Chapter 18: The Rejected Duel

The afternoon flying lesson passed quickly, though Ivan couldn't shake off his inner turmoil. Fortunately, everything went smoothly afterward, and Ivan became the first student to complete the flying training. He also took extra care with Malfoy, carefully reminding him to be cautious while flying and not to fall from the sky again.

From a distance, Madam Hooch observed Ivan's performance, her opinion of him rising even further. It was rare to see a Gryffindor show such concern for a Slytherin, especially considering the long-standing rivalry between the two houses. In her eyes, Ivan's willingness to put aside his biases and care for Malfoy was commendable.

Malfoy, however, was infuriated. He threatened to perform a difficult flying maneuver to prove his skills, but before he could finish, Madam Hooch stepped in and stopped him. Given Malfoy's previous history of falling, Madam Hooch was still worried about his safety and didn't allow him to fly during that lesson.

[Ding, flying lesson completed. Overall class evaluation: Excellent. Evaluator: Rolanda Hooch. Reward: 10 Achievement Points.]

Walking through the corridor, Ivan saw the final class evaluation and let out a sigh of relief. Despite the chaos caused by Malfoy, he had still achieved his expected results.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione were not in the best of moods. Both were worried about Harry, who had been taken away by Professor McGonagall.

Hermione, in particular, was still upset. As soon as class ended, she rushed over to Ivan, chattering nonstop.

"I think we should tell Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch the truth! What if Harry gets expelled?"

Ivan stopped and looked at Hermione.

"No need to worry. Professor McGonagall wouldn't expel Harry over something like this. Maybe she's planning to let him join the Quidditch team since he did really well with the flying earlier," he said.

"To join the Quidditch team, you have to be in your second year at least!" Hermione corrected him.

"There are exceptions. Not every young wizard flies as well as Harry in their first lesson," Ivan grinned.

Hermione thought for a moment, and it seemed there might be a chance. Ron's face brightened as well, and the three of them started discussing the possibility of Harry joining the Quidditch team. If Harry could, Ron figured he could join too.

By the time the trio reached the Great Hall for dinner, Harry was already sitting at the table. Before they could even approach, he eagerly came over, unable to wait to share the news that Professor McGonagall had asked him to be the Seeker.

Though Ivan had given them a heads-up, they were still shocked, especially Ron, who was ecstatic.

"Harry, I can't believe you're really on the Quidditch team! You might be the youngest Seeker in Hogwarts history! But hey, do they still need anyone else? Like a Beater or a Keeper?" Ron eagerly looked at Harry, hoping for some good news.

"No, Wood said they have enough players," Harry replied, shaking his head awkwardly. He didn't understand why Ron was so excited—he'd just heard about Quidditch today and still didn't know exactly what was going on.

"By the way, Ivan, what happened in flying class today?" Harry asked, looking a bit frustrated. "Wasn't it Malfoy who took Neville's crystal ball? And then I chased after him? When did it turn into a training session with Malfoy?"

When Harry was taken away by Professor McGonagall earlier, he had nearly been terrified, thinking he was about to be expelled and sent back to the small, dingy cupboard at the Dursleys'. Thankfully, things hadn't turned out as bad as he had feared.

Ivan didn't hide anything and shared how he had used the Petrification Charm to teach Malfoy a lesson, making him look foolish.

"If I had reported Malfoy, I would have been in detention too. But honestly, he got enough of a lesson, didn't he?" Ivan shrugged.

Ron added to the story, exaggerating how Malfoy had been grounded after the flying mishap, which made Harry's frustration disappear, and he burst into laughter.

However, Hermione was still upset about the rule-breaking and, seeing the group chatting happily, stormed off in a huff. Ivan thought about calling her back but decided against it—Hermione would have to learn to loosen up a bit.

Of course, Ivan didn't think following the rules was bad, but sometimes being too rigid about every rule made things feel overly constrained.

Just like in the original story, when Malfoy caused trouble during flying class, he wasn't punished in any meaningful way. It was unfortunate that Harry's bad luck meant Professor McGonagall didn't give him a chance to explain. Even if Harry had clarified things, it was likely that both Harry and Malfoy would have simply had points deducted. It wouldn't have affected Malfoy at all.

At least now, Malfoy was properly scared and probably wouldn't try anything for a while.

However, Ivan's satisfaction didn't last long. Before he even finished his meal, Malfoy showed up, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle, looking for trouble.

Perhaps it was the presence of his two cronies that gave Malfoy back his usual arrogant air. But when he saw Ivan, his anger flared, and his teeth ground together.

"Potter, are you having your last meal here? Tomorrow you'll be leaving and going back to your Muggle world, won't you?" Malfoy jeered loudly.

Neither Ivan nor Harry reacted. Instead, they looked at him as if he were a fool. Ron, meanwhile, was thinking how funny it would be if he revealed Harry's new position as Seeker—Malfoy's face would be priceless.

Ivan's calmness made Malfoy a bit uneasy, but he gritted his teeth and went on.

"Halls, if you have the guts, meet me in the Trophy Room tonight. I challenge you to a duel!"

To Malfoy's surprise, Ivan simply shook his head firmly.

"I'm not going."

What a joke. Ivan had plans to head to the Restricted Section of the library tonight to collect rewards from the system. He had no time for Malfoy's childish duel.

Besides, from what Ivan remembered, Malfoy was likely planning to set him up, then get Filch to catch him. Ivan wasn't stupid enough to fall for it.

"Halls, are you afraid?" Malfoy sneered.

"I'm not interested in dueling someone who's already lost. It's a waste of time," Ivan said, glancing at Malfoy with a disinterested look. "Come back when you've learned some advanced magic. Or else, next time you fall, no one will be there to save you."