Hogwarts and the Holy Grail War

The portrait automatically opened to the side, revealing the portrait channel behind it.

They crawled through the portrait aisle one by one and sat on several sofas by the fireplace to relax. They didn't speak to each other, just stared at each other blankly.

"What do you think they want to do? They locked a monster in the school?" Ron slumped on the sofa, his eyes distracted. "Aren't they afraid of hurting people?"

Hermione's breathing evened out, and she finally couldn't help but vent her anger: "What are your eyes for? Don't you see what they're standing on?"

"On the floor?" Harry looked up at the ceiling and began to speculate wildly. "I didn't notice its feet. I was only paying attention to its head."

"Besides, who would care to see what's under its feet in that situation?" Ron rolled his eyes and said bluntly.

Both of them looked at Ethan, who had not expressed his opinion yet.

Ethan, who was lying comfortably on the sofa, felt the gazes of the two people, shrugged and said, "The dog was standing on a trap door."

"Yes, this is definitely not a coincidence." Hermione nodded, "It must be guarding something."

"But what does this have to do with us?" Ron glanced at Hermione. "When are you going to stop minding your own business?"

"You... I will never care about you again!" Hermione pointed at Ron, breathing heavily in anger. "No matter how dangerous things you do in the future, I will not ask about it, and I will not follow you around because of worry! I will not be implicated by you and lose my life - or worse, be expelled from school!"

After Hermione finished yelling, she stood up and walked up the stairs angrily without looking back at them.

"She really can't tell which one is worse." Ron curled his lips and complained.

"Ron, you'd better be more careful." Ethan sighed, stood up, patted Ron on the shoulder, and walked up another spiral staircase leading to the boys' dormitory.

"I think so too." Harry patted Ron's other shoulder in a similar manner, stood up and followed Ethan up the stairs.

"Huh?" Ron blinked, looking confused.

"Ethan, wait a moment." Outside the dormitory, Harry stopped Ethan who was about to open the door, "I have something to tell you."

Ethan's hand left the door handle and turned to look at Harry: "What is it? Just tell me, I'm listening."

"It's about that trapdoor." Harry tried to make his words as coherent as possible. "I think I might know what's inside."

"No hurry, take your time." Ethan asked Harry to sit down on the stairs at the door. "We have plenty of time."

"Well..." Harry thought for a moment and began to speak slowly, "Before school started, Hagrid and I went to Gringotts, and he took something out of safe No. 713 - the safe that was robbed. I saw it in the newspaper last week.

"Hagrid said that 'that thing' was asked by Professor Dumbledore to fetch it. I think Professor Dumbledore may have hidden 'that thing' under the trapdoor and then sent a three-headed dog to guard it."

"That makes sense. What do you think 'that thing' is?" Ethan raised his eyebrows and asked.

"I don't know." Harry shook his head, holding his chin in thought, feeling very distressed.

"If you don't know, then take a nap first. Use sleep to sort out your thoughts. Maybe your thoughts will be smoother when you wake up tomorrow."

Ethan coaxed Harry into bed and covered him with a blanket: "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Ethan." Harry lay obediently on the bed, turned his head to look at Ethan and said, then closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

Ethan changed his clothes and lay on the bed, with his hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling, lost in thought.

The next morning, Harry got up and told Ron his guess last night. The two exchanged opinions on what was hidden under the trapdoor.

"Whatever it is, it must be extremely dangerous or extremely valuable." Ron kept guessing on the way to the hall for breakfast.

"Or both," Harry added.

Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. "It's useless for you to guess here. Go ask Hagrid. Maybe he can tell you what it is."

"Do you think Hagrid might tell us?" Ron rolled his eyes at Ethan.

"How do you know if you don't try?" Ethan laughed out loud.

If you mention it to Hagrid now, he might tell you the whole story himself.

The Hogwarts Colander is not known for nothing.

The three met an unwelcome Malfoy and his two minions at the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Why... are you still here?" Malfoy rubbed his eyes, incredulous that Harry and Ron were still in Hogwarts. "Shouldn't you be..."

"Caught by Filch, huh?" Ethan showed a kind smile, "You're good at this trick, Master Malfoy."

"What do you want to do?" Malfoy saw Ethan getting ready to fight, and he stepped back in fear, hiding behind his two followers. "My father is the school director. If you dare to attack me without reason, my father will not let you go!"

"Although I also want to teach you a lesson myself." Ethan put his elbows on Harry and Ron's shoulders and pointed at Malfoy's back with a gloating look on his face, "But it seems that it is not my turn to do it this time."

Malfoy frowned, turned his head in the direction of Ethan's finger, and saw Cassandra standing behind him with her arms folded.

Chapter 102 Ron, please be more careful

"Morning, morning, Cas...Cassandra...Aunt."

Malfoy forced an ugly smile on his face and greeted him in a flattering manner: "Look at your face, has anyone offended you? If so, just tell me, and I will help you vent your anger."

He was deeply afraid of this aunt who was not much older than him. Not only was she stronger than him, but she was also extremely cruel. It was said that she once used some unknown method to discipline a naughty child who was unreasonable to her, so that she would tremble in fear whenever she saw her. Although she had never done anything unreasonable, she had established her authority.

Not to mention that she likes the elders very much, but her parents hurt this little cousin. If she is really in a bad mood today, she is afraid that her father can clap her hands and applaud.

It's all about the confusing behavior of a father.

Cassandra's face was dark, and she didn't waste any more words with Malfoy: "Come with me, Draco."

"Ah, can't you just say it here if you have anything to say?" Malfoy shivered. It seemed that he might have offended this aunt without knowing when, and he was afraid that he would be in trouble today.

"Stop talking nonsense! Come with me." Cassandra ignored Malfoy and walked straight past him.

Ethan and the other two looked at Malfoy, who was following Cassandra dejectedly as he passed by them. They looked at each other and smiled the same wicked smile as Jim Carrey and his trio.

Rest in peace, Master Malfoy. We will observe a moment of silence for you.

Three seconds, no more.

"Good morning, Ethan..." Hermione came to the hall from another way and waved gently to say hello to Ethan. Then she saw Ron, who was arm in arm with Ethan and was smiling happily. The words she wanted to say were stuck in her mouth.

Hermione walked up to Ron, glared at him fiercely, then turned her head away sharply and walked into the hall door angrily at a quick pace.

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Harry was a little confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ethan pouted at Ron, "You're still angry."

"She's angry if she wants to. I actually hope she won't talk to us anymore because of this." Ron snorted disdainfully. "She's always been too self-righteous and likes to give orders to others. It'll be quiet without her around."

Ron said, turning his head to look at the two people beside him: "Don't you think so?"

Ethan and Harry glanced at Ron with extremely sympathetic eyes after hearing this, and sighed at the same time:

"What a sin~"

"Ron," Ethan patted Ron on the shoulder and said seriously, "If there is a girl who can stand your words in the future, don't hesitate to marry her."

After saying that, Ethan released his elbow from Harry's shoulder and walked quickly into the hall.

"I think so." Harry patted Ron's shoulder solemnly and followed Ethan into the hall.

"Huh?" Ron, who was abandoned at the door of the auditorium, stood there in a daze, looking confused.

What's wrong with these two people? They just keep saying things he can't understand.

That afternoon, in Professor Figo's office.

After finishing the ancient runes class, Ethan naturally stayed behind to receive tutoring from Professor Figo.

Of course, tutoring was secondary. Ethan mainly wanted to show Professor Figo the armor fragments he had picked up in Hogsmeade.

After returning from Hogsmeade, he was admitted to the hospital ward. When Professor Figo came to see him, he was always with Tony and the Aurors. In addition, his schedule was full, so he had no chance to be alone with Professor Figo. He wanted to show Professor Figo this piece of stuff that was probably related to ancient magic, but naturally he had no chance to show it.

Professor Figo stuck his head out to look outside the office. After making sure that all the students had left and there was no one in the classroom, he closed the door with confidence and turned to nod at Ethan.

"There are no students outside anymore. You can take your things out."

"Okay, professor." Ethan nodded, took out the armor fragment and placed it on Professor Figo's desk.

"Is this the metal that can absorb magic that you mentioned?" Professor Figo, wearing a pair of white gloves, carefully picked up the fragment, turned it back and forth in his hands, and carefully examined every corner.

"Professor, can you tell what metal this is?" Ethan asked.

"Well, it's hard to say." Professor Figo put the fragments back on the table. "From the texture, it should be a kind of fairy metal, but this metal is extremely rare and is usually only seen in some delicate mechanical parts. I didn't expect it to be used as armor, especially for a giant monster of this size..."

"Yes, if it's just goblin metal, it shouldn't be able to absorb magic." Ethan rested his hands on the table, staring at the fragment in a trance, "It should be mainly the effect of the red light... Professor, do you remember the guard mentioned in Gringotts? The red light on the armor at that time was exactly the same as the light on the arm ring."

"You mean..." Professor Figo frowned.

"That black-robed man is the mastermind behind the attack on Vault No. 12." Ethan took his hands off the table and held his chin in thought, "And he also possesses this mysterious power similar to ancient magic. I mentioned it to you before when we were in the school hospital. That armored giant seemed to be controlled by some magic, right? The goblin guard might have been controlled by him in a similar way."

"And professor, let me show you something." Ethan said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the fragment, tapping it lightly.

Silver-white light poured out from the tip of Ethan's wand, enveloping the silver-gray metal. The light gradually sank into the metal, dimming, and the fragments began to flash with silver light that only Ethan could see.

Ethan chanted the spell softly: "The flames are blazing."

The red flames shot out and disappeared quickly after hitting the metal surface as if they were swallowed up.

"This..." Professor Figo widened his eyes, his pupils constricted in surprise.

"Fly here." Ethan cast another spell on the fragments.

The fragments that should have been flying towards Ethan under the effect of the spell remained motionless, as if nothing had happened.

With Ethan's current level of magic, he would not make such low-level mistakes as not aiming at the target or not having enough magic power to pull the object, resulting in failure. In other words, the fragment was indeed immune to the two spells used by Ethan.

"That's it, professor." Ethan lowered the wand in his hand with a serious look. "From the effect point of view, it is almost the same as the ancient magic I can use."

Chapter 103: Two Great Points of Cheating

"That means that person is also using a kind of ancient magic?" Professor Figo's brows furrowed even tighter.

You have to know that Ethan is just a student, and he has only been exposed to ancient magic for a week. Even so, the power of the ancient magic he has mastered has reached a level that is difficult to reach with ordinary magic.

If that person possesses the same ability as Ethan, then it is hard to say how long he has studied this power in private and what level he has reached. His attainments in this area may be nine or even ten times stronger than Ethan's.

If that happens, the wizarding world may face its third major upheaval within 100 years.

“No, it should be different.”

Ethan shook his head and launched another ancient magic energy attack at the fragments.

The fragments trembled violently after being hit, and the silver light flashing on the surface dimmed a little. The attack finally left a deep dent in the metal surface.

"Professor, you have also seen that the fragment protected by my magic is difficult to penetrate even with my own attacks." Ethan tapped the dent in the middle of the fragment with his wand. "But that day in Hogsmeade, I just casually threw an attack and penetrated it directly."

"Could it be a problem of strength?" Professor Figo asked, "For example, the magic energy you just applied to it was too high?"

"No, this is already the lowest level." Ethan shook his head. "If it's any lower, it won't be able to form a protective layer."

It seems that the power represented by the red light is similar to the ancient magic he used in some aspects, but it is not exactly the same. That kind of power can almost be said to be completely powerless in front of his ancient magic, and can be easily offset.

In other words, the magic I use can completely defeat that thing.

It's like a pirated product meeting a genuine product, there's no suspense about who will win.

As the saying goes, there are two main points of pleasure in cheating. The first is that what you know, others don't; the second is that what others know, when in your hands, you can play with it in a more colorful and powerful way, and others cannot learn it even if they want to.

And both of these were occupied by me.

Ancient magic, not to mention whether others can do it or not, they can't even see it, but I can not only see it, but I can also master it very quickly.

It's so cool.

Although a bad guy who was from the same school as me showed up later and could use similar things, regardless of the strength of the magic he used, he was easily defeated when he encountered my ancient magic.

Even better.

Not to mention his talent in ordinary magic. Let me ask everyone present, it has only been a week since I entered school, and I have learned most of the magic in the textbooks, and I am still fighting against giant monsters with low health. Can other students do it? Can they achieve this level?

It feels so good.

"It seems there is indeed some trick." Professor Figo picked up the fragment and carefully examined the round hole made by Ethan. "I'll borrow this fragment for now. I have a few trustworthy goblin friends. Maybe I can find some clues from them."

"Okay, professor, you can use it." Ethan nodded, and watched Professor Figo carefully put the fragment into a small silver box. Then he remembered something and asked, "By the way, weren't there a few pages torn off from the ancient book that recorded ancient magic? Do you have any idea about this?"

Professor Figo clicked the dome lid of the box shut and sighed, "There is absolutely no clue. I tried to repair the book with various repair spells, but the book seems to be able to block most magic and it doesn't work at all, just like what you just did."

"And the broken marks on the book don't look new. I'm afraid those pages have been torn off for a long time. Someone got the book earlier than us. There is no doubt about that."

"Also, the magic recorded in this book... I have tried it many times, but no matter how I waved my wand and mobilized the magic power in my body according to the contents of the book, I could not cast magic like the one you used. It seems that some things really require a certain kind of talent to do."

"Then I look quite valuable." Ethan nodded deeply, looking solemn, "Wouldn't it be safer to lock me up in a basement and send a few three-headed dogs or fire dragons to guard me day and night?"

"Stop playing tricks. Hogwarts Castle is the safest place in the world. Nothing will happen to you if you stay here." Professor Figo laughed unhappily.

"Gringotts is still the safest place in the world besides Hogwarts. Isn't it still treated as a backyard by people who can come and go as they please?" Ethan shrugged and said unconcernedly, "I don't think the saying 'the safest place in the world' has much gold content. It just makes the guys who successfully break in look more powerful."