HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

Avery clearly didn't expect to land a blow in one strike. He easily swung his staff to deflect Ian's leg-locking curse and then immediately cast a stun curse.

Ian rolled away to avoid it, the Stunning Spell hitting the wall. As he got up, he raised his wand: "Tarantella Dance!"

Avery snorted and blocked again, but his attack rhythm was slightly disrupted by Ian's agile and tricky fighting style.

He was somewhat annoyed; the first-grader was more agile than he had expected, and his spells were quite proficient.

At this moment, Severus moved again.

Instead of attacking the strongest, Avery, he seized the opportunity when Mulce was hindered by Kevin's Barrier Charm, and suddenly pulled his wand from his sleeve, shooting a nearly silent Disarming Charm at Mulce.

As soon as Mulceber regained his footing, he felt a numbness in his wrist, and his wand slipped from his hand. He looked at Severus in shock and anger, not expecting that this silent half-blood would dare to attack first.

Before he could react, Aris's petrification spell struck him in the chest.

He slammed stiffly against the wall with a dull thud, his face frozen in shock and anger.

"Murcyber!" Rozier cursed, his wand immediately turning towards Aris, and a cutting spell struck instantly.

This time, without waiting for Aris's reminder, Kevin almost instinctively shoved Aris, the spell grazing the hem of Aris's robe and leaving a charred mark on the stone wall.

"Well done, Kevin!" Ian shouted, not daring to be distracted for a moment.

Avery was forced back two steps by his spell, and his face was now terribly gloomy. He was clearly enraged by the troublesome and cooperative nature of these first-year students.

"You're courting death." Avery's wand swung with even greater ferocity, "Firestorm!"

"Clear water like a spring," Severus's voice rang out.

A stream of water appeared out of nowhere, met the scorching heat wave, and with a hiss, a large cloud of white mist rose up, instantly obscuring the view in one corner of the corridor.

Ian seized the opportunity immediately. "Faint!" he shouted, and the red light of the spell pierced through the water vapor, shooting precisely at the spot where Avery had been standing.

Avery retreated hastily through the fog, the hem of his robe scorched black by the incantation.

Anger flashed in his eyes—the troublesome nature of these first-graders far exceeded his expectations.

"Kevin, left wall!" Aris's quick and clear voice rang out in the mist as he pointed his wand at the ceiling. "Flash!"

A blinding white light suddenly burst forth, dispersing some of the fog and briefly dazzling Avery's eyes.

At the same time, following Aris's instructions, Kevin chanted the levitation spell he had practiced countless times, facing the left wall: "Yugadimleviosa!"

Several discarded brooms and empty buckets leaning against the wall suddenly floated up and rained down on Rozier and Avery, whose vision was being disrupted.

Rozier hurriedly swung his cane to knock away a wooden barrel, but he couldn't dodge the broom handle that followed. He was hit hard on the shoulder and cried out in pain.

Avery was in an even worse state, barely managing to protect himself with his armor charm, but was forced to retreat repeatedly by the scattered debris.

In the midst of this chaotic, split-second reaction, Severus moved again, "Expelliarmus!"

"Ugh!" Avery cried out in pain as his fingers went numb, and his wand flew out of his hand, arcing through the air before crashing to the stone pavement in the distance.

Ian's binding spell also bound Rozier tightly.

Avery clutched his wrist, his face ashen.

Ian remained vigilant, his wand still firmly pointed at Avery.

Kevin breathed a huge sigh of relief, his legs feeling a little weak. He quickly pointed his wand at Rozier, who was still trying to wriggle on the ground.

Aris quickly checked on the petrified Murseb, confirming that he couldn't move for the time being, then stood behind Ian and calmly surveyed the entire area.

Severus slowly walked to Ian's side, glanced at Avery, then at Avery's wand on the ground. Something flashed in the depths of his dark eyes, so fast that it was impossible to catch it.

He said nothing, but gripped his wand tightly, his posture one of undisguised wariness.

Ian took two steps forward and stopped a few steps away from Avery.

He didn't show a smug smile; his face was almost expressionless. He simply looked at the other person calmly, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor:

"Senior Avery, have you finished teaching the 'rules' for tonight?"

Avery's face flushed red and then turned pale, his chest heaving violently, clearly furious. But with his wand gone and his two companions petrified and bound, he knew, no matter how angry he was, that the situation was beyond his control.

He stared intently at Ian. "Bock...you're very good..."

"I've always been good," Ian interrupted him, his tone still flat. "As for the rules..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Avery, then over the disheveled Murseb and Rozier on the ground.

"I roughly understand the rules of Slytherin. Strength, right? Tonight, do you think the 'strength' of the four of us first-years is enough for you, upperclassmen? If not, we can continue. If it is enough..."

He tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of cold sarcasm.

"...Please remember this, senior: Ian Burke, my friends Severus Snape, Kevin Walker, and Aris Thorne, our affairs are none of your concern. Who we befriend and where we make the limelight are our own business."

"Of course," Ian said, his tone shifting to a level that sounded almost polite, but the warning in his eyes was unmistakable.

"If the seniors still want to 'spar,' we're always ready. But next time, it would be best to choose a more spacious and soundproof place, so as not to disturb the professors, or... let other students who 'care' about the college's reputation come and watch the fun, what do you think, Senior Avery?"

Avery's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot; he certainly understood Ian's unspoken message.

He gritted his teeth, and after a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a cold snort. He bent down to pick up his wand, then kicked Rozier, who was still lying on the ground, hard: "Useless trash, get up!"

He went to Mursab and used the spell to stop his petrification.

Mullerseber coughed as he got up, his face pale.

Avery gave Ian and Severus one last sinister look. "Let's go," he said hoarsely, turning and quickly disappearing into the shadows of the corridor with his two disheveled companions, their footsteps hurried and disordered.

The tense atmosphere only eased abruptly when their footsteps completely disappeared.

"Merlin..." Kevin plopped down on the floor, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, his hands still trembling slightly. "We...we really chased away Avery? Fifth-grader Avery?"

"It's temporary." Aris breathed a sigh of relief.

Ian then completely lowered his arm that was holding the wand, and felt a thin layer of sweat on his back.

He turned to Severus, looking him up and down. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

Severus shook his head, his face still somewhat pale, but his eyes were no longer as cold and tense as before.

He looked at Ian, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only whispered, "...Thank you."

The two words were spoken softly, but everyone present could hear the weight they carried.

Ian grinned, patted him on the shoulder, and said nothing more. He then turned to Kevin and Aris: "How about you two? Are you both alright? Kevin, your Barrier Charm was perfectly timed. Aris, beautiful Petrification Charm."