§5　The Demon of Gryffindor

Kaworu Mimori

"In today's practical training,"
Despite the dozens of students from Gryffindor and Slytherin houses, the underground dungeon classroom was eerily quiet.
"As announced beforehand, you will be brewing the 'Draught of Peace'." Only the tenor voice of the elderly teacher echoed in the stone chamber.
"Now, as you all know, the brewing of the 'Draught of Peace' has been a recurring topic in the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. If one can read English instructions accurately, possesses average attentiveness, caution, and precision, failure is unlikely, let alone any danger... in theory, that is."
With a sigh mixed in, the robust old teacher's words sent a wave of tension among the students. Indeed, among all classes at Hogwarts, Potion-making had the highest accident rate, surpassing even broomstick flying practice. Ignition, explosion, unusual odors, smoke emission, odd side effects --- by the time they reached their fourth year, most students had either witnessed or been involved in such accidents.
"You will need a cauldron, stirring rod, safety gloves, vials, wands, and of course, your textbooks. If anyone has forgotten anything, please leave the classroom now. I look forward to seeing you again next week." With the teacher's final remark, several students left the classroom with bitter expressions.
"Up to eight people per table. Now, please move to your tables with the necessary items."
At the teacher's command, the students began to move simultaneously, their soft exchanges creating a murmuring that gently filled the room.
"Phew!" Showing a smile was Selene Argent, a Gryffindor student with a striking style of long blonde hair up in twin buns with twin pigtails. She was the roommate of Mars Flare.
"Thanks, Mars! I managed to stay without getting kicked out."
Stirring rod clinking against the pot, she said with both hands holding the large cauldron.
"You, seriously, need to remember the things necessary for Potion class." Mars responded with exasperation. "How many years have you been a student?"
It seems she's been doing Selene's checklist of items she needs for her classes. They moved to a nearby table, placing their set of tools and sitting side by side. Other Gryffindor students also began to arrive at the tables one after another.
Clatter, clink, clatter, clink, clatter, clink, clatter
"Maaaaaaars!"
Pushing through the crowd, amidst intense noise and clamor, came the voice getting closer.
Clang!
"I'm sitting next to you!"
Placing a pot filled with tools vigorously beside Mars was Venus Chrome, the Slytherin Quidditch star. Boldly, she seemed to have charged into the midst of Gryffindor students alone.
"Noisy."
"Aw, you're so cold! So mean!"
Mars, with a blunt response, tried to push Venus away, but Venus, embracing her tightly, proved to have stronger arms than Mars's attempts to push her off. Indeed, Venus Chrome was an athlete.
"Oh, Venus! Hi there!"
"Hi there! Selene, you're adorable as always, like an angel!"
Venus waved at Serene, still clinging to Mars' neck.
"Hehe, you're cute, too!"
"You two, stop chatting in my ear! It's annoying! Get lost!"
Despite Mars's outburst, Venus paid no heed. She leaned closer to Mars's ear and,
"Seriously, some of my fans have been a bit extreme and annoying lately. Just for now, can you keep me away from them?"
She said in a hushed voice. Mars quickly scanned the area and caught sight of a group of Slytherin girls exchanging whispers and glaring at Venus and Mars.
"Even so, why come to me?"
"You can handle a little trouble, right?"
"You do know you’re causing trouble, don’t you?" Mars said, pressing her temples.
"Don't worry. Nobody would dare to mess with the 'Demon of Gryffindor'... probably." Venus chuckled.
"Stop with the nonsense ---"
"Is everyone in position? Then, open your textbooks to the section on the 'Draught of Peace'."
Mars's complaints were interrupted by the teacher's voice. Venus smoothly released her arm and deftly retrieved the textbook from the large cauldron. Mars sighed, quickly opened her textbook, and helped Selene, who was fumbling beside her, find the correct page.
The 'Demon of Gryffindor'. No one knows who started calling Mars that. In a school where almost everyone, both students and teachers, can use magic, why was she the only one burdened with such an unwelcome nickname? She did not really like the nickname, but perhaps thanks to its authority, she was able to lead a peaceful school life without being bothered by strange individuals. Surely, there wouldn't be any fools stupid enough to pick a fight with someone who held such a dangerous nickname.

*

"Hey, you!"
--- Now, here are such fools.
"I know you’re called The 'Demon of Griffindor’ or whatever, but so what? Don't get cocky!"
"What was that in the Potion class today! Why are you getting all chummy with Lady Venus?"
They boldly bothered the Demon, and there were three of them. …No, maybe it's because there were three of them that they were feeling so bold.
"How did you manage to deceive Lady Venus?"
As soon as Mars came out of the bathroom after visiting the library, they confronted her. Mars rested her hand on her forehead and let out a long sigh, as if fed up.
"If you were watching, you should know. That idiot did it on her own."
"Don't talk back!"
The girl with the most arrogant attitude, with honey-colored wavy hair, interrupted sharply. It made no sense to ask a question and then scold for answering.
"Calling Lady Venus an idiot!?"
"How rude can you be!? Unbelievable!"
Their anger points were also incomprehensible. They were like fanatics.
"So? What do you want from me?"
"Huh? Surprisingly obedient. Good for you."
The girl with chestnut-colored short hair sneered.
"Never come near Lady Venus again."
The blonde girl glared.
"No talking. Touching her is out of the question."
"I see. It’s crystal clear what you want,"
Mars said as she crossed her arms and,
"…Though I don't understand why you want that, and I have no intention of complying at all." she continued, snorted and shrugged her shoulders. The three Slytherins widened their eyes in surprise and immediately twisted their faces in anger.
"You shouldn't talk so arrogantly!"
"...It seems like you won't understand until you face consequences."
The leader, the girl with honey-brown fluffy hair, took out her wand, and the other two followed suit.
"Diffindo!"
With the incantation, a blade of magic shot out from the girl's wand. If it hits an object, it’ll tear it apart, and if it hits a person, it’ll cut through skin and flesh.
"Protego,"
Almost simultaneously, Mars muttered.
The magic blade launched by the girl was bounced back by an invisible wall just before hitting Mars, striking the girl herself.
"Ouch!"
"Diffindo!" "Flipendo!"
Her companions also cast spells.
"Eek!?" "Oof!"
Their cast spells were similarly deflected before reaching Mars. One of them had her arm cut by the magic blade, while the other was forcefully pushed back.
"This... a shield spell!?"
The leader girl, clutching her injured shoulder, groaned. As a gang leader with followers, she seemed to have enough skill to quickly grasp the situation.
"No way. You don't even have a wand, and you're using such advanced magic?"
"It's not a big deal. You can use magic without a wand. You should know that."
Mars said, looking particularly uninterested. While it's true that magic can be used without a wand, it’s true of only highly-seasoned wizards and witches. Ordinary fourth-year students at magic school would have difficulty casting even simple spells without a wand. Furthermore, the shield spell is considered a difficult spell for students even with a wand.
"No way..."
The leader girl's face paled rapidly. The prowess of this black-haired classmate was far beyond such simple words as "excellent" or "capable"; she was on a completely different level.
"Demon of Gryffindor ---"
"H-How dare you do that!"
"What kind of trickery did you pull, you damn girl!"
Behind the girl who had completely lost her will to fight, the blonde and chestnut-haired girls, who had been hit by their own magic, aimed their wands at Mars with furious intent.
"Hey, stop!"
"Oscotius,"
As Mars uttered the "powerful words," the mouths of the two girls disappeared from their faces. Smooth teenage skin covered the area beneath their noses, where their mouths should have been.
"Eek!"
Seeing the distorted faces of their transformed subordinates, the gang leader's face contorted in fear. The two girls also looked at each other's faces, fear evident in their eyes.
"Wingardium Leviosa,"
The next spell came swiftly. The two bodies floated in mid-air, their flailing limbs futilely cutting through the empty space.
"Stop it! A devil! You beast! How heartless ---"
The leader girl's screaming voice suddenly cut off. Her mouth had disappeared too. And just like her companions, her body floated in mid-air. She looked at Mars with eyes full of shock --- she didn’t hear the incantation.
"...You conveniently forgot that you started this fight, and that it was all of you who were trying to gang up on one person."
Mars sighed deeply in exasperation and walked up to the leader girl.
"…!!!"
The girl shook her head like a reluctant child. Floating in the air, no matter how much she struggled, her limbs just flailed through empty space.
"Varnela Sanentur."
Mars pointed her finger at the girl’s shoulder and softly sang the incantation. The torn and bloodied uniform and robe magically mended themselves. The shoulder wound hidden beneath them should have also healed without a trace.
"...Venus was annoyed so much."
Treating the other girls’ wound in the same manner, Mars slowly began to speak.
"She couldn't talk to anyone because those she conversed with were being hurt by you one after another. Was your goal to harass Venus?"
The now subdued girls, helplessly floating in the air, shook their heads tearfully.
"Right. Then promise me you won't do this again."
As Mars commanded them to respond if they understood, the girls vigorously nodded their heads.
"Alright. Then... 'Reverte,' "
As Mars uttered the spell, the girls all fell simultaneously onto the stone floor.
"Eek!" "Eep!" "Ouch!"
Short screams escaped their mouths that reappeared in their original positions.
"...Ah, yes. I almost forgot to mention something important."
As the girls slumped to the floor, touching their faces to confirm that their mouths had returned, Mars continued speaking, looking down at them with a sharp gaze.
"Do you remember the girl with the bun hairstyle who was sitting next to me during that class? She's my roommate."
To the girls, who had completely lost their will to fight and were huddling together like kittens,
"If you lay a hand on her, it'll be a declaration of war against me and I'll take it seriously."
Mars said so, revealing a wand from her pocket. It was an ivory-colored wand engraved with mysterious braided patterns.
"Then, I’ll fight back with all my might."
"Eeeek!"
At the terrifying grin of the "Demon," the Slytherin girls seemed to shrink in fear as if they were about to faint.
"Well then, goodbye."
Putting away her wand, Mars turned on her heel and left the place with a leisurely pace.

*

"Mars."
As she walked through the corridor leading to the dining hall, Venus called out to her as if she had been waiting.
"Welcome back."
"I'm telling you, I'm exhausted."
Mars let out a deep, long sigh. Indeed, using magic without a wand not only reduced its effectiveness compared to using a wand but also led to a significant depletion of magical and mental energy.
"Anyway, since they’re YOUR fan, YOU should discipline yourself properly."
"Hmm. Everyone acts all innocent in front of me and hardly ever shows their true colors."
Venus rested her index finger on her chin, deflecting Mars's somewhat lethargic complaint.
"Besides, you know, sometimes it's more effective when someone else gives them a good scolding, right?"
Mars pressed her temples with her well-formed fingers, sighing deeply again.
"...Butterbeer."
"Huh?"
"Two Butterbeers, and we’ll be even."
Butterbeer, the sweet non-alcoholic beverage from Hogsmeade village that all cool teenagers in the wizarding world know about. If you offer to buy someone a Butterbeer, you can usually get them to agree to most requests and forgive most things.
"Alright, but won't you need to go to the restroom after drinking two cups?"
"I'm not going to drink two cups by myself at once! One cup is for Serene."
Mars let out a frustrated sigh, mixed with irritation. She seemed particularly tired, as her usual sharpness was missing from her response.
"Wow, that means..."
Venus said with a wide smile.
"You're inviting me to go to Hogsmeade together, right? Right?"
"...Alright, I'll just take cash for the Butterbeer."
Mars walked away briskly with a serious expression.
"Aww! Please, don’t be so mean!"
Like a large dog jumping on its owner, Venus pounced on Mars's back.
"Hey, you're heavy! Annoying! And sweaty!"
"I won't let go until you agree to go to Hogsmeade together!"
"Alright, alright, stop nagging! I'll go! Just let go!"
The playful voices of the girls, neither a demon nor a star, echoed through the corridors of Hogwarts castle bathed in the evening sun.

§5　The Demon of Gryffindor --- Fin.