Kyle's intervention immediately dampened the Slytherin "little snakes'" desire to continue their confrontation with Gryffindor.
After all, he was a member of the Dumbledore family. From the frequency with which he was invited to the Headmaster's office for tea every few days, it was clear that his status in Dumbledore's heart was by no means low. The title of Hogwarts' "most well-connected student" wasn't just for show; even if Snape was biased toward them, they didn't think they could stand against Dumbledore.
Most Slytherin students thought this way, with one exception.
Pansy Parkinson stood aggressively before Kyle, pointing at his nose and yelling: "Do you think you can do whatever you want in Hogwarts just because you're using Dumbledore's name?"
Marcus Flint broke into a cold sweat instantly. He hurried forward to pull Pansy back into the Slytherin crowd, but she remained as relentless as a shrew.
"If that old bee Dumbledore hadn't been shielding you, you would have been kicked out of Hogwarts long ago for all the school rules you've broken!"
Hearing Pansy's words, a grim-faced Hannah stepped through the crowd to face her.
Kyle had originally intended to hit Pansy with a Crucio the moment he heard the term "old bee." After all, Pansy was insulting the father of the Third Dark Lord and the old flame of the First Dark Lord. If Kyle didn't teach Pansy a lesson on the spot and let word reach the Acolytes, the consequences would be far worse than a simple Cruciatus Curse.
However, since Hannah had already charged forward, there was no need for Kyle to add a Crucio.
Pansy was still spewing venom. "Draco's father is a School Governor! If you offend us, even if Dumbledore protects you, you'll—"
Slap!
A crisp slapping sound rang out. Hannah gave Pansy a heavy blow.
If she hadn't been afraid of killing her, Hannah's slap—powered by Monster Strength—could have taken Pansy's head off. A clearly defined, bright red handprint appeared on Pansy's face, her expression one of utter disbelief.
She had actually been hit?
Snapping out of it, Pansy furiously drew her wand and began firing hexes at Hannah. To break such low-level magic, Kyle simply gave his wand a light flick, and the spells immediately ricocheted back toward the Slytherins.
Several unlucky Slytherins were hit by the reflected hexes, which immediately escalated the situation on the Quidditch pitch. Slytherin students drew their wands to fight back, and the Gryffindors were not to be outdone.
Kyle snatched the Beater's bats from the hands of the twin brothers. Activating his Demon Skin, he charged into the Slytherin formation, beginning a "Dynasty Warriors" style slaughter. Hannah also looked excited; activating her Monster Strength, she followed Kyle into the fray.
The "little iron girl's" first target was Pansy, whom she had just slapped. After a brutal Tenshu-kyaku (Heavenly Foot), Pansy was sent flying, crashing into the ground and falling unconscious. Countless Slytherins, panicking to avoid the violent Hannah, trampled over Pansy.
Watching from the side, Kyle's lip twitched. He silently pressed his palms together in his heart, hoping she wasn't dead.
"Upper years! To the front! Cast Protego!"
Limited by the power of his Explosive Clay, Fred—who couldn't fully indulge in his "art of explosions"—could only stand at the front of the Gryffindor line, organizing students for defense and launching an offensive against Slytherin.
Hermione stood at the forefront as well. Thanks to over a year of "involution"—secretly studying late at night—the top student "little beaver" now possessed magic levels no weaker than a third or fourth-year student. Her precise Stunning Spells knocked out a Slytherin student with every cast. Meanwhile, the various hexes fired by the opposition were blocked by Gryffindor's orderly defensive line, failing to scratch the "little beaver" at all.
George released his five puppets, manipulating them to carry out a dehumanizing beating on the Slytherin students. This was the "Chikamatsu Collection of Ten" that George was building, though due to a lack of Galleons and time, he had only finished five so far.
Still, it was enough for this student brawl.
How many students actually mastered high-power spells? Even if they had, they wouldn't dare use them in this setting, or it would be hard to settle if someone died. Though the students were incensed, they maintained a modicum of reason, using only common hexes.
Such magic was powerless against armor made of magical metal; it couldn't even leave a mark. And even without using the "Namo Gatling Bodhisattva" or "Ex-Wife Missiles" George had installed, the heavy fists of the alchemical puppets were enough to take down a "little kid" with every punch.
Students from Slytherin and Gryffindor scattered throughout the castle were constantly reinforcing the Quidditch pitch, and Kyle, fighting in the middle of the Slytherin ranks, soon felt the pressure increase.
After knocking out another student, Kyle bent his knees slightly and leaped high, landing back in the Gryffindor ranks after a few bounds.
"This can't go on; the professors will be here soon," Fred said.
Kyle stroked his chin. "I have a way to give them all a good thrashing before the professors arrive."
Hermione's ears perked up. "What way?"
Kyle gave a wicked, sinister grin. "Professor Snape is going to kill me for this."
Hearing this, Fred also grinned. "Are you afraid of that?"
"Of course not."
A moment later, a deafening explosion suddenly echoed across the Quidditch pitch, drowning out all the noise. All the students instinctively stopped and looked toward the sound.
There stood "Snape," his face ashen, his greasy hair nearly igniting with physical flames of fury. For some reason, this "Snape" seemed a bit short?
"What are you doing? A mass brawl?! I have never seen such a heinous act in all my time at Hogwarts!"
Hearing "Snape's" roar, the Gryffindor lions sheepishly lowered their wands. The Slytherin students, however, had expressions of being "saved"; they had nearly been crushed by their old rivals. After the relief came intense schadenfreude.
Given Snape's bias toward their house, the lions opposite them certainly wouldn't get off easy. They began to imagine the scene of Snape teaching those Gryffindors a lesson on their behalf.
However, they never expected that someone would dare to continue fighting right in front of Professor Snape.
Ten Chakra Threads extending from George's fingertips were still linked to the five alchemical puppets. Under everyone's incredulous gazes, the five puppets charged back into the Slytherin ranks for a new round of beatings.
Fred also raised his wand again, a non-stop barrage of spell-light erupting from the tip.
To the despair of the Slytherin "snakes," their beloved Head of House, "Snape," showed no intention of stopping them. Instead, he stood there with his hands behind his back, watching coldly.
"Professor Snape! Why are you just watching!"
Hearing the desperate cries of the little snakes, "Professor Snape" gave a charmingly wicked smile. He drew two Beater's bats from behind his back and charged into the crowd following the Weasley twins.
Thanks to the terrifying image Snape had established in the minds of the entire student body, even the Slytherin snakes were utterly terrified when facing that gloomiest of faces. They couldn't muster an ounce of fighting spirit, let alone raise their wands to resist.
The oblivious Gryffindor lions watched in a daze. What was happening? Why was Snape helping Gryffindor beat up his own house?
"Professor Snape! Have you really abandoned us?"
The pained cries of the snakes only brought more inhuman beatings. The Gryffindors standing on the field finally reacted; if the "Old Bat" was dealing such heavy blows to his own house, when would they ever get another chance to kick them while they were down?
A moment later, not a single student wearing a Slytherin house crest could be seen standing on the Quidditch pitch.
"Snape" had a satisfied smile on his face. Under everyone's gaze, he raised his hand and rubbed his face with his elbow. His facial muscles and bones began to shift; the large hooked nose disappeared, replaced by delicate features. The greasy black hair was replaced by golden hair as bright as sunlight.
The eternal black cloak, losing the support of the Transfiguration, returned to its original form—the standard Hogwarts student uniform seen everywhere.
Kyle's brilliantly smiling face appeared before everyone.
The Gryffindors present nearly dropped their wands in shock. What had they just seen? Why did Snape suddenly turn into Kyle?
Just then, a roar of uncontrollable rage erupted from the direction of the castle:
"Merlin's beard! What have you all done!"
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