The Magic Mobile Phone and the flying plane kept Ron extremely excited throughout the Christmas holidays, and he couldn't wait to return to school to share his experiences with Harry and Hermione.
Harry and Hermione practiced diligently during the Christmas season, trying to master the Patronus Charm to the point where they could unleash their Patronus. They practiced for hours every day in Lupin's office or the common room.
That's how the gap arises.
Meanwhile, Lorne waited Quiet at Hogwarts to deliver Christmas greetings prepared by the school to the returning faculty and staff.
Giving gifts is a good job; everyone is beaming when they receive one. Even the usually stern Snape couldn't help but ask when he received the small vial of Felix Felicis, "Did you make this?"
There are many secrets between him and Dumbledore, including Lorne's background. Snape assured Dumbledore that there was absolutely no one named Lorne among the old Death Eaters when he asked, Dumbledore also explained Lorne's special qualities to him, but no one told him why Lorne could concoct some Potions with special effects.
"No," Lorne said quite honestly, "I obtained them by chance. Oh, and this too. Professor, could you please analyze their composition and tell me how they differ from ordinary Felix Felicis and Wolfsbane Potion?"
So, they're special?
Lorne rubbed his nose. He didn't yet know the effects of the system version of Felix Felicis, but he dared not mention the permanent removal of wolf-like transformation by the improved version of Wolfsbane Potion.
"A little. I was thinking that since you, Professor, are an unparalleled talent in Potions, I might try to figure out the formula." Lorne didn't dare linger after saying that, afraid that if Snape asked a few more questions, he would give himself away.
In short, Christmas passed by the time the first student stumbled upon Harry and Hermione casting spells in the common room.
Ron returned, looking much more confident.
"Guess who the Street Wizard Fighter reached the Gold rank with a 90% win rate using Werewolf?" Ron was just missing a pair of sunglasses. "Cheers for me, Harry! For the first time in my life, I got my own Magic Mobile Phone before all of them, without using Fred and George, or Percy's leftovers."
"Seeing you so happy makes me regret it," George nudged Ron on the shoulder from behind. "I wonder if it's too late for me to tell Dad we changed our minds."
"Yeah, George, even though we can't each have one, Dad would probably be happy to give them back if we said we were researching how to make Magic Mobile Phone," Fred teased, bumping into us from the other side.
Ron immediately fell silent, gave Harry a pitiful look, and then chased after him. "Wait, Fred, George, what do you want? I have a treasured set of Wizard's Chess..."
Harry shook his head; it seemed Ron would never be able to beat his brothers.
The Quidditch Match between Gryffindor Ravenclaw concluded successfully after Christmas and before the next Hogsmeade Week.
Having learned the Patronus Charm, Harry remained calm. He mounted his Firebolt, transforming into a ghostly figure on the Quidditch Pitch. Coupled with the fact that Ravenclaw's star player, Cho Chang, was still recovering from an old injury, Harry and his team won by a large margin, keeping their chances of winning the championship alive.
To celebrate, George and his friends held a party in the common room. George and Fred disappeared in the afternoon, and returned in the evening with a huge pile of Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, and several large bags of Honeydukes candy.
"Where did you get all this?" Angelina, who was also Quidditch player, asked.
" The Moony, the Wormtail, the Padfoot, and the Prongs tell us that," Fred, enjoying being a riddle-maker.
Angelina rolled her eyes and ignored her.
Ron, Harry, and Hermione formed a small circle to congratulate him, saying, "Harry and his Firebolt were instrumental, but if you ask me, their speed was almost as fast as my plane."
"An airplane?" Hermione raised her voice. "Your family bought a Muggle airplane?"
Ron shook his head and chuckled, "More than that, it's a magical airplane. You'll know once you've ridden in it. Let me show you something..."
He rummaged around in his pants for a while and finally pulled out a handful of powder. "This is powder that can summon magical aircraft. Just put it into the magical fireplace with the Floo Network, and the magical aircraft will automatically cruise over."
"Then you'd better keep it safe," Harry said with a mischievous grin. "It's just a little powder, one wrong move and—Achoo!"
Ron's pupils widened, and he immediately withdrew his hands, afraid that his powder would be blown away. But he saw that Harry was just pretending to scare him and hadn't actually sneezed at all. He was laughing with Hermione.
Ron stuffed the powder back into his pocket, then leaped onto Harry and playfully wrestled with him, clinging to his shoulders.
During the second Hogsmeade Week, Ron was eager to show Harry and the others how to summon an airplane, but when he arrived at the Three Broomsticks, he discovered that he had changed his trousers that day.
Harry and Hermione naturally teased each other for a while.
"It's okay, Ron. Maybe we can fly home on your plane after finals. Hopefully you won't wear the wrong pants that day."
"Why don't you try whistling?"
Seeing their mocking expressions, Ron knew they didn't believe him. He angrily waved his arms and legs, "You don't believe me? You wait, I'm going to find Fred and George, and Ginny, they can all vouch for me."
There was actually an easier way. Ron could send a message to his father on his Magic Mobile Phone, but unfortunately, the four siblings each stole a handful from Arthur's little jar while he was asleep, which is why he didn't have a jar to put it in.
Harry and Hermione didn't care about any of this. They persuaded Ron for a while and then took him to the Magic Mobile Phone Shop in Hogsmeade, saying they wanted to ask him to use the phone as an apology.
The three of them went straight to the second floor, and this time they actually found seats.
Arcade machines with large screens offer a built-in movie-watching experience, and Ron is eager to impress everyone, making Street Wizard Fighter the perfect choice.
He wasn't unprepared. During the remaining days of the Christmas holiday, Ron had been playing ranked matches in Street Wizard Fighter, and he's now a prestigious Gold player. He even found a mentor in the lobby, which has been incredibly beneficial. Reaching Platinum should be a piece of cake for him.
"Quick, Harry, I'm going to show you what I'm capable of."
"I haven't played this in ages," Harry, sitting down next to Ron and thoughtfully pulling up a chair for Hermione. "But I used to be a Diamond, Ron, are you sure you want to defy me?"
Ron, naturally eager for battle, said, "Diamonds are just a bit more like silver with a bit of luck. The real hidden gems are in the gold. Enough talk, Harry, let's get this started."
Ron confidently locked in the Werewolf character, who was mentored by a mysterious master. "Let me show you the power of numbers."