Chapter 572: Negative effects

Speaking of Ron, he was the one under the most pressure since this article appeared.

Although there wasn't much in the paper about him, he was very deadly.

The voice of opposition, which had gradually diminished, was restored. Everyone thought Ron's champion status had been obtained by dishonorable means. He had deceived

Dumbledore and the Goblet of Fire, and even many wizards outside the school believed it.

Being champion did not bring Ron honor, but shame.

Rita Skeeter's article pushed Ron to the forefront of the storm, making people think he was a despicable villain who had no corresponding strength, but liked to show off, show off, and gain honor through covert manipulation.

Now, wherever he went, he could hear people shouting loudly at him.

They were all wearing badges in support of Cedric, quoting the words of the article and jeering at him.

Ron's temper got so bad that he could get into fights with Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw students. As for Slytherin, he even had another fight with Malfoy.

His popularity among the students dropped rapidly, and many people secretly pointed him out.

The same was true of Harry, and the descriptions of him in the paper were even more embarrassing.

"Would you like a handkerchief, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?"

"Since when are you one of the best students in the school? Or is this a school you and Longbottom set up together?"

"Hey... Harry!"

"Yes, that's right!" found Harry shouting as he whirled around in the hallway, having had enough. "I've been crying my eyes out over my dead mother, and I'm going to do it some more..."

"No... it's just... you dropped your quill."

It was Cho Chang. Harry felt the color rise in his face.

"Oh... right... sorry," he muttered, picking up the quill again.

Hermione had gotten her fair share of unpleasantness as well, but she hadn't yet taken to shouting at innocent bystanders.

"Impressively pretty? She?" had shouted Pansy Parkinson the first time she had come face to face with Hermione after the appearance of Rita's article. "What was she judging against... a squirrel?"

"Ignore him," Hermione said in a dignified voice, holding her head in the air and pushing past the giggling Slytherin girls as if she couldn't hear them. "Just ignore him."

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione in admiration, but couldn't ignore her.

"We all know that woman is making rumors, and what she's written is barbaric!" said Hermione, "You two should learn from Ivan. He doesn't take these things seriously."

Yes, only Ivan and Hermione could totally ignore what was said in the article.

They both agreed that now was not the time to think about gossip, but to help Ron find a way to successfully complete his first task.

As the tournament approached, they spent more and more time in the library.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Colin, Gabrielle, and Ginny speculated about the contents of the assignment. Ivan knew, but couldn't say at the moment. It was better to wait for Caresius and Hagrid to tell Ron.

On a piece of parchment he listed the ways of dealing with fire dragons one by one, and at the end he crossed them out one by one.

It wasn't that those methods weren't feasible, but that Ron's current skill simply didn't allow him to use them.

Not only Ivan, but also Caresius was worried about how to help Ron overcome the competition.

With Ron's magic and his level in spells or Transfiguration skills, it was impossible for him to succeed.

He couldn't use the broom as well as Harry, but it was something to think about.

They went through a lot of information in the library, and Ivan realized that Krum had been there recently. He was now able to meet and greet everyone, not as coldly as at first, but it was nothing more than that.

Hermione often complained about Krum being there, not that it bothered them because even he rarely spoke, but because groups of giggling girls would often appear to spy on him from behind the shelves, and Hermione was distracted by the noise.

Ivan felt that way too, but he couldn't stop Krum from appearing in the library. He could only sit as far away from him as possible.

"Why don't we sit with Krum?" said Ron. "He invited us over."

"Unless you want dozens of girls staring at you, pointing and whispering..."

"He's not even handsome!" muttered Hermione angrily, looking at Krum's sharp profile. "They only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky Feint thing.... "

"Wronski feint," Harry said through gritted teeth, not wanting anyone to misspell Quidditch terms.

"Face reality, Hermione!" said Ron. "A lot of girls like Krum, not only because he's the most famous Quidditch Seeker, but also because he has a lot of magic and a lot of knowledge, just like those girls like Ivan."

"How many times do I have to repeat it, Ivan's private life is not as chaotic as that woman described it!" Hermione turned her head immediately, looking at him with discontent, "and he doesn't have as many girls around him as that guy."

"It's not Krum's fault he's popular!" muttered Ron. "He seems cold, but he's actually a nice guy. He told me a practical spell a while ago and it helped me a lot."

"Well, that's your opinion!" said Hermione. "We've been sitting in the library every day to help you figure out how to get through the first assignment, and we haven't seen you thank us."

"Of course I thank you; you're the only people who support me now, and I'll never forget it!" said Ron sheepishly, turning around and talking to Ivan, who was reading a book, "Ivan, how does this Impeding Curse work?"

So, time passed quickly, and soon it was the week before the start of the tournament.

Ivan had to admit that, at some point, Ron's nerves proved to be very strong.

While the others were worried about how Ron was going to complete his first task, he subjectively underestimated the difficulty of the tournament.

Ron didn't panic much, but he always thought of the glory that winning the tournament would bring him.

He had already told Ivan, Harry, and Colin more than once what he would do after winning the tournament.

This optimism continued until the Saturday before the first test, and all the students from third year onwards were able to visit Hogsmeade village.

At breakfast, Ron told everyone that he wanted to get out of the castle to relax.