An additional reward for reaching a certain exploration value?
Ivan was a little curious. This reward wasn't given directly; instead, he had to go search for it in the Restricted Section in the middle of the night. The whole process gave Ivan a slightly creepy feeling.
But since it was a reward, Ivan decided he had to go. He had already seen ghosts, so what was there to be afraid of at night?
In the Great Hall, Harry and Ron were sitting at a round table eating lunch. When they saw Ivan standing there in a daze, they quickly called out to him.
"Ivan, over here!"
"Where were you all morning? You look like a total wreck," Harry said, very curious about Ivan's exhausted appearance.
"Just finding a place to practice some spells," Ivan said, rolling his eyes. He stabbed a piece of grilled sausage with his fork and stuffed it into his mouth. He had been expending energy all morning without eating anything; he had nearly starved to death.
This was the first time in many days that Ivan had consumed his magical energy so intensely. Even now, his head still felt a little dizzy.
While Ivan feasted in the Great Hall, Harry and Ron were excitedly discussing flying techniques.
After listening for a while, Ivan remembered that there was a flying lesson in the afternoon, which piqued some of his interest.
After all, flying was practically everyone's dream. Even having to straddle a broomstick didn't diminish that enthusiasm.
Over at the Slytherin table, it was even more lively. Draco Malfoy, surrounded and fawned over by a crowd, was loudly boasting about his previous flying experiences.
"I knew how to ride a broomstick before I even came to Hogwarts! My father flew me all the way home once, and we even ran into a Muggle airplane. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I would have knocked it down!" Draco said smugly.
Ivan, who had just taken a sip of goat's milk, nearly sprayed it out in public.
Knock down an airplane? You're that amazing? Why don't you just fly to the moon?
Flying that high on a broomstick without any protection, he would have probably frozen to death long ago...
"Ivan, have you ever ridden a broomstick before?" Harry, who was already annoyed by Draco's boasting, asked quickly when he saw Ivan's big reaction.
"No," Ivan shook his head decisively. Even if he had learned before, he had forgotten by now...
"What about you, Ron?" Harry asked with a glimmer of hope.
Ron didn't disappoint Harry. He launched into a grand tale about practicing on Charlie's old broom at home.
Ivan just sat there quietly, listening to Ron and Draco's boasting. In any case, once they got to the flying lesson, they would all be exposed...
Sure enough, during the flying lesson that afternoon, when their teacher, Madam Hooch, blew her whistle, only Harry among the twenty-or-so students managed to summon the broom from the ground into his hand immediately.
Draco Malfoy, who had been boasting about nearly hitting an airplane, was a step behind Harry. Fortunately, the broom eventually flew obediently into Draco's hand, saving him from losing face in front of Harry.
Ron, however, had it rough. Perhaps because he shouted too loudly, his broom shot up and smacked him right in the forehead.
"Up!" Ivan shouted, summoning the broom just as Madam Hooch had demonstrated. But the broom just lazily spun on the ground, showing no intention of rising.
Ivan grew anxious, regretting not having read a few more books on flying to grind some proficiency points.
Just as Madam Hooch was turning back after making her rounds, Ivan had a flash of inspiration. He hooked the broom with his foot and gently kicked it up into his hand, becoming the third student to get his broom.
Madam Hooch saw Ivan holding the broom steadily and nodded in approval before going to instruct the other students.
Harry stared at Ivan's slick move with his mouth agape. Ivan put a finger to his lips, signaling Harry to keep quiet. He also breathed a sigh of relief internally; at least he wouldn't get a "Poor" for this lesson.
As long as I have Academic Points, riding a broomstick will be a piece of cake...
However, Ivan had long complained about the system having only the Scholar's Experience Card as a redemption option.
Why wasn't there something that could enhance his talent?
He was a slacker with mediocre talent. What if his act as a top student was exposed? Where would he get Academic Points then?
To protect his class evaluation, while Madam Hooch was teaching the other students, Ivan imagined hundreds of cool ways to ride a broom, as well as potential problems he might encounter while flying.
He also prayed that the shabby broom in his hands would cooperate. If he got on and it didn't fly, wouldn't that be awkward...
"Alright, watch me now. I'm only going to demonstrate this once." Seeing that everyone was holding their brooms steady, Madam Hooch walked to the front and demonstrated the correct riding posture.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you all kick off from the ground, hard. Remember to hold on tight to your brooms, and just try to rise a few feet..."
Madam Hooch commanded the students loudly. Ivan promptly straddled his broom, ready to experience his first high-altitude flight.
However, before Ivan could even try, Neville, not far from him, shot up from the ground with a swoosh, letting out a huge, terrified scream in the air.
"AHHHH~"
Neville flew in terror at least twenty feet high. The students below were in chaos. Ivan remembered that Neville was about to fall and preemptively drew his wand.
"{Wingardium Leviosa}!" Ivan flicked his wrist, and a Levitation Charm shot towards Neville, who was falling rapidly from the sky.
The power of the spell instantly halted Neville's fall, leaving him suspended more than three meters in the air.
Madam Hooch's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. Heaven knew how worried she had been. If something happened to Neville in her flying class, Madam Hooch felt she would have no face to continue teaching at Hogwarts.
"Well done! Five points to Gryffindor!" Madam Hooch said, giving Ivan an appreciative look.
At the same moment, Ivan also received a notification that his Academic Points had increased, and he was delighted.
The Gryffindor students, led by Harry and Ron, all began to applaud.
However, before their hands could clap more than a few times, Neville fell straight down from mid-air.
The scene was, for a moment, extremely awkward...
"Sorry, Madam Hooch. I think I'm out of magic," Ivan said, his smile frozen on his face. He shrugged helplessly. He had been practicing spells all morning; it was a miracle he had been able to catch the rapidly descending Neville at all.
Anyway, I already got the Academic Points. The worst that can happen is she takes back the five points she just gave me...