"That's because McGonagall handed the decision over to Headmaster Dumbledore." Hermione gave him a look and couldn't be bothered to say more.
"So what on earth did you find, that you actually ended up fighting, and you even used a Reductor Curse—do you have any idea how serious that is? You really could get expelled for that."
"Malfoy started it." Harry said. "I saw him crying in the bathroom, and then he just attacked me out of nowhere. I was only defending myself."
"Wait, what did you just say Malfoy was doing in the bathroom?" Hermione asked in confusion, thinking she'd misheard.
"He was crying," Harry said. "Honestly I thought it was a bit unbelievable too, but it's the truth, I saw it with my own eyes, Moaning Myrtle was there comforting him.
"Malfoy was saying stuff like no one could help him... and that someone was going to kill him."
"Who's going to kill Malfoy?"
"No idea." Harry shook his head. "That's as far as I heard before Malfoy spotted me in the mirror. And you probably don't know this—he actually tried to use the Crucio Curse on me."
"That's impossible!" Hermione said loudly. "That's an Unforgivable Curse—using it on another Wizard is far more serious than breaking school rules."
"I know, but that's what he did." Harry recalled the scene. "If I hadn't cut his Spell off with a Knockback Jinx in time, I'd have been hit."
"Though thinking back, I really should've let him finish the Spell. Like you said, if he'd used an Unforgivable Curse, even Snape wouldn't have been able to save him."
Enduring one Crucio Curse in exchange for Malfoy being expelled sounded like a pretty good deal to Harry.
"What rubbish are you spouting!" Hermione snapped. "That's an Unforgivable Curse! Just look at Katie Bell—she only got hit by Imperio once and had to stay in St Mungo's Hospital for months."
"Don't be so tense, Hermione, I was only joking." Harry said quickly.
Seeing Hermione still refusing to let it go, he had no choice but to change the subject. "By the way, where did you run into Kael?"
That move did work.
"Sixth floor. He was wandering around the castle," Hermione said. "You should be grateful Kael was close to the seventh floor, otherwise he couldn't have rushed over in time to pull you and Malfoy apart. Without him, you two wouldn't have walked out of the Hospital Wing on your own feet.
"The Blasting Curse and the Reductor Curse—what were you even thinking, trying to kill each other?"
Hermione started in on Harry again, saying he shouldn't have been so reckless and should've gone to a professor right away.
This time Harry didn't argue. He was actually a bit relieved, because he knew very well there was no way he could have dodged Malfoy's Blasting Curse just then.
Thinking of that, Harry couldn't help recalling the moment when Kael waved his hand and turned their Charms into ravens.
That kind of Magic was something he'd literally never heard of.
"Hermione, do you know what Charm Kael used?"
Hermione, who had been chattering on, suddenly went quiet. Harry noticed she seemed a bit embarrassed—he wasn't sure if he was imagining it.
"I—I don't know," Hermione stammered.
The truth was, she hadn't been able to bear watching Harry get splattered with blood and had squeezed her eyes shut, so she hadn't seen what Magic Kael used at all.
But she didn't want Harry to know that, so she forced herself to say, "It was probably some sort of Magic Kael found in the library.
"He hasn't been to class for over a month. He must've been in the library reading. It's not surprising he'd pick up some strange Magic."
"Do you know which book it was?" Harry pressed.
He was far too curious. To dissolve someone else's Spell with just a flick of the hand was even more stylish than a Disarming Spell—there was no way Harry wouldn't be tempted.
He'd even thought it through: once he learned that Magic, the next time he faced Malfoy he'd really have some fun toying with him.
"If you want to learn it, go find it in the library yourself—stop asking me about everything!" Hermione said angrily. "And what you should be thinking about right now isn't some Charm, it's how you're going to face Headmaster Dumbledore and keep him from expelling you!"
"I already told you, Malfoy started it. I couldn't just stand there and let him hex me."
Faced with Hermione suddenly getting mad again, Harry didn't really get it, but could only spread his hands and say,
"If Professor Dumbledore expels me for defending myself, then there's nothing I can do."
...