91: Snape: The Old Coot Got me Again!

The troll incident came suddenly and was resolved just as quickly.

After Dumbledore, in his capacity as Headmaster, assured everyone that he had dealt with both the troll and the dark wizard who had summoned it, life at Hogwarts returned to normal.

As for Voldemort's supposed resurrection, which Harry had claimed happened that night, most people believed it was simply a misunderstanding and that Ivan had dealt with the dark wizard.

Though there was some initial concern, the general consensus was that Harry had just been mistaken.

'It was only a dark wizard; there's no need to overreact.'

'Yes, Voldemort's been dead for a long time.'

'Potter must have been frightened.'

Because of this, Harry endured a period of teasing and disbelief.

But Harry wasn't bothered.

He knew the truth of what had happened that night, and so did Ivan.

Hermione, Neville, and Parvati also believed them.

With his best friends standing by his side, Harry didn't care about the sneers from others.

However, Malfoy was a different matter—he was particularly obnoxious.

Most of the unpleasant rumors were spread by him.

As a reward for Harry's patience, Ivan decided to teach him a new spell, guiding him through the process step by step.

"You have done great so far, just do the correct wand movement and chant Magnus caput quasi tollit."

"Remember to constantly think - Big head, big head, no need for an umbrella when it rains—others use umbrellas, you have a big head! - in your mind while doing the spell."

It was a strange spell, but its effect was amusing, causing a person's head to swell several times larger, like a balloon.

Malfoy was just a child, and Ivan couldn't bring himself to teach him a harsh lesson.

But Harry didn't share that hesitation!

It's only natural for kids to deal with kids!

So, Harry took action, and on a dark and windy night, when Malfoy was alone, he cast the spell Ivan had taught him.

Coincedently the spell hit Malfoy's sharp tongue instead of his forehead. Harry wasn't being sarcastic, right?

Ivan still remembers the embarrassed look on Malfoy's face as his tongue swelled like a balloon even lifting him in the air as he frantically sought help from anyone nearby.

However, the curse that Ivan had personally modified wasn't something the professors could easily undo, especially those not proficient in advanced spellwork.

Only heads of houses like McGonagall and Flitwick had the skill to reverse it.

But once they noticed the unique style of the curse, the House Heads immediately recognized its creator—Ivan!

"Isn't this one of little Ivan's spells?"

"Did Ivan do this?"

The professors shared a tacit understanding, knowing this was likely a form of payback for Malfoy's constant needling of Harry.

"This is quite a rare curse... it might take us some time to find an antidote."

Professor McGonagall could have undone the curse quickly, but why would she?

She had sympathy for Harry and a soft spot for her favorite student, Ivan. As for Malfoy, who had placed himself on the opposite side of them, what harm was there in letting him suffer a little?

This would be different in any other school of the Muggle world but in the wizarding world, this was just treated like a 'harmless' prank.

Even Snape didn't intervene this time.

The reason? Malfoy had dared to mock Harry's eyes.

How could Snape tolerate this?

There was no way he could stand by, so, as expected, Malfoy was sent to the school hospital, where Madam Pomfrey took charge of his treatment.

She gave him a particularly unpleasant potion designed to break all curses, with the only difference being how long it would take to work.

Yeah, it's a little messed up...

But! Without Malfoy stirring up trouble, Hogwarts finally enjoyed a period of peace!

The incident of the dark wizard invading Hogwarts slowly faded from memory, thanks to the deliberate cover-up by the school's professors.

A new topic took over and became the focus of the young wizards' attention.

That's right—the upcoming Quidditch match in mid-November!

Huff... huff...

Lately, Harry had been extremely nervous because he was set to play as Gryffindor's Seeker for the first time.

This was his first official game, and it was against Slytherin. The weight of the responsibility felt immense, and Harry could barely touch his favorite treacle tart, leaving it uneaten on his plate.

"Relax, Harry," Ivan said calmly, sitting nearby with a novel about the wizarding world in his hands, reading with enjoyment.

"I... I'll try my best."

Harry knew that his mindset wasn't quite right, but there wasn't much he could do about it. After all, it was his first time performing in front of so many people.

Ivan, of course, could sense Harry's inner turmoil clearly.

The talent of a psychic master is both a blessing and a curse.

In the first few days, Ivan's passive Legilimency ability kept growing stronger, with the range increasing every day.

A flood of voices constantly buzzed in Ivan's ears like mosquitoes, making him miserable.

Thankfully, Legilimency has a countermeasure—Occlumency.

To restore some peace and quiet, Ivan asked Dumbledore to teach him Occlumency, and the old headmaster passed him over to Snape.

Snape initially wanted to refuse.

But Dumbledore's words made him reconsider.

"This may be your only chance to teach that boy a lesson~"

"I ACCEPT!" Snape's response was well expected.

Snape is not one to forget a grudge, and he certainly hadn't forgotten how Ivan had bested him before.

However, to protect his own mind and secrets, Ivan had to focus all his energy on resisting Snape's mental invasion during their lessons.

But Ivan's concerns proved to be unnecessary.

With the Obscurus residing in his body, any mental intrusion was met with a formidable defense. The dark force of the Obscurus would devour any foreign spirit that tried to invade his mind.

And now, there was also the presence of the Fenix.

Ivan's Fenix would never allow anyone to tamper with his memories.

As a result, Snape not only failed to exact any revenge but also fell victim to Dumbledore's plan once again.

"That Old Bastard!"

During the memory invasion, Snape found himself overwhelmed by both the Obscurus and the Fenix.

After a whole night of struggle, and with his willpower at 3 points, Ivan demonstrated an unparalleled talent in Occlumency.

After just one lesson, Ivan had successfully grasped the basics of Occlumency.

The next step would require persistent practice, as Ivan needed to fortify his mind to resist external intrusions.

"What are you reading?" Harry asked, hoping to change the subject. He had noticed the book in Ivan's hand.

"Break with a Banshee?"

Unlike the typical magic books with mysterious titles, this one seemed more like a biography.

"It's a novel, and it's well written," Ivan replied.

He knew the author of the book—Gilderoy Lockhart, who would later become Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in their second year.

Of course, it remained to be seen if Lockhart would still be the same by then.

Ivan wasn't particularly concerned about the Defense Against the Dark Arts class anyway.

He had Dumbledore personally tutoring him—what more could he need?

As long as Lockhart didn't provoke him, Ivan wasn't going to get involved.

And, Ivan had to admit...

Lockhart was genuinely good at writing novels.

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