57: Hooray!
"How did you do it?"
Madam Hooch looked at Ivan, clearly intrigued. She thought for a moment and seemed to recognize the young wizard standing before her: "I remember you—you're Ambrosius?"
"It's me, Madam Hooch," Ivan confirmed with a polite nod.
"Ah~ The professors have been talking about you," Madam Hooch said with a smile. "Because of your outstanding performance, Minerva's been in quite a good mood lately!"
How could she not be? Thanks to Ivan, Professor McGonagall had been beaming with pride in front of the other professors. Lately, whenever Professor McGonagall encountered Ivan, she couldn't help but have a smile on her face.
"By the way, how did you manage that just now? I mean, with those two brooms..." Madam Hooch asked curiously.
"Well..." Ivan hesitated for a moment, unsure how to explain it.
The reason Ivan could do it was thanks to his magic eye, which allowed him to see the magical fluctuations emanating from magical items.
If magical items were like people, then Ivan's ability was akin to a special form of mind-reading, allowing him to sense what these enchanted objects were "thinking."
During his time at Hogwarts, whenever Ivan passed by magical paintings in the corridors, different emotional fluctuations would surface in his mind. From the entire castle itself to the memory ball Neville had just received, every magical creation carried the lingering spiritual essence of its creator.
By interpreting those magical auras, Ivan had developed an even deeper understanding of enchanted objects.
This was the powerful talent Ivan had come to fully grasp after his soul attribute had reached 5 points.
"..."
Not only Madam Hooch, but the other young wizards were also baffled.
The emotions of magic items?
The castle has its own thoughts?
These words sounded so abstract, like the fairy tales they'd heard as children.
There was no other explanation, so everyone could only attribute it to Ivan's unique talent.
Can't be learned...
"Ambrosius, the omnipotent," Malfoy muttered from not far away. "He knows everything."
Though his words were meant to be teasing, after hearing them, many of the students couldn't help but secretly nod in agreement.
One month into the school year, Ivan really did seem omnipotent.
So far, they hadn't encountered anything Ivan couldn't handle.
And yet, he wasn't cold or arrogant.
Ivan always carefully explained the mistakes and key points to any young wizard who came to him for help with magic. He was always calm, elegant, and polite.
Even a troublemaker like Malfoy held a mix of respect and fear for Ivan.
"Ivan is the prize of our house!"
Hermione was proud, and Neville nodded repeatedly. "Yes, if you're in trouble, why not ask the amazing Ambrosius?"
Next, Madam Hooch demonstrated how to mount the broom without slipping off. She walked through the group, correcting their hand positions.
During this time, Madam Hooch criticized Malfoy for holding the broom incorrectly more than once, causing Harry and Ron to stifle their laughter.
"Alright, when I blow the whistle, you kick off from the ground—hard," Madam Hooch instructed. "Keep the broom steady, rise a few feet, then lean forward slightly and descend back to the ground vertically."
"Wait for my whistle—"
Before Madam Hooch could bring the whistle to her lips, Neville let out a startled scream. His feet had already left the ground, and suddenly, he shot up into the sky like a cork popping from a bottle.
"Come back, boy!"
Madam Hooch's face turned pale, but before she could react, Neville was already plummeting towards the ground at an alarming speed.
"Slow down!"
Recognizing the moment from the original book, Ivan's eyes narrowed. He flicked his wand, casting a quick Freezing Charm that enveloped the air around Neville.
Ivan didn't aim at Neville directly but instead froze the entire sky above the training ground, including Neville and his flying broom.
"Merlin's socks!"
Madam Hooch noticed this and, while relieved, she was also stunned by Ivan's spellcasting ability. "What an incredible Freezing Charm!"
"Are you alright, Neville?"
Ivan gently pulled Neville down from the air, undoing the freezing charm on him.
Neville was pale, clearly shaken by the experience.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry rushed over to comfort him, while Ivan checked his condition. It was obvious that Neville was just scared, not hurt.
"Are you okay, dear?"
Madam Hooch asked, concern in her voice. "Do you need me to take you to the hospital wing?"
"I-I'm fine, ma'am."
Neville responded timidly, still shaken but unwilling to leave in such a sorry state. "I was just too nervous."
Ivan's wand glowed softly as he cast a Cheering Charm on Neville, filling him with warmth and happiness, dispelling the remnants of his fear.
"Feeling better now?"
"Yes, much better!"
Neville's face turned a little redder, amazed by the effect.
"Thank you, Ivan, that spell is amazing."
"The Cheering Charm," Ivan explained with a smile, "also known as the Happy Charm, it's a simple spell to help lift someone's spirits."
Ivan reassured everyone not to worry about their flying troubles, promising that he would be ready to rescue them if anything went wrong, ensuring that no one would get hurt.
With Ivan's assurance, the nervous students immediately felt a wave of relief.
"Good lad,"
Madam Hooch praised, visibly impressed. "Gryffindor, 15 points for Mr. Ambrosius outstanding behavior!"
"Hooray!!"
The Gryffindors erupted in cheers.
"Ivan! 15 points! Ivan!" they shouted, jumping up and down in celebration, while the Slytherins on the other side looked on enviously.
But as jealous as they were, even the Slytherins had to admit that Ivan was on a different level.
This guy didn't seem like a first-year at all—he was too impressive.
"Yes, very good, keep it steady,"
Madam Hooch continued to instruct as the students began to lift off the ground. "Don't look around, keep your balance, and trust your broom…"
Before long, under Madam Hooch's guidance and corrections, the young wizards were all flying in the air on their brooms.
Ivan hovered nearby, staying close to Hermione and Neville.
The two were flying extremely low, almost skimming the ground, but considering both of them were nervous about heights, Ivan stayed by their side to give them a sense of safety.
"Ah!!"
Suddenly, a scream echoed from not far away.
Ivan looked over and saw a girl from Gryffindor, falling from the sky.
"Immobulus!"
Ivan reacted quickly. Without even pulling out his wand, he froze the little witch in midair, preventing her from hitting the ground.
"Child, are you okay?"
Madam Hooch hurried over, checking the girl's condition with concern.
The girl was Lavender Brown, a fellow Gryffindor. In the original story, she eventually had a relationship with Ronald and tragically died at the hands of the werewolf Fenrir Greyback.
Besides that, Lavender and another girl, Parvati Patil, were Hermione's roommates.
Particularly with Parvati, Hermione had developed a strong friendship.
Whenever Yuumi, Ivan's cat, visited, Parvati would shower the cat with snacks, earning her a lot of affection from the adorable Yuumi.
"I'll take you to the school hospital, and the rest of you will follow Ambrosius' lead."
Lavender wasn't physically injured, but the shock from falling had Madam Hooch worried.
Luckily, Ivan was there.
After two successful rescues, along with the constant praise from Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout, Madam Hooch had come to fully trust Ivan's reliability and excellence.
"Thank you, Ivan," Madam Hooch added. "Before I come back, just make sure no one flies over the wall."
"I understand, ma'am," Ivan replied, nodding. He stopped actively flying and instead hovered leisurely on his broom, watching the others enjoy their flying lesson.
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