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Chapter 27: I'm Such a Fool!
Chapter 27: I’m Such a Fool!
"Yes, Professor, theoretically, we should be in the Dormitory." Harry swallowed hard under Professor Mcgonagall's stern gaze.
"But in practice, things often turn out differently."
Professor Mcgonagall's face darkened immediately, and sensing the impending trouble, Harry quickly added, "It means that Ron and I heard about the Troll at the feast and remembered that Ivan and Hermione were still here. We were worried, so we rushed over."
Ron gritted his teeth, preparing to admit that he had said mean things behind Hermione's back, which led her to cry and hide in the Girls' Bathroom.
"That's right, they came to find me!"
However, Hermione suddenly interrupted them and then turned to Mcgonagall, saying, "Professor, I came to find the Troll, thinking I could handle it. You know, I read in a book how to deal with such creatures."
"But the Troll was much stronger than I imagined. If Ivan hadn't arrived in time, I would have been dead."
"As for Harry and Ron, they probably came because they were worried about us."
This was the first time Hermione had lied, and she seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, her cheeks turning red. But she quickly became more fluent and successfully covered up the truth.
"How could you think like that? Silly girl, you're only in your first year. How could you possibly handle a Troll?" Professor Mcgonagall scolded.
"Ahem", Ivan lightly coughed, reminding Professor Mcgonagall that there was a first-year wizard here who had successfully taken on a Troll alone.
Ivan's straightforwardness put Professor Mcgonagall in an awkward position, but fortunately, Dumbledore, who had been summoned by Filch, arrived just in time to ease the tension.
The moment Dumbledore appeared, his gaze focused on the scattered Iron Thorns and the Troll's corpse, particularly the conical spike that had pierced the Troll's head.
"Truly an outstanding Transfiguration Spell. Among the young wizards I've seen, I doubt anyone could have done better. If this had happened in class, I'm sure Professor Mcgonagall would have awarded Gryffindor ten points for it", Dumbledore said, his admiration clear.
"Albus, we should be discussing the fact that these children came to find the Troll without permission." Mcgonagall nodded, surprised by Ivan's skill with the Transfiguration Spell, but clearly this wasn't the time for such praise.
"Very well, then", Dumbledore pondered for a moment before addressing everyone.
"Miss Granger will lose ten points for Gryffindor due to her recklessness. Potter and Weasley, although they broke the rules, their friendship is commendable, so they will not be punished."
Harry and Ron breathed a sigh of relief, while Hermione bit her lip, finding it hard to accept the point deduction.
"As for Hals", Dumbledore paused, and Hermione and the others held their breath again. However, Dumbledore then said in a lighter tone, "Because of your actions, I will award Gryffindor twenty points!"
Hermione's heart, which had been tightly clenched, finally relaxed, and she looked at Ivan with a joyful expression, the point deduction seeming less significant now.
Ivan also smiled, as the system had simultaneously awarded him twenty Academic Points, which was equivalent to several days of hard-earned correct answers.
"Isn't this a bit too lenient?" Professor Mcgonagall frowned, feeling that Dumbledore's approach might encourage Ivan and others to take more risks.
"Not every young wizard can successfully defeat a troll so soon after arriving at Hogwarts", Dumbledore shook his head and rejected her concern.
"By the way, Professor, I don't need to compensate for the troll, right?" Ivan, in a good mood, asked casually.
"Of course not, but", Dumbledore smiled at Ivan, "could you come to the Headmaster's Office later? I'm very interested in how you defeated the troll. Perhaps, after I finish dealing with matters here, we can have a good chat."
Ivan's smile froze, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. Could he say no?
Ivan felt depressed. He shouldn't have said anything!
How foolish of me. I should have read "Occlumency" a few times when I went to the Restricted Section. How foolish of me.
On his way to the Headmaster's Office, Ivan fell into a repetitive mode, regretting over and over again that he hadn't learned Occlumency in advance.
Of course, this wasn't entirely his fault.
Previously, to complete the challenge tasks more smoothly and earn Academic Points, he had invested almost all his points into Potions and a few key spells, leaving no extra points for "Occlumency."
As for learning Occlumency on his own without an Experience Card?
Ivan thought it was better not to. He still remembered clearly that even the Chosen One, Harry, with a talent for Occlumency and under the guidance of a master like Snape, couldn't learn it. Ivan felt that learning it on his own would be a nightmare.
However, this also reminded Ivan of a characteristic of Legilimency from the original story: the caster could only read the memories that the target was actively recalling. To get more, they would need to use a more powerful Legilimency to force the target to recall more.
This was why, in the original story, when Snape read Harry's memories, Harry had to replay them in his mind.
With these thoughts, Ivan felt a bit more at ease. As long as he thought of useless things during the conversation, Dumbledore wouldn't force his way into his memories, right?
With a nervous heart, Ivan walked up to the Headmaster's Office. A hideously ugly giant stone beast guarded the entrance. When Ivan said the password Dumbledore had given him, the stone beast slowly rotated with a dull sound, revealing a hidden staircase behind it.
Ivan walked up the stairs. Inside was a spacious circular room with old, aged walls adorned with portraits of all the former headmasters of Hogwarts. Each portrait clearly marked the headmaster's name and the years they presided over the school.
What interested Ivan the most were the Pensieve on the side table and Dumbledore's pet Phoenix, Fawkes.
The Pensieve was something Ivan had longed for. Once he learned Legilimency, he could use the Pensieve to organize his memories.
Phoenix blood was a crucial ingredient for the Blood-Bonding Potion, and it was the best quality.
If he had the tools and Dumbledore wasn't likely to return, Ivan might have considered drawing a vial of blood.
If he could defeat Fawkes, that is.
(End of Chapter)
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