Hermione had absolutely no interest in snake meat. In fact, she thought Ethan's mention of eating snake meat was just to disgust her, as she didn't even know it was edible.
"Is that so? That's a shame."
Hermione didn't understand, but the others around her knew Ethan well. He wouldn't bring up something like eating snake meat for no reason.
Logan even asked directly, "There are snakes at Hogwarts? Is this one special?"
"Well, it's not ordinary."
The serpent in the Chamber of Secrets was massive, with a head larger than a human's. A snake that could grow to such a size clearly wasn't ordinary.
Moreover, this great serpent had special abilities: anyone who looked into its eyes would die instantly. If viewed indirectly through a mirror, a water reflection, or some transparent object (glasses excluded), they would be petrified.
As for the venomous fangs that could destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes, that was considered a relatively normal ability.
"Interesting."
Logan became a bit intrigued by the snake, while Hermione, watching the two boys calmly discussing it, felt completely unsettled. She really thought Ethan was a typical Slytherin (Slytherin's symbol was a snake, hence it was also called the Snake House).
After that, Hermione didn't talk to Ethan again and instead started chatting with Rin. The two academic elites had plenty to discuss when it came to magical knowledge. Hermione was surprised to find that after just one holiday, Rin's magical knowledge seemed to have improved significantly. Rin could easily explain concepts that Hermione had only memorized but didn't fully understand.
"Did you go for tutoring over the holiday?"
"I didn't really play much this holiday. I mostly studied."
Rin had spent nearly the entire holiday training. Her only entertainment or relaxation was playing with the phone Ethan had brought back and the games installed on it.
Over the past few months, she had silently been grateful countless times that Ethan had at least given everyone a phone. After receiving intense guidance from both Ethan and Scáthach, she had no energy left to run around. The little energy she had left was just enough to crawl back to bed, and once there, she didn't want to move.
"That's great. Did you find a tutor in Diagon Alley?"
"..."
Rin wanted to say no, but if she did, she couldn't explain who had tutored her. So she just nodded silently. Whatever Hermione imagined, she didn't care.
The special train still arrived at Hogwarts in the evening. Upon returning, the usual routine followed: entering the Great Hall to listen to Headmaster Dumbledore's speech, watching the new first-years go through the Sorting Ceremony, and introducing the new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart.
This very famous writer, adventurer, Order of Merlin Third Class recipient, and Honorary Member of the Dark Forces Defence League...
This handsome middle-aged man with a long list of titles had become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for the school year. This cursed position changed hands every year. Last year, when Ethan and the others had just arrived, it was held by Professor Quirrell, who had been defeated by Harry Potter.
The newly appointed famous writer immediately did several unreliable things, such as giving a test on the first day of class. The test content was about how well the students knew him, including questions like what his favorite color was, leaving most students speechless.
Ethan was also speechless. Looking at the test paper in front of him, he had no interest in picking up a pen to fill it out, so he simply and decisively handed in a blank sheet. The only thing written on it was his name.
Actually, this wasn't a smart move, as it would draw unnecessary attention. If he truly wanted to keep a low profile, he could have casually filled in a few answers. After all, not many students could answer correctly... or rather, only Hermione, his little fan, could answer all of them.
Blending in with the rest of the crowd, Lockhart definitely wouldn't have noticed him.
But why should Ethan deliberately make himself uncomfortable for the sake of staying low-key? He didn't want to cause trouble, but that didn't mean he had to go against his own preferences or do things that made him unhappy.
Besides, he was already under the scrutiny of both Dumbledore and Snape. Lockhart paying a bit more attention wouldn't affect anything. If this guy wanted to cause trouble, it wouldn't be Ethan who ended up suffering.
Maybe Lockhart had inquired about the students beforehand and knew Ethan was highly regarded by Snape, so he didn't dare to mess with him. When he looked over Ethan's test paper, his expression changed slightly but quickly returned to normal. He calmly put the paper aside as if he had just graded an ordinary answer sheet.
Then he released a cage of Pixies, sending the entire classroom into chaos. Lockhart himself ran off quickly, directly hiding outside.
Ethan sighed helplessly at the chaotic classroom. He had no intention of cleaning up the mess. Any Pixie that came near him, he stunned with his wand. He didn't care about the rest.
There was no need to worry about people like Logan and Rin. As for the Pixies flying toward Illya, they should be more concerned about being caught and fed to Shiro.
In the end, Hermione once again showed off her strength by subduing all the Pixies and ending the chaos. This class clearly showed that they wouldn't be learning much useful content in Defence Against the Dark Arts this year. They would have to rely more on self-study.
"I'm thinking of skipping all the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes this year."
Sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, Illya chatted with Ethan while holding Shiro. Hogwarts' course schedule wasn't tight. After a day of classes, there was still a long time before dinner. Students could relax, chat, go to the library, or if they were Quidditch players, practice.
Ethan had no interest in Quidditch. He usually went to the library during this time, but he had spent the previous year copying every book he could. The most troublesome part was that he couldn't do it openly. Otherwise, he could have transferred all the knowledge from the library into his Book of Inheritance in a single day.
Now, he didn't need to go to the library just to read. Sitting in the courtyard, chatting while reading, was much more comfortable and relaxing.
Then he saw a verbal conflict break out between the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch teams. Just as Draco Malfoy seemed ready to say the classic "dirty Mudblood" line from the original story, he suddenly felt a gaze from not far away. The words that were about to come out were swallowed back.
He wasn't stupid and wouldn't casually provoke someone much stronger than himself. Even though he thought Ethan couldn't possibly be stronger than a full-grown adult wizard like his father, his father wasn't at Hogwarts. Even if his father retaliated later, Malfoy would still be the one to suffer first.
So, he didn't say anything about Hermione's bloodline. Because he didn't, he didn't provoke Ron either. Ron didn't use his broken wand to cast a spell on Malfoy, which in turn avoided the infamous slug-vomiting incident caused by spell backfire.
Just thinking about that scene, Ethan felt it would be hard to look Ron in the eye. He suddenly thought Ron should really be thanking him. He had unknowingly averted a disaster.
Malfoy had also dodged a disaster. If he had dared to say that word, he would have been turned into a sheep, lost control of his body, and eaten grass for a whole day. That spell couldn't be undone by anyone in the world.
"What spell were you preparing to cast just now?"
Ethan's actions couldn't be hidden from Illya, who was right next to him. Even though Ethan's magic fluctuations were extremely subtle, Illya could still feel them from such close range.
"Polymorph. A spell that can turn people into sheep..."
"Sounds like Transfiguration?"
"The effects are somewhat similar."
The following days passed peacefully. Although Lockhart's actual strength wasn't great, he was still barely able to teach children. But his classes focused more on "theory," and it was hopeless to expect any reliable practical guidance from him.
This peaceful period continued until Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, was found petrified, and words written in blood appeared on the corridor wall, marking the end of that peace.
Harry Potter inexplicably became a suspect because he was the first to discover the scene, and Filch treated him with hostility. Ethan found this ridiculous but couldn't be bothered to argue with Filch. His attention was entirely on Mrs. Norris's condition.
"See anything?"
"This cat is petrified."
Illya rolled her eyes. Of course, she could tell the cat was petrified. It looked just like being hit by the Petrification Curse. In this world, after the Petrification Curse took effect, the target's skin tone would change, but they wouldn't literally turn into stone.
Mrs. Norris hadn't turned into a statue. She just looked completely stiff.
"Can you unpetrify her?"
"Yes."
Although the two of them spoke softly, those nearby could still hear them. Draco looked at Ethan with disbelief, as if to say, "I didn't expect you to brag too!"
This was something even Dumbledore and Snape hadn't figured out, so Draco didn't believe Ethan could reverse it.
Ethan couldn't be bothered to explain. He just kept watching the scene unfold.
By the way, should this big snake be roasted or stewed?
(To be continued.)
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