Tohsaka Rin's luck was truly terrible. Watching Harry Potter fight the troll shouldn't have been dangerous, yet somehow, that massive club managed to hit her leg, breaking it.
"Fortunately, it's not a comminuted fracture... but with the magic level here, I don't think I need to worry about that kind of thing."
At Hogwarts, various accidents often happen when students are learning and practicing magic. The curriculum includes some dangerous classes, like flying lessons, and there aren't many safety measures in place. Or rather, the professors themselves might be the safety measures. But no one can stop a bunch of mischievous kids from doing stupid things. Look away for one second, and they'll already be causing trouble.
Even so, no student has ever had a serious problem. Everyone always bounces back quickly, and after a short stay in the infirmary, they return to class like nothing happened.
"You'll recover soon."
"Mm."
Rin still looked gloomy. Anyone who had suffered such bad luck wouldn't be in a good mood. But her good upbringing still led her to thank Ethan politely. After all, he had come to visit.
After a short chat, Ethan left the infirmary.
Hogwarts was huge. The interior of the castle was complex, with all kinds of unusual features. If someone hadn't lived there long, it was easy to get lost.
So far, Ethan had no interest in exploring every inch of the place.
Right now, he just wanted to quietly learn everything he needed. Once he had mastered what he wanted, he could go wherever he pleased.
Scáthach, on the other hand, was the opposite. Even though she was here to study, it didn't stop her heart from chasing freedom, or rather, from doing whatever she wanted.
When Ethan ran into Scáthach, the Queen of the Land of Shadows, who now looked like a little girl with twin pigtails, she was darting around the castle, seemingly trying to explore every corner.
"Aren't you going back to the dormitory?"
"Why should I? I don't need sleep."
Classes were over for the day. Students had free time before curfew. The Great Hall and the library were crowded, and many students were doing whatever they liked.
There were certainly others wandering around like Scáthach, but no one would dare sneak around at night without fear of being caught by Filch, the caretaker.
"So, you just wander around the castle all day?"
"I need something to kill time during these long nights..." Scáthach glanced at Ethan beside her. "Wander around with me today."
Ethan rubbed his chin. That wasn't out of the question. Skipping a trip back to the Slytherin dorms wasn't a big deal. As the new students gradually adapted to life at Hogwarts, the prefects had stopped paying close attention to them. After all, prefects were students too and had their own heavy workload.
Since only older students could become prefects, the spells and knowledge they had to study were much harder and more time-consuming. Unless they were geniuses, they didn't really have time to manage a bunch of first-years.
"Where do you want to go?"
It had been a while since term started. With Scáthach's personality and abilities, she had probably explored most of the school already.
The only place that could still catch her interest was the Forbidden Corridor, the one Dumbledore had explicitly warned them about during the opening ceremony.
"I really want to see what's inside."
Ethan knew what was in there. The corridor led to a hidden chamber guarded by a massive three-headed dog. That chamber held the Philosopher's Stone, the central item in the first Harry Potter book, and the final battleground of that arc.
"You already know what's in there."
Scáthach looked at him. Her tone wasn't questioning—it was a statement.
"Honestly, there's nothing that interesting. Just a big dog."
"A dog?"
He shouldn't have brought it up. The moment he mentioned it, Scáthach's interest shot up. Her pace quickened, and to make sure Ethan wouldn't run away or make excuses to leave, she grabbed the waistband of his trousers.
If Ethan tried to stop or turn back, she would no doubt pull his pants off on the spot.
With no choice, Ethan followed her to the Forbidden Corridor on the fourth floor, where they found the locked door.
"You really want to go in?"
"Why not?"
Scáthach's gaze shifted subtly, as if she had sensed something. But she didn't say anything. After all, she was just a first-year who had only recently been exposed to magic.
Ethan rolled his eyes. He didn't mind playing along. Since they were already here, they might as well take a look.
He casually pulled out his staff. Since they were pretending, he had to commit to the act.
"Alohomora."
Even within this completely unfamiliar magic system, Ethan could perform simple spells like this without a staff, incantation, or gestures. One thought was enough to unlock the door—no lights, no effects. It would look like he was opening an unlocked door by hand.
But now, to play the part of a regular student, he had to take out his staff, aim at the lock, recite the spell, and even emit a small bit of magic.
The door clicked open, and Scáthach immediately stepped in. Ethan followed behind and left the door open on purpose.
"Oh, what a big dog."
The massive three-headed dog's head alone was bigger than Ethan's whole body. Even though the beast was asleep, just its intimidating appearance made it clear how dangerous it could be.
Scáthach slowly circled around it. When she completed her lap and returned to where she started, she noticed someone new standing beside Ethan.
Everyone at Hogwarts would recognize him on sight.
It was none other than Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
"You like dogs?"
"They're alright."
Scáthach didn't show any sign of guilt. After a few more glances at the beast, she finally looked away.
"Students aren't allowed here."
"That's why I had to come see it."
Dumbledore looked momentarily surprised, clearly not expecting that answer. But then he smiled again.
"So, by specifically forbidding this place, I only made it more appealing?"
"Ahem, that's her curiosity, not mine... I wasn't curious at all."
Dumbledore glanced at Ethan. Of course, he knew who both of them were. As the headmaster of Hogwarts, he remembered details about nearly every student.
This year's first-years were especially interesting. Besides Harry Potter, Dumbledore had been most intrigued by a few students from Muggle families. Aside from Hermione, they had all come from the same neighborhood. After investigating, it was discovered that these children were somewhat related by blood and had only recently moved to England.
It was a rare situation, but not hard to explain.
More importantly, Dumbledore didn't care about background. As long as a student was talented, he liked them. Talented young wizards meant hope for the future of the magical world.
Among them, Ethan Arendelle was clearly one of the most gifted. Dumbledore had already heard his name from multiple professors, including McGonagall and Snape. He had begun to quietly pay attention to the boy.
Dumbledore had no prejudice against Slytherin. Although that house had produced Voldemort, it had also raised many great and just wizards. What he needed to do was guide Ethan down the right path so he wouldn't go astray like Voldemort once did.
It was because of this special attention that he had noticed Ethan entering the Forbidden Corridor. Curious about what the boy was doing, he decided to quietly observe.
What he saw was just two children sneaking in to satisfy their curiosity. Now, hearing their conversation, it became clear this was all because of the little girl's whim.
That was fine. Dumbledore didn't suspect anything deeper, nor did he think they were trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone.
"Now that your curiosity is satisfied, it's time to go. This isn't somewhere you should linger."
Dumbledore motioned for the two to leave. Once they stepped out, he didn't make any grand gesture, but the door automatically closed behind them. They heard the soft sound of the lock clicking into place.
"Go back and rest. If you don't get enough sleep, you won't grow."
Waving his hand, he dismissed them without any mention of punishment. It was as if they had just accidentally wandered into his office during office hours. He simply escorted them out, and that was it.
After they had walked far enough to be sure no one was watching or listening, Scáthach finally spoke again.
"That cowardly, dumb mutt has a hidden trapdoor under its belly. Let's go check it out next time."
She called the three-headed dog cowardly and dumb because it hadn't been asleep the whole time. As the first line of defense guarding the Philosopher's Stone, how could it fail to notice intruders?
The moment Ethan and Scáthach entered, it was already awake. But before it could react, it was so terrified that it didn't dare move. All three of its heads drooped, and it fainted on the spot.
(To be continued.)