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Chapter 18: The Rejected Duel
The flight class passed quickly in the afternoon, with Ivan feeling conflicted, but everything went smoothly afterward. Ivan was the first to complete the flight training.
Ivan also took special care to remind Malfoy to be cautious while flying, making sure he wouldn't fall from the sky again.
Madam Hooch, watching from a distance, saw Ivan's performance and raised her opinion of him even higher.
Gryffindor and Slytherin young Wizards always had a rivalry, and in her view, it was rare for Ivan to set aside his prejudices and show such concern for Malfoy.
Malfoy, however, was quite upset. He declared that he would perform a difficult flying maneuver to prove his skills, but Madam Hooch promptly stopped him before he could finish his sentence.
Malfoy had a history of falling, and Madam Hooch was still worried about his safety. She even forbade him from riding a broomstick for the rest of the class.
Ding, flight class has ended. Overall class performance: Excellent
Evaluator: Rolanda Hooch
Reward: Academic Points * 10
Ivan, strolling down the corridor, saw the final class evaluation and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even with the troublemaker Malfoy, he had still achieved his expected goal.
In contrast, Ron and Hermione were in no good mood. Both were worried about Harry, who had been taken away by Professor Mcgonagall.
Especially Hermione, who was still fuming. As soon as class ended, she ran to Ivan and began to chatter.
"I think we should tell Professor Mcgonagall and Madam Hooch the truth! What if Harry gets expelled?"
Ivan stopped and looked at Hermione.
"That won't happen. Professor Mcgonagall wouldn't expel Harry over something so minor. Maybe it's because Harry flew so well that Professor Mcgonagall wants to have him join the Quidditch team."
"To join the Quidditch team, you need to be at least in second year!" Hermione corrected Ivan.
"Rules have exceptions. Not every young Wizard can fly as well as Harry when they're just starting out", Ivan said with a smile.
Hermione thought about it and realized there was a possibility. Ron's eyes also lit up, and the three of them began to discuss the possibility of Harry joining the Quidditch team. If Harry could make it, Ron thought he might have a chance too.
By the time the trio reached the Great Hall to enjoy dinner, Harry was already sitting there. Before they could approach, Harry came over, eager to tell them about Professor Mcgonagall offering him the position of Seeker.
Even though Ivan had already prepared them, they were still surprised, especially Ron, who was incredibly excited.
"Harry, I didn't think you'd really join the Quidditch team! You might be the youngest Seeker in Hogwarts history! Do they need anyone else, like a Beater or a Keeper?" Ron asked hopefully, eager for some good news.
"No, Wood said they have enough people", Harry shook his head awkwardly. He didn't understand why Ron was so excited. He had only heard about Quidditch today and still didn't know much about it.
"By the way, Ivan, what was going on in today's flight class?" Harry looked at Ivan with a frown.
"Didn't Malfoy take Neville's Crystal Ball? And then I chased after him? When did it turn into us training with Malfoy together?"
When Professor Mcgonagall took him away, Harry was almost terrified, thinking he would be expelled from Hogwarts and sent back to his aunt and uncle's dirty, cramped cupboard. Fortunately, the situation wasn't as bad as he imagined.
Ivan didn't hide anything and explained how he used the Petrificus Totalus on Malfoy, making him look ridiculous.
"If I expose Malfoy, I'll end up in Detention with him. Besides, he's had enough of a lesson, hasn't he?" Ivan said, shrugging.
Ron added more details about how Malfoy was tricked into restricted flying during the flying lesson, and Harry's gloom instantly lifted, laughing heartily.
Only Hermione was still concerned about their violation of school rules. Seeing Ivan and the others chatting happily, she turned and left in a huff.
Ivan thought about it but didn't try to stop her. Hermione needed to change her attitude.
Of course, it's not that following rules is bad, but sometimes being too rigid and leaving no room for flexibility can be too inflexible.
In the original story, Malfoy hardly faced any punishment for causing trouble during the flying lesson.
This was partly due to Harry's bad luck, as Professor Mcgonagall didn't give him a chance to explain. But even if Harry had explained the situation, Professor Mcgonagall would likely have just deducted house points, which would mean nothing to Malfoy.
At least now, Malfoy was thoroughly scared and wouldn't dare to cause trouble again in the near future.
Unfortunately, the comeback was faster than Ivan imagined. Before he even finished his meal, Malfoy came looking for trouble, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle.
Perhaps emboldened by his lackeys, Malfoy regained his arrogant demeanor, though he still looked at Ivan with a mixture of hatred and irritation.
"Potter, are you having your last meal? You'll be leaving here tomorrow, back to your Muggle world, won't you?" Malfoy taunted loudly.
Ivan and Harry didn't react, just looking at Malfoy as if he were a fool. Ron was thinking that if he mentioned Harry becoming the Seeker, Malfoy's expression would be priceless.
Ivan's calm attitude made Malfoy somewhat uneasy, but he gritted his teeth and said what he had to say.
"Hals, if you have the guts, come to the Trophy Room tonight. I want to Duel with you!"
However, Malfoy didn't expect Ivan to firmly shake his head.
"No way!"
What a joke. Tonight, Ivan planned to go to the restricted section to claim the system's rewards. He had no time to play Duel games with Malfoy.
Besides, from what Ivan remembered, Malfoy was just planning to stand him up and then report to Filch to catch them. He would be crazy to get involved in such a scheme.
"Hals, are you afraid?" Malfoy sneered.
"I have no interest in Dueling a loser. It's a waste of time." Ivan glanced sideways at Malfoy, looking uninterested in a weak opponent.
"Maybe when you learn some advanced magic, we can talk. Otherwise, if you fall again, no one will be there to save you."
(End of Chapter)
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