Chapter 118: Roger Davis to the Rescue
At 7 o'clock in the Ravenclaw common room, Ron was excitedly recounting his trip to Diagon Alley, claiming he had acquired an ancestral wand from Ollivanders.
The most amazing part? Everyone was eager to hear what happened in the wand shop—which meant that for the fourth time in his life, Ron, like Harry, had become the center of attention.
The first time was when he first got the Skywalker Gold Card. The second was when someone mentioned it as he got off the train. The third time was right at the start of term, when swarms of students surrounded him, all hoping to trade galleons for his ultra-rare Devil's Passport—the rarest of the gold cards.
Harry, who had already heard the real story earlier, noticed that Ron told a slightly different version each time.
At first, the tale seemed more or less accurate—at least, it matched Neville's account. In Ollivanders, Ron had been labeled a picky customer and tested over a dozen wands before finally finding one that suited him.
But an hour later, Ron had dramatically upgraded the story. Now, all the wands in the shop had trembled and saluted him when he entered. They had competed for the honor of becoming his partner. Calmly and heroically, Ron had ignored them all and walked straight to a dusty window, picking up a wand that had stood alone on a faded purple cushion.
Naturally, this version had made Ron the center of attention. Dozens of Ravenclaw students, curious about the so-called "ancestral wand," had crowded around to see it.
To Ron's credit, his fourteen-inch willow wand with unicorn hair did bear a strong resemblance to the one in the dusty window—at least in appearance.
That resemblance had been enough to convince several skeptical Eagle House students nearby. Most remembered that dusty wand—like all young wizards, they'd taken a curious look at it before—and soon they joined the crowd around Ron.
It wasn't until a senior student quietly pointed out that Ron's wand had a slight curve at the tail that Ron began to feel the pressure. With the crowd still around him, he needed to find a way to end the conversation.
So he pulled out his trump card—the Devil's Passport—and pretended to consider selling it.
At that exact moment, Roger Davis walked in after Quidditch practice. Seeing the gathered crowd, he mistakenly thought they had come to hear his lecture. Flashing what he believed to be a charming smile, he greeted them confidently.
Watching from the sidelines, Alexander Smith couldn't help but feel nauseated. How could someone as handsome as Roger Davis make such a greasy face?
Sure enough, it reminded Alexander of an interview he'd seen in his past life. It was true—actors, especially attractive ones, should never act in their most handsome state. Don't stare directly into the camera. Don't play to your looks. Just act like a normal person. Only then can you bring out your true charm. A certain infamous actor, Huang Moumin, was a textbook example of failure.
"Wonderful! I didn't expect so many of you would be interested in my lecture this afternoon!" Roger beamed. "Even though I'm exhausted from practice, I'll still spare some time to bring you all into the world of Quidditch."
Though confused, the other students applauded after Ron did. So they followed suit.
Roger moved swiftly, dragging a blackboard from the corner. Some Ravenclaws thought about leaving, but someone said, "We're already here. Might as well sit down," and so they stayed.
On the blackboard, the first topic—The Evolution of the Flying Broomstick—was already marked with a small checkmark, indicating that it had been covered.
"Right, since I've just finished a match and I'm quite tired, I won't go over the first part again. If you're interested, you can borrow Quidditch: Origins from the library."
"Next, let's talk about broomstick games. Quidditch is just one of them. Our ancestors actually played many different flying sports."
Roger, as expected of the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, quickly got the students engaged.
"Let me list a few historic sports—some extinct, some evolved into what we know today."
"Sweden's famous Broom Race; ancient German Bollard Game; Ireland's Flaming Barrel Stilts; Scotland's Overhead Crucible Toss; Devon's Mid-Air Collision Matches; Herefordshire's Reverse Broom Riding."
"I gave you a few hours to read Quidditch: Origins. Can anyone tell me which of these were banned?"
"I know the Bollard Game and the Crucible Toss are both gone," replied a sophomore with a square chin.
"Excellent. Let me explain why they were banned and eventually disappeared."
"The German Bollard Game—its name comes from the 'pillar' the defender had to guard—but what they were really protecting was the inflated dragon bladder tied to the top."
"This game required four key items. One: a 20-foot-tall pole with a dragon bladder at the top. Two: a rope—precisely measured—one end tied to the pole, the other to the waist of the defender to prevent them from flying more than ten feet away. Three: a wand. The defender could use it to repel attackers. And four: broomsticks. The attackers had brooms specially sharpened to pierce the bladder."
"The game was banned because it was unfair. A skilled wizard with a wand could repel everyone easily. And those sharpened broom handles? Sometimes they'd accidentally stab someone's head. The sport died out in the 14th century."
"Now, Scotland's Crucible Toss was, without a doubt, the most insane and dangerous of them all. As Ravenclaws, I urge you not to imitate this, no matter how curious you get."
"It required four items. One: twelve large crucibles. Two: belts. Each player had to tie a crucible above their head for 'safety'—" Roger paused.
He had spotted Michael Corner snickering in the crowd.
"This isn't a joke, Michael. Trust me, when you hear what comes next, you won't be laughing."
"I wasn't laughing," Michael defended. "Just saying you miscounted. The Bollard Game had five items. The stone pole and dragon bladder shouldn't be grouped together."
Michael was a skilled liar, and his dark complexion masked the blush on his cheeks—but Alexander saw it clearly.
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