24: Peeves and Wacky Wick


    "John!"


    Hermione stormed over, apanied by Harry and Ron. John was somewhat puzzled.


    A very upset Hermione raised her voice significantly, "Did you know about Nics mel?"


    "Yeah." John''s straightforward response caught the trio off guard.


    Harry asked in confusion, "If you knew, why didn''t you tell us? We''ve been searching for so long."


    John replied in surprise, "I told you. You mean you just now found the wizard card?"


    Harry scratched his head awkwardly. Their initial intent to confront John was quickly subdued.


    Ron, still wanting to make a point, muttered, "You could have just told us directly instead of being so cryptic."


    Hearing this, John''s expression turned serious, making Ron feel he might have said something wrong and he lowered his head guiltily.


    John said earnestly, "Ron, being given the answer will never be as meaningful as finding it yourself. During the search for answers, you not only find the answer but also gain a lot of other knowledge."


    The trio realized the truth in John''s words, especially Harry, who had struggled with the History of Magic but could now answer questions well.


    They felt they had wronged John. Hermione apologized, "Sorry, John. We shouldn''t have doubted you."


    "No worries, but now that you know about Nics mel, what''s next?"


    John nced at Harry, who seemed hesitant to speak, and said, "You''re not suspecting Professor Snape of trying to steal the Philosopher''s Stone, are you?"


    Harry gave a sheepish smile, feeling ufortable about using the head of Slytherin in front of a Slytherin student.


    John sighed, exasperated. "The Philosopher''s Stone isn''t as great as you think. Sure, it''s the pinnacle of alchemy and can produce the Elixir of Life, but that immortality is only theoretical."


    "The physical degradation, the loss of emotions, every bit of you deteriorates over time."


    "Professor Snape is a potions master. He knows these drawbacks and certainly isn''t short on money."


    "What reason would he have to steal the Philosopher''s Stone?"


    His reasoning was sound, leaving Harry at a loss for words.


    Ron thought for a moment and said, "Maybe he''s trying to give it to You-Know-Who."


    Oh boy.


    <em>''Did you read the script, kid?''</em>


    John''s body trembled, and he looked at Ron in disbelief.


    <em>''You know Voldemort isn''t dead? Are you also a transmigrator?''</em>


    Ron felt a bit embarrassed under John''s gaze and muttered, "I heard many of You-Know-Who''s followers were from Slytherin."


    After Voldemort''s downfall, many Death Eaters imed they were under the Imperius Curse. Snape being a Death Eater was no secret to some wizards, as he had been bailed out by Dumbledore.


    John was speechless; Ron''s random guess hit closer to the truth than expected. If Voldemort hadn''t attacked Harry''s family, Snape might still be a Death Eater, but now it was impossible.


    "That''s not possible, Ron. You should be careful with your words, especially since Snape is the head of Slytherin."


    John managed to steer the conversation away, ensuring the trio wouldn''t continue with their assumptions.


    Time seemed to pass peacefully.


    John spent more time learning from Quirrell and didn''t forget about his patrol duties in the Forbidden Forest.


    Since the Acromant attack, Hagrid had be less trusting of Aragog''s offspring. He reminded John to be cautious of the spiders, a warning John heeded seriously.


    He found a spell in the library to fend off spiders, which would be very useful for self-defense.


    Making the most of his time, John attended sses and read during the day, trained and patrolled the Forbidden Forest at night, and studied with Quirrell. His schedule became extremely tight. If it weren''t for his sleepless nature, John would have already copsed from exhaustion.


    Despite his abilities, he still found his time insufficient.


    One day, he nned to head to the Quidditch pitch.


    Gryffindor was ying Hufflepuff, and if Hermione hadn''t reminded him, John wouldn''t have known about the match.


    This match was a rare moment to rx.


    John was walking down the corridor when he heard amotion.


    A group of first-year Slytherin and Hufflepuff students were being pelted with stones by Peeves the Poltergeist.


    "Peeves, stop it!"


    "Peeves! Peeves!"


    Peeves feared no one except the Hogwarts professors and the Bloody Baron. He had no intention of stopping. John saw his ssmate, Daphne Greengrass, get hit by one of Peeves'' stones.


    "Peeves, you''re overstepping!"


    Hearing the voice, Peeves thought it was a professor but instead saw a Slytherin first-year.


    "It''s you, I remember you, John Wick."


    Peevesughed heartily, making faces,pletely disregarding John.


    John furrowed his brows and helped Daphne Greengrass up. The blonde girl was surprised to see John standing up for her, given his not-so-great reputation in Slytherin.


    "Ah, Thanks.." the youngdy from a pure-blood family blushed at the sight of his perfect features.


    John blocked Peeves, his eyes shing with a dangerous glint. "Peeves, you should be punished for this," he said with a harsh tone.


    "Punished?" Peeves sneered and threw a stone at John.


    Earlier, Daphne Greengrass had flinched when she was hit, closing her eyes involuntarily.


    John, however, calmly drew his wand, handling it with the grace of a symphony conductor.


    "Waddiwasi!"


    The stone seemed to hit an invisible and flew back toward Peeves, striking his ghostly figure and going through his head.


    John didn''t stop, continuing to cast spells.


    "Wingardium Leviosa."


    "Waddiwasi!"


    With thebination of the two spells, the scattered stones on the ground chased after Peeves, pelting him continuously. Even though everyone passed his translucent silvery figure, the fact of beingughed at and outdone by 1st year was a hit for his pride as a troublemaker.


    Peeves yelped as he was targeted with stones, not to mention the trajectory of stones always passed his crotch, bum, and head regions making the little wizardsugh at him.


    "Hell, yeah!"


    "That was cool!"


    The Hufflepuff students who had been pursued by Peeves cheered loudly.


    John nced at Daphne, who was still hiding behind him, and smiled, "It''s alright now. Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"


    John''s confrontation with Peeves made him look like a hero.


    The Slytherin students also began to change their views of him, seeing him as someone who would stand up for his ssmates.


    Daphne, a typically proud girl, now saw John in a new light. "Once again, thank you," she said softly, her voice almost shy as she sneaked nces at him.


    John looked outside. Well, it seemed he would miss the Quidditch match.


    Taking the injured students to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had her hands full.


    The students had long suffered from Peeves'' antics, and news of someone finally standing up to him spread quickly throughout the school.


    ...


    The Quidditch match ended.


    Ron was holding his nose, and Neville was being carried to the hospital wing. Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, each sported ck eyes, ring angrily at the Gryffindor table from across the Hufflepuff table.


    "Damn it, that damn Weasley, he ambushed me," Malfoy seethed.


    Malfoy was furious. During the match, he and Ron had gotten into a scuffle, and soon Neville and Crabbe joined in.


    As for Harry, he disappeared after the celebration.


    However, this didn''t stop Malfoy from harboring hatred towards Gryffindor.


    John shook his head, feeling a bit exasperated, and said, "Malfoy, you three couldn''t even win against two."


    This made Malfoy''s face turn red. He retorted vehemently, "If I used my wand, I could take on twelve Weasleys and Longbottoms!"


    John would be a fool to believe that.


    Closing his book, he saw that it waspletely dark outside.


    John had to head to the Room of Requirement for training and then patrol the Forbidden Forestter.


    The Gryffindors had moved their celebration elsewhere, probably knowing that the Slytherins here were itching for another fight, so they chose to return to Gryffindor Tower.


    Fred and George were sneaking off to the kitchen to steal some cake. John didn''t expose them.


    However, he thought that if they just spoke nicely to the house-elves, they would probably be more than happy to bring cakes to great wizards.


    At the door of the Room of Requirement, John encountered Harry on his way back.


    Harry said firmly, "John, it''s Snape. I saw him with my own eyes. He was threatening Professor Quirrell in the Forbidden Forest."


    _______