Ron had no intention of reflecting on his own shortcomings. He just wanted to shrug off the responsibility weighing on his shoulders.
This was a very irresponsible behavior, and Harry was instantly enraged!
“You’re not pathetic and you’re not resigning! I won’t allow you to resign!” he said fiercely, seizing Ron by the front of his robes. “You can save anything when you’re on form, it’s a mental problem you’ve got!”
“You calling me mental?”
“Yeah, maybe I am!”
They glared at each other for a moment, then Ron shook his head wearily.
“Enough, Harry. Really, enough. I know you haven’t got any time to find another Keeper, so I’ll play tomorrow, but if we lose, and we will, I’m taking myself off the team.”
After that, nothing Harry said made any difference.
When Evan saw the two of them again, they both exuded an indescribable fatigue.
From Elaine, who was also furious, Evan had already known what had happened on the pitch.She looked like she was ready to bite Ron. Evan had only seen her wear that expression when dealing with Umbridge before.
Based on what Evan knew about Elaine, this was definitely no joke. The child was really angry and was irritated by Ron’s behavior.
If even Elaine was this upset, it was clear just how far Ron had pushed things this time.
That night in the common room, Harry had tried boosting Ron’s confidence, repeatedly emphasizing that the whole team would be devastated if Ron left, but Ron wasn’t paying any attention. Harry’s assertion was somewhat undermined by the fact that the rest of the team was sitting in a huddle in a distant corner, clearly muttering about Ron and casting him nasty looks.
Evan and Hermione did not join in the discussion. Though most people assumed that Hermione, having argued with Ron herself, stood on their side, and that Evan, as her boyfriend and Elaine’s friend, was also against Ron, that wasn’t entirely true.
Evan could tell that Hermione wasn’t really angry anymore — she was actually starting to worry about Ron.
Ron’s condition was indeed worrying, but Hermione couldn’t say anything given the current situation.
If she went over to Ron like Harry and tried to reason with him, it would only make things worse.
So instead, she nudged Evan with her elbow, silently urging him to go help Harry.
Throughout this whole ordeal, Evan had never directly clashed with Ron. He had kept his opinions to himself, and as a result, Ron didn’t seem to resent him as much as he did the others.
Of course, he didn’t expect Evan to stand on his side like Harry did, otherwise he wouldn’t have been avoiding him recently.
Evan went over and he didn’t know what to say. The situation now was not just about Slughorn not inviting Ron to the party, or Ginny and Dean kissing without Ron’s approval. These were just the initial triggers.
At this point, the situation had become very complicated.
In Evan’s opinion, Ron’s mood had a lot to do with tomorrow’s match.
This was the main reason why Ron became particularly aggressive. If he could win the game, everything would be fine.
A victory would set everything on the right track: Hermione could invite Ron to Slughorn’s party, his relationship with Lavender could be repaired, Gryffindor would prove itself, and the rumors McLaggen had been spreading would be proven to be nonsense.
The only thing that couldn’t be solved was the fact that Ginny and Dean were in love. No matter how much Ron objected, it was useless and he could only accept it.
Evan was not too worried about this. In the end, things would develop in the direction Ron expected, and he didn’t have to object at all. Ginny and Dean would break up. Although they seemed to have a good relationship now, it couldn’t last.
Ginny had always liked Harry, that had never changed, and she had never really given up, it was just that Harry didn’t like her back.
If Harry came to his senses one day, well, thinking of this, Evan suddenly felt so sorry for Dean.
Looking at it that way, what was Ron even throwing a tantrum about? Everything was already set to go the way he favored.
His recent behavior had been so frustrating that Evan had half a mind to go over and punch him.
Of course, all of this depended on Gryffindor winning. If they lost, things would go downhill fast.
Not only would Ron fail to prove himself, but all the recent murmurs about Harry and the team would spiral out of control.
These discussions would bring them down, and by then, it was not certain what else might happen.
The more Evan thought about it, the more pointless it seemed to try convincing Ron. It wasn’t necessary. He was not a child. He was inexplicably and meaninglessly angry, and others had to comfort him. It was really annoying. Why did they have to sit here and be distracted by such things when Voldemort’s power was growing stronger?
Evan was considering leaving school after summoning the demon below and doing something more meaningful and valuable.
Around the table, the three of them sat in silence.
Harry shot Evan a glance, but got no response.
Harry knew he couldn’t keep pushing. He tried getting angry again in the hope of provoking Ron into a defiant, and hopefully goal-saving, attitude. He had hoped Evan would help, but it was clear that this strategy did not appear to work any better than encouragement.
In the end, Ron went to bed as dejected and hopeless as ever.
However, he no longer yelled at others or lost his temper at younger students like before, which made many people feel relieved. Hermione even told Evan that this was a big improvement and that, at this rate, Ron might finally stop making everyone dislike him.
Just like the last practice, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
Harry lay awake for a very long time in the darkness. He did not want to lose the upcoming match.
Not only was it his first as Captain, but he was determined to beat Draco Malfoy at Quidditch even if he could not yet prove his suspicions about him. Yet if Ron played as he had done in the last few practices, their chances of winning were very slim. …
If only there was something he could do to make Ron pull himself together … make him play at the top of his form…
Harry forced himself not to go to sleep. He had to think of something that would ensure that Ron had a really good day. …
And the answer came to Harry in one, sudden, glorious stroke of inspiration.
Breakfast was the usual excitable affair next morning.
The Slytherins hissed and booed loudly as every member of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall.
The boos became even louder when Ron walked in.
The recent rumors circulating within the House and Ron’s performance had made many Gryffindor students suspicious of him and not as warmly welcoming him as they did other team members.
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