After a practice session, Harry hesitantly spoke to Michael in a soft voice about what should be done if Ron also wanted to join SSC. Would Vid agree?
During this period, every time Harry studied and trained at the Umbrella House, he felt very happy, even if he was injured, it felt fulfilling. But as soon as he returned to the dormitory, the happiness quickly disappeared like a punctured balloon.
Ron hadn't spoken to him for more than half a month. Sometimes, even when he saw him, he pretended not to notice. In class, Ron always ran off to sit with Seamus or Dean (the other two boys in the dormitory), and they were no longer as inseparable as they once were.
Although SSC was great, Harry missed the times when he and Ron would slack off together, play Wizard's Chess, and complain about having too much homework that was too difficult. Ron was the first friend he made after entering the world of magic, and Harry cherished this friendship.
He thought, if Ron could also join SSC, maybe they could return to how they used to be.
Michael asked a few more questions and after learning what happened, he mentally put a cross next to Ron's name and once again marveled at his foresight.
Michael thought for a moment and said, "Harry, I understand you want to reconcile with your friend. But have you considered—friendship requires maintenance from both sides? You can tolerate his temper, but has he understood your difficulties?"
Harry was stunned before saying, "I... I did promise to ask Ron about it before, but I broke my promise..."
"That's another problem, Harry."
Michael slowly said, "I believe that if someone wants to join another established group, they should proactively demonstrate their ability and willingness to earn everyone's recognition through sincerity, efforts, or talent, rather than having their friend plead for them—this puts both of us in a difficult position."
He looked into Harry's eyes and said, "First, there's you—I bet these words have been pressing on your heart for a long time, every day wondering how to speak up, worrying if you'll be rejected, constantly anxious... Then there's us—if someone dislikes Ron Weasley, won't they be in the difficult position of whether to reject him or to endure? Would rejecting make them seem petty? Would it harm our friendship?"
Actually, when Hermione wanted Harry to join, Michael wanted to say this, but Vid's words convinced him—Harry Potter's parents sacrificed themselves for the war, so their orphan should certainly be given favor. Hermione has always had a motherly affection for Harry, which Michael can understand.
Once these Gryffindors have someone in their hearts, they become extremely passionate, to the point of wanting to bare their souls, but Michael cannot tolerate them constantly pulling people in—once they include Ron, will Seamus and Dean join next? And after a few days, won't the other students from Gryffindor be brought in as well?
Although Michael didn't say it directly, his disapproving attitude was already clearly expressed. Finally, he said, "Weasley has turned what should originally be his problem into an issue between us. And during this time, what has he been doing?—having a cold war with you—Harry, if a friend is willing to break off for such a small issue, has he really cherished this friendship?"
"—Or is he sure that no matter how he treats you, you'll reach out and reconcile with him?"
Harry fell into a long silence.
…
Returning to the Ravenclaw Common Room, Michael mentioned this matter to Vid and asked, "Do you know about Harry Potter's experiences before he came to school?"
"I heard he was raised at a Muggle relative's house," Vid said, which was known to everyone.
Michael sighed, "His relatives probably didn't teach him properly… Harry may not have even had any friends before."
"How do you know?" Padma leaned in and asked, "He seems quite good! It's impossible that he couldn't make friends, right?"
Although wizards are used to being solitary, Padma and the others also know that children from Muggle families always form groups. During holidays, they occasionally play with children from nearby villages.
"He seems a bit humble in his interactions with friends," Michael said puzzled, "Even though his parents passed away, he is a 'Savior'! Why is he like this? I thought Harry Potter would be more proud, perhaps even arrogant like Malfoy!"
"Muggles probably can't understand the significance of the 'Boy Who Lived,' in their eyes, Harry might just be considered a leftover child from his relatives, right?" Vid said while flipping through a book.
Padma listened intently and murmured, "No wonder..."
"What?" Michael asked.
"Didn't you notice?" Padma said, "Harry Potter's clothes under his robe are never fitting… I thought it was some trend in Muggle fashion."
The two quietly discussed various speculations while Vid turned another page without saying anything.
In his impression, Harry Potter was always abused in his aunt's house when he was young, but as he grew up, their relationship seemed to be reconciled? He didn't know if this was the original plot or fan interpretation that gave him this impression...
However, Vid recently noticed something strange—Harry's attitude towards Professor Quirrell had suddenly become enthusiastic, every time they encountered each other on the road, he would give the other a smile full of encouragement, and he heard that in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he had started actively answering questions. Hermione didn't dare openly stop him, she could only stare helplessly.
His actions had made many people nervous. Snape wandered around Harry even more frequently, making Harry think Snape was stalking him, trying to catch him and put him in detention, even missing two days of SSC training because of it.
That day, during SSC training, Neville, whose magic wand was once again knocked away, seemed very affected, staring into space for quite a while, making everyone worried. Vid gestured to the others to continue training and went over to pat Neville's shoulder and asked, "Want to talk?"
Neville nodded gloomily.
The two walked to the side and sat on the sofa. Vid didn't hurry to speak, first poured a glass of water and drank slowly.
Neville was silent for quite a while before asking, "Vid, are my Disarming Spell gestures correct, and is the spell also correct?"
"Yeah, you're almost getting better than Hermione." Vid confirmed, also feeling a bit puzzled inside.
"But I still keep failing..."
Neville lowered his head, fingers picking at the cracks on the table, seemingly finding it hard to voice what he wanted to say.
"—Is it because I'm too dumb?" he asked softly.
"I don't think you're dumb. You performed well in Herbology class, didn't you?" Vid said, "Not learning the Disarming Spell might be because you're not confident enough—if you doubt your own magic, it doesn't respond to you well."
"So—" Neville hesitated for a long time, finally asking, "It's not related to the magic wand, right?"