59 CH56: I'm willing to accept the punishment, but

After class, he walked out of the classroom first and stretched. Hermione was still at her desk, engrossed in filling out notes and practical experiences. Hermione's notes were always numerous, dense, and precise.

Very different from his.

"Oh, Mr. Savior is still waiting for his little Mudblood," Harry suddenly heard a voice and turned his head.

It was three Slytherin boys, not Draco and his gang. One of them even said deliberately in a mocking tone, "Oh~ Harry is due for lunch~"

"Hey, keep your voice down, he might be listening."

"Does he even understand what Mudblood means? Don't be ridiculous. I heard that he lives in the Muggle world."

"Who cares? Professor Snape is obviously unhappy with him. He singles him out all the time and doesn't assign him a Slytherin partner in class. And he let him pair up with a Gryffindor girl..."

Harry's face darkened. At that moment, Hermione packed her things and walked out.

"Come on, let's go have lunch. Did you want to bring some desserts to Hagrid?" Hermione said.

Harry turned around and said, "Uh... I remembered that I have to go back to the common room to fetch some things. How about you go to the first floor first?"

Hermione was a little surprised, then nodded: "Okay, I'll head up first."

With that, Hermione turned and left along the underground corridor.

Harry also walked in the direction where the three had left moments ago...

"To be honest, I think he's really putting on an act. I heard he gets up early every day, goes out for a run, and then comes back to pick out clothes and comb his hair!"

"For a person who lives alone, he seems to look down on others. The Slytherin family is much more prominent, but others don't pretend like him!"

Suddenly, a hand was placed on the boy's shoulder. He turned around and saw a face that shouldn't have been there at that moment.

"Oh, Mr. Savior?!" The boy with brown hair and some freckles on his face looked at Harry unhappily. "What's the matter?"

The others on both sides of him also drew closer.

"Of course," Harry nodded. "I just overheard some derogatory language, so I hope you can apologize."

"Did I say anything?" The boy spread his hands and looked at his friend beside him with a streetwise smile. "I didn't say anything about what happened to our savior's hearing."

There weren't many people coming and going in the underground corridor. Classes had just ended again, and almost everyone here was from Slytherin. They slowed down and made space in a silent agreement.

"You insulted my friend," Harry said.

"There aren't many things I value, but friends and dignity are among them. When you insulted my friend in front of me, you hurt my dignity."

"So what?"

"So--"

As he spoke, Harry suddenly raised his hand and struck him.

Blood spattered, and the boy staggered backward. However, he was much sturdier than Crabbe before. He grabbed onto the shoulders of his two friends on his left and lunged towards Harry.

The fake wand suddenly appeared in Harry's hand, aimed at the guy's leg.

"Stand stiff and halt—"

In an instant, his two legs seemed to be bound by invisible ropes and forced together. Driven by inertia, he fell heavily forward.

A close encounter with the ground.

At the same time, the other two also charged forward. Harry didn't hesitate to release the spell. He felt that even if Felix replaced these guys, he could knock them down with three punches and two kicks.

Thinking quickly, he punched and incapacitated the other two with precision. However, he himself also faced some trouble. His clothes were slightly torn and his hair disheveled.

"Harry Potter, don't think just because you're famous, you can do whatever you want! Don't push it too far!" Two third-year students stood up and yelled at Harry.

Harry straightened up, meeting the other person's gaze without flinching, running a hand through his hair to tidy it once more.

"Then let's settle this!"

His voice, though not loud, resonated sharply in everyone's ears.

It was a little trick he'd learned from the Viking warriors who could wield magic in their village. By enchanting his vocal cords, he could unleash a startling battle cry.

"Fus!"

Suddenly, a spell shot accurately through the crowd of onlookers, landing squarely in the center of the fray. Heavy footsteps followed, echoing from behind the gathering.

Snape emerged, his face as dark as a thundercloud.

"Harry Potter, you are just like your father!"

"Why bring my father into this, Professor?" Harry shot back, his tone cool.

"I don't need to ask you!" Snape barked, casting a glare around the assembled students. "Someone, explain to me what transpired here!"

It didn't take much explanation; the evidence was clear.

Harry surveyed the scene, his demeanor icy. "I need an honest witness, someone unafraid to speak the truth!"

"Potter, silence!" Snape's grip on Harry's shoulder tightened, his anger palpable.

A young girl, unable to bear the tense atmosphere, spoke up. She was only eleven, and this was her first encounter with such violence.

"Professor, it was Field and the others. They insulted Potter's friend, a Gryffindor girl, calling her a Mudblood. Potter confronted them, asking for an apology... and then... this happened."

Mudblood?

Snape's expression shifted, his face draining of color.

Harry felt the pressure of Snape's hand increase on his shoulder.

What did it mean? Disapproval?

Perhaps in Snape's eyes, Harry's actions were excessive and unnecessary, especially against fellow Slytherins.

But Harry felt differently.

So he spoke, neither humble nor arrogant: "Yes, Professor! They insulted my friends, and for that, I dealt with them accordingly."

He glanced around. "I know everyone talks behind others' backs, and I'm not oblivious to the gossip. But remember - say it to my face, or not at all."

With that, he turned slightly, catching sight of Snape's trembling hand gripping the wand.

"Professor, I'll accept any punishment, but I must make my stance clear. It's not about which house I'm in!"

Unexpectedly, Snape shoved him aside, striding through the crowd and disappearing faster than he arrived.

"Get them to the infirmary, what are you waiting for?! Potter, await your detention!"

And with that, he was gone. His robes billowed behind him as he hurried away, leaving everyone in the corridor scrambling to clear a path, not daring to cross him.

Returning swiftly to his office adjacent to the Potions classroom, Snape slammed the door shut and leaned heavily against it, as if drained.

After catching his breath, he staggered to his desk.

But before his eyes, Harry's defiance replayed:

That face, so infuriating;

Those piercing green eyes;

His proficiency in Potions class...

Harry's stubborn voice echoed in his mind:

"He insulted my friend, and I responded!"

"Professor, I'll accept the consequences, but I won't back down!"

The Gryffindor girl...

The Slytherin boy...

Weakly, Snape collapsed onto his desk, his eyes red with fury, his face contorted.

Boom—

A deafening explosion, and thick smoke engulfed the room. The desk disintegrated under the force of Snape's pent-up magic.

In the haze, his robes fell to the ground, and he stood, a figure wrought with frustration and rage.