After the Fight
"Attacking seven members of the Slytherin team? It seems your fame has gone to your head. What, are you trying to show everyone how you defeated the Dark Lord, Potter?" Snape said as he stared fixedly at Harry, who was now standing in the professors' office. "Do you have any idea how many school rules you broke in that little display of pride? Not only that, assaulting fellow students is an extremely serious offense. In the past, many students have been expelled for it. Do you think the rules don't apply to you, Potter?" Snape added disdainfully. "You think you're very powerful, don't you?"
"Well... maybe your students were just very weak."
The moment the words slipped out on instinct, Harry regretted them immediately as he watched the professor's anger increase several times over.
Snape rose from his chair and walked toward Harry with a cold expression, making Harry instinctively take a step back.
"I swear, if your future depended on me, you'd be on the Hogwarts Express heading home this very moment," Snape said, deep hatred burning in his eyes.
"Calm yourself, Professor Snape," a voice suddenly came from the doorway, making both Harry and Snape turn around to see Professor McGonagall standing there with her usual stern expression.
"Professor McGonagall. This student violated several school rules, started a fight with the students from my House, and sent several of them to the Hospital Wing," Severus explained, maintaining his serious tone.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Professor Snape. The members of the Quidditch team came to find me and explained what happened, including how an insult with a very, very hateful meaning—one that is completely forbidden at Hogwarts—provoked Mr. Potter's reaction. As well as how he had to defend himself from the attack by your Slytherin students, who are technically older and should have considerably more experience using magic..."
McGonagall paused for a moment to glance toward Harry, feeling that perhaps that part wasn't entirely accurate.
"Even so, I do not disagree that injuring other students deserves punishment. In addition to the loss of House points for every injured Slytherin student, Mr. Potter will receive detention. One that I, as his Head of House, should personally oversee," McGonagall said firmly.
Snape stared at her for a few moments, but he had little room left to argue.
"And a letter will be sent to his home. Do you agree, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked Harry.
Harry nodded without hesitation.
"Then follow me," she said in the same firm tone.
Harry walked over to the professor, who led him toward the office door. But before they left completely, McGonagall stopped after noticing the irritated expression still on Snape's face.
"By the way, the word your student Malfoy used is one you, of all people, should despise even more, Severus."
Snape's expression changed the moment he heard McGonagall's words, and he seemed to think of a single word as his brow visibly furrowed.
...
After parting ways with McGonagall, who had given him a detention schedule there was no escaping, along with informing him that the deducted House points would soon be reflected in Gryffindor's hourglass, Harry headed back toward the changing room to finally take off his Quidditch practice robes, which he'd been wearing this whole time without ever getting the chance to change.
"Harry!"
The moment he stepped inside, the rest of the team was already waiting there, along with his friends, who immediately surrounded him.
"What happened? Did they expel you?" Percy asked worriedly. Even Tyson, standing beside him, looked just as concerned. "If you got expelled, I'll go home with you," Percy added without hesitation.
"Me too," Tyson said.
Harry smiled faintly at the support from both of them.
"No," Harry answered calmly. "I just got detention."
Percy let out a relieved sigh.
"Well then, you'll just have to try a little harder next time," he added with an amused grin.
Harry didn't bother responding to his brother's usual dumb joke before looking at the rest of the Gryffindors.
Seeing them all there made him feel a little embarrassed, and he spoke in a quieter voice.
"I'm sorry. Gryffindor lost House points because of me."
"What are you talking about? That was incredible! We've never seen anything that awesome," Fred said excitedly.
"Yeah! By Merlin, you took on the entire Slytherin team and made complete fools out of them," George added, just as excited.
Alicia, Angelina, and Katie nodded enthusiastically as well, saying they'd never seen a second-year student fight like that.
The team's excitement made Harry feel a little better about the guilt of costing Gryffindor so many House points.
"I'm sorry, Wood, for ruining today's practice," Harry added.
"Don't worry about it, as long as you're okay. We can't lose our star Seeker, after all."
As the team captain, Wood probably should have scolded him, but he couldn't help being just as excited as everyone else.
Besides, he remembered what had happened earlier that morning when he'd gone to wake Harry up and ended up with Harry's wand pointed at his face. He went a little pale at the thought that he could have ended up just like the Slytherin students if he hadn't been careful.
"I suppose that means you can all take the rest of the day off. I'll have to talk to Professor McGonagall about setting up a proper schedule for using the Quidditch pitch, since this will probably happen again with the Slytherins," Wood added with some annoyance.
"Don't worry, Wood. If it happens again, we've got Potter," Fred and George said with amused grins as they draped their arms over Harry's shoulders.
...
After parting ways with the Gryffindor team, Harry and the others headed to Hagrid's hut to pay him a visit.
Tyson seemed especially excited, since he had really taken a liking to Hagrid. More than anything, listening to him talk about magical creatures fascinated him.
And Hagrid liked Tyson a great deal as well, seeming to feel a connection with him. Perhaps he thought Tyson was a half-giant like himself.
Though he was only slightly mistaken.
"I was wonderin' when you'd come by to see me," Hagrid said, his face lighting up the moment he opened the door and saw who it was. He looked genuinely happy. "Come in, come in. For a moment I thought it was that professor with the mask comin' back," Hagrid said, sounding a little tired just from mentioning him.
The group entered the hut, immediately curious after hearing that.
"What did the professor want, Hagrid?" Harry asked with interest as he watched Tyson happily pet Fang, Hagrid's dog, who might have been one of the few animals that wasn't afraid of Tyson when he got close.
Normally, animals instinctively moved away from Tyson the moment they saw him, frightened as though they could somehow sense his true Cyclops form.
But since Fang was used to Hagrid, he seemed perfectly comfortable around him.
He was even licking Tyson's face, making the young Cyclops smile happily.
"He wanted to explain to me how to take care of the creatures in the forest, as if I didn't already know," Hagrid said as he poured several cups of tea for everyone. "Then he started talking about how he fought a banshee. Completely barmy. If even half the things he says were true, I'd eat my umbrella," Hagrid added.
It was strange hearing Hagrid speak so poorly of one of the Hogwarts professors, considering he rarely even had anything bad to say about Snape.
Harry couldn't help being a little surprised.
Hermione, however, clearly had something to say.
"I think you're all being unfair. Professor Defense Against the Dark Arts was hired by Dumbledore, so he must have judged him to be the best person for the job, and—"
"He was the only one who applied for the job," Hagrid interrupted calmly as he handed out the sweets he'd prepared for visitors—or rather, for them. "Literally the only one. Not many witches and wizards want to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Most folks say the position's cursed," the half-giant added before taking a seat, completely failing to notice that Hermione didn't seem particularly pleased by his words. Still, all she did was frown and fold her arms.
"Well, changing the subject," Percy interrupted. "Can somebody tell me what 'Mudblood' means?" he asked, finally voicing the question he'd been holding onto, though until now he'd never had the chance to ask it, especially after seeing how furious every member of the Quidditch team had become the moment they heard it.
When Hagrid heard the word as well, his eyes widened and he drew a deep breath.
"Where'd you hear that?" he asked immediately.
"Malfoy called Hermione that today, right before Harry beat the stuffing out of him. Do you know what it means, Harry?" Percy asked, since Harry had reacted the same way earlier.
"No. I just... got the feeling it was an insult, so..." Harry answered calmly.
"Wait... you didn't know?"
Ron couldn't help sounding surprised. He'd assumed both of them already knew, and that was why Harry had beaten up the entire Slytherin team.
Harry shook his head.
"'Mudblood' is a really disgusting name people use for witches and wizards whose parents aren't magical... Muggles," Ron explained with a sigh. "People like the Malfoys use it to look down on anyone who isn't like them, the ones who call themselves pure-bloods," Ron said mockingly.
Even though he himself came from a family recognized as supposedly pure-blood, his family had never believed in any of that nonsense.
Harry frowned as he understood what Ron meant.
But he frowned because he knew perfectly well where the magic in this world came from. Aunt Mor had explained it to him and Percy countless times before.
It came from the blessing of the goddess Hecate.
So, if anything, Hermione, who had been born a witch to two non-magical parents, had personally received Hecate's blessing.
Didn't that make Hermione even more "pure-blood" than those so-called nobles?
Besides, Hermione was even more special than that.
She could see through the Mist, while none of the other students seemed capable of doing so, whether they were "pure-blood" or not.
Percy seemed to reach a similar conclusion.
"If they're pure-bloods... then what would that make you?" he asked his brother quietly.
After all, the Potters were supposedly part of that ridiculous pure-blood list too.