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Chapter 401: The Annoying Eagle-shaped Bronze Knocker and the Damaged Broomstick
Chapter 401: The Annoying Eagle-shaped Bronze Knocker and the Damaged Broomstick
Luna’s tone carried a hint of sadness, but she quickly adjusted her mood and entered the Ravenclaw common room.
The bronze door slowly closed.
Watching Luna’s back disappear, Ivan stood there for a long while, finally giving a bitter smile. He certainly understood what Luna was saying, but was his emotional change that obvious?
Ivan always thought he was good at hiding his feelings. His roommates, Harry, Ron, and Neville, had never noticed anything amiss.
Standing motionless in front of the door, Ivan made the Eagle-shaped Bronze Knocker think he wanted to enter. The eagle’s beak opened, and a mysterious voice rang out.
“What is the essence of Magic Power?”
The voice from the bronze knocker interrupted Ivan’s thoughts.
Hearing this familiar question, Ivan rolled his eyes, drew his wand, and then put it back, barely resisting the urge to dismantle the knocker. He turned and left decisively.
He made his way back to the Gryffindor common room, pushed open the door to his dormitory, and found that everyone else had already returned.
Ron, Neville, and the others were gathered around Harry, talking about something.
“Where were you just now, Ivan? We waited for you at the pitch for a long time,” Ron turned around upon hearing the sound from the door and said.
“You know, I’ve never been fond of crowds. They were just too enthusiastic,” Ivan shook his head and explained casually. Then he closed the door and walked into the dormitory, curious. “By the way, what are you all gathered here for?”
“We’re looking at Harry’s broom. When he fell from the sky, the broom was blown away by the wind and hit the Whomping Willow. As you know, the Whomping Willow doesn’t like things hitting it, so the broom ended up like this!”
Ron said helplessly, stepping aside.
Ivan then saw the broken remains of the broom on the table beside Harry’s bed. The damage was so severe that it was clearly beyond repair.
Harry’s face was one of despair. The Nimbus 2000, a gift from Professor Mcgonagall when he joined the Quidditch team in his first year, had been with him for over two years, through countless storms and battles.
Harry even remembered every time he had caught the Golden Snitch on this broom, but now it could no longer accompany him.
What was even more critical was that their arch-rivals, the Slytherin team, all had Nimbus 2001s. If Harry rode an old-fashioned Comet broom, he would be at a significant speed disadvantage when competing with Malfoy for the Golden Snitch, making it even harder to win the Quidditch Cup!
Ivan could only shake his head, indicating his helplessness. He didn’t have the skills to repair a flying broom.
Besides, the Firebolt that Sirius, the rich guy, had bought for Harry should arrive in a day or two. So, after offering a few words of comfort to Harry, Ivan turned his attention to Scabbers.
The fat rat still seemed to be living a comfortable life, with no sense of danger or any memory issues. At the moment, it was lounging on Ron’s bed, munching on a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Bean, showing none of the nervous behavior it displayed in the original timeline.
Ivan nodded in satisfaction. However, he needed to address Peter’s issue soon. After all, it wasn’t a good idea to keep delaying until Dumbledore returned.
He thought he might try to talk to Lupin after tomorrow’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class and see if he could convince him.
The next morning, during the Defense Against the Dark Arts class,
Professor Lupin, looking a bit pale, pointed at several ugly creatures locked in cages and began explaining to the class.
"This lesson, I will teach you how to deal with Red Caps!"
"As you can see, they look a bit like goblins! But you should be aware that they are not as intelligent as goblins, and they are particularly brutal, enjoying lurking in places where blood has been spilled.
For example, they often hide in the castle's dungeons and the tunnels of abandoned battlefields, waiting to attack anyone who passes by."
Lupin spoke knowledgeably to the young wizards, occasionally throwing in an interesting legend or a small story to pique their interest.
He then opened the cage and grabbed a Red Cap, allowing each young wizard to try their hand at dealing with the creature. They could either recite the Red Cap Repelling Charm or use the Stupefy spell to knock it out.
"In short, the key to dealing with them is not to be afraid. Once you overcome your fear, you'll find that Red Caps are actually quite easy to handle!" Lupin reminded them.
For a prepared wizard, most magical creatures in the wizarding world do not pose a significant threat, otherwise, wizards would not be the dominant force in the wizarding world.
Although the students here were only third-year young wizards, the Red Caps, lacking weapons, posed a relatively low threat and were suitable for practical training.
"Hals, this time, you will demonstrate again for everyone!" Lupin said, looking at Ivan.
Ivan nodded and walked to the center.
Lupin called for everyone to step back, then waved his wand to release the ropes binding the Red Cap.
The ugly, goblin-like creature, once free, began making loud, chaotic noises and took steps toward Ivan, who was the closest.
For Ivan, such a minor challenge was easy to handle. As the Red Cap approached, Ivan calculated its movements and casually raised his hand.
"Petrification Charm!"
The spell's light immediately struck the Red Cap, freezing it in place, its face still twisted in a menacing expression.
"Excellent Petrification Charm! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lupin clapped and walked forward, addressing the class. "See? As long as you stay calm, this creature is not that difficult to handle!"
Seeing Ivan easily subdue the Red Cap, the young wizards became eager to try their own hands at it, impatient to face the magical creature.
Considering that this was a joint class with two houses, and the number of students was quite large, one-on-one practice would likely take too long to get through everyone by the end of the class.
Lupin appointed Ivan as his assistant, responsible for supervising the Gryffindor young wizards in dealing with the Red Caps, allowing two students to practice at a time.
Lupin was very confident in Ivan's abilities. Last evening, he had heard that Ivan had driven away over a hundred Dementors that had invaded the school, saving all the students. Many adult wizards would not have been able to accomplish such a feat.
"Harry, Malfoy, it's your turn now", Lupin said.
The two students called stepped forward. Harry looked a bit nervous, his eyes fixed on the petrified Red Cap, while Malfoy appeared confident.
(End of Chapter)
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