Hogwarts and the Holy Grail War

"Just friends?" said Madam Rosmuta, with a look on her face that said, "I don't believe your lies." "You may be able to fool others, but you can't fool me. That child listens to you so much, it's obvious that she likes you a little. Why, can't you see that?"

At the end of her speech, there was clearly a hint of pity for Ethan in Ms. Rosmuta's eyes.

The young man looks handsome, but how come he looks like a piece of wood?

"Well..." Ethan was speechless for a moment after being asked by Ms. Rosmuta. He scratched his ear and said vaguely, "For now... we are still friends."

"Oh~" Ms. Rosmuta smiled, "I understand." She nodded meaningfully and stood up from the bar in front of Ethan to greet other guests.

It’s great to be young, you can still feel the youthfulness of love with a blushing face.

On the other side, at the table where Alana was sitting, two girls saw Ethan sitting on the seat in front of the bar, and immediately looked at Alana with shining eyes and asked.

"Hey, little sister. That boy just now was so handsome! What's your relationship with him?"

"Yes...a friend." Alana blushed and answered in a low voice.

"Just friends?" The two onlookers were obviously not satisfied with Alana's answer and continued to ask, "Look at your coat, it's not cheap. He is willing to buy you such an expensive piece of clothing. Are you really just friends? Not a couple?"

"Couple..." Alana lowered her head, the blush on her face spreading all the way to her ears, "We are not yet..."

After a moment, she raised her head, with a blush still on her face, and said firmly to the two girls in front of her: "But I will try my best."

"Oh~" The two girls looked at each other with an expression of "I bumped into it", and they were very satisfied.

Ethan sat in his seat and took another sip of butterbeer, then put the beer glass back on the bar, his eyes unconsciously glancing at the door.

"What are you looking at?" Ms. Rosmuta asked, shaking her shaker up and down.

"Waiting for the person who should come." Ethan frowned, looking like a calm and composed Riddler.

"Oh," Ms. Rosmuta couldn't help laughing. She looked at Ethan for a while and said, "Then you wait patiently. By the way, if the butterbeer is not enough, remember to ask me for a refill."

"Thank you, ma'am." Ethan nodded seriously.

boom!

The door of the bar was pushed open roughly again.

Chapter 75 Let's have a righteous fight

The door of the bar was violently pushed open again, and three Salamanders rushed in. They walked straight past the table where Alanna was sitting, stopped and looked around at the customers sitting in the store.

It took almost no time for their eyes to lock on Ethan, who was sitting at the bar sipping butterbeer.

"Welcome, what would you like to order today?" Ms. Rosmuta greeted the three people who came in as usual without raising her head. After waiting for a while without getting a response, she raised her head and looked at the three people who looked like they were coming with bad intentions. She frowned and asked in a more serious tone, "What would you like to drink?"

"No, ma'am, I don't have time for a couple of drinks today." The red-haired leader forced a smile at Madam Rosmuta, "Let's go find someone some other time."

"Don't even think about it." Ms. Rosmuta curled her lips, walked slowly out of the bar and came to them, staring at them with a hint of impatience, "If you are guests, then I naturally welcome you three, but if you are here to pick a fight..."

Ms. Rosmuta glanced at the guests who were already attracted by the commotion here, and said calmly, "Then I can't guarantee your safety."

"Ma'am, there's no need to be so surprised." Red Hair smiled awkwardly and pointed at Ethan who was sitting at the bar behind Ms. Rosmuta and drinking. "We are just looking for this guy. We won't cause any trouble to you or your bar."

Ethan glanced at the red-haired man, drank the butterbeer in one gulp, slowly got down from his seat, and stood not far from the three people. His wand slipped from his sleeve to his palm, and he looked at the few Fire Snake Party minions in front of him with half-drooped eyelids.

In my current state, I can't beat the giant monster with magic immunity, but it's easy for me to deal with you guys.

Behind the group, Alanna saw the minions targeting Ethan, and hurriedly wanted to stand up to help Ethan, but as soon as her butt left the seat, she was pushed back by the two young ladies.

“Shh—” One of them covered Alana’s mouth and apologized in a low voice regardless of Alana’s struggle, “Don’t make any noise. Sorry, but we promised to help that guy.”

"That's right, little sister, just bear with it. That guy obviously made this arrangement out of concern for your safety," another person pressed Alanna's shoulder and whispered, "We can't let that guy's kindness go to waste."

Alanna struggled twice, but after failing to break free, she calmed down. She sat in her chair and stared at Ethan who was confronting the Fire Snake Party with a resentful look on her face.

It's really worrying that he's taking such an adventure alone. I'll talk about him later.

"I'm sorry, my friend is enjoying his hard-earned hot butterbeer, so I'm afraid he doesn't have time to chat with you." Ms. Rosmuta reached out to stop Ethan from coming forward, blocking him with half her body. The smile on her face that was previously showing to the Fire Snakes collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and she began to drive people out of the store. "Please go back today, I will definitely treat you well next time you come."

"Don't be nervous, we just want to talk to him." The red-haired minion smiled apologetically and was about to pass Ms. Rosmuta and reach out to grab Ethan's arm behind him.

Ethan instinctively took a step back and raised his wand at the red-haired man who was about to come over.

"I think you may not have heard what I just said. I said: My friend is very busy and has no time to talk to you!" Ms. Rosmuta suddenly raised her voice and stood in front of Ethan. The customers in the store heard Ms. Rosmuta's angry words, and all stood up, drew their wands and pointed them at the few Fire Snakes at the door, ready to start a righteous wizard fight at any time.

"Heh, they are all quite brave." The smile on the red-haired little minion's face froze, and his gentle appearance suddenly turned cold. He looked at the wizards around him who were much more numerous than himself, and raised his hand to his companion who also took out his wand, "Let's go, let's not fight now. It seems that the three brooms are no longer effective, and any random person can come in."

The others looked at Red Hair, reluctantly put away their wands, and followed Red Hair towards the Three Broomsticks door.

"By the way, ma'am." Red put his hand on the door frame, turned his head slightly to stare at Ms. Rosmuta and Ethan behind her, and said harshly with an expressionless face, "No matter how good the butterbeer is, someone has to drink it."

"Don't bother worrying about it. After you guys leave, will I still worry about not having customers to drink?"

Ms. Rosmuta snapped her fingers with a cold face, and the wooden door of the bar slammed shut, blocking the few people outside. When the onlookers saw the guy who tried to cause trouble leave, they also put away their wands, sat down and continued to chat as if nothing had happened.

"So, how did you get involved with them?" Ms. Rosmuta turned around and looked at Ethan, crossing her arms over her chest and asked, "They don't look like ordinary thugs."

"Oh, I accidentally heard their family affairs." Ethan spread his hands and smiled awkwardly, "But I didn't expect them to be so reluctant to share their secrets with others."

"Then you better be careful. They won't let you go so easily. I can still protect you here, but once you leave this store..." Ms. Rosmuta sighed helplessly, "Then I can't help you."

"Don't worry about that. I'll be careful." Ethan nodded, accepting Ms. Rosmuta's concern, and then said, "Besides, I'm just not in good condition today. If I were fine, I wouldn't mind no matter how many of them come..."

Ethan suddenly saw Ms. Rosmuta standing up behind him and staring angrily at Alanna who was walking towards him, and he stopped talking instantly.

Why do I suddenly feel like there’s a blood-red word “danger” popping up above my head?

"E-Sen!" Alanna stood beside Ms. Rosmuta with her hands on her hips, looking unhappy. Her pouting mouth was so ugly that a bottle of oil could be hung on it. "What did you mean just now? Do you want to take risks and be a hero again?"

"I didn't, don't talk nonsense." Ethan began to argue with cold sweat on his forehead, "I just thought that if we sit separately, we can disperse the target and make us less obvious."

What's going on? This unprecedented feeling of oppression?

"Really?" A sneer flashed across Alanna's lips, and he stepped past Ms. Rosmuta and approached Ethan step by step. "Then you let them hold me down to distract the target?"

You continue to write and I'm listening.

When she finished speaking, she had already walked in front of Ethan, raised her head and looked into Ethan's eyes stubbornly, with two parts of anger and two parts of resentment in her eyes, and the rest was all worry.

After experiencing a series of events today, she is now particularly worried about Ethan's safety.

"No, I'm worried about you." Ethan suddenly became serious, shook his head, and looked directly into Alanna's eyes, "I'm afraid you'll be implicated too."

"Involve?" Alana frowned, slightly retracting her previous aggressive momentum, and replaced it with a bit of anger, "Didn't I tell you that I won't leave you alone. And you helped me so much before, this time let me help you too, okay?"

When the girl said this, her eyes never left Ethan's. Ethan could see the sincerity in her eyes. This time she was not trying to be brave, but she was really worried about him.

"No, this time is different." Ethan rejected Alanna's opinion. This was the first time he truly rejected the girl's request. "I caused these things. They are looking for me. It's my own problem that I am entangled by them, but if they get you targeted by them, it would be a sin."

"But..." Alanna's fierce aura weakened at a speed visible to the naked eye. She lowered her head, stammering and saying something.

I should be angry and annoyed at this moment, but why do I feel a little secretly happy?

"There's no but. This is the only thing I can't promise you. I'm sorry." Ethan's attitude softened, and he gently soothed Alana's emotions.

"Okay, okay, stop flirting with each other," Ms. Rosmuta interrupted at the right moment. "Sit down and have a couple of butterbeers and talk. It's my treat."

At the same time, in the abandoned courtyard.

"...This is what happened, boss." The red-haired man who had just been driven away by Ms. Rosmuta spoke cautiously in front of the little leader with cold sweat on his face.

"You..." The little leader pointed at the red-haired man, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

At this time, the black-robed man next to them spoke: "No, you did a good job."

"But, sir. It's about to happen..." the little leader said indignantly.

"It doesn't matter. He can't run away. Once the ceremony begins, he will definitely be attracted here. We just need to wait."

The man in black robe looked up at the sun in a trance, and his entire face was finally exposed to the sunlight.

It was a pale, cracked face, as if it had been blown to pieces and then forcefully glued together. Tiny residues kept falling from the cracks on the face, disappearing into thin air.

"Ethan, I'll be waiting for you."

-

I dreamt about a very wicked hell joke last night and I was considering whether to write it down.

Chapter 76: Thank you Professor Snape for your help

"Alright, alright, you two should sit down, have a couple of butterbeers, and then have a good chat."

Ms. Rosmuta pushed the two men to two adjacent seats in front of the bar without saying a word, and then handed them two new glasses of hot butterbeer.

The two looked at each other, then quickly looked away, picked up the glass in front of them, and sipped the butterbeer in it.

"Ugh……"

Ms. Rosmuta looked at the two men drinking butterbeer in silence and couldn't help but sigh.

Both of them were clearly thinking about each other, so how did the situation become so awkward?

Finally, Ms. Rosmuta couldn't hold it in any longer and said, "I think it's about time for you two to calm down. Isn't it better to say whatever you want to say?"

"Ah?" They both looked up at Ms. Rosmuta, blinked, and said in unison, "We're not angry?"

"Then what are you doing..." Ms. Rosmuta raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so silent? Can you at least say a few words?"

Something is wrong. There is something very wrong with these two people.

The two looked at each other again because they all said the same thing, and immediately retracted their gazes to stare at the wine glasses in front of them.

"...I'm sorry." Ethan said suddenly. He looked at the bubbling wine in the glass and shook it gently. "I didn't mean to abandon you. I was just... worried that you would get into trouble because of me."

In fact, he could tell from what happened before that Alana's feelings towards him now were more dependent than liking him. After all, he was the first stranger who was willing to help her unconditionally, so it was hard not to have a special liking for her.

That's why she clings to me so much, afraid that I will abandon her again and leave her alone. Rather than having the mentality of a girlfriend who has fallen in love, she is more like a child who is afraid of being abandoned by adults.

Of course, the love for myself is not fake, but it is still driven by dependence. In short, it is not pure enough.

In any case, I had finally gotten her out of one trouble, so how could I possibly bring her into another one?

"You don't have to apologize, I know." Alana lowered her eyes, shook her head, and said softly, "I'm just worried about you too."

"That's right, just say it if you have anything to say." Madam Rosmuta came over with a smile, looking at the two people who had reconciled in front of her with an aunt's smile, "You two too, today is the first time you two have come to Hogsmeade together, right? It should be very memorable, why are you still so awkward?"

"Yes, especially with so many things happening today, it is indeed very memorable." Ethan chuckled as he remembered something, and then Alana poked him in the side with her elbow.

"Oh, oh, it hurts, Alanna, please be gentle. I just came back to life not long ago, can't you be a little gentle to me?" Ethan covered his waist and pretended to cry out.

"How dare you say that?" Alanna glared at Ethan in dissatisfaction, complaining with lingering fear, "You made it sound like a trivial matter. It was such a dangerous matter, and it almost scared me to death."

"Danger? Oh, you're talking about the troll attack?" Madam Rosmuta sighed as she remembered something. "I've heard about that, too. I'll have to go check on the other residents and shop owners."

She looked at the two of them again and said, "But fortunately, you two are not seriously injured. This is a blessing in disguise."

"Uh..." Ethan and Alanna looked at each other, scratched their ears, and said awkwardly, "Actually, we accidentally... killed the troll."

"Ethan basically did it all himself. I didn't do anything." Alana added in a low voice.

"Really? Well done." Madam Rosmurta raised her eyebrows. "You are still a student at Hogwarts, right? It's quite impressive that you can fight a grown troll alone."

"Nothing, just good luck, don't take it seriously." Ethan waved his hand embarrassedly, "And Ms. Rosmuta, you just believe it? Without any doubt?"

"If I can't trust you, can I trust Shanann? She won't lie to me." Madam Rosmuta smiled, approached Ethan, and warned him seriously, "But to be honest, it's really unheard of for a troll to break into Hogsmeade. Not to mention that you have made a feud with those people today. You have to be careful no matter what. No matter how ferocious the troll is, it is far less dangerous than the human heart."

"Well, Ms. Rosmuta, those threats they made to you just now..." Ethan remembered the harsh words those minions had said before, and was a little worried about Ms. Rosmuta's future situation. "I'm sorry, it was clearly a matter between me and them, but now it has implicated you."

"Ha, the threats from those bastards are nothing. If you underestimate me just because I'm a bar owner, you're totally wrong." Ms. Rosmuta laughed heartily and waved her hand to tell Ethan not to worry. "The Three Broomsticks has stayed in my hands for 20 years, not because I'm pretty."

"Huh? Isn't that so?" Ethan blinked and started to act cute and funny in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You brat!" Ms. Rosmuta poked Ethan's forehead with her finger in amusement and shook her head. "You speak so flatteringly. I wonder how many girls' hearts you will deceive in the future."

"No, no, no, you can eat whatever you want but you can't say whatever you want." Ethan looked at the girl's face that was gradually darkening, and quickly winked at Ms. Rosmuta, "Would I, a well-educated and upright young man, do something like that to deceive a girl?"

"You'd better not." Ms. Rosmuta looked at Ethan who was staring at her with resentment, her face full of joy, and she leaned close to Ethan and whispered, "I can't control other girls, but you can't lie to Shanansi. She is so honest, if you really dare to deceive her feelings, I will not let you go."

"Look at what you said." Ethan smiled bitterly, "I would never lie to her even if I lied to you."

"Hey, you kid." Ms. Rosmuta was amused by Ethan.

The sun gradually moved westward. Ethan and Alanna walked out of Hogsmeade carrying large and small bags and returned to the gate of Hogwarts with the flying pig statue.

The administrator Filch was waiting for them outside the gate with a broom in his hand. When he saw Ethan and the others approaching, he grumbled with a little impatience.

"You two are back a little late."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Filch." Ethan was about to say something when Alanna spoke first. "A troll broke into Hogsmeade. We spent some time hiding from it, so we came back so late. Sorry to trouble you."

"Is that so... There's nothing we can do about it." Filch muttered, and moved sideways to open the small door to let them pass.