Chapter 324. Ron's State
Adrian Wesson hadn't expected Ron to ask a question like that.
How could Ron become as strong as Harry?
To be honest, seeing a student with ambition wasn't a bad thing.
But… the question did catch him off guard.
Everyone is different.
Harry, as the protagonist of this world, was gifted to begin with, and on top of that he'd had Adrian's prodding over the past few years.
That's how Harry has the strength he does now.
As for Ron…
To be frank, the Weasley genes were excellent; every member of the family had their own talents.
Bill was a top Curse-Breaker at Gringotts, Charlie an expert in international dragon management—even if things had gone a bit awry this time. Percy was top of the class, and the twins weren't bad at invention either…
"If you want to defeat a dragon," Adrian stroked his chin, "that could take a very long period of practice… but do you actually want to become a dragon keeper in the future? Like your brother Charlie?"
"Dragon keeper?"
Ron furrowed his brow to think, then shook his head.
That wasn't in his career plans.
Well, he didn't really have any career plans yet.
He was only a fourth-year, and Hogwarts didn't start Careers Advice until fifth year.
At that point, Hogwarts ran dedicated guidance sessions, with each Head of House conducting one-to-one career consultations with students.
"Since you don't want to be a dragon keeper," Adrian shrugged and asked, "why do you want to take on a dragon? Do you think a dragon will suddenly show up outside your house waiting to be beaten by you? Don't be silly; we don't run into dragons in everyday life."
"But…"
Ron was at a loss for words for a moment, then raked his hair in frustration.
"I'm not talking about dragons," he said. "I just want to be as good as Harry."
"Oh, that makes it much simpler," Adrian smiled slightly. "There's only one way to grow stronger: more training, more spells, more knowledge."
"So what should I do?" Ron's eyes took on a lost look.
"Study hard, dear." Adrian winked at him. "Of course, if you're willing, I can tutor you over the holidays, free of charge."
"Ah?"
Ron opened his mouth and didn't know how to respond.
"Getting stronger isn't something that happens overnight—it's like building a tall tower," Adrian went on. "If you insist on getting strong immediately, you could learn some rather… er… illegal curses… All right, don't give me that terrified look, I'm only joking."
Ron let out a small breath.
"Feeling lost is normal," Adrian stood up. "Oh, I think I've got to go—there are other things I need to do. By the way, Ron, you could use a bit more confidence."
"Confidence?"
"Ah, yes—have a bit more faith in yourself," Adrian took the thick robe from the peg and swung it over his shoulders. "And keep at your studies and spell practice. Mm… that's that."
Ron nodded, thoughtful.
Of course, almost everyone understood such simple principles, but precious few carried them out.
For now, Adrian remained pessimistic about Ron.
"All right, off you go then, Ron."
Time flew by.
It was now December, and Hogwarts had grown colder.
Over the past fortnight, Harry and Hermione were surprised to discover that the always-slack Ron had suddenly become a different person: he'd started studying in earnest, even taking the initiative to go to the library with Hermione.
However…
The good spell didn't last.
Sloth is human nature, and wizards are no exception—magic hadn't granted them especially different brains.
Once the initial enthusiasm faded, dreary study offered little positive feedback.
In a few days Ron had slipped back into his old laziness.
On a Monday at noon,
the trio were eating in the Great Hall as usual.
"Are you going to the library later? Ron, you haven't gone for three days," Hermione reminded Ron, who was stuffing sausages into his mouth. "Remember what you said last week—read more books, then practise some spells."
With his mouth full, Ron mumbled, "I've worked hard for two weeks. Let me rest a few days."
He swallowed hard; his fork clinked crisply against the plate. "I'm not you. I need to do something relaxing. Erm… reading A History of Magic isn't relaxing for me."
"Oh, suit yourself," Hermione said, unconcerned.
To be honest, she should have expected it.
Seeing Ron like this, Harry shook his head a little beside her.
He'd noticed Ron's changes over this period.
Ron had even followed him to practise spells every day—Harry set aside time to practise magic every day and had done so for years.
It was a pity Ron's persistence had only lasted two weeks.
Still… each to their own.
Harry couldn't demand that his friend must do something.
Truthfully, he didn't much want to live so tensely either.
But—
his fingers, unbidden, brushed the scar on his forehead. That damned hidden peril forced him to keep getting stronger.
After lunch, the three returned to the common room for a brief rest—Hermione would be off to the library to do homework shortly, and Harry would be practising spells. Just as they were nestled into the armchairs, a sudden hubbub drew their attention.
They turned to see two redheads burst into the common room, one of them cradling a bundle of fiery red in his arms.
When they spotted Harry and the others, their eyes lit up, and they strode over.
"What's going on?"
Harry sat up straight, gaze landing on the red object in George's hands. "What's that?"
Without a word, the twins shoved what they were holding into Harry's arms.
Harry then realised the red figure was actually a small salamander.
But the salamander's eyes were half-closed, and the flame on its tail was so faint it was almost out.
Simply put, it looked like it was about to die.
"Where… did you lot get this?"
Beside him, Hermione frowned at the salamander and, in professional tones, pointed out, "It's in very poor condition. How long did you keep it away from the fire?"
George and Fred glanced at each other.
"We found it in the corridor just now," George explained. "As you can see, it's about to die. So… I figured giving this thing to Hagrid would be a good idea. You're probably more familiar with him."
Harry looked down at the salamander in his arms. "A salamander dies the moment it's taken out of the fire, but if you feed it pepper at intervals after it's away from the flames, it can live for up to six hours. But… I think it needs some pepper now, or we could just toss it straight into the fireplace?"
"Where are we going to get pepper?" Ron asked.
"Anyway, let's find Hagrid—he's got everything," Harry sprang up from the chair at once.
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium