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Chapter 572: Negative Effects
🕑 Added 2019-08-19 18:33:29 +0000 UTCTalking about Ron, he had been under the most pressure since this article appeared.
Although there was not much in the newspaper about him, it was very deadly.
The opposition voice, which had gradually subsided, was restored. Everyone thought that Ron’s champion status had been obtained through dishonorable means. He had hoodwinked Dumbledore and the Goblet of Fire, and even many wizards outside the school believed so.
Being a champion did not bring honor to Ron, but shame.
Rita Skeeter's article pushed Ron to the forefront of the storm, making people think that he was a despicable villain who had no corresponding strength but who liked to show up, show off himself, and gain honor through covert manipulation.
Now, wherever he went, he could hear people shouting loudly at him.
They all wore badges of support for Cedric, quoted the words in the article and sneered at him.
Ron’s temper became so bad that he could quarrel with Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw’s students. As for Slytherin, he even had another fight with Malfoy.
His popularity among students dropped rapidly, and many people were secretly pointing fingers at him.
The same was true for Harry here, and the descriptions of him in the newspaper were even more embarrassing.
"Do you want a hanky, Potter, in case you start crying in Transfiguration?"
"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school? Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?"
"Hey … Harry!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Harry found himself shouting as he wheeled around in the corridor, having had just about enough. "I’ve just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I’m just off to do a bit more..."
"No … it was just … you dropped your quill."
It was Cho Chang. Harry felt color rising in his face.
"Oh … right …sorry," he muttered, taking the quill back.
Hermione had come in for her fair share of unpleasantness too, but she hadn’t yet started yelling at innocent bystanders.
"Stunningly pretty? Her?!" Pansy Parkinson had shrieked the first time she had come face-to-face with Hermione after Rita’s article had appeared. “What was she judging against … a chipmunk?”
"Ignore it," Hermione said in a dignified voice, holding her head in the air and stalking past the sniggering Slytherin girls as though she couldn’t hear them. “Just ignore it.”
Harry and Ron looked at Hermione admiringly, but they couldn't ignore it.
"We all know that woman is making rumors, and what she wrote is rubbish!" said Hermione, "You two should learn from Evan. He doesn't take these things seriously."
Yeah, only Evan and Hermione could totally ignore what was said in the article.
The two of them agreed that now was not the time to think about the gossip, but to help Ron find a way to successfully complete his first task.
As the tournament approached, they spend more and more time in the library.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Colin, Gabrielle, and Ginny were all speculating about the content of the task. Evan knew, but couldn’t say it for the time being. It was better to wait for Caresius and Hagrid to tell Ron.
On parchment he listed the ways to deal with fire dragons one by one, and at last he scratched them off one by one.
It was not that these methods were not feasible, but that Ron’s current ability simply could not allow him to use them.
Not only Evan, but also Caresius was worried about how to help Ron get through the competition.
With Ron's magic and magic level, spells or Transfiguration abilities, it was impossible for him to succeed.
He couldn’t use a broomstick as well as Harry, but it was something that could be thought about.
They checked a lot of information in the library, and Evan noticed that Krum had been there recently. He was now able to meet and greet everyone, not as cold as at the beginning, but it was nothing more than that.
Hermione often complained about Krum being there, not that he ever bothered them because he even rarely talked, but because groups of giggling girls often turned up to spy on him from behind bookshelves, and Hermione found the noise distracting.
Evan also felt this way, but couldn’t stop Krum from appearing in the library. He could only sit as far from him as possible.
"Why don’t we sit with Krum?" said Ron. "He invited us over."
"Unless you want to be stared at by dozens of girls, pointing at you and muttering…"
"He’s not even good-looking!” Hermione muttered angrily, glaring at Krum’s sharp profile. “They only like him because he’s famous! They wouldn’t look at him twice if he couldn’t do that Wonky-Faint thing... “
“Wronski Feint," said Harry through gritted teeth, not wanting anyone to say Quidditch terms incorrectly.
"Face reality, Hermione!" said Ron. "Many girls like Krum, not only because he is the most famous Quidditch Seeker, but also because he has a lot of magic and a lot of knowledge, just as those girls like Evan."
"How many times have I to repeat it, Evan’s private life is not as chaotic as that woman described!" Hermione turned her head immediately, looking at him discontentedly, "and he didn't get so many girls around him as that guy."
"It's not Krum’s fault that he’s popular!" Ron muttered. "He looks cold, but he’s actually a good guy. He told me a practical spell some time ago, and it helped me a lot.”
"Well, this is your opinion?!" said Hermione. "We’ve been sitting in the library every day to help you find a way to get through the first task, and we haven't seen you thank us.”
"Of course I’m thankful; you’re the only people who support me now, and I’ll never forget it!" Ron said embarrassedly, turning around and talking to Evan, who was reading a book, "Evan, how does this Impediment Curse work?"
In this way, time passed quickly, and it was soon the week before the start of the tournament.
Evan had to admit that at some point, Ron’s nerves proved to be really strong.
While others were worried about how Ron would complete his first task, he subjectively underestimated the difficulty of the tournament.
Ron didn't panic much, but he always thought about the glory that winning the tournament would bring him.
He had already told Evan, Harry and Colin more than once what he would do after winning the tournament.
This optimism continued until the Saturday before the first task, and all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade.
At breakfast, Ron told everyone that he wanted to go outside the castle to relax!
