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Marcus and the others slowly came out. The moment they appeared, they saw Dudley pressing Malfoy's head to the floor as he passed out.
There was only one way out of the Slytherin common room. If they wanted to inform Snape, they had to pass through there.
But the scene in front of them shocked everyone present.
The older students from the meeting room clearly had not expected to find such a disastrous situation outside. Young wizards were strewn across the floor in every direction.
Not a single one of them could stand up.
They had only imagined that Dudley had subdued Malfoy in the middle of a group of students.
They had never imagined that he had subdued all of them… leaving only Malfoy standing.
What kind of spell could cause something like this?
An extremely powerful Stunning Spell?
Or some kind of special magic?
And why was everyone clutching their own backside?
Was that also an effect of the spell?
The older Slytherins silently raised Dudley's danger level by several ranks.
This Dursley was no simple person.
And Potter was even less simple.
That Harry Potter was definitely not an ordinary student. The story that he had spent all those years growing up in a Muggle household seemed less and less believable.
If even his cousin was this strong…
Then how strong must Potter himself be?
Countless thoughts flashed through the minds of the older students.
When they looked at Dudley, their gazes carried a certain complexity.
But the seventh-year prefect was thinking even more deeply.
Why were the two cousins separated?
One in Gryffindor and the other in Slytherin.
That definitely had a deeper meaning.
Could it be that Potter… intended to conquer Gryffindor first… and then subdue Slytherin?
The moment that frightening thought appeared, he could no longer get rid of it.
Without realizing it, he had even begun treating Harry with more respect in his thoughts.
Among everyone present, probably only Marcus was not thinking about any of that.
His brain simply couldn't handle that many thoughts.
Well… that wasn't entirely true.
He was thinking about Malfoy.
"Stop! Let Draco go!"
Marcus pulled out his wand and pointed it at Dudley.
"Stupefy!"
A red beam shot from the tip of his wand.
Without thinking twice, Dudley lifted Draco and used his body to block the spell.
Ever since the older students had appeared, his attention had been focused on them.
Poor Malfoy.
Before, he had only passed out from fright.
And now he had taken a Stunning Spell too.
Great.
Now he really wouldn't be waking up today.
"Damn it!" Marcus cursed, firing another spell.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Dudley grabbed Malfoy by the back with one hand and raised him like a human shield.
The spell hit Malfoy again.
Marcus refused to give up.
He fired several more spells in succession.
There were even a few dark jinxes mixed in.
All of them were blocked by Malfoy.
For a moment, Dudley actually began to suspect Marcus wasn't trying to save Malfoy…
But get revenge on him.
One of the spells seemed to have something to do with… some kind of knot.
Poor Malfoy.
Without knowing anything, he ended up taking more than ten spells in a row.
Lucky him.
While blocking the spells with the "Malfoy shield," Dudley also grabbed Goyle with his other hand and lifted him completely off the ground.
Watching the older students cautiously, he asked,
"Enemies?"
Fighting younger students was no problem.
But facing older students who already knew several spells…
Honestly, Dudley was not sure of the outcome.
Unless he could take them down in a single blow.
In that case, he could not show even a shred of mercy.
He hadn't attacked right away because, aside from Marcus, the other older students were just standing there watching.
'This… is magic?'
Using Malfoy as a shield was at least understandable.
But grabbing Goyle upside down and using him as a weapon was so brutal that it left the older students completely stunned.
After thinking for a long time, they still could not reach any conclusion.
When they heard Dudley's question, they silently moved away from Marcus.
Making their position clear.
They were not on his side.
"Understood."
Dudley nodded cooperatively.
That silent understanding made them look like old friends who had known each other for years.
Everything had been understood without a single word needing to be said.
Only Marcus failed to notice any of it.
"Drop the weapon… no, drop Malfoy and Goyle!"
Marcus pointed his wand at Dudley again.
He genuinely did not know what to do.
It was the first time he had ever seen someone use another person as a weapon.
But Dudley had no intention of waiting.
Especially because he disliked having a wand pointed at him.
He simply tossed Malfoy onto the ground.
With Goyle slung over one shoulder, he walked to the other side and picked up Crabbe as well.
Those two "weapons" were fairly handy.
Holding them made him feel more secure.
Malfoy was petrified while lying sideways.
He wasn't suitable as a weapon.
Besides…
There was a strange smell coming from him.
No one knew when that had happened.
But the moment Dudley lifted Crabbe as well, Marcus was completely terrified.
By reflex, he cast another spell.
"Expelliarmus!"
That was a spell students normally learned in second or third year.
Its effect was to disarm an opponent by making their wand fly into the caster's hand.
For a wizard, it was extremely useful.
After all, very few people knew how to cast magic without a wand.
Without a wand, a wizard lost almost all of their power.
But there was a problem.
Dudley did not have a wand in his hands.
He was only holding Goyle and Crabbe.
And so an interesting question arose.
Did Goyle and Crabbe count as weapons?
Dudley had studied this spell carefully before.
Its effect depended on the caster's perception.
If you considered a wand a weapon, the spell would work on the wand.
If you considered a bow a weapon, it would work on the bow.
If you considered a firearm a weapon, it would work on that.
But there was one important limitation.
The spell did not work on living beings.
Otherwise, if the enemy fought with their fists…
Would Expelliarmus tear off their hands?
And if the head were considered a weapon?
Would Expelliarmus rip off the head?
Would the head fly into your hand?
That would be even more brutal than Avada Kedavra.
Imagine Hogwarts teaching second-years a spell that rips off heads.
A group of students walking around the castle holding enemy heads.
The scene would be horrifying.
So Dudley did not even bother trying to dodge.
He simply let the spell hit him.
Nothing happened.
Expelliarmus failed exactly as he had expected.
In fact, that spell also had a secondary effect:
It could knock the target backward.
But before the older students had arrived, Dudley had already completed six meditation cycles, strengthening his special defense to the maximum.
Combined with his constant physical training, his balance was extremely solid.
The spell only made him sway slightly.
Yes.
He had done it on purpose to scare Marcus.
Everything was within his calculations.
"He was the one who attacked first."
"I already gave him three chances."
Dudley said with a slight smile.
But he was not speaking to Marcus.
He was speaking to the other Slytherin students.
Then, taking advantage of the moment Marcus was stunned, Dudley threw Crabbe like a human hammer.
Marcus collapsed to the ground immediately.
Unconscious.
To the older students, that scene was even more frightening.
Potter's cousin could resist Expelliarmus.
He could turn people into weapons.
And he could fight in such a brutal way.
It was simply…
Terrifyingly violent.
'Potter has been hiding far too much.'
The prefect slowly closed his eyes.
Trying to empty his mind.
Sometimes, knowing too much was not a good thing.
As for the possibility that Dudley had done all this with nothing but physical strength…
They did not even consider it.
No normal wizard would do something like that.
Dudley slowly walked over to Marcus, who was still unconscious.
He hoisted Crabbe back onto his shoulder.
Then asked casually, while remaining fully alert,
"Problem?"
That scene, combined with Dudley's natural aura, deeply shocked those students who were on the verge of graduating.
None of them spoke.
"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
"Please wait a moment."
Seeing that no one else was going to speak, the prefect had to step in personally.
Dudley stopped and turned around.
Looking at him in silence.
The prefect raised his head to meet his gaze.
But the instant their eyes met, he looked away.
What kind of look was that?
It did not feel as though he were standing in front of a human…
But a beast.
Even as a seventh-year student who had already met many wizards — including some dark wizards — he had never seen a gaze like that before.
'Thank goodness I didn't let Marcus come out alone.'
He silently thanked himself for that decision.
'A wizard like this… must never be turned into an enemy.'
The prefect inclined slightly, making a formal gesture Dudley did not recognize.
Then he said,
"I would like to offer my sincere apologies for Marcus Flint's rude behavior."
"He acted on impulse."
In truth, he did not even need to apologize.
None of this had anything to do with him.
But Marcus was part of his group.
And Marcus had attacked first.
Three times.
If he did not make his position clear, the situation could rapidly worsen.
Dudley was also surprised to hear that.
He had not expected an apology.
Even so, he did not lower his guard.
Was this a strategy of showing courtesy first…
And then attacking afterward?
It was not just Dudley who was surprised.
The other older students were too.
But the prefect surely had his reasons.
After all, he was the leader of that little group.
"We can leave the apologies for later."
"Do you want anything else?"
Dudley's voice was strangely calm.
The prefect let out a small sigh of relief.
He had not accepted the apology.
But at least it was still possible to talk.
"Please believe that Marcus's actions were entirely personal."
"They do not represent the Flint family."
The Flint family was close to his family.
Almost allies.
That was why he had invested so much effort in supporting Marcus.
But the Flint family did not consist of Marcus alone.
Next year, another member of the family would enter Hogwarts.
That was why he needed to separate Marcus from the family itself.
"Flint?"
"You mean the Flint family that produced a Minister for Magic a hundred years ago?"
Dudley calmly recited several historical facts about the Flint family.
He always made a point of memorizing everything that might be useful about the wizarding world.
Spells.
Potions.
Herbology.
Magical history.
Important families.
Famous figures.
He had prepared carefully in order to integrate into the wizarding world.
The older students were shocked to hear that.
Even as pure-blood wizards, many of them did not know those things.
Only the prefect found it completely natural.
'As expected of Potter…'
'He must be planning something enormous.'
After all, how could a wizard raised among Muggles know so much?
In truth, all of that was in the History of Magic books.
They simply had never studied.
Most wizards, especially students, hated History of Magic.
And no one would imagine that a first-year on his very first day had already memorized centuries of history.
The conversation that followed went surprisingly smoothly.
The prefect showed great courtesy toward Dudley.
He completely avoided mentioning the fight.
He said he would handle everything else personally.
As compensation, he even offered to buy the wands of the defeated students at a high price.
His attitude was extremely respectful.
Almost humble.
A true example of a seasoned Slytherin.
The younger students still had a great deal to learn.
"Mr. Dursley, I have a small request."
The prefect carefully chose his words before continuing.
"If possible, I hope you can overlook Draco's actions this time."
"His father has helped me a great deal in the past."
In reality, Lucius Malfoy had never helped him all that much.
Their families were not particularly close.
But he could not simply ignore the situation.
Among pure-blood families, there was always this kind of exchange of favors.
Even if only for appearances.
After all, every family had younger children.
Unless the families were already declared enemies.
"Carrow, if anyone else said that to me, I'd tell them to go to hell."
"But since it's you… I'm happy to grant you that favor."
You don't hit someone who offers you a smile.
Dudley decided to grant him that courtesy.
But immediately afterward, his face darkened.
Carrow's heart tightened.
"But only once."
"And it will be the last."
"If I get another opportunity…"
"Naturally."
Carrow nodded.
He understood perfectly.
Respect was something that had to go both ways.
After all, everyone had already received their punishment.
Dudley had also made money from it.
The only person who still had not truly been punished was Malfoy.
But Dudley understood people like him very well.
Even if he were spared this time, Malfoy would inevitably come back and provoke him again.
His pride would not allow anything else.
Teenagers had a strange obsession with "reputation."
When that happened again…
No one would protect him anymore.
Not even Carrow.
If Malfoy did not create trouble…
Dudley would find a way to give him the opportunity.
After all.
If everyone had been beaten…
Except Malfoy…
What do you think the other students would think?
Why did Malfoy get away with it?
Isolation would be inevitable.
Of course, Dudley would never admit he was being petty.
Offend Dudley Dursley and walk away unpunished?
Impossible.
In truth, Dudley had overestimated Malfoy.
There was no need to do anything.
Malfoy would create trouble all by himself.
"Mr. Dursley, I sincerely thank you for your understanding."
"The fact that your first day at Hogwarts ended in such an unpleasant way is a failure on my part as prefect."
"I've prepared a small gift for you."
"It will be delivered tomorrow along with the payment for the wands."
"I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
In other words:
Since you've given me this consideration…
I'll make sure the compensation is worth it.
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