Chapter 257: Sprouting Seeds

Regardless of recognition, Ivan was the most famous among all Hogwarts students.

He founded a highly successful newspaper, was far more powerful than any young wizard of his age, defeated the horrible basilisk, proved Professor Lupin's innocence, rescued Sirius Black, defeated the evil Peter Pettigrew, did many things famous and even capable of causing a stir in the magical world....

In less than two years, Ivan did so many things that a wizard could not do in his lifetime.

Considering his age and his Muggle origins, it was incredible.

While they envied Ivan, everyone had to admire his efforts.

Both he and Hermione spent most of their time in the library every day, more time than all the other young wizards, and even the students preparing for exams were not as hardworking as they were.

Everyone could often see such a scene: Ivan and Hermione sitting at the long black table on the innermost side of the library, surrounded by thick books on magic or other materials, quietly reading and taking notes by candlelight, and occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

In the quiet atmosphere, there was a touch of warmth.

The long table was their place, and Ivan and Hermione would come in an hour after dinner and stay there until 10 pm.

When he arrived early, Hermione would prepare two cups of hot chocolate. It was very bitter because it contained no sugar. Ivan frowned and drank it all the time under Hermione's smiling gaze, but it was a good pick-me-up for the spirit.

After leaving the library, the two walked around the dark castle, then went back to the Gryffindor common room and chatted with others, played wizarding games, or helped Harry, Ron, and Colin finish their homework.

Ivan and Hermione had a very regular schedule, and everyone was used to that with them.

But since the start of the new semester, everything had unconsciously changed.

First of all, Hermione, because of too many courses, had to go back and forth from one course to another every day, with no free time. Every night, she would start doing homework in the corner of the common room instead of reading in the library.

Ivan spent more and more time in the library. Nowadays, he hardly participates in House activities. While there was no class, he sat alone in the library.

Near his seat, you could sometimes smell spicy potions.

Any wizard who had an in-depth study of Potions would know that the potions taken by Ivan were stimulating, allowing the user to concentrate, improve his attention and extend his alertness.

The materials needed for this type of potion were extremely valuable, and young wizards generally did not use them.

But Ivan was compelled to do so. What he lacked most was time.

He had reached an impasse in studying the collections of dark magic taken from 12 Grimmauld Place, and he needed to add more theoretical knowledge as a foundation.

Because this was the more sophisticated black magic, the theoretical knowledge Ivan needed to supplement was also very deep and complex. He could only read and study in the library during the day.

While everyone slept at night, he would take out the black magic books and study them in secret to test some of his theories.

With the deepening research, Ivan's stock of magic had increased rapidly.

The side effects were also very obvious. In the long run, his body would not have been able to carry them without the help of magic potions.

In fact, Ivan's recent abnormal behavior had also attracted the attention of some people.

For example, the librarian, Madame Pince, could reveal her thoughts about Ivan by the growing concern on her face.

If someone took the time to talk to her, Madam Pince would be very willing to express her opinion about Ivan.

In her opinion, Ivan would become an evil dark wizard.

Many of the magic books he borrowed were taboo, full of theoretical knowledge about dark magic or dark creatures. Although there were no straightforward books on dark magic after the school screening, borrowing them frequently did not bode well in itself.

However, Ivan had Sirius's approval in hand. Dumbledore also accepted his behavior, and Madame Pince, though concerned, could say nothing.

Besides her, Ron also paid particular attention to Ivan's behavior and his fields of inquiry.

Since he had inadvertently discussed the subject of Ivan with Harry that night, the seeds of distrust had sprouted in his mind.

Although he repeatedly reminded himself in the back of his mind that Ivan had saved him from the Basilisk and Peter Pettigrew many times before, and that he should believe unconditionally in him; the idea that Ivan might be conducting evil research into dark magic made Ron's stranger feelings grow ever stronger.

It was undeniable that he was very jealous of Ivan, and envied him for everything he had.

Ron was used to this feeling. Since his childhood, he was very jealous of his siblings, their new magical supplies, their achievements, and so on.

After entering Hogwarts, he was jealous of Harry.

But in general, he was willing to believe in them. Ron's innermost feelings were not so much jealousy as envy of what they had, power, accomplishments, fame, and so on.

But with Ivan, he was jealous and filled with suspicion and distrust. As time went on, Ron became more and more suspicious of what Ivan was doing, wondering what he was studying, what he had done, even his purpose in saving him, and so on.

Ron knew that his thoughts might be a bit abnormal or even terrible.

He was sure he wasn't affected by any confusing curses. This was his most intimate and real thought, and the seeds of distrust had sprouted.

Ron hesitated for a long time and finally found the answer.

He wasn't doubting Ivan, he was helping him. If Ivan really was studying dark magic, he had to stop him as soon as possible.

When Ivan understood, he should be grateful to him.

Unlike Madam Pince, the librarian who discovered the clues but was unwilling to take any action, Ron decided to investigate the contents of Ivan's research.

He had argued with Harry many times about this matter, but to no avail. Although Harry was somewhat concerned, he still believed in Ivan. He repeatedly warned Ron that he might have thought things were too complicated.

Even if Ivan was studying dark magic, he should have legitimate reasons.

In Ron's opinion, it wasn't the complexity of his thoughts, but Harry's simplicity of mind. Like everyone else, he was puzzled by Ivan's appearance.

Since Harry was unwilling to help, Ron was willing to act alone.

He was going to start with a notebook he had stealthily spotted the other day with a terrible design to find out what Ivan was up to.

Knowing Ivan's influence at the school, Ron had no intention of talking about it with anyone else before investigating everything. This was just his own secret.

After discussing it with Ron a few times and seeing that he never brought it up again, Harry gradually put it behind him and threw himself wholeheartedly into Quidditch training.

He didn't even realize that Ivan was deeply impressed with his study of dark magic.

Unlike Ron, who was ready to act, Harry was reluctant to think and didn't want to believe it.

However, the seeds of distrust had been buried, quietly waiting for the day they would sprout.