Sasha Liliana Jackson & The Secrets of Hogwarts

Chapter Seven: Being A Protector

Sasha was doing her Charms homework with Rowan sitting next to her during lunch. Sasha looked up at the sound of new, unfamiliar footsteps running towards the middle of the Grand Hall. Sasha looked up to see Penny Haywood running through the hallway, she was surprised to see Penny has a bruise on her cheek, a ripped lip, and was cradling her left arm. Sasha felt her heart go out towards her, she placed her hand on Rowan's wrist and it caught Rowan's attention.
"Penny, what happened?" asked Professor Sprout as she and the professors came towards the injured Hufflepuff.
"Merula Snyde is what happened," Penny said, her voice hoarse with tears. "She had started bullying all of the first years in the courtyard. She wants to challenge Sasha to a magic duel."
"What!?" exclaimed three voices at once: Sasha sounded stunned and horrified about the duel, Rowan was worried and protective of Sasha, and Professor Flitwick sounded both worried and concerned for Sasha.
"I don't wanna duel her," Sasha said, sounding nervous. "Did she say why she wanted to duel me?"
"She mentioned something about her being the most powerful witch of Hogwarts and she wants to prove it on you for the example." Sasha and Rowan both looked at each other with confusion.
"How is picking on first years make Merula a powerful witch?" Rowan muttered angrily, Sasha didn't answer her friend's question.
"Where is Miss Snyde?" growled Professor Snape.
Penny gulped as she leaned against the Hufflepuff's Perfect, an angry Professor Snape is a truly terrible sight to see. Sasha doesn't blame Penny for being terrified of Professor Snape's anger.
"At the courtyard. Bullying Ben." Professor McGonagall stood up from her seat, her green eyes narrowed. Professor McGonagall is the Head Professor of the Gryffindor House and she's very protective of her Gryffindors.
"Come along, Professor Snape." Professor McGonagall nodded to Professor Snape as they made their way towards the door.
"I'll come along too." Sasha walked up towards the professors, Rowan joined Sasha's side. "I'm tired of being afraid of Merula. It's about time I stood up to her."
The two professors glanced at each other as Sasha and Rowan both walked towards the courtyard, ahead of the professors. As soon as they had got there, Sasha was stunned to see almost all of the first-years were hiding from Merula.
Merula had her wand pointed at a terrified Ben, he had fallen down and was cornered. Merula was with two, mean-looking Slytherin girls by her sides.
"—How about we burn him till he admits I'm the most powerful witch of Hogwarts?" Merula suggested.
"I like the sound of that," said the Slytherin girl on the left.
"Won't we get in trouble?" asked the Slytherin girl on the right.
At least, one of them has a heart, Sasha figured angrily.
Sasha hid herself in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to pounce from her hiding place. She glared at Merula as the witch pointed her wand at Ben, who looked close to fainting.
"Incendio!" As soon as Merula had said the Fire-Making Spell, Sasha had jumped in front of Ben and was ready to become a protector. She wasn't afraid anymore, she knew a special chant that can repel the nasty fire.
"Haec mando ignis repellat," Sasha managed to chant through her pain and had pointed her wand at the incoming fire. Sasha doesn't use magical chants too often, so it really hurts her. "Haec mando ignis repellat. Haec mando ignis repellat!"
Sasha gritted her teeth in pain as the fire had started burning her skin, but she kept up with the chant. She forced herself to stay away and started blinking away the black dots from her eyes. She felt herself shaking with weariness. She distantly heard Professor Snape's voice and the fire had disappeared into thin air. Sasha felt herself collapsed onto the ground and her breaths started to become ragged.
Everything and everyone had started to become blurry, she was about to close her eyes when she heard a familiar voice cried out, "Sasha!" She felt a pair of familiar hands lifting her slightly. The person was hugging Sasha and glaring at Merula. "What is wrong with you, Merula?! Many of us here are all first years too! Are you seriously so heartless enough to injure Sasha, Penny, Ben, and the rest of the first years here?! Sasha isn't becoming powerful by bullying other students! She becomes a powerful witch with her love for her friends and her determination in hard work! She's many things that you aren't, Merula! Sasha's going to become a much better and powerful witch than you will ever be!" Sasha was stunned to hear the person yelling, she never heard somebody sounded so angry on her behalf before (that only happened with her family).