Hogwarts and the Holy Grail War

"Children of poor families have to grow up early. There's nothing we can do about it."

Ethan threw the horned toad's internal organs into an old cauldron with a broken mouth, and looked at Snape with a melancholy face:

"After all, this is just removing the internal organs. It's better than dealing with the removed internal organs, isn't it?"

In his previous life, Ethan once helped the elders in his family clean the freshly picked pig offal. He will never forget the fragrant smell that filled the house.

So after dealing with about a few hundred horned toads, Snape drove Ethan out of the dungeon with a dark face.

I just felt annoyed by him staying in front of me for too long, not that I was worried that he wouldn't get enough rest if he came home too late!

"By the way, Mr. Ethan."

Before leaving, Snape called Ethan again.

"What is it, Professor Snape?"

Ethan paused suddenly, turned around trembling, and looked at Snape obediently.

Could it be that this old bat has thought of some immoral way to torture himself again?

"You don't have to come over the day after tomorrow."

Snape still had a sullen face, and uttered a dull voice with a very heavy nasal tone: "I don't want to see you again on Christmas Eve."

Ethan was delighted, Snape was giving him a holiday!

"But this doesn't mean you can run around on Christmas Eve. It's best to stay in your dormitory." Snape stared at Ethan with his cold black eyes:

"We will pay special attention to you."

"Understood, understood." Ethan nodded and bowed as he left Snape's office.

So, the day before Christmas.

Early that morning, Ethan handed a note to his professors in front of a group of students in the auditorium, asking for leave until curfew that day.

Alanna had sent him an owl last night, saying that Ariel was to be discharged from the hospital today, so he had to go and help. He wrote this reason exactly on the leave note.

Looking at Ethan's extremely sincere expression, the professors all had wonderful looks on their faces. In the end, Dumbledore, with an auntie's smile on his face, took the lead in signing the note.

With the Imperial Sword in hand, Ethan ran out of the hall proudly, and used some kind of teleportation magic to leave Hogwarts in the courtyard outside the castle in front of the professors.

Although he had been pretending to stay in the dormitory during the day these past two days, he had actually secretly teleported to St. Mungo's to make love with Alanna, but Snape had just given him a cold shoulder the day before yesterday, so it would be better for him to formally take a leave today.

Some things just have to be done in a formality way. It would be good for both sides to give in, right?

"Albus, don't you think he's going too far?"

Professor McGonagall watched Ethan disappear in front of her, her eyelids twitching and a rare hint of anger rising in her eyes.

She originally wanted to deduct 10.8 points from Ethan for his behavior, but when she thought of Gryffindor's already scarce house cup points, she finally suppressed her anger and just discussed the matter with Dumbledore in a low voice.

Yes, it’s true that you can Apparate, and Hogwarts and St. Mungo’s are not within the scope of the prohibition on minors using magic, but how can you be so arrogant?

In the UK, you need to take a test from the Department of Magical Transportation to use Apparition. Only after passing the test and getting a license can you use Apparition legally. Ethan, did you know that every time you have used Apparition so far, it is illegal?

Who on earth agreed to teach him how to Apparate?!

Mr. Eleazar Talent Figo, who was in the secret room of the map at this moment, suddenly felt a chill rising from behind and couldn't help shivering.

So he took out a bottle with a heat preservation spell from his pocket, took a sip of the ginger tea that Ethan had brewed for him, and after feeling the warmth spreading along his esophagus to his chest, he continued his research on ancient magical creations.

"Minerva, you are right. He is indeed going too far." Dumbledore nodded, his face serious. "I will talk to him in person when he comes back."

"Okay, sometimes it's not convenient for me as the Head of Gryffindor to show up, so thank you for your help." Professor McGonagall relaxed her frown and felt relieved.

"…Tell him to at least find a place where no one can see him when he Apparates next time. After all, it is illegal. If someone sees him, it will have a bad impact."

"Albus!!"

Greenwich, South Bank of the Thames.

Ethan carried two packages in one hand and used the other hand together with Alanna to help Ariel get out of the taxi and stop in front of a three-story townhouse.

This is the home of the two sisters.

"I didn't expect your house to be so big." Ethan looked up at the house and couldn't help but be stunned.

Ethan had also heard Alanna talk about her family before. The girl claimed that her family had some difficulties because there were only her and her sister.

So he had an impression in his mind of two ragged girls in a dilapidated old tile-roofed house, who had no food to eat and were snuggling together for warmth.

To be honest, that scene really makes people want to protect them, and they can't help but want to caress them... No, love them.

I didn't expect that the place they lived in was more spacious than the houses I had lived in for two lifetimes combined.

Although the townhouse in front of you is not as grand as a single-family house, it occupies a large area. The three floors together are at least 300 square meters.

That makes sense. After all, Europe is generally sparsely populated now. Unless it is located in the city center or CBD where every inch of land is valuable, the land is really not valuable.

Ariel naturally leaned on Ethan's arm, letting him support most of her weight, and smiled slightly: "My sister and I only have this house. The rest of us can be considered penniless."

"What do you mean by 'only'? In our place, your house is a luxury that countless people cannot afford even if they work hard all their lives." Ethan smacked his lips, feeling a little sour in his heart.

It's common to compare yourself with others and get frustrated.

"Ethan...is it that expensive to buy a house over there?"

Alanna half opened her mouth in confusion, and immediately comforted him:

"Then you don't have to work so hard in the future. We...already have a house, right?"

"Okay, what are you talking about, you little bitch?" Ariel seemed a little indignant at her sister for giving away her house so easily, and laughed and scolded:

"Hurry up and open the door!"

The decoration in the house was simple, plain and warm. However, a thick layer of dust had accumulated on the floor and various countertops. After all, no one had been here for half a year.

Ethan reflexively took out his wand and was about to cast a cleansing spell, but Alanna held him down:

"Ethan, have you forgotten? We are still minors and are not allowed to use spells outside of school."

Ethan was stunned for a moment, then he put away his wand: "That's right."

In Red Tomb City, since the entire city was covered by Marcus's barrier, the vibrations generated by the spell could not be transmitted outside the barrier. Therefore, the two underage wizards could cast spells at will without worrying about being detected by the traces.

But the situation is different now, there is no barrier here, and Greenwich is in London, very close to the headquarters of the Ministry of Magic. As long as he uses a little magic, a warning letter from the Ministry of Magic will be sent to him within two minutes.

However, if they just cleaned the house bit by bit by themselves, it would take quite a while to complete.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, and they still have to prepare dishes for the dinner party, so they really don't have enough time to clean up slowly.

"Have it!"

An idea flashed through Ethan's mind, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Without even saying hello to the two sisters, he turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared in front of them.

On the other side, Professor Figo, who was having a great time doing research in the map chamber, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders, and a familiar voice sounded behind him:

"Professor Figo, please come with me."

Before Professor Figo could respond, he felt a sudden blur in front of his eyes, and the scene quickly changed from the magnificent magical creation to a dusty house that looked very familiar to him.

Ethan's idea was simple. Since they would be detected by the tracer if they cast spells outside the school, wouldn't it be possible to avoid this problem perfectly by finding an adult tool (crossed out) who would not be detected to help cast the spell instead?

So the amiable Professor Figo was honored to be dragged over by Ethan.

After listening to Ethan's explanation, facing Alanna's expectant gaze, Professor Figo shook his head and sighed, pulling out his wand and waving it gently:

"Cleaned up."

All the dust in the house disappeared immediately, and the furniture was as bright and clean as new.

"If everything is fine, can you send me back?" After demonstrating his worth, Professor Figo put away his wand and asked unhappily.

"of course."

Ethan showed a harmless smile, grabbed Professor Figo's shoulder and sent him back to the map room.

"What's with that teleportation magic you used? It seems different from Apparition?"

Inside the secret room of the map, Professor Figo came back to his senses from his trance, grabbed Ethan who was about to leave, and asked.

His teleportation magic was apparently not detected by Trace, and it could also break through the anti-Apparition barrier set up by Hogwarts. Maybe this kid had come up with some new magic on his own.

In order to prevent Ethan from doing anything big without telling him, Professor Figo thought it would be better to ask him thoroughly.

"Actually, this is the light curtain teleportation of the ancient magic that I used in front of you before." Ethan scratched his head and organized his words to explain:

"After I learned the Apparition, I optimized the light curtain teleportation based on the operating mode of the Apparition, hoping to shorten the casting time as much as possible, and it would be best if it could be turned into an instantaneous magic. The final result is this. Although it can only be teleported within a short distance, it is better to be able to do it instantly, and it will not be blocked by the Apparition restriction, nor will it be detected by the trace thread. It is still quite convenient."

The short distance Ethan mentioned refers to the fact that the transmission range can only reach across the United Kingdom.

Professor Figo felt his stomach ache again: "Should I say you are gifted or that you are still ruthless..."

Are you sure that the magic that this guy researched on his own isn't just for skipping school and causing trouble?

"It's just some trivial practical application. Professor Figo, you don't have to be proud of me."

Ethan waved his hands proudly, and seeing Professor Figo's face darken again, he quickly TPed and ran away:

"Then I'll go back first. Alanna and the others must be waiting anxiously, ciao~"

"This kid..." Professor Figo looked at the wisp of white smoke left by Ethan and shook his head in anger and amusement.

After asking Professor Figo to clean the house, Ethan and the other two were left with nothing to do.

It was not yet noon, and it was indeed a little early to be busy preparing Christmas Eve dinner, so Ethan changed his clothes and went out for a walk hand in hand with Alanna again.

Ariel stayed at home to rest. Although her body had almost recovered in the past few days, she still couldn't work hard for a long time. It was best for her to lie in bed and rest for a while.

She had insisted on being discharged from the hospital. She would have to recuperate anywhere anyway, so she might as well go back home to rest and avoid spending money on hospital bills.

She is a virtuous wife who is frugal and manages the household well.

But what she may not know is that someone has already paid for her hospitalization. And after the incident in Red Tomb City, her sister has become a small wealthy woman in a sense.

Ethan forced half of the treasures looted from the dungeon to Alanna on the grounds that "whoever sees it gets a share". Although it was not enough to make the two sisters rich overnight, taking a few pieces to jewelry stores and antique shops to exchange for some money would greatly improve their lives.

At least Ariel no longer has to work three jobs so hard to support the family. Apart from Alana's food, clothing and other expenses in the wizarding world, even if Ariel doesn't save a lot, she will have no problem making it through until Alana grows up and starts working.

The two took the subway to Charing Cross Road and entered Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron.

Ethan planned to buy some things here. In addition to the gifts he had prepared for Alanna, Ethan also planned to buy some Christmas gifts for other people he was familiar with.

In the eyes of the British, Christmas gifts don’t have to be expensive, but it’s best if they are meaningful.

He could be more casual with friends like Harry, Ron and Hermione, and just give them some novel and playful gadgets. But for elders like Professor Figo and Sister Mirabell, he still had to think carefully about what to give them.

As for Cassandra...just send her off. Even though the relationship between them has begun to deteriorate, at least they are still friends in name.

However, considering Xiao Aojiao's family background, there is probably no valuable item that she has not seen before, so flashy items such as jewelry can be passed over first.

And he also had to control her favorability as much as possible, so as not to accidentally give her a gift that would touch her heart and make her fall for him again... Although Ethan felt that his luck was not good enough to be so lucky, it was still better to be cautious.

Just think in the direction of a straight guy. It's not possible that anything you give her will increase her favorability, right?

That would be too outrageous.

The two of them went into Gringotts first. The British pounds they had on them had almost been used up when they took a taxi to send Ariel home - taxis in the UK were as expensive as ever - so they planned to exchange some Galleons for some British pounds. Now they had much more wizard coins than Muggle banknotes.

"Hello, let's exchange money."

Ethan walked to an unused counter next to the door and greeted the goblin wearing a monocular behind the counter.

The goblin behind the counter put down the gem in his hand and looked up at Ethan. His tiny eyeballs looked ridiculously large through the refraction of the eyepiece:

"Today's Galleon exchange rate is 1:5.3."

"Okay, let's change to 100 Galleons." Ethan put a bulging bag on the table.

The goblin was stunned for a moment, then stretched out his hand and pressed it on the purse, putting on a flattering smile: "The exchange rate of Galleons to British Pounds is 1:4.7."

"What?" The business smile on Ethan's face disappeared instantly. "Are the positive and negative exchange rates of the two currencies different?"

The goblin's smile remained unchanged. "In order to get the exchanged Muggle currency back into circulation in Muggle society, we still have to work hard. The extra 0.6 points is considered a handling fee."

"Hello, let's change it to 10 Galleons first." Ethan took back the purse, counted out 10 large coins from it and placed them on the table, grinning through gritted teeth.

Although the exchange rate given by the goblins was very unfair, it was still exchangeable, and the banking business in the wizarding world had been monopolized by Gringotts, so Ethan could only let the street lamp pendant in front of him make the profit from the difference in price with tears in his eyes.

When walking out of the bronze gate of Gringotts, Ethan saw a familiar figure hurriedly rushing out of Gringotts from them, jogging all the way and turning into the opposite intersection leading to Knockturn Alley.

The glowing red armband on his arm revealed his identity—he was the strange goblin guard he met on the day he and Professor Figo came to Gringotts.

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