"I understand, Harry. No one would want to learn magic from that old bat. I don't know what Professor Dumbledore was thinking." Ron patted Harry's shoulder sympathetically.
Ivan stepped forward and interrupted their conversation.
"By the way, Harry and Ron, the wizarding world is unstable and Voldemort could attack every one of us at any time, so I've recently developed a spell that allows us to communicate with each other and pass on information. Do you want to give it a try?"
"What kind of magic?" Ron asked eagerly, his interest piqued.
Harry was equally curious.
"It's a mark spell…" Ivan explained the effects of the mark.
At the beginning of the school year, he wanted to inscribe a magical mark on Harry and the others so that Voldemort would not take it out on them.
It was only the fear of misunderstanding, coupled with the fact that Dumbledore would still be alive to protect Harry and the others, that kept them alive.
"Carve a symbol on your arm? Like the Dark Mark?!" Ron said automatically when Ivan finished.
"There is no right or wrong with this mark magic, it all depends on how we use it…" Ivan explained patiently.
Before he could finish, Ron exclaimed, "This is great!"
Ivan froze, looking at Ron strangely as he realised he didn't really understand what these kids were thinking…
Ron didn't notice Ivan's strange look and continued excitedly, "I always thought we should form a magical organisation to fight against You-Know-Who, like the Order of the Phoenix!"
"The Order of the Phoenix? What Order of the Phoenix?" Seamus asked, looking around the room in confusion.
"Ah, well…we were just talking about what to name the new secret society…" Ron stammered, remembering the need for secrecy about the Order of the Phoenix.
Seamus didn't suspect anything, and his attention was soon turned to this so-called secret society. When he learned that Ivan had developed a special magical mark, he clamoured for Ivan to get one for him.
Ivan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, and all the excuses he had prepared were useless.
However, it was good to have less trouble. After Ivan explained how to use the mark to Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Neville, he pulled out his wand and began to cast a spell. In just a few minutes, the beautiful mark of the Sleeping Dragon appeared on Harry's wrist.
"Cool!" Seamus exclaimed in excitement as he touched the vivid image of a dragon on his arm. Then, as if he had just thought of something, he asked cautiously,
"What do you think would happen if we used it to cheat?"
Ron and Harry were shocked at Seamus's bold idea, but on second thought, they were surprised to find that it seemed like a plausible solution. If they could communicate without any trouble through their magical imprints, why not use them to deliver answers as well?
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Seamus," said Neville meekly.
However, Seamus didn't want to talk to him at all, and was happily discussing their plan to cheat.
"You'd better get rid of that idea. I've heard that the OWLs are very strict this year, and the Ministry of Magic will be sending Aurors to supervise them. There might even be magical detection equipment. If you're caught, you'll definitely be expelled!" Ivan said sternly, but he felt helpless.
He did not expect Seamus and the others' first reaction after learning about the magical imprint's ability to transmit information would be to cheat with it…
After Ivan's warning to drop out of school, Seamus and Ron regretfully abandoned their plan to cheat, and instead talked about what to name their secret organisation.
… .
In the blink of an eye, it was February, and the wizarding community had been peaceful for nearly a month. Many of the feared Lord Voldemort had vanished into thin air, and the expected attack on Hogwarts had not occurred.
The Daily Prophet attributed this to the Ministry of Magic, as Pierce had sent a large number of Aurors to hunt for Lord Voldemort, leaving the Dark Lord too exhausted to do anything else.
Those who had fought in the last war scoffed at this claim, as they knew how powerful Lord Voldemort was, and that an ordinary group of Aurors would be no match for him.
In any case, the previously tense atmosphere eased considerably, and the young Hogwarts wizards, having enjoyed a period of peace, managed to put the danger posed by Lord Voldemort out of their minds and focus most of their attention on their upcoming exams.
Every weekend, the library was packed with fifth year students and seventh year students taking their OWLs, and the atmosphere was so intense that even people like Harry and Ron, who didn't like to study, gave up on their fun and sat in the break room, studying.
Ivan was the only one who didn't seem to fit in. He was holding a jewelled diadem and examining it carefully, occasionally tapping it with his wand as if he were trying to find out something.
"Ivan, aren't you going to revise? There's an O.W.L. exam in just over a month, and you told me earlier that you were going to take this year's final test and try to pass all your subjects so that you can graduate early, didn't you?" Hermione asked, putting down her book.
"I've already reviewed it before. Besides, it's just an ordinary exam. Even if I confess…" Ivan almost let it slip and hurriedly put down his diadem to salvage the situation. "Ahem, I mean, I can pass even with my eyes closed…"
Harry and Ron, who were carrying books on their backs, rolled their eyes and wished they could stop making these exams sound so easy.
O.W.Ls (Ordinary Wizarding Tests) are very important and difficult sub-tests, not to mention the N.E.W.T. (Ultimate Wizarding Tests), where grades determine whether or not you will find a good job.