"Quick! Stop Fish!" Hermione and the other members of the Order of the Cat shouted, directing everyone's attention to Fish.
And Harry took advantage of this moment and, with Ron's help, led Professor Slughorn to his room.
Snape averted his gaze from Harry, nervously glanced at the drunken Fish on the table not far away, then sighed helplessly, shook his robes, and reached out to grab his wand.
But he didn't step forward; instead, he took a few steps back, with no intention of getting involved. He had only taken his wand to protect himself from Fish.
"Entangling Roots! Hey! Ja!"
(●≧≦●)
And after provoking everyone, Fish immediately attacked them.
Just because the spell [Entangling Roots] worked better in the forest didn't mean it couldn't be used in other places. As Fish grew in strength, so did his spells.
The vegetation in the room pierced through the flowerpots and extended thicker roots, coiling around people like snakes, while the wooden furniture sprouted branches and turned into living ropes, entangling the guests.
"Protego!"
"Depulso!"
"Diffindo!"
"Incendio!"
"Aguamenti! Don't use flames, fool! Are you trying to burn this place down?"
Although there was a slight mistake, the members of the Order of the Cat acted incredibly fast, quickly forming a formation with their close companions, calmly dealing with the incoming branches and roots, and even had time to help guests who hadn't reacted yet.
"The current students... they're truly amazing..."
Exclaimed the renowned writer Eldred Worple to the vampire beside him after being saved by a couple of third or fourth-year students.
Gwenog Jones, also a senior member of the Slug Club, ran her hand through her short hair and nodded with a sigh. "Many of these kids aren't even club members... Does Professor Slughorn really demand so much now?"
"That boy is the best, isn't he?" another club member pointed to Fish, who had conjured those roots. "I'm starting to be convinced that he really can escape from Voldemort..."
"Do you really think Voldemort has returned?" Worple squinted his eyes.
"I can't be sure, and certainly hope it isn't true, but that article in 'The Quibbler' seems quite real." The man shrugged.
"'The Quibbler'... heh." As someone also in the publishing business, Worple didn't feel much affection for 'The Quibbler,' a publication that was basically filled with nonsense.
"Whether Voldemort returns or not," said Jones, drawing her wand and getting to her feet in one swift motion, "right now we have to stop Fish, and I don't want to lose to these juniors."
"Haha! Speaking of which, I used to love dueling people, or I wouldn't have met Sanguini." Worple also drew his wand and joined the other senior club members in the fight.
But before doing so, he warned the vampire he had brought along, "You must not take advantage of the chaos to bite others!"
Sanguini's eyes instantly dulled, returning to his previous weary appearance.
"Roar~!!!"
(=`Д´=)
On the other hand, after seeing how they dealt with the summoned roots, Fish immediately transformed into his white tiger form and let out a [Demoralizing Roar].
All the wizards who were unprepared for this roar froze, especially those who had never seen Fish's white tiger form before, stumbling and falling to the ground.
The members of the Order of the Cat were hardly fazed, as they were accustomed to Fish's occasional growls when practicing the Patronus Charm.
"Don't engage Fish head-on! Use Transfiguration to keep him at bay. Try to transform as many birds and rats as you can! Those who don't know Transfiguration, stay back and don't cause trouble."
Neville shouted, leading the upper-level students with Ernie McMillan to distract Fish with Transfiguration.
"Roar~!"
(=`=)
Indeed, Fish was drawn to the transformed birds and happily chased them around the room. However, a Stupefy spell suddenly flew from the side and hit Fish, who was pouncing on the sparrows.
"Who the idiot did that?!" Ernie McMillan's voice changed.
The members of the Order of the Cat looked in the direction of the spell and saw that it was cast by the famous author Eldred Worple, who looked at the bewildered McMillan accusing him.
As a former member of the Slug Club and a wizard who had first encountered Fish, Worple was not one to take orders from a group of underage wizards, especially after making a fool of himself with Fish's roar.
He was rightfully trying to save face. So, when he saw what seemed like a perfect opportunity, he didn't hesitate to attack.
"Worple! Get out of the way!"
He was confused when suddenly Sanguini's warning reached his ears. This was followed by the roar of a tiger...
"Roar~!!"
(=`Д´=)
With fury, Fish leaped from a distance. He was having a good time when a spell flew that, although it didn't seem to hit him, was a provocation to Fish!
Whether it was because Fish's alcohol tolerance had improved or due to the quality of Professor Slughorn's wine, it wasn't clear, but this time Fish didn't have much effect when he got drunk.
But luckily for him, Sanguini's reminder was enough for Worple to react in time.
He rolled and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the huge white tiger, and watched in horror as Fish tore apart a solid wooden table behind him...
Worple, already terrified, trembled even harder.
Neville and the others tried once again to ward off Fish with a Transfiguration spell, but it didn't work this time.
The vengeful Fish now set his sights on the one who had just provoked him, pushing aside the wooden debris with his paws before turning around and pouncing on Worple again.
"Sanguini! Help me!"
Worple shouted to his vampire friend as he fled with all his might.
And without hesitation, Sanguini went after him, leaping onto Fish at a speed far surpassing that of a normal human... It wasn't clear whether he wanted to take the opportunity to take a bite out of Fish or not.
"Ouch!"
(=`Д´=)
With a casual swipe of his paw, the vampire was sent flying backward at a greater speed.
Fish, who had brushed the vampire aside with a slap, ignored him and took two more steps forward, pinning Worple to the ground with a paw.
His claws were not fully retracted because Fish was drunk, and his sharp, knife-like claws tore through Worple's clothing and pierced his skin, making Worple fearful of making any significant movement, afraid that Fish might accidentally tear him apart.
"Don't struggle! Let Fish catch his breath, and you'll be fine!" Neville shouted from a distance to Worple.
Worple rolled his eyes as he lay immobilized on the ground. How dare he struggle now...
"Roar~!"
(=`=)
Fish held onto the "prey" he had successfully captured, raised his head triumphantly, looking majestic, and let out a roar as if announcing his victory.
Satisfied that those around him were "afraid to move" under his presence, Fish averted his gaze, lowered his head, grabbed Worple by the neck, and then lifted his head and shook it twice in the air.
(°ω°≡°ω°)
With a "splat," Worple went flying, and strips of fabric hung from Fish's mouth.
"Stay on the ground, don't attract Fish's attention!" Neville warned, before regaining control of the bird he had conjured and fluttering around Fish.
Worple didn't dare to move uncontrollably this time, and with his body so sore that he had to lie on the ground, he closed his eyes and lowered his head to pretend he had fainted, all to avoid being tormented by Fish.
Fish stumbled towards him, gave him a couple of swipes with his paws, checked that he didn't seem to be moving, and cast a rejuvenation spell on him before resuming his pursuit of the birds in the sky.
"Roar~!"
(=`=)