Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0614 Determination

Just as Hermione had predicted, when she mentioned Krum's accusations against Professor Watson outside the library, Harry and Ron reacted with an immediate outpouring of extreme indignation and disbelief. Like Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Watson, who was currently riding high on a wave of popularity and praise throughout the entire Wizarding world, was a shining banner of excellence flying proudly over the halls and towers of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Now, for Krum to even think, let alone outright claim, that Professor Watson could possibly be a secret admirer or follower of the notorious dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, nearly every young Hogwarts student who heard those provocative words should rightly feel a deep sense of shock, outrage, and offense on behalf of their Professor.

"Who in Merlin's name does Krum think he is!" Harry shouted angrily as the trio exited the warmth of the Gryffindor common room and stepped out into the chilly stone corridors of the castle. "Professor Watson has taken down more dangerous dark wizards than Krum has probably even seen from a distance in his entire life!" 

For Harry to make such a bold and fierce statement about a widely popular and internationally renowned professional Quidditch player like Viktor Krum, especially considering Harry's own deep, almost fanatical love for the sport, clearly showed the incredible extent of his rapidly rising anger at Krum's words.

And Ron, who was arguably even more emotionally obsessed with Krum than Harry himself, issued his own dramatic declaration, loudly exclaiming that he would throw his expensively purchased, one-of-a-kind enchanted Viktor Krum action figure, which he had waited in a hours-long line to obtain in person from a chaotic vendor's stall outside the Quidditch World Cup stadium camp site, straight into the rubbish bin in his room as soon as he returns home the next time.

Hermione silently rejoiced at her wise decision to refrain from revealing to the two sensitive boys the true purpose behind her conversation with Viktor Krum near the library - Merlin only knows what sort of explosive reaction might have burst forth from Harry and Ron if they had been made aware of those details!

"However, going back to and pondering more deeply about the specifics of what Krum actually said to me-" Hermione pensively thought aloud as she carefully stuffed Professor Watson's notice into a side pocket of her black robes, "Krum directly said that he believes that geometric symbol represents the personal mark of Gellert Grindelwald."

"Well, Krum must be completely barmy then, spouting nonsense like a wizard who's been confunded!" Ron immediately retorted, his freckled face scrunching up into an expression of annoyed disgust. "I bet it means something else"

Ever since the uncomfortable period when he had emotionally fallen out with and then tentatively reconciled with Harry and Hermione, whenever either of the two of them expressed a strong opinion on any topic, he always made an exaggerated effort to eagerly and vocally agree with them.

Both Harry and Hermione quickly picked up on the fact that Ron's over-the-top behavior was an obvious attempt to mend the strained bonds of their friendship and return things between the three of them to the way they had been before. 

Of course, in their true, kind hearts, neither Harry nor Hermione would ever seriously hold Ron's previous emotional distance and uncharacteristic coldness toward them against him, but witnessing Ron continuing to cherish and fight for their friendship so wholeheartedly still caused a warmth to surge through their chests. At the same exact time, they were each silently reflecting on their own past behavior and usual dismissive attitudes displayed towards Ron's words as well.

"I think you're absolutely correct, Ron." Hermione slowly nodded her head in an unprecedented gesture of clear approval and agreement with one of Ron's hastily shouted out conclusions. Previously, she had rarely, if ever, given such obvious, verbal validation to any of Ron's thoughts or ideas. "But the real question that remains unanswered is - if that geometric symbol does not represent Grindelwald, then what exactly does it mean?"

Harry quickly looked around in all directions, his eyes scanning the long corridor to confirm that no one else was in close near to them, before lowering his voice to a whisper and asked. 

"Do you think it's at all possible that the mysterious symbol that Krum mentioned is somehow related to what we experienced together in Madam Hufflepuff's office, or to that terrible stone 'door' that we saw in that bizarre memory, or even to, uh, you know, the Hallows, Hermione?" Harry subconsciously rubbed at his lightning bolt scar, which was thankfully not burning or giving him any pain for once, as he said these swirling thoughts.

"Well, right before Viktor called me aside, I was searching for additional information in the general books section of the library, but I did not see any sign of Professor Watson in that area, I think he must have been in the Restricted Section at the time "

Hermione explained as the trio passed by a dimly lit, infrequently traveled corridor. She nervously pressed down on her hair with her palm, and her dark brown pupils flashed brightly with a strange light. "If I could--"

Harry instantly understood the implication behind what Hermione was suggesting, and his face briefly flashed with an expression of excited eagerness, matching hers. 

Their bizarre experience in that secret room hidden behind the terrifying, endless black corridor was one of the strangest, most surreal events to ever occur in his action-packed, rule-breaking career at Hogwarts thus far, which was certainly saying something significant. 

It didn't take a Ravenclaw level of wisdom to clearly see that there were immensely powerful concealed secrets connected to that place, and as a "normal" young wizard, anyone would be curious.

Moreover, Professor Watson's stern instructions had only strictly forbade them from spreading information about what they had witnessed to others, but unless Harry was mistaken, he didn't say that they themselves could not continue to quietly investigate the matter on their own...

"Just hold your hippogriffs for a brief moment before jumping into any major actions, you two--" Ron's sudden suggestion, delivered in a tone of unusual caution, caused both Harry and Hermione to turn their heads around and look at him with clear surprise etched upon their faces. 

Ron swallowed audibly, but continued to press onward, undeterred by the their intense, questioning gazes. " Don't forget, Harry, Hermione, because of this, we have to clean the Physical Education classroom every weekend until bloody Christmas!

If I have to endure Malfoy's constant sarcastic looks and sarcastic comments each time your class in there ends, I think I'll go completely spare and turn that git into a ferret permanently! Let's at least wait until this detention sentence is completed before we take any actions, okay?"

Harry and Hermione had to admit that Ron's unusually rational suggestion made a fair amount of logical sense. After making their way through several more familiar castle intersections, the Gryffindor trio finally arrived in the echoey, entrance containing the thick wooden door leading to the Physical Education classroom. 

Of course, they were not willingly giving up their cherished weekend leisure time to serve their detention punishment of cleaning the room today.

As he stood facing the closed classroom entrance with its shiny brass "Physical Education" plaque displayed, Ron's pale face, already slightly wind-chapped from the frigid gusts swirling around the castle's outdoor, took on a noticeable tone of melancholy at the reminder that, due to his previous mistakes in judgment, he had only used this classroom a total of two times.

The first time was in their second year, when Professor Watson was still the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He had turned it into a terrifying maze, with the two most terrifying dark creatures' young wizards had ever encountered inside. He had them face off against those two Inferi, and in the end, only Harry succeeded.

The second time was in their third year, when Professor Watson was substituting for Professor Lupin. He transformed the classroom into a vast swamp, with students from all four houses competing in boat races.

Looking back now in reflection and a more mature perspective, Ron could clearly see that those two practical lessons were without a doubt among the most outrageously daring, educational, bizarrely creative and uproariously entertaining of all the magical classes that he had ever taken during his rollercoaster years spent at Hogwarts. 

And because of Professor Watson's punishment, Ron had also become very familiar with this classroom recently. While Harry and the others were in class, he would stand quietly outside the classroom waiting in the darkness, silently tasting his own bitterness.

This was exactly what he deserved. Even Ron himself felt that way. After all, Professor Watson had given everyone a fair chance. But fortunately, Professor Watson was not only a brilliant teacher but also a deeply merciful man at heart. Although he insisted on not accepting Ron back to class again, he at least pointed out a clear path for him.

Creak-- Harry and Hermione stood behind Ron, letting him push open the door to the PE classroom. They were well aware that this had special meaning for Ron.

Despite its incredible size and lack of a fireplace, the quiet classroom, isolated in space, was still very warm, and the chill from outside the castle could not invade it at all.

Although very familiar with it, Ron still paused at the door as he entered the classroom, quietly looking around with a complex mix of emotions on his face.

Because it was daytime and the sunlight shining in through the windows made the classroom bright enough, the torches mounted on the walls were not lit. But sensing someone entering, the suits of armor lining the walls still made a series of jingling noises, the clear sounds of metal colliding echoing through the spacious classroom, sounding ethereal and mysterious.@@novelbin@@

Finally, Ron slowly walked in and stood at the starting line Professor Watson had drawn on the floor during the previous PE class where students practiced dodging Dungbombs, staring off into space at the other end of the classroom.

Harry and Hermione stood behind Ron, always remaining silent. They knew Ron needed a moment to process his emotions.

"Do you two think--" Ron suddenly turned around after moments of heavy silence to face Harry and Hermione directly showing his pale face with one of vulnerable hesitation. "Am I being a bit, uh, impatient or overeager here? I mean, you two were required to practice those running drills for a solid month before Professor Watson allowed you to advance to dodging actual Dungbombs, while I've only really been doing them on my own for about three weeks now..."

"I think you're totally fine, Ron!" Harry's reassuring manner seemed a bit anxious, "With how much more frequently and intensely you've been training lately, I think you've more than reached the necessary fitness level needed to fully participate in the second stage of the dodging exercises!"

"Physical training is very important and requires long-term persistence, Ron--" Hermione was better at teaching than Harry, and her serious expression now was very similar to Professor McGonagall in class, "But the second stage of dodging training places more emphasis on reaction and agility, not completely relying on physical fitness. So, these two trainings don't conflict and can be done at the same time. Professor Watson had us do a month of running drills at the time, training our stamina was only one of the goals, he was also screening—"

Hermione abruptly cut herself off there, suddenly realizing with a wince that the original month-long running drill boot camp phase that Professor Watson had made all of the students endure during the first part of the term had also served as a screening process of sorts.

Professor Watson's grueling training routine had not only aimed to build up the students' physical endurance, but also to test their mental fortitude and willingness to push through difficulty. By making them run drills to the point of exhaustion day after day, he had been gauging which students had the grit and determination to stick with his demands in the long run. 

And while Hermione would never say it out loud, she knew that Ron's decision to quit during that challenging time had been due to a lack of perseverance, not ability. Withdrawing before even properly seeing the training through had shown a certain deficit of commitment on his part.

Ron pursed his lips and fell silent for a long moment, the tips of his ears reddening. If it were possible, he even wanted to apply for a Time-Turner from the Ministry of Magic to go back and knock some sense into his past self by giving himself a punch or two.

Seeing Ron sinking into a long silence made Harry very uneasy.

"Ron--"

Harry began tentatively, feeling a bit awkward. The two boys had always been the closest of friends, but discussing feelings and fears didn't come naturally to either of them. Harry understood the temptation to second-guess decisions all too well. It was a vicious cycle he often fell into himself, especially after the events of previous years.

Both Ron and Hermione meant the world to Harry. Over the past four years, he couldn't recall how many times they had come to his aid, in ways both big and small. Life was certainly never dull with the two of them around.

It was more fun to be with Ron, and being friends with just Hermione would undoubtedly take away a lot of joy and add quite a bit of time soaking in the library. So, Harry was happier than anyone that Ron could make up his mind to enter the training. He was afraid that Ron would give up again out of fear of difficulty.

"Then let's get started right away--" But this time, Harry's worries were clearly unnecessary. Ron suddenly looked up and gave Harry and Hermione a bright smile, "What are we waiting for!"

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