Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 66 Uneasiness

In the current British magical community, there are actually not many people who know about Horcruxes.

Dumbledore is one, Horace Slughorn is another, and others may have heard of them, but that's probably about it.

Although Ike knew of the existence of Horcruxes, he only knew how many Voldemorts he had. He had absolutely no interest in this evil magic.

Moreover, the only known book on dark magic that explicitly records the method of making Horcruxes, "The Secrets of Dark Magic," is still safely hidden in Dumbledore's office, so Ike can't see it even if he wants to.

Was it around that time?

Recalling the scene he witnessed before leaving the Horcrux world, Ike felt that Voldemort had used some unknown method to abandon the notebook and possessed Black, then secretly ran away while Ike was in a daze.

After all, without Comrade Xiao Fu, even if Xiao Hei had a hundred times the courage of a snake monster, it wouldn't dare to run away.

Ike is very confident in his teaching methods.

"This is troublesome..."

In this confrontation with Voldemort, Ike suffered a complete loss. He didn't get any clues about the Slytherin treasure, didn't kill Voldemort, and even suffered mental exhaustion from forcibly casting ancient magic. In the end, he also lost his pet.

The key point is that before this, Ike was in the open while Comrade Xiao Fu was in the shadows, allowing for both offense and defense. Now, the situation has reversed, and every day we have to be on tenterhooks, wary of Comrade Xiao Fu's schemes and sneak attacks.

This is so hard to get through!

After chatting with Harry for a few more minutes, Madam Pomfrey returned with a huge glass jar. Inside was a long bone of some unknown creature, soaking in a brown liquid that occasionally bubbled up, much like a potion brewed by an old witch in a cartoon.

"Bang!"

Madam Pomfrey placed the glass bottle directly on Ike's bedside table, and with a wave of her wand, a porcelain bowl floated over. She scooped a bowlful and handed it to Ike.

"Drink up, this is one of my treasures, it's great for restoring your energy."

Ike and Harry were both startled by the large jar of potion and instinctively backed away.

Reaching out to take the porcelain bowl, Ike glanced at the potion inside, then at the large glass jar beside it, swallowed hard, and asked, "Madam Pomfrey, is this whole jar... to be drunk?"

"Of course!" Mrs. Pomfrey smiled, her eyes crinkling. "You'll be staying here for three days, and all you have to do is finish all of this within those three days..."

"However, if you don't finish drinking it, you can only be discharged when you finish drinking it."

"Okay, I'll drink it!"

Ike closed his eyes, pinched his nose, picked up the bowl, and put it in his mouth. The potion tasted surprisingly good the moment it entered his mouth.

It's so sweet, so delicious.

He looked at Madam Pomfrey with an inquiring gaze, only to see her smile and shake her head. Ike shrugged, no longer bothering to investigate the substance's composition.

He felt that if he knew the name and ingredients of the potion, he would never be able to drink it again.

Not long after drinking the potion and lying in bed, Professor Flitwick arrived, followed by Stuart and Terry.

"How is it, Mr. Strad?" Professor Flitwick asked, his hands gripping the edge of the bed.

"I just drank the potion, and I feel much better now." Ike quickly sat up.

"That's good, that's good..." Professor Flitwick adjusted his glasses. "However, Mr. Strayed, you need to give me an explanation for why you skipped Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"

"Professor..." Ike hesitated for a moment, then hesitated again, "I don't think Professor Lockhart is capable of..."

"Alright! I understand." Professor Flitwick realized what he meant as soon as he asked the question and immediately stopped Ike from answering.

Lockhart's skill level was very clear to him; Ike couldn't learn anything from him at all.

"Cough, cough, cough," Professor Flitwick coughed a few times, then said, "While there are extenuating circumstances, it's a fact that you skipped class, so Ravenclaw will have 5 points deducted."

"Okay, Professor." Ike didn't seem to care about the points deducted.

For Ravenclaws, points are deducted, but they can simply be added back.

The previous chaotic battle cost us a full 150 points, but it wasn't long before we made up for it.

"Get some rest, Mr. Strayed." Professor Flitwick nodded, then patted Stuart and Terry behind him. "Come back at noon. My Charms class is next, gentlemen!"

"We'll come see you at noon, Ike!" The two had only come to check on Ike, and since there was nothing else, they said hello and left.

The days at the school hospital dragged on. On his second day there, Ike finished the entire large glass bottle of potion. He requested early discharge from Madam Pomfrey, but his request was ruthlessly rejected.

He stayed in the hospital for another day, but ended up being discharged on the same day as Harry.

Over the course of three days, Ike and Harry had become somewhat acquainted. The Savior seemed to be a little too outgoing; a few words were all it took to naturally start a conversation.

Furthermore, Ike discovered that Harry seemed to have no concept of secrecy, discussing last year's Philosopher's Stone and this year's Chamber of Secrets with him when no one was around in the school hospital. This openness greatly troubled Ike. Several hints went unanswered, and in the end, Ike simply gave up.

"Perhaps this is Gryffindor..."

During Harry's hospitalization, Hermione and Ron visited frequently, almost every day whenever they had time. Ron would bring Harry some tasty snacks, mostly things he'd taken with him during meals. Hermione, on the other hand, would bring thick notebooks and highlight important points for Harry, repeatedly emphasizing those that would definitely be on the exam.

Whenever this happens, Ike would lie in bed, eating snacks while watching.

For some reason, I felt a little envious.

Stuart and Terry also came every day, but not as frequently as Hermione and Ron. Moreover, they didn't bring snacks or highlight important points when they came, and Ike wouldn't even ask Stuart to bring him the paper bag he left on his bedside table.

At first, Harry tried to persuade Stuart to grant Ike's request, but after learning what was in the paper bag, he betrayed him, determined to prevent that strange thing from appearing in the school hospital. For this, Harry even sacrificed most of his candy. Many times, he could only watch helplessly as Ike ate his beloved Spicy Honey Candy while he could only gnaw on his Licorice Wand.

At the same time, they also had to endure Ike's mental attacks.

"Harry, according to my calculations, Hermione will be here in half an hour. Did you see the important points she highlighted for you yesterday?"

"Harry, what do your Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans taste like? What? Rotten eggs!"

Many times, Harry felt that Ron was right:

Ike Strayder is a strange and... well, you know!

(End of this chapter)