Jinx.
As the name suggests, it's a malicious spell.
Maybe it's because green gives off a sinister, eerie feeling that most offensive spells tend to glow that color. It's said that Salazar, the founder of Slytherin House, chose green and silver as the house colors for this very reason.
To put it simply, not all jinxes are green—but if a spell emits a green glow, it's definitely a jinx. That's something first-years learn early on in their magical education.
So when both Slytherins and Gryffindors saw the green light shoot toward Goyle, they instinctively pulled out their wands, immediately on guard. No one wanted to get hit by an unknown jinx.
But no matter how quick they were, none of them were faster than Draco, who had already cast a Shield Charm to protect Goyle. And they couldn't catch the culprit hiding among them...
Aside from the sudden attack, Hermione was also worried about Harry Potter's strange behavior.
"Harry, are you okay?"
"I... I don't know, it's just..."
Harry instinctively touched the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, which no longer hurt, but he didn't answer Hermione's question.
"What? Harry, what did you say?"
"No, just let me rest for a bit."
As Harry let out a groan, Goyle and the others erupted in accusations and anger. Other than Hermione, no one seemed to care what was happening to Harry.
"Gryffindors, you're disgusting!"
"An ambush? Seriously?!"
"We didn't do it! It must be some kind of mistake!"
"Yeah, maybe you just saw it wrong!"
The Slytherins were the first to point their wands at the confused Gryffindors in front of them.
Faced with the hostility, the little lions didn't know what to do. All they could do was grit their teeth and draw their wands in return, though the way their hands trembled made it clear just how frustrated they felt.
After all, the jinx had undeniably come from their side.
But who had actually cast the spell?
This wasn't like Gryffindor at all...
...
If Draco hadn't been here, finding the culprit might have actually been quite difficult.
But from the way he muttered just now, it was clear—Draco already knew who did it...
"Wandless magic? What does that mean?"
Pansy didn't seem surprised that Draco had managed to protect Goyle. While she furiously searched for the attacker, she still found time to ask about Draco's cryptic words.
Instinctively, she glanced at the wizard who wasn't holding a wand. In such a tense standoff, someone like that stood out immediately.
It didn't take long for Pansy to realize who Draco was referring to—there was only one wizard here without a wand.
Ron Weasley, whose wand had been broken by the Cornish pixies during Defense Against the Dark Arts!
"It's him? If it's really him, then he does have a strong motive for attacking Goyle."
Though she doubted whether Ron had the ability to perform wandless magic, Pansy trusted Draco's judgment almost without question. Besides, she could clearly see the malice in Ron Weasley's expression—he wasn't even trying to hide it.
But why was he acting so brazen? Did he really think no one would figure out it was him?
Just as Pansy worked through her thoughts, Draco slowly stepped forward from the back of the group.
The Slytherins—who moments ago looked ready to fire off spells—suddenly lowered their wands and stepped aside.
At that moment, the Gryffindors, led by Oliver Wood, gripped their wands tightly. It was just Draco, yet the pressure they felt was immense.
Never mind what Draco had shown last year—just that perfectly timed Shield Charm from earlier was enough to make Oliver, a senior student, break into a sweat. The younger Gryffindors behind him felt it even more.
"Malfoy, I think this might be a misunderstanding."
"There's no misunderstanding. Not coming out?"
Draco's cold, blunt tone made Oliver Wood clench his wand even harder. But with no justification to stand on, he didn't know how to respond—and he was furious at whoever had acted on their own and started this mess.
Caught up in the moment, Oliver didn't even notice that Draco's eyes hadn't been on him at all—they were fixed on a wizard standing just behind him...
"Not going to admit it, you stupid Weasley?"
"Weasley?"
"No way…"
Draco's words drew everyone's gaze to the Weasley twins. George and Fred looked completely stunned, as if they hadn't expected to hear their name come out of Draco's mouth.
In that instant, under the pressure of so many eyes, their usual mischievous expressions vanished...
"You've got to be kidding. George would never do something like that."
"Exactly. Fred wouldn't ambush anyone with a jinx."
It was true—the Weasley twins were known for playful mischief and harmless spells, but they'd never done anything as malicious as this. It just wasn't their style.
As for the other Weasley, Ron—he was completely ignored.
After all, he didn't even have a wand. How could he have cast a spell?
"Still not coming out? Then..."
Draco, as always, had no intention of explaining himself.
He slowly raised his wand. Just as all eyes turned to him in confusion, a figure appeared on the Quidditch pitch.
"A friendly match? I assume you're in need of a fair and highly skilled referee. In fact, if you've read My Journey with the Broomstick, you'll know that my flying skills rival those of the pros."
"..."
"..."
That smug tone and the overwhelming floral scent that arrived even before the speaker did left no room for doubt as to who had just shown up.
It was Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!
His sudden appearance made Draco hesitate, wand still raised. His gray eyes narrowed, filled with scrutiny as he looked at Lockhart.
Was this... just another coincidence?