Chapter 5: A Legendary Gobstones Match
The Burrow
Ronald Bilius Weasley
July 3, 1989, Monday
"RONNN! Lunch is ready."
Ron was pulled out of deep focus when his mother called him for lunch.
But what surprised her most was that lunch was already ready. Wasn't time supposed to slow down a hundred times in the Library and Workshop?
"Alfred, what time is it outside?"
[In the physical world, it is currently 2:04 PM, Master Ronald.]
"2 PM? If I remember correctly, it wasn't even ten o'clock in the morning when I entered the Library." He said.
[That's right, Master Ronald. When you entered the library, it was 9:51 AM. While you were here, 4 hours and 13 minutes passed in the outside world.]
"That much? But isn't time supposed to flow 100 times slower here?"
[Time is already flowing 100 times slower, Master Ronald. While 4 hours and 13 minutes passed outside, you have spent 421 hours and 40 minutes here. That's approximately 17 and a half days.]
"What? But how could I have studied so focused for that long without lifting my head? Normally, my brain should have been fried by now. We're talking about more than half a month here."
[Because you are inside the Library, Master Ronald. When you begin to read here, you enter a special state of focus. In this state of focus, you become detached from everything, even time. And when you exit this state, you return to your initial state. In this way, you will not be isolated from your life outside.]
"I see... That's right. If I stayed here for months, isolating myself, I would most likely lose much of my interest in the outside world. It's excellent that the Library has this feature." He said.
Then Ron looked at the book in front of him. A fourth-grade Charms book.
"No way. Have I already read all the books from the first three years?"
Ron exclaimed in surprise as he searched his memory; he realized he had indeed read all the books from the first three years, and that the Charms book in front of him was the second book he had been reading in the fourth year.
The Library's effectiveness was truly astonishing. But Ron quickly realized that his ability to learn so effectively wasn't so surprising after all.
First, a typical person might spend about 8 hours a day studying.
And they couldn't focus on studying for eight hours straight. They would need to take breaks from time to time.
And even if they wanted to study more, their effectiveness would be pretty low.
But thanks to the Library, Ron could study continuously for 24 hours with complete focus. And that alone meant he spent his day about four times more productively than others.
In addition, thanks to his legendary crafting skill, he had gained master-level skills in many sub-fields.
Potion making, transfiguration, charms and spells, and many other related areas, he could understand and learn many things much faster, thanks to his master-level talents.
He could perhaps study 5 times more effectively than most people because of his talents.
Therefore, he wouldn't be surprised if the time he spent in the library were ten times as effective as a normal person's study time.
This meant that half a month there was equivalent to five months of studying, so it wouldn't be surprising if he read all the books covering the first three years of Hogwarts during that time.
And while doing all this, his mind remained untired, and his body rested in his bed.
With the resources at his disposal, if he couldn't truly make a name for himself and become rich, then there was really no one else to blame but himself.
"Oh, Alfred. How can I hear the sounds from outside while I'm here?"
[Master Ronald, if you use the Library and Workshop features while sleeping, you will automatically be notified if someone calls you out or tries to wake you.]
"Hmm... what if someone tries to harm me or if there's a dangerous situation… like a fire?"
[Then I would personally warn you, Master Ronald. However, I cannot physically protect you. Therefore, I advise you to take precautions for your own safety.]
"I understand. I'll look into that later. Thanks for the advice, Alfred. But right now, I have lunch to attend and a game of gobstones to play."
After saying this, Ron wanted to leave the Library. And the next moment, the Library disappeared from his sight, and he was momentarily plunged into darkness.
Then, realizing the darkness was because his eyes were closed, he opened them and found himself back in his room, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Contrary to what he expected, instead of feeling tired, he felt quite refreshed.
Ron got out of bed with a smile on his face and headed towards the kitchen.
Things were going even better than he expected. Now, as long as he worked hard, he could quickly increase his knowledge.
Lunch wasn't as noisy as breakfast.
His father, Arthur Weasley, was at work. And the other family members arrived one by one, eating their meals or taking them with them, then disappearing.
After quietly finishing his meal and carrying his plate and cutlery to the sink, Ron looked at Ginny. He had made her a promise, and as her older brother, he had no intention of breaking it.
"So, Ginny, are you ready for the gobstones match?"
Ginny had already finished her meal, carried her plate to the sink, and sat back down in her chair, waiting for him.
"Yes. Let's begin, Ron. Today I will win."
Then the great gobstones match between Ron and Ginny began. Well... actually, it wasn't a great match. After all, gobstones were basically not that different from the Muggles' marble game.
The only difference was that the loser would face the wrath of the gobstones, which would spray a foul-smelling liquid on their face.
In the past, Ron would do anything to win when playing with Ginny, often leaving her to endure the disgusting smell.
And when he lost, he would get angry, yell, and accuse people of cheating.
Ginny didn't exactly love the game either. Who would want to be subjected to such a disgusting smell? But it was one of the few games they had.
But this time, what made this match of gobstones legendary was Ron himself. He knew the game wasn't very enjoyable, so he decided he had to make it fun himself.
To do this, he had to push his theatrical skills to the limit. But in the end, he made Ginny laugh and giggle many times while playing the game, and it was worth all the effort.
As for the winner, Ron could have easily won. But in the end, he chose to lose. Back-to-back. But while playing, he made sure Ginny didn't win too easily.
Nobody liked a game that was too easy to win.
In the end, Ron and Ginny played until dinner time, and Ron had to take a shower before sitting down to eat.
But Ginny seemed to have had quite a good time today, and she kept smiling throughout dinner.
As Ron ate his dinner, he wondered how the original Ron hadn't appreciated what he had and even envied his own sister.
He could understand that he hadn't had much when he was growing up. After all, he was living that life now. But to be envious of even the most minor things his sister had...
Was it really that hard to be happy for her?
Ron shook his head and tried to push the thought away. He had other things to attend to at the dinner table today, and he didn't want to leave it for later.
Then he looked at his father, Arthur Weasley, who was sitting at the head of the table. His father had come home from work and was having dinner with them.
Seeing everyone slowly finishing their meals, he thought it was time and asked his father, "Dad, can I take the first-year Hogwarts books to my room to read?"
For the Weasleys, Hogwarts materials weren't things to be discarded after use.
Every book had to be appropriately used and preserved as well as possible for those who came after.
The last person to use the first-year books was Percy two years ago, and his mother, Molly Weasley, had safely stored them away.
Therefore, he needed his family's permission to access them.
And as for why he asked his father instead of his mother...
Even though his mother mostly made the final decisions in this house, his father had his pride, and Ron wasn't about to trample on it.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Mum, you didn't add anything strange..."
"...to dinner today, did you?"
And, as he expected, many people at the table began to react excessively. The twins were, of course, at the forefront.
"Ron? Why do you need the Hogwarts books?" Arthur Weasley asked, looking surprised.
Ron, trying to put on his most innocent expression, tilted his head slightly to the side as if he didn't understand the question and replied, "To read and learn from them. I need to learn them to succeed at Hogwarts, don't I?"
"Yes, that's true, but..." Her father started to speak, but Molly Weasley interrupted him.
"Ron, honey… Fred and George are going to use those books this year. They need to stay undamaged," she said sternly.
"Hmm. I know. That's why I'll be cautious when reading them. I heard that those who want to work at the Ministry of Magic need to get good exam grades at Hogwarts. I want to study hard and get high marks on those exams, Mum." He said innocently.
"Oh, my dear. Do you really want to work hard and get a job at the Ministry of Magic? Then it wouldn't hurt to read a few books early, would it, Arthur?" his mother said.
Well... Ron didn't say he wanted to join the Ministry of Magic. He just said that someone needs high grades to get into the Ministry of Magic, and that he wants to get high grades too.
"Uh... Why not? But Ron, you have to be careful with them, okay?" his father said.
"Sure. Don't worry. Thanks, Dad, thanks, Mum."
"You're welcome, sweetie. I'll give them to you after dinner, okay?"
"Okay, Mum."
End of Chapter 5.