According to the information Ethan found on his phone, this kind of meat isn't suitable to eat in spring, summer, or autumn. That meant winter was the best season.
So stewing was the most appropriate cooking method. Ethan began searching for how to stew it—he had never had the chance to personally stew snake meat in his previous life.
He even specifically researched with Logan which magical plants could replace ordinary vegetables and seasonings. He genuinely wanted to make a delicious stew with magical effects.
"I should have brought Shirou along if I'd known this would happen."
He could go pick up Shirou now, but Hogwarts didn't allow outsiders to enter. Shirou couldn't stay long enough to do research here, so Ethan had to figure it out himself.
While he was immersed in the topic of "how to stew delicious snake meat," the plot was still progressing steadily.
Professor McGonagall explained the Chamber of Secrets in class, and the Gryffindor troublemaker group kicked off another year of adventures. This time, it wasn't just aimless chaos. Harry Potter needed to understand why he could hear voices no one else could. The incident also involved Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley, who had just entered Hogwarts this year—though Harry and Ron didn't yet realize it was related to Ginny.
"But what does that have to do with me?"
What Ethan didn't expect was that the troublemaking trio, plus Tohsaka Rin, the small Gryffindor team, didn't secretly investigate in the dark this time. Instead, they came to find him.
"Because you're strong. And you're in Slytherin."
"What does me being in Slytherin have to do with it?" Ethan suddenly remembered. "You suspect the so-called Heir of Slytherin is in Slytherin House?"
In truth, Harry and Ron hadn't wanted to come to Ethan. Their hearts were filled with hostility toward Slytherin.
But Ethan was somewhat acceptable. He had helped Harry before, and he wasn't from one of those pure-blood families who always looked down on others or mocked them. He was born to an ordinary family like Hermione. From that point of view, Ethan could be ruled out as the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets.
"Yes, we think Malfoy..."
"Malfoy? Draco Malfoy?" Ethan shook his head. "What do you think of Malfoy's strength?"
Before Harry and Ron could express their dissatisfaction, Ethan asked a question in return.
This left them unable to respond right away, but Hermione, thinking faster, caught Ethan's meaning.
"You mean... Malfoy's strength is too weak to be the Heir of Slytherin?"
Strictly speaking, Draco Malfoy wasn't weak, but it depended on who he was compared with. Let alone the true Heir of Slytherin, Tom Riddle. Even among the first-years, Malfoy wasn't the most outstanding.
"But besides Malfoy..."
Ron and Harry couldn't accept Ethan's judgment. They were convinced that it was Malfoy.
Ethan shook his head. Their judgment was heavily influenced by personal feelings. Their suspicion was only directed at Slytherin students in their year, or more accurately, just Malfoy and his small group.
"There are so many students at Hogwarts. Why do you think Malfoy is the most suspicious?"
Hogwarts had seven years of students. Even if the Chamber of Secrets, which hadn't been opened in years, suddenly reopened recently, the more likely suspects would be from the lower years. The most logical place to start would be with the new students.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. They really couldn't argue against that point.
"Alright then, let's not worry about Malfoy for now... We hope you can help us find the Chamber of Secrets."
Ethan didn't object to the request. He was going to the Chamber of Secrets anyway to catch that big snake. This was part of the plan already. Now, he just had a few extra burdens to bring along.
"Go to the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Yes."
"That's easy."
"Huh?"
Harry and Ron looked like they thought Ethan was joking. They felt like he was just messing around.
A Chamber of Secrets that only existed in legend, with its very existence still uncertain, and Ethan says it's easy?
"You know where the Chamber of Secrets is?"
"I'm not sure. But I know someone who definitely does."
Ethan casually pulled out a piece of paper, then took out his wand and left a message on it using magic. With a flick of his wand, the paper folded into a paper airplane and floated off into the distance.
"Who are you sending a message to?"
"You can use that kind of magic?"
Rin was curious about who Ethan was contacting, while Hermione was interested in the spell itself. Ethan hadn't even chanted an incantation, just flicked his wand a few times, which made it even more surprising.
Harry and Ron were also stunned. Only then did they realize just how skilled the most outstanding Slytherin student was. Harry himself definitely couldn't cast magic so effortlessly.
"Scáthach. She wandered the castle all of last year and is familiar with every corner of it. She definitely knows where the Chamber of Secrets is."
As he spoke, Ethan motioned for them to follow. The note had already specified a meeting place. It was more efficient than having Scáthach come find them here.
"But... I've also explored most of the castle, and I have no idea where the Chamber of Secrets is."
Harry strongly agreed with Ron. They had lived here for a year and had walked through many parts of Hogwarts more than once. If the Chamber of Secrets were so easy to find, it would have been discovered long ago.
"You'll understand once you see Scáthach."
Ron and Harry exchanged looks. They didn't have a better idea, so they followed along, although they couldn't help but grumble.
"Maybe she knows some special magic?"
"Maybe she's good at divination?"
The two of them had a lot to say at first. But the moment Scáthach appeared, just one look from her was enough to shut them up.
The aura accumulated over a thousand years didn't vanish just because her appearance had changed to that of a cute young girl. A single glance was enough to keep the two of them from saying anything foolish.
"They want to find the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin. You should know where it is, right?"
"The Chamber of Secrets?"
Scáthach tilted her head. Just when Harry thought she had no clue about its location, she asked something that stunned both Harry and Ron.
"Which Chamber of Secrets are you talking about?"
Hogwarts was a massive castle with various facilities and hidden structures. The Chamber of Secrets wasn't the only one hidden in the castle. Scáthach had already found the locations of most of the hidden chambers and passageways, but she wasn't sure which one Ethan was referring to.
"The Chamber of Secrets built by Slytherin should be under the castle... in the underground. We should be looking for a passage leading down."
"Leading underground?"
Ethan, of course, knew exactly where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was. He just needed a reasonable excuse to fool Harry and Ron, which was why he had called Scáthach over.
And as soon as she heard that hint, Scáthach immediately understood where Ethan was referring to.
"That abandoned girls' restroom on the second floor. There should be a hidden passage leading underground beneath one of the sinks."
Harry and Ron were stunned. Did Scáthach really know where the Chamber of Secrets was? How had she discovered a hidden passage there?
Sensing Ron's confusion, Scáthach explained simply, "You can think of it as me creating a model of the castle in my mind while I wandered around. I figured out the space each room occupied, their positions, and located the gaps from there."
This method might work in ordinary buildings. But for a place like Hogwarts, which was saturated with magical power, you couldn't rely on that alone. Scáthach had found the hidden chambers and passages because she could easily sense the effects of magical energy. For example, if a wall or pipe emitted spatial magic, you didn't need to ask what was inside.
While they were talking, they had already arrived at the abandoned girls' restroom. Because of the ghost of Moaning Myrtle, no one was willing to use it. It had been left unused for many years, and the facilities were worn out.
"Are you sure it's here?"
Ron and Harry looked around and found only a regular restroom. Nothing seemed unusual. The sink that supposedly hid the passage also looked ordinary, until Harry spotted a small snake pattern on one of the faucets.
"Looks like we came to the right place."
Harry turned to Ethan and Scáthach to thank them. Finding the legendary Chamber of Secrets this smoothly was all thanks to their help.
"What should we do next?"
The logical thing to do was to inform the professors. This was clearly not something a few lower-year students could handle.
Since Harry and Ron didn't yet know about Ginny's involvement, they remained calm and rational, and they really did go report the matter.
Soon after, the professors of Hogwarts, including Snape and Lockhart, arrived at the abandoned restroom. They looked at the children with skeptical expressions.
"Are you sure this is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Yes."
Harry was certain because he had tested it using Parseltongue. The entrance in the sink could indeed be opened with Parseltongue. When he demonstrated it on the spot, the professors no longer doubted it. A secret entrance that could only be opened with Parseltongue could only be Slytherin's Chamber.
Looking at the large group of professors, Ethan started to worry he wouldn't get to eat the snake meat. Then, Dumbledore made a decision that surprised everyone.
"Snape, Harry, and... Ethan will come in with me."
(To be continued.)