Hogwarts' John Wick

If one does not erupt in silence, they will perish in silence.

If it had been the old Neville, he might have just cowered and endured. But after John's training, Neville was no longer the kind of wizard who could be easily bullied.

In that moment, his hatred for John reached its peak.

John hadn't actually left. He was watching everything unfold from the shadows.

He knew—the time was ripe.

Now, he needed a 'good person' to guide Neville.

That person had to be someone who could lead Neville away.

And Percy Weasley was the perfect candidate.

...

Ever since Neville realized that his complete isolation was due to John's hatred, his whole demeanor had become strange.

Even when Malfoy provoked him, he didn't react at all.

"Did I push him too hard?" Malfoy started to wonder if he had bullied Neville too much.

John glanced at him.

Could this guy really not see that Neville was just bottling up his emotions, ready to explode?

Malfoy was still deep in thought when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Astoria. Instantly, he threw all other concerns to the back of his mind.

John watched Malfoy walk away, then turned to Daphne, who was hesitating nearby, and asked curiously, "Your sister just walked past."

"Huh?"

Daphne was still deep in thought, so she looked a bit dazed.

John couldn't help but sigh—so fragile, this so-called sibling bond.

With only a week left until the Yule Ball, Daphne was still debating whether or not to speak up.

At that moment, Fleur walked over confidently and directly extended an invitation to John.

"John, would you like to be my dance partner?"

As she spoke, her eyes flickered toward Daphne, the corners of her lips curling into a subtle smile.

It looked like a deliberate provocation, instantly making Daphne bristle.

"No way!" Daphne shot up from her seat.

Fleur raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "You're not inviting John, so why can't he be my dance partner?"

She honestly couldn't stand it anymore. At first, Fleur assumed Daphne would have invited John by now, so she hadn't even considered him.

But with only a few days left until the ball, these two still hadn't made a move.

As the responsible big sister type, Fleur decided to step in and give them a push.

As for expecting John to invite Daphne?

Come on, she'd sooner believe John would invite Heinrich.

Anyone in the Constellation Society with a functioning pair of eyes could see what Daphne meant. Unfortunately, John was the one person who was completely blind to it.

"W-Wel.." Daphne was left speechless and stammered, "John's busy, right?"

She had only said it offhandedly, but to her surprise, John actually nodded.

"Indeed. Sorry, Fleur, but I have something to take care of that day."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fleur looked at him strangely, while Daphne regretted her words and asked, "John, you.. you're not going?"

There was a hint of hope in her eyes, but unfortunately, John really was unavailable.

His response was a simple, "Sorry."

The light in Daphne's eyes dimmed. Fleur shrugged and said, "Alright then, I guess I'll just have to ask someone else."

After Fleur left, Malfoy returned, looking absolutely smug.

He didn't notice the slightly gloomy atmosphere. Seeing how close the two were standing, he foolishly asked, "What's going on? John, did you invite Daphne?"

What greeted him was Daphne's death glare.

And just at that unfortunate moment, Astoria ran over and asked, "What kind of dress should I wear?"

From the corner of his eye, Malfoy spotted a plate of egg tarts flying straight at him.

…

Lately, Neville kept waking up from nightmares.

He dreamed of his parents being taken by intruders, with that sinister voice telling him to leave this school.

The figures around him shifted and swayed, their laughter echoing as they mocked Neville. 

"If you don't leave the school, then your parents will disappear forever." 

"No, don't!" 

Neville jolted awake, screaming. He opened his eyes and looked around—he was still in his dormitory. 

"What's wrong?" came Ron's groggy mumble. 

"Nothing." 

With that answer, Neville watched Ron flop back down and continue sleeping. 

Now fully awake, Neville couldn't go back to sleep. 

He got up, walked to the window, and looked outside at the falling snow. 

The wind howled through the cracks in the door, whispering like ghosts, making the silence even more eerie. 

Quietly, he opened the door and walked down to the common room. 

At this hour, the lights were out, and the room was empty. 

The Yule Ball was the day after tomorrow, but Neville hadn't invited a dance partner. 

He sat down on the couch for only a moment when his Constellation Society badge, which he had never been willing to take off, suddenly vibrated.

He froze for a moment, as if just now realizing that he had instinctively put the badge on. 

Reaching out to touch it, his face was filled with bitterness. 

The moment his fingers brushed against the badge, a projection popped up. 

It was a message from Percy. 

"Neville, I can't believe it—John has gone mad." 

Seeing this message, Neville was stunned. He quickly asked what had happened. 

More messages popped up one after another. 

"John left the school." 

"Heinrich said he kept muttering something about the St. Mungos." 

"He said this is a disgrace, that he needs to correct this shame." 

"He's planning to imprison someone in a place where they'll never be found." 

"I'm following him—the direction he's headed... it looks like the Whomping Willow." 

"Oh no, he noticed me!" 

Reading these messages, Neville suddenly recalled his dream.

He stumbled to his feet, not even bothering to put on a coat, and dashed out of the common room. 

... 

Inside the Shrieking Shack. 

John sat there, two wands placed on the table before him. 

Percy sent out his final message—"Help me"—then looked at John with a complicated expression and asked, "Do you really have to do this?" 

John shrugged indifferently and said casually, "The kindness you've occasionally shown him over this time has already become his lifeline, hasn't it?" 

The Constellation Society had ostracized Neville, while Percy had been the one offering him small acts of kindness. 

Neville had long seen Percy as his last hope—and now that John was about to take even that away, there was no way Neville would sit still. 

"Alright," Percy sighed helplessly. "I know I can't change your mind." 

His gaze shifted to the collapsed bed. He hadn't expected John to be so resourceful—to have actually kidnapped someone from the hospital. 

On the bed, the Longbottoms were sleeping peacefully. It had been John who had contacted Tommy and Kim, arranging for them to steal the couple from the hospital in the dead of night. 

Everything needed to be completed here. Percy had a small medical kit filled with various potions strapped to his side. 

"Percy, I think we need to make this look more real." 

"Wait, you're not going to—" 

A flash of red light burst before his eyes—Percy was knocked unconscious.

Thud

"Now we wait..." John waited quietly. Before long, Neville triggered the magic left behind in the secret passage of the Whomping Willow. 

Standing up, John did a few stretches, rubbing his face with both hands. 

He tucked the unregistered wand into his waistband—he would need it soon to make sure Neville successfully counterattacked. 

After waiting a little longer, John finally heard the sound of the door bursting open. 

Immediately, he slipped into his role, turning around with a look of surprise. 

The twisted expression and pale complexion on his face hadn't even settled yet. On the ground, right where John's wand was pointing, lay Percy—his condition unknown. 

"John!" 

Neville, already on edge after Percy's last message, completely broke down at the sight before him. 

He roared and charged at John, whose face briefly showed a hint of panic. 

Of course, it was only for a moment—John quickly regained his composure and fired a Banishing Charm, sending Neville flying backward. 

"Neville Longbottom, you've got some nerve showing your face in front of me." 

Neville slammed against the wall with a heavy thud. 

Looking down at him from above, John smirked in disdain. 

"Why?" Neville demanded in fury. "Why did you go after Percy? Isn't he your ally?"

"Ally? Hahahha~" 

John let out a cold laugh, as if mocking Neville's naïveté. 

"They're just my subordinates. Did you really think I saw the Constellation Society as friends? What a joke." 

Still chuckling, he flicked his wand, sending a flash of red light straight at Neville. 

"Crucio~" 

Neville screamed in agony, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at John. 

John scoffed, the Cruciatus Curse humming in the air like a demon's whisper, tormenting Neville without mercy. 

"They were nothing more than tools for me to gain power. Listen well, Neville Longbottom—you disgust me. So much for pureblood pride. In the end, you're nothing more than a pathetic mutt begging for scraps." 

With a sneer, he shattered the last of Neville's defenses. 

"Shut up!!!" 

Like a cornered beast, Neville let out a guttural roar. 

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two figures. 

His gaze snapped toward the bed—his eyes widened. 

"M.. Mom? Dad?" 

"Oh? Looks like you've found the little gift I prepared for you." 

John smiled like a devil. "Do you like it? This is all on you, Neville. If only you'd disappeared like you were supposed to, I wouldn't have had to do this."

Seemingly assured of his victory, John leisurely approached Neville. 

Neville wanted nothing more than to kill him. 

Suddenly, he noticed the wand at John's waist, "accidentally" exposed. 

A spark of intuition struck him—he calculated the distance. 

The moment it was right, Neville let out a furious roar and charged at John with all his might. 

Caught off guard, John was knocked to the ground. 

His wand slipped from his waist—straight into Neville's grasp. 

Overwhelmed with fury, with all the resentment and pain he had endured, Neville roared the spell he had practiced countless times. 

"Crucio!"

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