Chapter 267: The Next Quidditch Match

Ivan told Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Sirius, the treasure key Gryffindor had left at the centaur colony, his speculations about the centaurs and the object, and plans for the next day's evening.

When he finished speaking, they both reacted as Harry did. They were very surprised.

Ron looked like he had been struck by lightning, and Hermione covered her mouth with both hands.

"I can't believe it. We're going to find the magical object that Gryffindor left at the centaur colony." After a few seconds, Hermione lowered her hands and said, "You just said the centaurs will ask us to do something, what do we have to do?"

"I don't know!" Ivan shook his head. "No one knows what the centaurs will ask, but I think it's necessary to know more about astrology."

"I have a whole semester's worth of constellation constellation observations, and I remember in the library..." Hermione was trying to sort through the information at hand when she heard that knowledge in astrology was necessary.

"Is the magical object kept in the centaur colony the secret key to the treasure left by Gryffindor himself?" Ron asked uncertainly.

He didn't fully believe Ivan as Hermione did, even though Ivan had repeated it many times before.

But until then, Ron had been skeptical about the school's Four Founders leaving their treasures behind.

He thought it was Ivan's invention to distract his attention.

Ron was obsessed with the idea that Ivan was studying dark magic, and the more he looked at Ivan, the more suspicious he became. Try as he might, he couldn't calm down.

"I think so. That object was passed down from the Gryffindor himself, and it is exactly in line with the Chamber of Secrets' advice about the Treasure Keys." Ivan said cautiously, "But this is just speculation. There's no guarantee that anything will happen until you see it with your own eyes."

"That magical object..." said Ron suspiciously. "Professor Lupin said earlier that it had great power, can it help a wizard improve his magic?"

"It should. It's a legendary magic item," said Ivan.

"When you get it, will you become very powerful?" Ron muttered.

He didn't speak anymore. He looked down and didn't know what to think.

On the bleachers, Ivan and Hermione talked about constellations, planetary trajectories, and so on. They also speculated about what requirements the centaurs might ask for.

Time flew as Ivan and Hermione talked, and by the time Harry finished training, night had fallen.

Mrs. Hooch urged everyone to hurry back to the castle. Ron did not ride the firebolt. He followed Harry sadly, listening to him, Ivan and Hermione talk about the centaurs and the Secret Treasure Key left by Gryffindor....

When he reached the castle door, he looked determined.

He took a deep breath and looked at Ivan with a complicated look. He quickly moved his eyes before the others noticed.

By the time he entered the Great Dining Hall, he had fully recovered.

In fact, like Ron, it took Harry and Hermione a long time to digest the news and gradually calm down.

Harry, in particular, was delighted to think about his adventure into the depths of the Forbidden Forest the following night, and it was even more interesting to him than the upcoming Quidditch match.

Just as he was entering the Great Hall, Ivan saw Hagrid sitting at the table.

He was talking to Sirius and seemed to be more excited than everyone else.

He waved to them and walked over with a teary look on his face, wiping his tears with a tablecloth-sized handkerchief, and smiling at the four of them.

"You all know we won the lawsuit!" Hagrid said happily. "Buckbeak was acquitted. They thought it was an accident. Lucius Malfoy's claim was withdrawn."

"Great, Hagrid!" Hermione stepped forward and hugged him.

"Thanks to your help, this verdict is in." Hagrid, in turn, hugging them, wiping away his tears, said cheerfully, "Ivan, Hermione, especially you two, if it hadn't been for your help, I couldn't imagine what the consequences would have been. You saved Buckbeak, and I don't know how to repay you..."

"There's nothing to be done. Buckbeak was wronged originally. We just told the truth," Hearing Ivan's words, Hagrid sobbed heavily. He was too excited, and hugged Ivan so tightly that he could hardly breathe.

The atmosphere of the evening was undoubtedly pleasant, and everyone, except the pessimistic Malfoy, was happy about what had happened to Hagrid.

After dinner, Ivan and Sirius talked for a while, and then went to the library to look up a lot of information about centaurs and astrology.

It wasn't until eleven o'clock that night that everyone went back to sleep.

The next morning, when Ivan and Colin came down to breakfast, almost all the young wizards in the school were murmuring excitedly.

They were looking at the Gryffindor table and watching Harry's firebolt.

It was Harry's first match since receiving firebolt, and they looked forward, with a hint of anticipation and excitement in their eyes.

The Slytherins, on the other hand, seemed to be stunned, because Wood asked Harry to keep it a secret, they only got the news recently.

"Look at Malfoy's face!" Colin said happily, and tugged Ivan's sleeve moving him to look back at the surprised Malfoy.

All the Gryffindor house students were proud, as if they had already won the game, and even Wood was basking in the reflected glory of the firebolt.

"Put it here, Harry," he said, placing the broom in the center of the table and carefully turning it so that his name was facing up.

People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables soon came to watch. Cedric Diggory came to congratulate Harry on acquiring such a magnificent replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked him if he could really hold the firebolt.

"Come on, come on, Penny, no sabotage!" Percy said heartily as he examined the firebolt closely.

Hearing his words, Penelope put the firebolt back down, thanked Harry and returned to her table.

"Penelope and I have made a bet." When Penelope wasn't paying attention, Percy whispered to Ivan and Harry. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match! Make sure you win, Harry, I don't have ten Galleons..."