Harry Potter and the Cataclysm

The moment Madam Hooch was out of sight, Malfoy let out a loud laugh. "Did you see his face? That blubbering idiot!" The Slytherins around him chuckled along.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Parvati Patil snapped. She was a girl who had grown close to Neville during Herbology, so Carnie had taken note of her.

"Oh? Sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy Parkinson sneered. She had short black hair, an average face, and was always seen around Malfoy. "I never would've thought you'd have a thing for a chubby little crybaby, Patil."

"Hey!" Malfoy suddenly bent down and picked something up from the grass. "It's that oaf's little toy. If he had remembered to squeeze this before takeoff, maybe he wouldn't have looked so stupid up there."

It was Neville's Remembrall.

"Give it back, Malfoy," Harry said sharply. The whole group fell silent, all eyes shifting to Harry and Malfoy. Carnie, sensing the tension, decided to keep out of it. After all, if he interfered, Harry might not end up on the Quidditch team.

This was a battle between noble-born bullies and the so-called "Chosen One." It was best for common folk like Carnie to just enjoy the show from the sidelines.

The Potter family was an old noble house, no less prestigious than the Malfoys. However, they had largely disappeared when Voldemort rose to power. Many believed the Dark Lord wiped them out, though no concrete evidence remained. Rumor had it that the Potters were descendants of the Peverell family—the same lineage as the three brothers from the Deathly Hallows legend.

The famous Potter Invisibility Cloak had been passed down from the Peverell line, meaning that the Potters were never just some ordinary wizarding family. They had their own deep roots in magical history.

Harry's background really was something else.

Malfoy smirked. "I was thinking of putting it somewhere high up so that oaf could try and fetch it… maybe on a tree—how about that?"

"Give it back!" Harry stepped forward, grabbing hold of Malfoy just as the latter was about to mount his broom. Malfoy struggled to shake him off, but with his scrawny frame, he was no match for Harry.

Wait… if Malfoy couldn't fly, then Harry wouldn't have his chance to prove himself.

"Let go!" Malfoy growled.

His words were answered by a slowly approaching fist. Harry's punch landed squarely on Malfoy's face.

The entire crowd was stunned.

"Potter, you're dead! What are you two standing there for?!" Malfoy shrieked, trying to summon Crabbe and Goyle to his aid as he scuffled with Harry.

But before Crabbe and Goyle could jump in, Carnie had already stepped forward to block them. Ron, after a quick glance at their size, wisely decided to leave them to Carnie and instead rushed over to help Harry.

"Your opponent is me," Carnie declared.

"RAAAH!" Crabbe and Goyle charged at him without hesitation, hoping to bulldoze him with sheer size.

Carnie, unfazed, delivered a swift slap to each of their faces. The two hulking boys spun in place before collapsing onto the ground, clutching their faces. They were completely out of commission. Even if they could still fight, they no longer had the will to.

Carnie had initially considered punching their stomachs, but he was concerned about… unfortunate bodily reactions. A slap to the face was safer.

Pansy Parkinson tried to rush in and help Malfoy, but Parvati Patil grabbed her by the hair, and the two girls ended up in a full-on catfight.

Hermione, ever the rational one, pulled out her wand. But the moment she did, the entire mood shifted.

It triggered a chain reaction.

Seeing a Gryffindor brandishing a wand, the Slytherins all pulled out theirs in response, pointing them at the opposing side.

The Gryffindors, who had initially been just spectators, saw this escalation and weren't about to back down. They drew their own wands, ready for battle.

This couldn't actually break out into a full fight, could it? If it did, the entire group would end up in the hospital wing. They probably wouldn't get expelled, but their House points would surely be obliterated. Carnie thought about this carefully.

But he also didn't dare make a move. He didn't want to be the spark that set off the explosion.

Meanwhile, Harry was faring just fine. Malfoy was already bruised and battered, while Harry had only suffered a few ruffled clothes. Ron stood by his side, ready to throw in a few more hits.

The first spell of the duel, however, came from Pansy Parkinson. While struggling with Parvati, she managed to yank out her wand and cast a spell that struck Parvati directly.

Parvati's hair immediately began to fall out—completely bald within seconds. She went into a frenzy, whipping her wand around and firing off a spell of her own, sending Pansy flying backward into the crowd of Slytherins.

Then, someone from the Slytherin side—who exactly, no one knew—cast the first offensive spell.

In an instant, all hell broke loose.

"Furnunculus!" 

"Densaugeo!" 

"Petrificus Totalus!" 

All kinds of spells, some from their textbooks, others completely unfamiliar, shot across the field.

Turns out, everyone had been secretly practicing magic. A chaotic, colorful display of hexes and jinxes filled the air. 

Since most of these were low-tier spells, they weren't particularly dangerous. Instead of severe injuries, most students ended up with pig ears, oversized teeth, or grass-like hair. But no one backed down—they simply fired back.

This was a proper magic battle now.

"Harry, Ron! Get over here!" Carnie shouted, pulling Hermione behind him. There was no way they could stand in the front lines of this mess.

The Slytherins were full of well-trained noble wizards, while Gryffindor mostly had kids from common households. It wasn't looking great.

Harry and Ron were also stunned by the sheer scale of this chaos. This had started with just punching Malfoy, and now two entire Houses were at war.

Carnie's shout, however, made them immediate targets. A flurry of spells came their way.

Luckily, Harry and Ron dodged with quick rolls, each grabbing an armful of Malfoy as a makeshift shield.

The Slytherins weren't dumb enough to attack their own. That would be social suicide.

While using Malfoy as cover, Harry and Ron still managed to fire back spells.

Hermione, meanwhile, was taking potshots from behind Carnie. Judging by her accuracy, she was definitely a skilled duelist.

The spellfire continued for several minutes, both sides trading blows. A good portion of the spells missed entirely, soaring into the sky or blasting into the ground. But plenty found their marks, leaving students with various magical afflictions.

As the fight dragged on, the Gryffindors found themselves at a disadvantage. Unlike their opponents, they didn't have access to family spellbooks or specialized training.

If this continued, things would spiral out of control.

"Augamenti!" Carnie raised his wand. A surge of water erupted, forming a towering wall that intercepted the incoming spells.

The Slytherins, of course, weren't about to let this stop them. They targeted the water barrier with their spells, quickly breaking through.

Carnie cast it again, reinforcing the wall. The back-and-forth continued, with Gryffindors now able to counterattack.

But this wasn't sustainable. A full-out battle would drain him too quickly.

He had to end this.

Carnie concentrated, reaching deep into his dwindling reserves of magic.

"Augamenti!" He raised the water wall even higher—this time, three meters tall.

Then, with a swift motion, he directed the water forward like a crashing wave.

The Slytherins were caught completely off guard.

The wave barreled into them, knocking them off their feet. Many had been mid-chant, swallowing mouthfuls of water in the process. With this, they lost their will to continue.

Carnie's magic was completely drained, but he had secured victory.

"That was amazing!" Harry and Ron rushed over. "What spell was that?!"

"It was just Augamenti," Hermione answered, equally shocked.

"That's a basic water spell! How the hell did you use it like that?" Harry was awestruck. "I need to practice this."

"Harry Potter." A cold voice cut through the aftermath. "Would you care to explain what exactly is going on here?"

Snape had arrived. And he was furious.