The events during flying class spread through Hogwarts with astonishing speed.
Betraying someone who had repeatedly helped others was the sort of thing despised anywhere, especially when the victim was Lucien Grindelwald.
Not only had Lucien assisted Gryffindor students multiple times already, but he had even saved one of their classmates from falling to her death.
As a result, Gryffindor became the laughingstock of the castle almost overnight.
Inside the Hospital Wing, the contrast between the injured students was painfully obvious.
Harry and Draco—the two boys already recognised as the best flyers among the first-years—lay on opposite sides of the ward.
Yet their situations could not have been more different.
Around Draco's bed stood over a dozen students led by Lucien himself. Gifts, snacks, flowers, and endless well-wishes piled across the nearby tables.
Meanwhile, only Harry remained beside Ron's bed.
The surrounding space felt practically deserted.
To make matters worse, the occasional mocking glances from passing students never stopped.
Harry sat there awkwardly in silence while Ron stared miserably at the blankets covering his legs. Neither of them knew what to say anymore.
Then suddenly—
Tap tap tap.
An owl flew through the Hospital Wing window carrying a bright red envelope and dropped it directly onto Ron's bedside table.
Ron's face instantly turned ghostly pale.
"Oh no…"
His hands trembled violently as he picked up the envelope.
He clearly didn't even dare open it.
The moment several nearby students recognised the letter, excited whispers spread immediately.
"A Howler!"
"Weasley got a Howler!"
Laughter instantly erupted around the ward.
"Go on, open it!"
"Maybe your mum's writing to congratulate you!"
Harry glanced uncertainly at the envelope before instinctively taking half a step backward.
Even though he had never personally received a Howler before, the reactions around him made it very clear that this was not going to end well.
Ron swallowed hard.
Then, with the expression of someone preparing for execution, he slowly broke the seal.
The red envelope exploded open instantly.
A deafening roar echoed throughout the entire Hospital Wing.
"RON WEASLEY!"
Mrs. Weasley's furious voice practically shook the walls.
"How DARE you behave like this at school?!"
The torn envelope and parchment twisted together into the shape of a screaming woman's face.
"You disrupted class! Stole another student's belongings! Have you completely lost your mind?!"
Ron shrank backward in terror.
"Professor McGonagall personally came to speak with me about your behaviour!" Mrs. Weasley roared. "At this rate, I won't be surprised if you're expelled!"
"This is entirely your fault! If you dare cause trouble again, your father and I will personally drag you home ourselves!"
"DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
Ron nodded frantically despite the fact that his mother obviously couldn't see him.
Then, suddenly, the Howler turned toward Harry.
Its tone transformed instantly into warmth and kindness.
"Oh, hello dear Harry! It's wonderful that you and Ron became friends."
Mrs. Weasley's voice softened affectionately.
"You're always welcome to visit our home anytime."
The moment the message finished, the Howler tore itself apart dramatically and scattered across the bedside table in burnt red scraps.
The ward erupted into laughter.
Ron, who had already become an object of ridicule earlier, immediately became the centre of attention again.
One boy puffed out his cheeks and imitated Mrs. Weasley's furious expression perfectly.
"RON WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU!"
Another student crouched beside him pretending to be Ron, shaking fearfully beneath imaginary blankets.
"I know I was wrong, Mum!"
The surrounding students nearly collapsed with laughter.
Ron's eyes turned red with humiliation. He lowered his head and stubbornly refused to look at anyone around him.
Harry finally couldn't stand it anymore.
After hesitating briefly, he walked across the ward toward Lucien.
"Lucien…"
Before Harry could continue, Lucien already looked up calmly.
"You came to ask me to stop them?" he asked softly.
Harry froze awkwardly.
Lucien sneered inwardly.
Have I really been too easygoing lately?
The moment they suffer even the slightest discomfort, they come expecting me to forgive everything immediately.
Am I your father now?
Where was this concern when Draco nearly died falling from the sky?
"Harry," Lucien said calmly, "were those students mocking Ron because I ordered them to? Or do you expect me to plead on behalf of someone who repaid kindness with hostility?"
Harry immediately struggled to answer.
"Ron… didn't mean it like that…"
"Didn't mean it?"
Lucien nearly laughed from disbelief.
If Harry Potter weren't such an important piece for controlling Dumbledore later, Lucien genuinely might have slapped some sense into him already.
This was the purest form of saint-like stupidity.
Whoever looked pitiful automatically became innocent in Harry's eyes.
"You mean the broomstick flew over by itself," Lucien said coldly, "and my textbook magically jumped into Ron's hands on its own?"
Harry opened his mouth but couldn't respond.
"And Draco apparently crashed himself while trying to protect my property?"
"Lucien, Ron already knows he was wrong…"
At that point, Lucien completely lost interest in continuing the conversation.
He wasn't Harry Potter's babysitter.
As long as Harry continued attracting Dumbledore's attention, that alone was useful enough.
The rest could remain Dumbledore's headache.
Lucien simply turned away without sparing Harry another glance.
With a casual flick of his wand, a fruit knife beside the bed automatically began peeling an apple before floating the sliced fruit neatly toward Draco.
"Madam Pomfrey said the bruises should fade after one night of rest," Lucien said calmly. "You'll be able to attend classes tomorrow."
Draco nodded quietly.
Yet his disappointed expression toward Harry remained impossible to hide.
Nearby, Crabbe and Goyle immediately stepped forward like oversized bodyguards, preventing Harry from approaching Lucien again.
Pansy, meanwhile, crossed her arms with a cold sneer.
"Draco nearly broke half his bones protecting Lucien's book," she said sharply. "And after everything that happened, Weasley hasn't even apologised once. That's your idea of feeling guilty?"
Harry's face flushed bright red from embarrassment.
Pansy pointed directly toward Ron's bed.
"If Lucien hadn't reacted fast enough during Potions class, Weasley wouldn't have even made it to flying lessons today."
"How many students got hurt because of that potion explosion?"
Her voice became increasingly contemptuous.
"He causes trouble constantly, hurts other people, and then lets his friends clean up the consequences afterward. Honestly, it's impressive."
Ron buried himself beneath the blankets entirely.
Tears mixed with humiliation burned in his eyes, yet he couldn't refute a single word.
Lucien only sneered quietly.
You can't even handle this much pressure?
Ron Weasley… your difficult days are only beginning.
That evening, the Slytherin students finally returned to their common room beneath the lake.
Lucien had just prepared to head back toward his dormitory when someone called out from the entrance.
"Excuse me… is Mr. Grindelwald here?"
"Could someone please call him over? Thank you."
Lucien walked toward the common room doorway and immediately spotted three familiar red-haired figures standing awkwardly outside.
Percy Weasley stood at the front while Fred and George remained behind him unusually quietly.
The moment Lucien approached, all three boys bowed apologetically.
"Mr. Grindelwald," Percy said seriously, "we came to apologise on Ron's behalf."
His expression carried genuine shame.
"Our parents were too indulgent with him growing up, and because of that, he caused trouble for both you and Mr. Malfoy today. We're truly sorry."
Unlike Ron, the older Weasley brothers had been raised extremely well. Arthur and Molly Weasley were honest and principled people.
They never blindly protected family members simply because they were related.
After learning the truth about what happened, Percy and the twins came immediately to apologise without hesitation.
"We'll compensate you for the damaged textbook," Percy continued earnestly. "Either the full price or a replacement copy—whichever you prefer."
"And once Ron recovers, I'll personally bring him to apologise to both you and Mr. Malfoy."
Lucien studied them quietly for a moment.
Then he shook his head slightly.
"There's no need for compensation," he replied calmly. "Just make sure he learns from this in the future."
Lucien never vented his anger on unrelated people.
Besides, Percy and the twins were already pieces he intended to use eventually. There was no reason to ruin their impression of him beforehand and accidentally make Dumbledore's future recruitment efforts easier.
"It's getting late," Lucien said finally. "You should all head back and rest."
He turned slightly toward the stairs.
"I still need to check on Draco again before bed—"
"Wait."
Percy suddenly called out again.
His face reddened faintly, as though the next words were extremely difficult to say.
"There's… actually something else I wanted to discuss with you…"
....
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