'Who the hell did this?! Show yourself!' Umbridge screamed as she got up from the floor, her face swollen and her wand raised, her eyes constantly scanning the classroom for the culprit.
However, she did not suspect Ivan. After all, Ivan sat very far back and should not have had the chance to cast the spell.
The students sitting in the front row were the most likely to attack the chair.
Umbridge's pathetic appearance caused the young wizards to burst out laughing.
For a moment, the classroom was filled with joy.
'No laughing … no laughing!' Umbridge scolded loudly.
However, no one listened to her, and everyone laughed even more happily. It was rare for the young wizards of the two academies to be so happy.
Umbridge's face twisted into a frightening grimace, and she angrily ordered everyone present to copy the school rules fifty times, before leaving the classroom to deal with her injuries in the hospital wing amid even louder laughter.
The afternoon Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson ended early,
The classroom was noisy, with wizards talking about Umbridge's sorry state in class, and many of them heroically confronting Ivan, Hermione and Harry.
Ron was also very proud of her, and he loudly declared that he too wanted to take her on, but he had not thought of what to say…
After teasing Umbridge with his Seventh-level Transfiguration, Ivan was in a good mood, and as he packed up his books, he thought about his plans for the night.
Hermione was more than a little curious as to how the chair Umbridge was sitting on suddenly broke off, and how it happened to fall on its leg, bruising it.
Ivan was the only one the young witch thought could pull this off.
In response to Hermione's question, Ivan glanced at Harry and Ron, then shook his head decisively and bluffed.
'Perhaps it's just Professor Umbridge's bad luck? Don't forget, every Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is unlucky, and no professor has ever managed to stay for a full year…'
Hermione was dubious, but did not question him further.
Harry and Ron didn't care if it was a coincidence, but they were happy enough to see Umbridge in trouble.
… .
Late at night, over Hogwarts Castle, an owl beats its wings and flies towards Ravenclaw Tower.
"Well, I guess I'm in luck." Ivan wandered around until he found an open window through which he could slip into his human form.
The tower was very quiet at night, with blue and bronze silk hanging from the elegant arched windows.
Rowena Ravenclaw's bust of a woman in white marble was placed in an alcove opposite the door, and to Ivan's delight, his target, Helena, stood gazing at the ornate statue.
"Hello, Madam Grey…" Yvonne said, stepping forward.
"Who is it?" A voice from the tower startled Helena, and she quickly turned to stare at Ivan as he emerged from the darkness.
"You're not a Ravenclaw student, are you? What are you doing sneaking into the Tower at this hour?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I came all the way here to see you," Ivan said, bowing slightly in apology.
"Looking for me?" Helena looked surprised, but her tone was sarcastic.
"Yes, Madam Grey." Ivan nodded, then went on. "I'm very interested in this Millennium Castle and its history, and I happened to find some clues left behind by the founders during my earlier explorations, but there are still many things I don't understand, so I have some questions for you."
Fearing that Helena would suspect him of being up to no good, Ivan did not immediately tell her that he was looking for the Chamber of Magic, but rather, he did so in an effort to get closer to her and get information out of her.
However, Ivan soon realised that he had miscalculated. Helena did not seem to be very interested in the topic of the founders.
"I'm just a ghost. I can't help you. You should find someone else…"
"Please don't say that, Madam Helena. If Ravenclaw's daughter doesn't know anything about this castle, I can't think of anyone else to ask…" Ivan decisively used his first trump card to reveal Helena's identity.
"You know who I am? From whom?" Helena asked, her expression finally changing.
"I figured that out for myself, of course." Yvonne laughed. "After all, the timing just doesn't add up…"
"Time?" Helena asked, confused.
Ivan's lips curled into a smile. Knowing that he had successfully piqued Helena's interest, he cleared his throat and spoke again.
"I don't know why you pretend to be someone else, but the Muggle historical record states that Lady Jane Grey, the first deposed queen of Britain, was born in the sixteenth century, and you've been floating around this castle since before that, haven't you?"
"And I asked the ghosts at school, and they told me something about you…" Yvonne said, deliberately vague to avoid being seen through.
Helena was silent for a while, then sighed and said quietly, "Clever boy! Tell me, what do you want to know?"
"I'm interested in the history of Hogwarts, and I once stumbled upon Slytherin…" Ivan began, but Helena cut him off.
"Another one…"
Helena's tone became sharp.
"What?" Yvonne was stunned.
"Don't try to fool me…" Helena said with disgust as she drifted closer to Ivan and stared at him. "I'm afraid you didn't come all this way to listen to boring history."
Yvonne wondered how she had let the cat out of the bag, and why Helena was so sure, but this was not the time to think about it.
As Ivan racked his brains for a solution, Helena glanced at him and sighed.
"Sure enough, pretty boys are good liars…."