"David, you... you're okay!"
Penelope arrived with more than a dozen young Ravenclaw students. After taking in the scene before her, she didn't know what to say.
In her panic, she had completely forgotten David's strength. Now that she thought about it, what she should really be worried about was whether these Slytherins would survive this encounter in one piece.
Just after the last class, she had come across a frantic third-year Ravenclaw girl.
As a class leader, Penelope naturally felt the need to inquire. Upon learning that David had been ambushed by five senior Slytherin students, she had immediately gathered some of her fifth-year classmates and any Ravenclaw students she met along the way.
Unfortunately, the third-year girl had fled before seeing how the situation unfolded and assumed the worst—that David had been severely beaten.
At the time, Penelope had just stepped out of the Hogwarts library with a companion when she witnessed the scene. Two third-year students, she and her friend had neither dared to intervene nor had the heart to stand by and watch. One of them rushed to find Professor Flitwick, while the other ran to the Ravenclaw common room to rally support.
The one heading for the common room had crossed paths with Penelope, allowing them to arrive at the scene so quickly.
"Have you thought about the consequences of this?" Penelope whispered in David's ear after a brief moment of silence.
Perhaps he had gone too far. A lesson should have sufficed, but now these Slytherins were left in a miserable state. Thankfully, they were in the wizarding world, where injuries could be healed with potions and spells. Otherwise, this would have turned into a much bigger problem.
More concerning was the state of David's wand—it was broken. That was serious. Breaking a wizard's wand was akin to declaring a life-or-death feud. True, looking at these terrified Slytherins, they were too shaken to even consider revenge. But the repercussions of this event could be significant.
More importantly, would David be expelled for using such excessive force?
"No consequences. The worst that can happen is a detention," David replied indifferently.
"They're not dead—just injured. A few bottles of potions will fix them. Their Head of House is a Potions Master, isn't he?"
Penelope frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," David said firmly.
Expulsion? That was impossible.
For one, these Slytherins had started the fight, and they had drawn their wands first.
Besides, Hogwarts professors were known for protecting their own. Professor Flitwick would never stand by and let one of his best students be expelled over something like this.
Even Dumbledore wouldn't expel him. True, David wasn't Harry Potter—he wouldn't receive the same level of special treatment—but his talent was undeniable. Dumbledore would recognize the value in keeping him at Hogwarts.
And what if David were expelled?
A wizard, expelled from Hogwarts, with conflicts against pure-blooded and half-blooded wizards—one with immense magical talent?
Unless they managed to eliminate him completely, he would become a serious problem in the future. With his abilities, David could easily go into hiding, connect with dark wizards, and stir up chaos.
Would he become the next Voldemort? That was uncertain, but one thing was clear—the wizarding world would not be at peace.
Dumbledore was too wise to let that happen. Keeping David within Hogwarts was the safest option.
Penelope remained uncertain but decided not to press the issue.
She was more concerned about David's mental state. As someone who had spent time with him in the Room of Requirement, she was well aware of his proficiency in dark magic. Dark magic had its side effects—it could influence a person's emotions.
Would this incident push David further down that path?
Before she could dwell on it, another group of students arrived—drawn by the commotion. Many had been studying in the library when the screams reached them. Students from all four houses were now gathered, their curiosity piqued.
"David, what happened?"
Cassandra and Hermione emerged from the crowd and rushed toward him.
Even without knowing the details, it was clear from the scene that David was at the center of the conflict.
"These guys wanted to steal the formula for the Bafe Brain Refresher. I refused, so they attacked me. I defended myself, and I won," David explained casually.
"If Dumbledore gives you trouble over this, I'll tell my father," Cassandra said, stepping back into the crowd.
She had no intention of letting David take the fall. The Slytherin students who had attacked him had brought shame to their house, and she saw no reason to protect them.
Besides, David was the opponent she had chosen to challenge for the next seven years—she wasn't about to let Hogwarts take him away.
Her father, the Director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, had enough influence in the British wizarding world. Even Dumbledore wouldn't ignore his stance on the matter.
Meanwhile, Hermione was on the verge of tears.
Unlike in the original timeline, Hermione had not yet become friends with Harry and Ronald. She had spent most of her time studying and competing academically, but she had softened somewhat after losing to David in her favorite subjects.
She was still a model student who followed Hogwarts rules to the letter. She had never joined any of Harry and Ronald's late-night escapades. In fact, she barely interacted with them at all.
As a result, she hadn't yet grasped the full picture of how Hogwarts operated. From her perspective, David had committed a serious offense, and in her mind, there was no escaping expulsion.
As the incident spread, more and more students arrived. The Weasley twins, Cedric, Zhang, Harry, and others gathered, all curious and concerned about David.
Among the crowd was Malfoy, one of the orchestrators of the attack.
Draco had played a role in arranging this ambush. He and his group had met with the Slytherins before they confronted David, expecting them to return with good news.
Instead, they were left watching their so-called reinforcements writhing on the ground, completely incapacitated.
Malfoy began to sweat.
David had single-handedly taken down five fourth-year Slytherins—and brutally, at that.
Had he been holding back during their train confrontation?
Draco's mind raced. Had those Slytherins betrayed him? If David found out he had been the mastermind behind this, what would happen to him?
His legs trembled as fear settled in. Why had he even provoked David in the first place?
"Goyle, Crabbe... let's go back," Draco muttered.
His knees felt weak as he walked, needing support from his two companions. All he wanted now was to get as far away from David as possible.
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