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"Wipe that grin off your face, you nancy little prat! You blood traitor!"
Draco's head snapped up at this, and he looked Harper right in his beady eyes. It was clear to him that there wasn't going to be a peaceful resolution to this conflict. The two boys had a bit of an audience now, and they had worked themselves up too much to back down. They were going to try to hurt him. The only way out was through.
So be it. Draco braced himself.
Harper’s smile was vicious. "This is going to be fun," he said, and he shoved Draco hard into the wall beside the door of the Charms classroom, coming at him almost faster than Draco could react. Harper's fist hit stone instead of flesh as Draco ducked out of the way. His cry of pain was cut short as Draco's shoulder connected with his chest, ploughing him all the way into the wall at the opposite side of the corridor. Around them, people were moving out of the way, but they weren’t leaving. No one lifted a finger to help, to stop it. He was on his own.
Draco pounded his fist into Harper's stomach. Harper doubled over with a grunt, and Draco drew his wand. He raised it, unsure even as he did of what he was going to do—
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A huge thank you to @swottydoodler for this incredible piece! I am so grateful to her for all of the wonderful illustrations she's done for Jury of Hearts so far, including the cover art!











