite stocky.
"It's all because of Hermione Granger. She insisted on coming with us, and we had no choice."
Ron immediately became resentful when she was mentioned.
"What you're doing is against school rules, and I almost told your brother!"
Hermione was also fuming, "I really didn't expect that you, Mr. Green, would join in their nonsense..."
“But Miss Granger, you actually enjoy it too, don’t you?” Levin mercilessly exposed Hermione’s inner thoughts. “Aren’t you breaking the school rules now? Professor McGonagall won’t listen to your excuses.”
"That's because the fat lady who guards the gate has wandered off to visit some portrait, and I can't get back. Mr. Longbottom can testify to that!"
Hermione pulled Neville, who was standing next to her, over, looking somewhat aggrieved.
But Levin only gave him a look that said, "I'll take it seriously if you say so."
This drove her a little crazy.
“Mr. Green, you are different from them. You are an excellent student, and the professors all like you. You don’t think this ridiculous duel is right, do you?”
Hermione suppressed her anger and tried to reason with Levin, as she was always very patient with people who were better than her.
"We should work together to stop them!"
“You’re right, I do find this duel ridiculous.”
Levin nodded in agreement.
But before Harry could object, he added, "But if you've agreed to a duel, you should keep your promise. It's a matter of personal integrity and dignity."
"If you've read 'The Guide to Medieval Wizardry,' you'll know that this tradition arose alongside Muggle chivalry and has been passed down to this day, becoming part of wizarding culture. As Muggle-born wizards, we should adapt to local customs."
After hearing Levin's words, Hermione fell silent.
Ron, however, became smug and said to Harry, "I've never seen her so obedient before."
Harry thought to himself, "As expected, top students only listen to those who are better."
He seemed to have found the trick to dealing with Miss Know-It-All—find Levin.
Having convinced Hermione, Levin turned to Harry and said, "Don't think I'm supporting you. I still stand by my previous opinion. Think about what time you and Malfoy agreed to meet? He hasn't shown up yet this late. He's probably just messing with you."
“It’s past midnight, Malfoy and the others should have arrived by now. Maybe they’ve been captured by Filch?” Harry guessed.
“Maybe it’s Crabbe who got caught; you guys remember his build,” Ron added, offering his analysis.
As a pureblood, he still couldn't believe that Malfoy would abandon them after initiating the duel.
The crystal glass case displaying the prizes gleamed in the moonlight.
In the darkness, the trophies, shields, medals, and statues gleamed with silver and gold light.
The five people moved forward close to the wall, their eyes fixed on the doors at both ends of the room.
Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy suddenly burst in and challenged him to a duel.
Time passed by minute by minute.
"Maybe he's too scared to come," Ron whispered impatiently.
Just then, a sound came from the next room, startling them so much that they jumped up.
Harry had just raised his wand when he heard someone speak—not Malfoy.
"Sniff around, my dear, where they might be hiding."
The five immediately prepared to leave quietly, but clumsy Neville caused trouble again.
He tripped and quickly grabbed Ron's waist, and the two of them fell together onto a suit of armor.
"Clang!"
"Crash!"
The sound of metal clashing was enough to wake the entire castle.
"Run!" Harry shouted, and the five of them immediately ran at full speed down the corridor.
They circled around the doorposts, ran through corridor after corridor, and finally emerged near the classroom where they were having their Charms class.
“I—I told—you,” Hermione said breathlessly, clutching the seam of her dress, “I—I told—you!”
“I think we’ve shaken him off,” Harry said, panting. He leaned against the cold wall, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Mr. Green is right!"
Hermione said to Harry, "You see? Malfoy had no intention of meeting you there! Filch knew someone was going to the prize room, so Malfoy must have tipped him off. You shouldn't have come!"
Harry was forced to acknowledge her accusations at this point.
But other than that, he didn't want to say anything more to Miss Know-It-All.
"That despicable Malfoy, I'll teach him a lesson tomorrow." Ron's face turned bright red. He had been the one who insisted that Harry come to duel, but who would have thought that Malfoy would be so dishonorable, causing him to lose face as well.
Levin patted him on the shoulder and advised, "Don't be so angry. You can actually let him shoot himself in the foot. Tomorrow morning, you can spread the rumor that 'Malfoy is a coward. He's afraid of the Saviour and doesn't dare to keep his duel, thus tarnishing the honor of Slytherin and the pure-blood family.' I believe your twin brother would be happy to help you with this."
"You're really something!" Ron exclaimed excitedly upon hearing Levin's words. "You're right, George and Fred will definitely be willing to help me. I'm going to make Malfoy a laughing stock."
"That's it."
Levin chuckled mischievously. Although he didn't dislike Slytherin as much as the lion cubs, he didn't mind giving Malfoy a little surprise.
"But now, we need to be careful. I have a feeling something is coming."
The prophetic school's talent seemed to have given Levin a sense of something.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a clown-like figure appeared before them.
He had a broad face, a big mouth, and bright round eyes. He wore brightly colored clothes, a tie, and a hat. His slippers had long cracks that revealed his toes.
He is none other than Peeves, the famous Peeves of Hogwarts.
The young wizards all thought Peeves was the same kind of ghost as the Hogwarts ghosts.
That's not actually the case.
Levin remembered a book in the library that described a magical creature called the "Mischievous Sprite".
They resemble ghosts but are not ghosts; they exist between illusion and reality, and can move objects using physical force in a physical form.
They sometimes appear in specific locations, usually where a large number of teenagers live. They are usually attached to buildings, appear with buildings, or decide to move in at some point.
In fact, Peeves has lived in Hogwarts Castle since the founding of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Mischievous sprites have never been living people: they have never died, nor can they die, because they have never lived.
But precisely because of this, mischievous sprites are not immune to most spells like ghosts.
Certain poison spells, such as the tongue-locking spell and the blasting spell (Vasidisi), can be effective against them.
Levin believed that Peeves was Hogwarts' "mischievous elf".
"A few first-year students dare to wander around in the middle of the night~ Tsk, tsk, tsk, naughty, naughty, you'll be arrested."
The mischievous ghost let out a strange cry and laughed heartily.
Dealing with something that can pass through walls is indeed troublesome.
Hermione, unaware of the situation, even tried to plead with Peeves.
But Levin thought of the nature of the mischievous sprites speculated in the book—a collection of some kind of indestructible mental chaos.
Since Pikachu originates from spiritual power, it is most likely to be influenced by mental power.
Just then, as his mental strength steadily increased,
Levin has just developed an application of psychic abilities.
"[Spiritual piercing]"
With a thought, Levin channeled his mental energy into sharp needles, which struck Pippi the Ghost directly.
"what!!!"
A piercing scream echoed through the corridor.
The young wizards swore they had never heard Peeves make such a pitiful sound.
"Everyone, let's go!" Levin seized the opportunity and led them forward until they reached a closed door.
Chapter 25 Hermione: Coach, I want to learn magic!
Attracted by Peeves' screams, Filch's footsteps grew closer.
"The door is locked..."
Ron sobbed in despair, pushing the door with all his might, hoping to break it open with his strength.
"let me!"
Hermione, however, showed a decisive side. She drew her wand, knocked on the lock, and whispered:
"Araho Cave is open."
With a click, the door suddenly opened—the little wizards rushed in, quickly closed the door, and pressed their ears against it to listen to what was happening behind it.
“We should be safe now.” Harry breathed a sigh of relief, slid off the door, and sat down.
"What's wrong, Neville?" Neville kept tugging at the sleeve of his robe.
He turned his head and immediately felt something choking him, and he could only exhale with a "hoarse" sound.