Chapter 96: The Imperius Curse Reappears

The scene was confusing and no one knew what was happening.

They saw Ron crash into Ivan's body with red eyes. They both fell to the ground hitting each other.

"Stop, stop, Ron!" Hermione shouted loudly, trying to break them apart.

Ivan hadn't reacted yet, and he was hit hard in the stomach. He used his knees to hold Ron down, while his right hand subconsciously reached for his wand.

A bright red light flashed and Ron went flying.

His body flipped the table and he fell to the floor, struggling twice to get up and pounce on Ivan again, but Fred and George were quick to stop him.

"Ron, what have you got on Ivan?" Fred said in surprise.

"Yeah, do you really realize what you're doing?" George said after him.

Ron was breathing heavily, his eyes red with anger as he looked at Ivan.

Everyone held their breath, staring at Ron in disbelief, and the atmosphere in the common room was heavy.

Ivan's clothes were a mess. His right hand was holding his wand tightly, pointing it at Ron. His left hand was gently patting Hermione's shoulder as she stood beside him, sobbing.

"What the hell are you guys doing?!" Percy walked through the crowd and glared at Ron, he looked just like Mrs. Weasley. "Ron, I know you're sad to lose the rat, but it wasn't Ivan who killed it."

"It's him, it's him!" cried Ron. "It was him who asked Hermione to buy the cat. If it wasn't for that bloody cat, Scabbers wouldn't have died."

"It wasn't Crookshanks that killed Scabbers..." Hermione argued weakly, and her eyes were filled with tears.

"Ron, you're mad! For a rat, you..." Ginny, who came to comfort Hermione, whispered to her. She turned to Ron and looked at him angrily.

"Rat? Scabbers is my friend!" Ron interrupted Ginny, and roared angrily. "My best friend is dead. The two of you and that damn cat killed him. You've been supporting them the whole time, has anyone ever thought about my feelings?!"

Other than Ron's roars, there was no sound, just absolute silence in the common room.

"Actually, your rat isn't dead and no one touched it," Ivan left Ginny to deal with Hermione and walked to the corner of the room to pull a struggling rat out of the hole, then tossed it to Ron.

Seeing the trembling Scabbers in his hands, Ron suddenly calmed down.

He looked stunned. He wanted to say something, but found nothing to say. He couldn't explain it to the others. The rat was just a trigger. When he exploded in anger and ran to Ivan, the only thing on his mind was the image of Ivan, as he held Hermione's arm in his hand as he entered the common room.

"Well, Ron, things have been cleared up and your rat isn't dead." Percy said condescendingly, "Apologize to Ivan and Hermione right away."

Ron was annoyed by Percy's words.

He gasped and looked coldly at Ivan and Hermione.

Reason told him that he should apologize, but there was a voice in his head that kept whispering that it wasn't necessary, that he didn't have to apologize, that it was all their fault.

She suddenly remembered what Tom Riddle had said to her last year. Her fists clenched and her whole body trembled.

If he had a choice, he would rather rush in and fight Ivan again.

"Say sorry, Ron!" Ginny whispered anxiously to remind him.

Ron woke up suddenly and saw that everyone was looking at him. He took a deep breath and said in a slurred voice, "Yes, I'm sorry!"

And with that, he turned around and ran back to his bedroom.

In the dark bedroom, Ron was alone.

He lay on his four-poster bed and pressed his head against the pillow and the tears flowed uncontrollably.

He should have lost his mind a moment ago. He yelled unexpectedly at Hermione and fought with Iván....

Ron didn't know why he wanted to do that; maybe it was too hard to suddenly lose Scabbers.

Maybe Tom Riddle's words from last year played a part, or maybe it was the feeling he had during the day that was a mixture of envy, jealousy and nasty hatred.

In any case, the more he looked at Ivan, the worse he felt.

Thinking about what everyone had just done to support Ivan, Ron felt very lonely.

If it were everyone else, he could have easily let it go; but with them were Percy, Fred, George and Ginny, they were all his family, and they weren't on his side.

And Hermione.... Ron became more distressed just thinking about her.

Ron tried not to think about her. He thought about Harry, his best friend. If Harry were here tonight, would he stand by him?

Ron hesitated. At first he thought Harry would support him. He did against Malfoy, but this was different. Harry and Ivan's relationship was also very good. He might as well be like the others and support Ivan.

He had already lost Hermione, and when he thought he might lose Harry, Ron was indescribably irritated.

He always treated Harry as his best friend, but did Harry think the same of him?

Harry is not only a famous savior, but also the Seeker of the Quidditch team. Harry had always been surrounded by the elite. Ron was, on the other hand, a regular bloke - what would make Harry choose him as his best friend?!

Maybe, in Harry's eyes, he's just a follower.

"I'm all alone!" Ron muttered. "No one will support me. I'm a loser. Everyone looks down on me."

His body curled up in pain, and a moment later, he felt something shaking in his coat pocket.It was Scabbers!

Ron wiped away his tears and got up to pull the rat out.

It looked terrified, its body was still shaking and its little eyes were full of fear.

In fact, Peter Pettigrew was really scared. He hid according to his plan. This certainly wouldn't fool Sirius, but it might buy him some time.

However, the plan did not go well. He took the opportunity of the Quidditch match when all the students were out and searched Filch's office but found nothing. The Marauder's Map was not there.

When he graduated, the map had been confiscated by Filch, and Filch had kept it. It shouldn't be lost. But, after all, that was twenty years ago. That's a long time in which anything could happen.

Pettigrew returned to the Gryffindor common room. He wanted to come up with a plan to lure Sirius out and let the people inside the castle find him.

Since Sirius thought he was close to Ron, it would be best if he stayed and waited for the opportunity.

However, Peter Pettigrew didn't expect Ivan to find him.

That was impossible. how did he find him?!

When he hid in that alcove, there was obviously no one in the common room.

There was no way the boy could find him.

Peter Pettigrew was scared, and Ivan surely had some way of knowing. If Sirius Black knew the same method, then....

"Scabbers, you're the only one I have left. You're definitely backing me up, aren't you?" Ron put the rat on the pillow.

When he heard Ron, Peter Pettigrew woke up from his daze. He felt there were too many variables in the plan he had thought of earlier. He couldn't fight Sirius Black and Ivan alone.

He needed a helper, one hidden in the dark.

"Those people see me as a lackey, as a joke!" said Ron bitterly. His expression was slightly grim. "Those who despise me, I will make them repent. I want them to pay the price."

"Yes, I'll help you!" Suddenly a high-pitched man's voice was heard in the room. "I will make those who despise us pay the price."

"Imperius!"

A strange light flashed through the bedroom which was quickly restored to peace. Only Ron lay on the bed in tears. His eyes were full of confusion and emptiness.