Chapter 16: The Flying Lesson Full of Mishaps (Part 3)

"Stone all of you!" 

As Ivan uttered the petrification spell, a grayish-white light shot from his wand, heading straight for Malfoy in the distance. 

In mid-air, Malfoy, feeling pleased with himself, had no idea what Ivan was about to do. He was struck directly by the petrification spell. In less than half a second, his once fair skin turned rigid and gray, his expression frozen in the exact moment of being petrified. 

In this state, Malfoy couldn't even move a finger, let alone control the broom under him. He fell straight down from the sky. 

Of course, although his body was petrified, Malfoy's mind remained intact. 

But if given the choice, he would have preferred to be oblivious to the whole situation. 

After all, falling from a great height, watching the ground grow ever closer—it was enough to drive anyone to despair. Had he not been petrified, Malfoy would have certainly been screaming at the top of his lungs. 

At the moment Ivan hit Malfoy with the petrification spell, he turned to Hermione. 

"Hermione, now's your chance!" 

The clever young witch understood Ivan's plan the moment he made his move, but there was no time for her to scold him. She shot Ivan a quick glare and shouted, 

"Wingardium Leviosa!" 

By this time, Malfoy was already in sheer panic, imagining what it would be like to shatter into pieces after crashing to the ground in his petrified state. 

He even envisioned how his father, old Malfoy, would seek revenge on Ivan, Harry, and the others after his death. 

Just as Malfoy pondered how his family might decline due to his untimely demise, his falling body suddenly stopped a mere few centimeters from the ground. He was so close that he could see the floor's texture clearly. 

Hermione, successfully casting the levitation spell, let out a relieved sigh, while Ivan quietly lowered his wand. 

"Malfoy," once the Slytherin student landed safely, his housemates quickly surrounded him. 

The Gryffindor students, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude, considering how annoying Malfoy had been with his arrogant behavior earlier. 

The only person displeased by the situation was Hermione. 

"Ivan, how could you use the petrification spell on Malfoy? You nearly killed him!" Hermione glared at Ivan, disbelief written all over her face. 

"Well, your levitation charm was really good. If Professor Flitwick had seen it, he would have given you extra points," Ivan grinned. 

Malfoy was, of course, not going to die from Ivan's petrification spell. He'd only suffer a bit. Even if Hermione had failed, Ivan would have been the backup. 

"Yeah, maybe Professor Flitwick will also give you detention!" Hermione retorted, not pleased. 

"That's probably not going to happen," Ivan scratched his head, thinking that maybe a few points would be deducted, or they might have to polish trophies or take a night in the Forbidden Forest? 

If it's the latter, Ivan thought it wouldn't be too bad. 

Of course, Ivan had no intention of going into the Forbidden Forest this semester, no matter what. 

After all, Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, was often wandering around in the Forbidden Forest. Who knew if he might run into him by accident? 

So it was better to play it safe. If you didn't go looking for trouble, Hogwarts would be fairly safe until fourth year. 

Ivan recalled his somewhat unreliable "golden finger" and figured that in the four years he had left, with his system as a cheat, he'd probably have enough means to protect himself. 

As he was thinking, he started walking toward Malfoy. 

Halfway there, he was stopped by a few Slytherin students, with one leading the group—someone Ivan vaguely recognized as Blaise. 

"Hals, what are you doing here?" Blaise said, tightening his grip on his wand, frowning. 

Slytherin was still united when it came to dealing with outsiders, and despite Malfoy's usual arrogance, there were plenty of young wizards willing to stand up for him. The group formed a subtle but clear intent to surround Ivan. 

The Gryffindor students were equally supportive, standing behind Ivan with wands drawn, though their spells were still far less effective than their fists. 

Ivan shook his head and raised his hand to stop Ron, who was preparing to roll up his sleeves. He spoke to Blaise, 

"I'm here to lift the petrification on Malfoy. I'm sure you saw that he started it." 

Blaise hesitated for a moment, then motioned for the others to step aside. As Ivan had said, he cast the counter-spell on Malfoy. 

Malfoy, still shaken from the dramatic fall, stood up stiffly, his legs still trembling, but in an attempt to maintain his dignity, he glared fiercely at Ivan and shouted, 

"You dare cast a spell on me! You're finished, Hals!" 

"Oh, really?" Ivan looked at Draco Malfoy. "What do you think would happen if I told the professor about you stealing Neville's crystal ball and flying illegally?" 

Ivan took a step closer to Malfoy, his tone suddenly serious. 

"I've heard that Filch loves to take misbehaving kids to his office, tie their hands with chains, and hang them from the ceiling, before doing strange things with whips and sticks." 

Malfoy, now thoroughly frightened, had heard such rumors among the older students. He even forgot that if it were true, Ivan would be in just as much trouble as he was for breaking the rules. 

Seeing that his threat had worked, Ivan was about to continue when they suddenly heard Madam Pomfrey's voice from behind. 

"How dare you!" 

Having just dropped Neville off at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had returned and immediately saw Malfoy falling from the sky. Now, seeing the tense confrontation between Gryffindor and Slytherin, she was furious. 

Particularly when Harry, still holding the crystal ball, flew down on his broom in confusion, which made Madam Pomfrey even more enraged. 

Ivan sighed and covered his face. He hadn't anticipated Madam Pomfrey returning at this moment. He had hoped to have a nice chat with Malfoy, but now it seemed like it was all over. 

Thinking about it, Ivan realized it was his own fault. If he hadn't saved Neville with the levitation spell earlier, Madam Pomfrey would still be in the hospital wing worrying about Neville.