Chapter 303: A Wise Choice

He feared not the Acromantulas, but the strange and unknown existence hidden in the depths of the cave.

"Let's go back!" Ivan whispered to Crabbe and Goyle.

He tried not to think about Malfoy's fate because it made him feel bad. He wondered to himself, if Harry or Hermione were to be dragged into this cave by that Acromantula, he probably wouldn't have hesitated to go after them, even if it meant death, to get them back.

That was because they were his friends, and their presence was crucial in his life.

But he was Malfoy, and Ivan hesitated.

He wasn't a god, he wasn't as powerful as Dumbledore, nor as fearless as Harry in the final war.

Whether he would admit it or not, he was just an ordinary person.

Yeah, he was just a lucky guy.

He knew the future of this world and all the characters, so he could fight bravely, fight against the established future, even had the courage to fight against Voldemort.

Because he knew, he tried to change and stop the tragedies that were coming.

But when the future was actually changed by him, Ivan began to be afraid.

The moment he caught Peter Pettigrew, he knew the time had come. For the past six months, he had devoted himself to studying magic and improving his strength. He could think of no other way to face the changed future.

But Ivan discovered that he had been wrong, as Dumbledore had tried to tell him, it wasn't the amount of magic a man had, it was what was inside him that made him strong.

Voldemort had unimaginable power, but inside he was extraordinarily weak, fearful of death despite his evil and cruelty, and would do anything to escape.

This was his weakness, so no matter how much magic he had or how much magic he mastered, Dumbledore would never be afraid of him.

As for me...

Ivan took a deep breath and tried not to think about these things.

He told himself repeatedly that giving up on Malfoy and staying away from this strange cave was the wisest choice.

It was, even if Malfoy died.

He turned and went with Buckbeak, ready to go back to notifying others as soon as possible.

Although many people thought he was a genius; even worshipped or envied him, and thought he was different, Ivan himself knew he was no different from other ordinary young wizards.

"Please save him!" seeing Ivan's movement, Goyle shouted, "Only you can save him, or Draco will be eaten by those spiders..."

"We should get back as soon as possible, only the professors can save Draco." Crabbe replied, "Don't waste your time here, let's go."

"Those monsters can eat Draco in the blink of an eye!" Goyle said reluctantly: "We can't go, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what will happen?" Crabbe turned to Goyle with absolute ferocity, "I just want to get out of here now, you're wasting our time."

"But Draco...," Goyle said.

"I told you, we're going back to the castle to inform others to rescue him." Crabbe said, "We can't help him here, we're just adding to the trouble."

When he heard Crabbe's words, Goyle fell silent.

His stupid eyes looked uncertainly at his partner, then turned to look expectantly at Ivan, but there was no response from the latter.

Stupid though he was, he knew what this meant.

For a long time, Goyle hesitated, then said, "If Draco dies, his father and the Malfoy family won't let him go like this."

Speaking of Lucius Malfoy, even Crabbe was silent.

"I think he'll understand us!" he whispered and turned up the volume, "Besides, what can we both do?"

Ivan understood what they both meant, deliberately talking about Malfoy's family.

That was both a threat and a reminder.

Once Malfoy died here, the three of them would have to face the wrath of Lucius Malfoy.

They are Malfoy's followers, and his own people, so Lucius Malfoy probably wouldn't do anything to them. But that wasn't the same with Ivan, and Lucius was likely to take his anger out on him.

It seemed that Malfoy's two assistants, especially Crabbe, were not as stupid as they looked.

Ivan was not afraid of Lucius, nor of reprisals from the Malfoy family. It was Hogwarts. With Dumbledore here, he could do nothing.

Today's incident, in itself, was Malfoy's fault and had nothing to do with Ivan. But the conversation between Goyle and Crabbe made Ivan hesitate again. He finally figured out that something was wrong. He told himself repeatedly in his mind that it was the wisest choice to leave Malfoy and get out of here as soon as possible.

Apparently, Crabbe was thinking the same thing.

Was it really a wise choice for a Slytherin who didn't have even the most basic sense of friendship and loyalty, and only considered his own safety?

Yes, this was not the same. The one to be saved was the abominable Malfoy.

A strange voice whispered in Ivan's mind, "He's not even your friend. You don't have to risk your life to save him."

But when he thought about it, he always felt that something was wrong, and this feeling grew stronger and stronger. Hadn't he risked his life before to save Peter Pettigrew before?

The voice echoed again, "It was only out of necessity. You needed it to prove Sirius' innocence. You didn't really want to save him."

Peter Pettigrew had a use value, Malfoy did not. On the contrary, he was a liability, and there were many things that would be made worse by his presence.

It would probably be better if he died here.....

"No, it wouldn't!" shouted Ivan suddenly.

Goyle and Crabbe looked at him nervously, not knowing what was going on.

At that moment, Ivan struggled with the strange voice in his mind. Finally, he realized that all the suggestions given by this voice seemed correct, but he ignored the most important point, his own nature, and only looked at the matter from the perspective of profit and loss.

If he did as he said, what would make him different from those Dark wizards, immersed in their cold-blooded interests and using their powerful magical force to deal with anything, being the only choice knew what was best for them?

Ivan could abandon Malfoy from facing death, not only because it was dangerous, but also because it was not in his best interest. If you want something, you can do everything you can to get it because you have your own reasons. Are you afraid of death? Then you can deprive others of their humble lives to make Horcruxes, so you can live forever.

These decisions seemed wise, but they were not what Ivan needed. He had to resist and correct these misconceptions.

Just as Ivan had this thought, the Slytherin locket that had been hanging on his chest suddenly emitted a dark golden light. The strange, curved lines at the top of the text lit up at the same time, and then went back to the way they were before, as if nothing had happened.

But Ivan's original chaotic will was renewed, and a strange magic was injected into his body from the locket.

Deep in the recesses of his mind, there was a sudden cracking sound, like the sound of glass falling to the ground and shattering, and the echoing whisper disappeared.

Ivan, holding Buckbeak with both hands, gasped.

Everything in front of him was clear again, and he felt his back drenched with sweat.

He had just realized that the strange voice that had just appeared in his mind was the existence that had been whispering to him at first.

It swayed him from behind the curtains, waiting for Ivan to fall.

Only then could he swallow his soul.