Upon hearing this, Ethan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Acromantulas were treasures all over, and he indeed needed such a large bug as fishing bait. He had originally planned to knock Hagrid unconscious and forcibly loot everything... Now he didn't need to bother.
Ethan nodded approvingly: "I'll paint you another picture for Christmas, called 'Hagrid Playing the Flute', to commemorate your heroic deed tonight."
Hagrid: "..." Please spare me.
Ethan turned to look at the massive body with its caved-in centre. After thinking, he planned to stuff it directly into his sealed wardrobe. Let Tom Riddle, who was also inside, bathe in some primitive scents. No, what if Tom awakens some unknown fetish? What if he gets addicted to blood-sucking? Better roll it up and stuff it in the leather pouch, then find someone to process it later.
Ethan thought and nodded. Waving his wand, he turned the sand and dirt on the ground into a huge cloth. Just as he was about to wrap up the Acromantula and take it away, Ethan's eyes suddenly focused, his gaze stopping at the spider's thorax area. There, a deep red light gradually brightened.
Rare material drop?! Ethan immediately perked up. Striding forward, he flicked his wrist, and his wand transformed into a gleaming dagger.
"Crack crack crack." Teeth-grinding cutting sounds rang out. Hagrid's features twisted together as he turned away with an "oh", unable to bear watching.
Ethan's eyes sparkled as blood splattered on his pale face. His hands moved continuously with practised skill that made one wonder if he had some side profession. Cutting through the hard shell, Ethan rolled up his sleeves and reached into the soft, warm interior, groping around. Squishy sounds emanated, echoing in the dead-silent forest.
Ron said flatly: "Can someone please investigate what exactly Ethan did before coming to school? Why is he so unfazed?!"
Harry: "Guess why nothing was found? Because no one could return mentally intact."
Ron: horrified face
Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically: "Come on! Ethan is just a genius with unconventional thinking! You're talking like he's some evil organisation operative."
"Caw?" The Death Bird curiously leaned over, drooling as it stared at the fresh spider meat. The blood-stained silver-white staff in its hand swept past just above their heads. Their scalps felt chilly.
"This isn't for you to eat." Ethan pushed away the Death Bird's large head, his eyes lighting up! "Found it!"
Pop... like plucking ripe fruit from a tree. Ethan pulled out a crystal-clear hard object. About palm-sized, like an uncut red gemstone. Under its frosted surface, the deep red shining interior was faintly visible. Dense magical power swirled around it.
[You discovered extraordinary material: Concentrated Heart of Acromantula.]
[One in ten thousand existence. Only extraordinary creatures nurtured by "love" can possibly condense this upon death.
[Effect: Contains extremely vast life force. When crafted into sculptural art, it can display miraculous effects]
Jackpot, family! Ethan was overjoyed. He'd originally just come for bait but got an unexpected bonus! Containing extremely vast life force sounds very powerful! Perfect for processing with goblin craftsmanship to unleash this gemstone's maximum potential!
"Really looking forward to the finished product..." Ethan murmured, casting Scourgify on himself. He happily tucked the red gemstone into his leather pouch for safekeeping. Then he wrapped the Acromantula tightly with cloth, applied protective charms, and stuffed everything into his pouch.
Extension Charm... those who use it know how good it is.
[Through fighting alongside the Death Bird, your bond has increased!]
[Now you can summon the Death Bird to your side by consuming magical power.]
[When summoning ends, the Death Bird will return to the Forbidden Forest.]
A ghostly blue bird skull mark floated in Ethan's hand, then disappeared into his skin. I see. Death Bird and Cerberus are like the difference between Pikachu and regular Pokemon. The former is free-range; the latter usually stays in cards.
Ethan thought free-range was good... it consumed less magical power. "With the Death Bird, I can greatly compensate for lack of aerial combat capability," Ethan mused. "It'll have special effects in certain terrains. But in terms of ferocity, the Cerberus is still superior."
After all, as a true "(fusion) creature", the Death Bird had the concept of "death". Unlike the Cerberus, whose body was made of paint... when injured, it could slowly recover by returning to its card.
"Death Bird, Cerberus, dragon flames... these are currently my greatest direct combat methods." Ethan nodded slowly. He couldn't help sighing: "To shroud the world in my art... the road ahead is long and arduous. For now, let me shroud Hogwarts in art first."
Others: "..." What will the world become in the future...?
Having gained giant bait, Death Bird's bond, and the mysterious Spider Heart, this Forbidden Forest trip was quite fruitful! Next time I'm coming again.
Just then, Hagrid swayed as he walked toward the bloodstained clearing. Head lowered, eyes red, he rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a crushed wildflower. Bending down, he gently placed it on the clearing. Looking like he'd never be happy again.
Ethan: "Oh right, Hagrid. Would you be willing to help me care for my Death Bird? It should continue living in the Forbidden Forest."
Upon hearing this, Hagrid whipped around! Bright light suddenly burst from his red, swollen eyes! "Yes, yes! I'd love to! Thank you, Ethan! Merlin, you're such a kind, thoughtful, good child! sob sob..."
Hagrid shouted while crying and rushing to the Death Bird's side. Like coaxing a child, he tentatively reached out to touch its skull. "Oh~ look how strong you are! I'll call you 'Little Bone'..." Full of joy.
Only that lonely wildflower rolled around on the ground in the wind.
Everyone: "..." That's way too fast a change of heart! And Ethan, please don't let Hagrid raise any more weird creatures!
Everyone put on pained expressions. It's hard to imagine what kind of chaotic scene next year's third-year Care of Magical Creatures class would be.
Ethan: proudToday was another day of good deeds. Giving myself a thumbs up.
After completely resolving the Acromantula trouble, since Ethan said, "We're already here," he planned to harvest another wave of resources before leaving. So except for Luna, the others followed Hagrid out of the forest first.
Originally, Hermione and Cho Chang wanted to join Ethan's pleasant harvesting activities. But in a blink of an eye, Ethan and Luna disappeared hand-in-hand into the white mist rising in the night. Like ghosts. So they had to reluctantly give up.
The group followed lantern-carrying Hagrid. Exhausted from their brush with death, no one wanted to talk. In the silence, Cho Chang suddenly spoke: "Um... do you know that fifty years ago, the Chamber was also opened?"
Hearing this, the trio whipped around, staring at her in amazement. "The Chamber..."
"Shh!" Cho Chang urgently interrupted them, nervously glancing at Hagrid before whispering: "I heard from my club members. Fifty years ago, the Chamber was opened once. And that time, it directly caused a girl's death... the culprit they caught was Hagrid."
Until leaving the forest and stepping onto the road to Hogwarts, the trio hadn't recovered. Big news. Fifty years ago, the Chamber opener was actually Hagrid?!
Hermione frowned: "But it's strange. According to Hagrid, he's raised that Acromantula for fifty years, which perfectly matches the last Chamber opening time. If the Chamber monster was that Acromantula, since it lived in the forest, there shouldn't be attacks at Hogwarts. Moreover, if Hagrid were really a murderer, Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn't have kept him."
Cho Chang was surprised: "You make sense... but Harry, I suggest you avoid contact with Hagrid recently..."
She had originally been sent by the Round Table Council to find key evidence that Harry was the Chamber opener, indirectly suppressing Ethan's club. But now... Cho Chang didn't want to report tonight's events. Tonight's experience was too bizarre. Especially in these extraordinary times, it would sound even more suspicious. Like conducting some unspeakable evil plan.
Cho Chang decided to pretend nothing happened tonight, and everyone would return to their dorms peacefully.
However, when the group rushed through Hogwarts' gates before curfew, a hand grabbed them! "Aha! Caught red-handed! Tell us, what did you do following that crude half-giant? Are you preparing to open the Chamber again!"
Light flared. Cho Chang looked up to see several Round Table Council members smugly holding them. The leader was an unexpected person... her good friend, Marietta Edgecombe.
Marietta curled her hair: "Don't blame me, Cho Chang. I'm doing this for your own good. Recently, you've been bewitched by Ethan, and your reporting frequency has greatly decreased. So... they asked me to replace your duties. Looks like I'm doing pretty well~"
Cho Chang's face went deathly pale: "They said if you did well, they'd let you join the Round Table Council?"
Marietta didn't speak, but her expression mixing uncertainty and excitement already gave Cho Chang her answer.
Cho Chang looked ashen. She couldn't even hear Harry and the others' angry struggles. She once thought the Round Table Council was a group of excellent students helping each other and progressing together. But only now did Cho Chang see clearly. These were hyenas. A pack of hyenas suppressing each other, fighting for fame and profit, desperately stepping on others to climb up. At least this faction dominated.
While Ravenclaw students may possess greater intelligence than most, misapplying that intellect in the wrong areas can lead them to mistakes far greater than those of others.
Cho Chang closed her eyes in despair and numbness, letting them drag her and Harry's group toward the headmaster's office. What awaited her might be expulsion...
Just then, all surrounding sounds suddenly stopped. The air seemed to thicken. An indescribable eerie feeling, like sticky, cold serpentine coils, climbed up her body. What happened?
Cho Chang instinctively opened her eyes. But a calm, clear voice spoke by her ear: "Shh... close your eyes when it's dark. Good people should sleep now."
The next second, she suddenly lost consciousness.