Bab 94: 94: Weasley: A Test?
The two chatted by the lake for a while until Hermione and the others found them.
In the afternoon, there was a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Ivan and Hermione didn't quite understand the excitement of Quidditch, but Neville and Parvati were full of enthusiasm.
Besides, Harry was their friend and a member of their group, so Ivan felt obligated to attend the game.
As the match progressed and Gryffindor team members began getting injured and falling from their brooms, Ivan started to see just how brutal the sport could be.
But he remained silent.
For wizards, such injuries weren't much different from a regular foul in a Muggle football match.
Additionally, Ivan had to admit that Quidditch was indeed a very exhilarating flying sport.
If he had to compare it to something, Quidditch wasn't like football or basketball—it was more akin to racing, an extreme sport that demanded full concentration and fueled a rush of adrenaline.
What a pity, Ivan thought.
Since he knew how to fly using magic, he would never truly experience the thrill and excitement of Quidditch.
"Come on!!"
Hermione, who had previously been indifferent to the game, found herself caught up in the excitement, loudly cheering for Harry as she watched the Quidditch match up close.
After about 20 minutes, Harry spotted the Golden Snitch and began a fierce collision with the Slytherin Seeker in a race to capture it.
Both Harry and the Slytherin Seeker refused to give in, fighting with all their might for the Golden Snitch, the symbol of victory.
"He caught the Golden Snitch!"
Suddenly, the commentator, Lee Jordan, shouted excitedly from the stands, "Harry Potter caught the Golden Snitch and won 150 points!"
"Gryffindor wins!!"
As Madam Hooch blew the whistle to end the match, the Gryffindor section erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Harry Potter!!"
"Potter won! We won!"
Ivan slowly stood up, watching as Harry held the Golden Snitch high in the air. He smiled and clapped, proud of his friend's achievement.
That night, Gryffindor students surrounded Harry, celebrating their victory.
After defeating Slytherin, it wasn't just the students who were ecstatic—even Professor McGonagall joined in, happily sipping a glass of wine.
Professor McGonagall was a Quidditch fan herself, but Slytherin had dominated the Quidditch Cup for six consecutive years, and she dreamed of bringing the championship back to Gryffindor.
In fact, she had been so determined to help the team that she bought Harry a Nimbus 2000.
"Congratulations," Ivan said to Harry after the celebration party. "How does it feel?"
"It's the happiest moment of my life!"
Harry exclaimed, unable to hide his joy. He promised that he would continue to work hard and help Gryffindor win the championship.
"Ivan," Harry began, a bit hesitantly after the excitement had settled, "I... I want to bring Ron to join us. I don't know if that's okay..."
"Have you two reconciled?"
Since Ronald had been placed under the Imperius Curse and spent nearly a week in the school hospital, Ivan hadn't paid much attention to him.
However, during that time, it seemed like Ronald and Harry's friendship had returned to normal.
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "He wants to apologize to you."
"Apologize?" Ivan asked, a bit puzzled. "I don't think we've had any serious conflict, have we?"
"So.. There's no need for an apology," Ivan said plainly.
"As for joining the Mysterious Side, I'm bringing in a newcomer tomorrow, and we can test them both together."
To join the Mysterious Side, one had to pass a test devised by Ivan, the founder.
The test didn't solely focus on magical talent.
In fact, Ivan valued character and one's personal goals more than raw talent.
As a certain famous saying goes—What is your dream?
"Harry?"
After receiving Ivan's approval, Harry returned to the dormitory.
Ronald was sitting there nervously. The moment he saw Harry walk in, he jumped up and anxiously asked, "Did Ivan agree?"
"Let's go together tomorrow night."
Harry, being simple-minded, truly saw Ron as his best friend and was always willing to share things with him.
"Really?!"
Ronald was overjoyed. He had a mix of respect and fear for Ivan, but most of all, it was admiration and envy.
He had started Hogwarts alongside Harry.
In the beginning, their magical skills were at a similar, rather poor level.
However, once Harry began receiving instruction from Ivan, his spellcasting abilities had improved by leaps and bounds.
Every time Ron asked Harry to teach him some of the magic, he found himself unable to grasp what Harry was explaining.
Ron struggled to understand the concepts and the specialized spellcasting techniques that Ivan had tailored specifically for Harry.
Seeing the gap between Harry and himself grow wider and wider, Ron had become anxious.
That was part of why Ron had distanced himself from Harry on Halloween and had ended up falling victim to Voldemort's Imperius Curse.
They had argued, and Ron felt that Harry had begun to look down on him.
"Ivan really is amazing. He can see through us so easily," Harry said with admiration. "But Ron, you need to be ready."
"Ready?"
"To join the Mysterious Side, you'll have to pass Ivan's test."
"T-Test?!"
When Ronald heard the word test, he panicked.
He had thought that, with Harry's close relationship with Ivan, he could simply join without any formalities—just a word from Harry would be enough.
"..."
Harry was surprised by Ronald's reaction. "What's wrong? What's the issue?"
"..."
Ronald hesitated. "I'm just a bit nervous."
"Don't worry, Ron," Harry reassured him, knowing Ivan's character well. Ivan was strict at times, but it was always to push them to improve. "You'll definitely pass!"
Perhaps because of the time he'd spent with Ivan, Harry had come to understand some of Ivan's subtleties and hints.
The so-called test was mostly a formality.
Harry briefly considered whether or not to tell Ronald the truth.
But seeing the anxiety on Ronald's face, Harry hesitated.
He had already noticed some underlying issues with Ron.
Ronald struggled with feelings of inferiority—something that stemmed from being part of the Weasley family.
As the youngest brother, Ronald had almost always used hand-me-downs. He had hardly ever owned anything that was truly his.
But the thing was...
Harry thought to himself, I'm the same!
Before coming to the wizarding world, Harry's life had been far worse than Ronald's.
Not only had Harry lost his parents, but his only relatives treated him with cold indifference and cruelty.
To be honest, Harry couldn't understand why Ronald was jealous.
If Ronald really envied him, Harry would gladly trade places with him. 'If you want, I'll give you this scar,' he thought.
Who, given the choice, would want to be "The Boy Who Lived" with a cursed scar?
"But... didn't I join Ivan's study group a long time ago?"
This was what frustrated Ronald the most. He had been part of the group from the beginning, so why should he have to take a test now just to join again?
"Ron, you..."
Harry didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell his friend, 'This is the test Ivan has set for you!'
But the words didn't come out.
Now, Harry felt a bit uncomfortable himself, like there was something stuck in his chest that he couldn't express.
'That's because you quit first!' he thought.
Harry was beginning to regret agreeing to Ron's request.
_________
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