Hearing about the new broomstick and Draco Malfoy's name, Ron instantly lost all desire to share.
It was replaced by intense jealousy.
His lips were pursed so high you could hang an oil bottle on them.
What no one knew was that Ron actually had a talent for languages.
In the original timeline...
In his second year, he heard Harry say "Open" in Parseltongue twice.
As a result, in his seventh year, he could perfectly replicate it, reopen the Chamber of Secrets, and retrieve the Basilisk fangs.
So now, in his extreme displeasure, he perfectly repeated the "Chinese" saying Basil had used as a joke earlier: "There's an old Chinese saying: Those who understand the times are brilliant heroes (Xi Xi Wu Zhe Wei Jun Jie)."
The "Imperial Japanese Army officer" vibe was off the charts.
Then he switched back to normal English.
"It's no shame to be worse than Harry. But deliberately buying a broom one grade lower to compete with Harry on the same stage? What for? Just so if he loses, he can use the broom as an excuse! Laughing my dad off! And now one person buying two brooms... I say the Malfoy family will go bankrupt sooner or later!"
Seeing Ron like this, Basil smiled wickedly.
"That's not all. Malfoy's Nimbus 2000 wasn't bought by his dad. It was voluntarily funded by all the Slytherin students."
Ron stopped his muttering abruptly, jumping up in anger.
"Lies! All lies!"
So, he had a long face all day.
He stopped showing off his travel experiences.
Following the Law of Conservation of Energy...
Happiness doesn't disappear; it just transfers.
Smiles returned to Basil and Harry's faces.
It wasn't until noon three days later that Ron's face became vibrant again.
The class before lunch that day was Transfiguration.
On the way to the Great Hall for lunch, a Hufflepuff student trotted over and whispered something to Ron, and then Ron suddenly disappeared.
Basil didn't have the leisure to observe where Ron went.
But about five minutes after the meal started, Ron ran over waving a newspaper, a beaming smile on his face.
He spread the newspaper on the table.
"Look at this." He deliberately glanced at the Slytherin table nearby.
Judging by the direction, he was looking at Draco Malfoy.
Today, Draco Malfoy's expression was extremely gloomy. The last time he looked like this was when he was still Crabbe and Goyle's sidekick.
Now, even Hermione, who was a bit obtuse about social nuances, noticed something was wrong. "Is this news related to the Malfoy family?"
"Yes!" Ron nodded heavily.
He pointed at the newspaper.
In the central photo was a blond man with cold gray eyes, wearing shackles and not saying a word.
But from the pale, pointed face that was identical to Draco Malfoy's, they instantly guessed the man's identity—Lucius Malfoy.
Ron raised his voice so high the entire dining hall could hear: "Someone's dad is going to Azkaban! What a pity, why only six months? He's clearly a Death Eater; life imprisonment is where he belongs!"
Draco Malfoy shot up from his seat.
The students around him did the same, seemingly ready to back him up.
The smile on Ron's face faded a little.
He hadn't expected that even with this, Draco Malfoy wouldn't be ostracized by the Slytherin students.
Basil's hand rested on his wand, ready for battle at any moment.
Several students at the Gryffindor table did the same, eager for a fight.
Just a second before the powder keg ignited, it was extinguished.
Because Draco Malfoy just looked at Ron once, then disappeared in the direction of the dungeons.
"That's it?" Ron's ears turned red.
Malfoy ignoring him hurt his pride.
Basil also sighed.
Why was it that every time he put his hand on his wand, the fight never happened?
Where were the frequent brawls between Gryffindor and Slytherin he was promised?
After lunch, leaving the castle and walking across the lawn to the greenhouses for Herbology.
Ron was still perplexed. "Malfoy's dad is in prison, hey! Why is no one ostracizing him!"
Basil hinted, "You forgot one thing. Which Slytherin student doesn't have a relative who's been to prison?"
"Nearly half of Azkaban's inmates are from Slytherin. Not to mention those like Malfoy's dad who escaped punishment before."
"With the elder Malfoy in prison, they'll only feel Draco Malfoy is much more relatable and fits in better."
Hearing this, Ron's jaw dropped. "Merlin's beard."
Harry and Hermione also felt their worldviews being reshaped.
But even so, it didn't stop Ron from smiling again.
In the days that followed, it remained this way.
Draco Malfoy's dad going to prison was already a cause for celebration for him.
Compared to this, Malfoy's preferential treatment in Slytherin was nothing.
Percy couldn't help but sigh about this, saying Ron finally had a side that resembled their father—besides his appearance.
Their father was also extremely happy about Lucius Malfoy's imprisonment. According to their mother, he was practically skipping when he walked now.
But Harry was different; he had a constant frown.
He wasn't empathizing with Malfoy.
It was because the next match was Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. If they won, Gryffindor would lead Slytherin in the House Cup for the first time in seven years.
Plus, Malfoy had received a Nimbus 2000, and his training intensity was no weaker than the Gryffindor team's.
So, Quidditch training started again, much stricter than before.
Even in the continuous rainy days after the heavy snow, they had to persist in training.
What was more terrifying was that Madam Pomfrey's superb medical skills gave Harry no chance to catch a cold and take sick leave.
After every training session, he could only walk into the castle soaking wet and covered in mud, struggling back to the dormitory amidst Filch's cursing.
But Basil wasn't having a much better time.
Unlike Harry, he was looking for trouble himself.
After spending 300 Gems to turn the Imperius Curse, Cruciatus Curse, and Fiendfyre from the Voldemort Echo into cards, he resumed his late-night training with Riddle.
After all, his sleep requirement was very short.
Rather than waking up early to stare blankly at the scenery outside the window, it was better to sleep late and wake up at a normal time.
Plus, he was so charming now that wherever he went, he left students staring at him foolishly, infatuated.
In his free time, he preferred to be alone and train.
Just like that, more than a month passed.
His first Level 2 spell was born.
> [Killing Curse]
> [Level: 2]
> [Cost: 6 Mana (Corrupted) · Killing Intent Priority]
> Note: Killing Intent can be used instead of Mana. Killing Intent is not a consumable. Every point of Killing Intent causes one unit of negative tilt to your Mana.
> [Description: Fires a beam of green light that directly attacks Health Points. For every Player Unit killed, Killing Intent increases by 1.]
> [Damage: 1 — 49]
> Note: If Mana is insufficient, damage will collapse and reduce to near zero. If Mana value is sufficient but is standard generic Mana, damage equals the Mana value provided.
> [Effective Range: 30 feet. Beyond 30 feet, damage decays by 1 point for every 3 feet.]
> [Trait: Followed by Shadows of the Dead (Blue)]
> [Number of Shadows: 4]
> [Your Killing Intent is incomparably clear, and your superb leadership makes even the dead bow to you. When you cast the Killing Curse, shadows of the deceased will gather behind you, releasing a Killing Curse with standard damage.]
> Note: The lives of 10 Player Units can form one Shadow. Maximum Shadows: 4. The Shadow's Killing Curse is ineffective against you.