A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 635 Students Fighting
"Fame and fortune are the most important things in this world; how many people throughout history have been able to give them up?"

After reading Mr. Garrick's letter, Charles couldn't help but recite a poem.

The pursuit of fame and fortune by people knows no time or space, and is even global.

Simon had just changed into his pajamas and asked curiously, "What were you talking about just now?"

He heard Charles speaking a foreign language again, but he didn't know what he was saying this time.

“It’s nothing.” Charles put the letter away. “I think I understand what Umbridge is going to do.”

"Oh?" Simon stopped, his hand poised to draw the bed curtains. "What is she going to do?"

Charles said, "She wants to use Hogwarts as a stepping stone."

With intelligence reports coming in from all sides and corroborating each other, he finally confirmed Umbridge's objective.

Seamus asked in surprise, "Umbridge wants to be Minister of Magic?"

In his view, the only further advancement Umbridge could achieve was as a minister.

Charles shrugged and said, "Who knows?"

The preparations for the Magic Research Institute are now in their final stages, and he doesn't want to cause any more trouble to avoid affecting it.

As for Umbridge, Charles felt he didn't need to worry about her; he could just let the conflict escalate before it happened.

Ruby finished her midnight snack on the shelf, Charles cleaned up the pot, and then went back to bed.

On a Sunday morning, a languid tranquility permeated the Gryffindor Tower.

Sunlight streamed through the high windows into the common lounge, casting dappled shadows on the scarlet carpet.

The embers in the fireplace still held a trace of warmth, several abandoned notebooks lay scattered on the long table, and a quill pen sat askew in a dried-up ink bottle, recording the unfinished struggles of the previous night.

The tranquility was broken by a burst of urgent noise.

"You know perfectly well that I invited her first!" Gerald roared, his tall, thin body tense with anger, his fists clenched white.

Pedro pushed up his round glasses, unyielding: "But she promised to go to Hogsmeade with me!"

"You giraffe-like fellow are not good enough for her!"

Before he could finish speaking, Gerrard had already pounced on him.

Two third-grade boys were wrestling, knocking over a small table, scattering parchment and textbooks all over the floor.

Several younger students hurriedly moved away, crowding behind the sofa and whispering among themselves.

"Fighting for girls again?" Ginny rolled her eyes. "This is the third time this week."

Ron happened to be coming down the stairs of the boys' dormitory, wearing a shiny prefect badge on his chest. When he saw two people fighting, his sleepy expression immediately turned alert.

“Hey! Stop!” Ron shouted, striding across the lounge.

He was considerably taller than the two third-year students, and his red hair stood out strikingly in the morning light.

Gerard and Pedro remained entangled, clutching each other's collars, ignoring the prefect's warnings.

Ron drew his wand and, without hesitation, chanted, "Clear Water!"

A stream of icy water shot out, startling the two fighting students, who immediately separated.

They staggered backward until they finally stopped, their chests heaving with gasps for breath and their bodies shivering from the cold.

"Enough already?" Ron snapped, trying to make his voice sound as authoritative as Percy's, but he couldn't help but think of how his twin brothers had been scolded, imagining himself reprimanding them. "Gryffindor has already lost a lot of points this week. If you fight again, I won't just deduct points, I'll get Professor McGonagall to put you in detention!"

"Don't let me see you fighting again, understand?"

The two boys nodded reluctantly, but their eyes still glared at each other with resentment.

Gerald wiped the drool from his mouth, and Pedro straightened his glasses, which had been knocked askew. The air between them seemed to still crackle with anger. "Now, go back and calm down. No breakfast," Ron commanded, waving his wand to make the icy water on them disappear.

The two third-year students left dejectedly, still pushing each other occasionally, until they disappeared at the stairwell leading to the dormitory.

Ron sighed. The prefect's badge gleaming slightly on his chest came at a price, feeling more tiring than dealing with a game of violent wizard chess.

"Is it because of...that girl again?"

Hermione came down the stairs of the girls' dormitory, carrying several thick books in her arms.

She watched for a while, and after seeing the two people clearly, she understood what was going on.

The girl involved is only a third-grade student and has no idea how to deal with the situation. She is still confused.

Ron turned around, waving his hand helplessly, and said, "This is twice this week already. These young people nowadays, I wouldn't have gone this crazy for a girl when I was in third grade."

"Hehe..." Ginny squeezed between the two, "Anyway, it'll be like this in fourth grade..."

“That’s different!” Ron’s ears turned red as he quickly interrupted her. “I mean… this is ridiculous.”

"I wonder when they'll start fighting again."

"And how dare you talk about others like that?"

Hermione pondered for a moment, then placed all the large books she was holding on the table and took out a book called "Contract Magic and Its Application" and put it on top.

“Actually,” she said, “I recently read about an ancient contract magic in the library that allows two people to swear an oath never to fight again, and if they break it, they will be punished immediately.”

Ron leaned closer to examine the complex and incomprehensible runes on the book, frowned, and said, "They won't sign it."

"You saw what happened just now, it was like two snails fighting for territory."

“Perhaps,” Hermione admitted, “but this magic is strange; it’s not an ordinary spell, but a magical contract of mutual constraints.”

"Once established, violators will be punished immediately."

Ron's curiosity was piqued: "Really? There's such magic?"

Ginny seemed quite interested as well.

Hermione turned to the page, pointed to a complex text and diagram, and said, "Look here. This kind of contract requires both parties to enter into it voluntarily, but once it is established, it will have a powerful binding force."

“Wizards often use it to make guarantees and maintain secrecy.”

Ron stared at the vibrant illustrations, and a somewhat immature idea popped into his head.

“But you’re right,” Hermione said, closing the book. “They probably won’t sign it voluntarily. Boys this age are always more inclined to solve problems with their fists than with reason.”

At this moment, Ginny laughed and said, "Hehe, I'm going to tell Charles about this magic. He'll be so happy to sign a contract with you, making you promise not to steal sweets anymore."

Hermione immediately glared at her, wondering if she should hide the book, perhaps on top of the bookshelf.

Ron said, "He must have known all along."

“Let’s go,” Hermione gently nudged Ron. “After breakfast, we have to attend the prefects’ meeting.”

On the first Sunday of the new semester, the grade leaders would get together to drink tea, chat, and have snacks. The grade leaders of the sixth and seventh grades would pass on their work experience and key points for deducting points to the younger ones.

Before leaving, Ron glanced one last time at the staircase where the two third-year students had gone and shook his head.

He was almost certain that Gerard and Pedro would have at least one more fight before the next Hogsmeade weekend.

Previously, they only used their fists; next, they'll probably have to use their wands.

By then, if caught, it wouldn't be as simple as just not being given breakfast; if it escalated, they might face a "promotion or dismissal" situation—either being sent to Azkaban or being fired.

Ron's immature thoughts are becoming more and more mature.

(End of this chapter)