"Of course."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ethan. She could hear a hint of hesitation in his voice and pressed further.
"If you consider me a friend, shouldn't there be fewer secrets between us?"
"What do you want to know?"
Ethan understood that Hermione was beginning to doubt his identity.
"Are you really from a Muggle family?"
"No."
Ethan admitted bluntly that he wasn't ordinary. He had used a false identity to enter Hogwarts. At most, he had only been "honest" for half a year. After that, he acted freely, no longer caring whether his identity was exposed.
The reason he hadn't told Hermione and the others was simple. They had never asked before.
Hermione's mouth opened slightly. Her head couldn't figure out why Ethan had hidden his identity just to enter Hogwarts.
"Does Professor Dumbledore know?"
She quickly caught the key point.
"Of course he knows."
Hearing this, Hermione let out a small sigh of relief. If Dumbledore knew Ethan's identity, then at least it proved that Ethan and his companions weren't bad people. Although, this was based solely on Ethan's words. What if he was lying?
To believe or not to believe? Hermione decided to believe Ethan for now.
Just as she had said earlier, she considered Ethan a friend, and deep down, she was willing to trust what he said.
"So, who exactly are you?"
She finally asked the question that had lingered in her heart for a long time.
As someone who was always buried in books and well-informed about the wizarding world, she had long realized that Ethan's identity wasn't simple.
Easily defeating a dragon was something even most adult wizards would struggle with. She even suspected that Ethan had used a potion to disguise himself as a child to enter Hogwarts, which was, in fact, the truth.
Considering Dumbledore knew Ethan's identity, could it be...
"Could it be related to... You-Know-Who?"
Hermione wasn't afraid to say Voldemort's name, but they were in a school corridor with many people passing by. She didn't want to be overheard.
"Roughly speaking, yes."
Ethan couldn't care less about Voldemort, but now that he had reached an understanding with Dumbledore, and considering what was about to happen, he would have to face Voldemort at least once.
Hermione looked around and wore an expression that said, "I understand." She didn't dwell on the question and began asking about other matters.
"Is your name really Ethan Arendelle?"
"My name really is Ethan."
"Arendelle?"
"A surname I made up on the spot."
Hermione stared at Ethan curiously. "Then what's your real surname?"
"None."
"None? How can you not have one?" Hermione couldn't understand and suspected he was just refusing to tell her.
"Why not? Not only do I not have one, but Scáthach doesn't have a surname either."
Hermione's mouth fell open. Then, a thought suddenly struck her.
"Could it be that all of you are...?"
"There are still some differences. Rin and Leah are real children. Illya might be a bit older than she looks, but not by much."
Hermione's mind started to spin. She realized that the identities of Ethan's group were wrapped in layers of mystery, and her deep curiosity was completely ignited. She desperately wanted to lift the veil and uncover the truth.
She turned her head, searching for a quiet place to talk. But at this hour, most places were crowded with students. Ethan's recent popularity meant he attracted attention wherever he went, making it difficult to have a quiet conversation.
"Come with me."
Ethan knew what she wanted. He gestured for her to follow.
After walking for a bit, Hermione realized where they were going.
"Professor Snape's office?"
"Yes."
"Why are we going there?"
"Didn't you want somewhere we wouldn't be disturbed? I can't think of a better place."
In all of Hogwarts, Snape was probably the most unpopular professor. With his eternally cold face and strict demands, he was like a demon to the students. Even most Slytherins feared him.
As a result, Snape's office was considered a forbidden zone. No student was foolish enough to go there, and most avoided it altogether.
"But..." Hermione immediately caught the key point. "Professor Snape knows too?"
"Of course he knows. How else do you think I've gotten so many privileges?"
As soon as Ethan said this, Hermione understood why he lived so comfortably in Slytherin. He got whatever he wanted, and even when he slacked off in class, Snape never criticized him. So Snape was also in on it.
"No wonder."
When they arrived at Snape's office, he was just about to leave. Seeing Ethan, he was about to ask what he wanted, then noticed Hermione behind him.
Putting on his usual cold demeanor, Hogwarts' best actor took on the posture he used when dealing with students.
"Do you need something?"
"Just borrowing your office." Ethan waved his hand, signaling him to drop the act. "Hermione already knows about my identity."
"Ah, I see."
Although his expression didn't change much, Snape's attitude and tone immediately shifted. Hermione couldn't help but wonder if she was seeing things. Why did it feel like Snape was being polite and respectful toward Ethan?
Just as she was questioning it, Snape opened the office door again, then respectfully stepped aside and gestured for Ethan to enter.
"..."
Hermione followed Ethan inside in a daze. She heard the door close behind them and turned around to see Snape hadn't come in.
"..."
Turning back again, she saw Ethan casually sit in the chair behind the desk and gesture for her to sit wherever she liked, as if this were his office.
"Tea?"
"No, thank you."
Watching Ethan wave his hand, the tea set sitting in the cabinet floated out on its own, then began brewing tea automatically, as if someone were operating it.
Once Hermione was seated, Ethan spread his hands.
"What do you want to ask? I promise I won't hide anything."
Hermione shifted in her chair, seeming a little uncomfortable. She moved slightly, then crossed her legs, only to switch again after two seconds. Finally, as if she had made a big decision, she asked her question.
"Who exactly are you?"
It was almost the same question as before, but this time, it carried a deeper meaning.
Hermione had spent a long time thinking, turning the situation over in her mind, only to find she didn't know where to start. In the end, she could only ask the same question again.
"That question's hard to answer. It depends on what you want to know. My identity, my position, or something else?"
"Your identity."
"A wizard walking the path to becoming a deity, and who has made some progress. In short, just a slightly more powerful wizard."
Ethan casually described his identity, but the string of adjectives before made Hermione's jaw drop.
"Becoming a deity?"
That wasn't the most shocking part. What was truly shocking was the phrase, "made some progress."
"You're not joking?"
"No."
Hermione looked at Ethan's face, still struggling to believe what she heard.
"It's normal if you don't believe it. Actually, if you think of deities as beings with powerful magic, whose life forms have evolved and possess stronger traits, more power, and longer lifespans, maybe that's easier to accept."
"I still find it hard to believe." Hermione rubbed her cheeks. She had been shocked so many times today that her cheeks were sore. "If you told me now that you made all that up just to trick me, I might actually find it easier to accept."
"But everything I said is true."
Hermione kept rubbing her face, her expression clearly saying, "I give up."
"Is there anything else that will shock me?"
"I'm not from this world. Does that count?"
"What?"
After briefly explaining his origins, Ethan looked at Hermione, who was still stunned, then calmly took a sip of tea and casually complained about Snape's poor taste in tea.
By the time he finished the entire cup, Hermione finally began to recover. Her mind, frozen by the flood of new information, slowly returned to normal. She stared at Ethan wide-eyed, going over their interactions over the past few years in her head. Many things that had seemed odd now had reasonable explanations.
For example, none of Ethan's group had guardians appear, nor had anyone ever contacted them.
Logan suddenly transferring out—it was simply because he had played enough and didn't want to continue.
She also realized why Tohsaka Rin often talked about strange magical theories, and why she had scored high in theory but struggled with practical application.
Scáthach was very skilled with runes... because she was the legendary Scáthach?
So this was the truth.
"This is... really unbelievable."
The people she thought were friends and classmates turned out to have such astonishing identities. Compared to that, Ethan saying he was becoming a deity didn't even seem that hard to believe anymore.
"So... your goal in traveling around and learning all kinds of knowledge is to become a god?"
Ethan touched the teacup that still held some warmth, looked at Hermione, whose worldview had crumbled, and once again stepped over the ruins.
"In a sense, I already am."
(To be continued.)