The Great Hall at Hogwarts.
After a full day of classes, most students chose to finish the homework their professors had assigned here while waiting for dinner to begin.
“So that’s really all he taught you?” Hermione asked, looking utterly incredulous.
“Yes, exactly, Miss Hermione Granger.
You’ve asked me three times in the past half hour.
He.
Taught.
Me.
Just.
That.”
Ethan answered without looking up.
Two thick volumes he had borrowed from the library lay open in front of him, and he was flipping back and forth through the pages while copying notes and diagrams from the books onto his parchment.
“I still can’t believe it,” Hermione murmured.
“How could he only teach you that?
Leviosa is just the Levitation Charm…”
“The very basics of the basics,” Ethan finished for her.
“There’s a much more useful Levitation Charm in Chapter Seven of The Standard Book of Spells: Basic Level.
Honestly, Hermione, can you come up with something new?
You’ve said that so many times my ears are getting calluses.”
“I’m just wondering how Quirrell managed to slip in.
Slip into Hogwarts as a professor, I mean.” Hermione propped her chin on her hand and began thinking it over.
“He used to teach Muggle Studies.
No idea why he switched to Defence Against the Dark Arts this year,” Fred explained.
“Percy said he was actually pretty good at teaching Muggle Studies.
Makes sense, since his own abilities are about on par with a Muggle’s,” George said, exchanging a look with Fred.
Harry, who had been listening to the discussion without saying anything, looked up and said, “I don’t think Quirrell is really that bad.”
“But he’s making a complete mess of Defence Against the Dark Arts.
He might be the worst Defence Against the Dark Arts professor in Hogwarts history.
You could drag anyone in off the street to teach it and they still wouldn’t do worse than him,” Ron said.
Gilderoy Lockhart / Dolores Umbridge: Hello, yes.
“I’m with Harry,” Ethan said.
He had finally finished an essay and started packing up his things.
“When Quirrell was teaching me the spell, I could tell he was different from how he is in class.
He felt more… serious, I guess?
Someone like that definitely doesn’t know nothing about dark magic.
Either he’s an idiot who’s hopelessly lopsided and can’t teach, or…”
“Or what?”
“Or he’s hiding something, and doing a very good job of it.
See you at dinner.”
…
Ethan first returned the two reference books he had borrowed from the library to their shelves, then went to the third floor of the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower and stopped outside Professor Fig’s office.
Ethan knocked three times on the wooden door.
“Professor?”
“Come in,” Professor Fig’s voice called from behind the door.
Ethan pushed the door open.
Professor Fig was standing behind his desk, staring fixedly down at a blank sheet of parchment.
“Professor, what are you doing?”
“Ah, there you are.” Professor Fig looked up, saw it was Ethan, and smiled.
“How were your classes today?
Professor McGonagall told me you’re quite talented.”
Ethan grimaced.
“Professor, can we please not talk about that?
That Transfiguration essay nearly killed me.”
“Haha, I never thought our little Ethan could be stumped.
What a rare sight.”
Ethan rolled his eyes and changed the subject.
“Professor, have you seen today’s The Daily Prophet?”
“You mean the attack on Gringotts?
I saw it.” Professor Fig nodded, then muttered to himself, “Strange… Vault 713… they actually went through with it…”
“Professor?”
“Ah, no.
It’s nothing.” Professor Fig realized he had misspoken and pulled himself back from his thoughts.
“Did you have a question?”
“Do you think it was a coincidence?
The attack on Vault 12?”
“I don’t think it was a coincidence.
Whoever they are, they must have been after what we found in the secret Vault.”
“Could the goblins at Gringotts have teamed up with them?” Ethan suddenly remembered the strange goblin guard with the armband and asked, “Do you remember the goblin with the armband I told you about?”
“I don’t think so.
The goblins may not be especially fond of wizards, but they wouldn’t do anything that damaged their own reputation like that.” Professor Fig stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“If there really was collusion, then it was probably that goblin acting on his own.”
“All right.” Professor Fig clapped his hands, cutting off Ethan’s wandering thoughts, and pointed to the parchment on the desk.
“Take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
“There was an inscription inside the key box.
After I read it aloud, this parchment appeared out of thin air.
To be honest, it’s quite an ingenious design.”
“But there’s nothing on it, is there?”
“That’s right.” Professor Fig sighed.
“I examined every corner of it carefully, but I still couldn’t see anything.
I’m afraid it may be another thing only you can see.
Have a look for yourself.”
Ethan picked up the map and turned it over and over.
In one corner on the back, he found a row of symbols glowing with a faint white light.
“Professor, you were right.
There are glowing symbols on it, just like before.”
“What are they?”
“I can’t read them.
They’re not English or Chinese.” Ethan frowned.
“Can you copy them down?”
“Yes.” Ethan took the paper and pen Professor Fig handed him, set the parchment back on the desk, and carefully copied the symbols from it onto the paper.
“Here you go, Professor.
Can you tell what they are?”
“Aha, this is ancient Runic script.
I should have thought of it sooner.
The inscription inside the box was carved in the same writing.”
“Professor, you can read ancient Runic script too?” Ethan looked as if he had discovered a new continent.
“Ah, did I not tell you?
I teach Ancient Runes.” Professor Fig winked at Ethan.
Professor Fig read aloud the runic text written on the paper.
As his words settled, black lines slowly appeared on the parchment, joining together into the floor plan of a building.
“Is this… a map?”
Professor Fig spread the map flat and said, “Yes.
If I’m not mistaken, it should be a map of Hogwarts, though I don’t know exactly where it’s meant to point.”
“It should be the library, specifically the Restricted Section.
I was just there.” Ethan pointed to the library area on the map.
In his sight, a ring of white light circled the Restricted Section.
“But I keep feeling it’s not that simple.
The whole map is covered in traces of ancient magic.”
“Hmm.
Just as I thought, traces only you can see.
A double safeguard.
It seems whoever hid these things was extremely cautious.”
“Then shall we go?” Ethan was eager to try.
“Enthusiasm is a good thing, and I’m curious about that place as well.
But considering what happened to us at Gringotts, the road ahead is sure to be extraordinarily dangerous.
I think you should spend some more time learning from the professors first.” Professor Fig frowned.
“But isn’t it just a trip to the Restricted Section?
How dangerous can looking for a book really be?” Ethan couldn’t quite understand.
“That may be true, but we should still make every preparation.
It may not be as simple as finding a book, just like at Gringotts.” Professor Fig made up his mind.
“A craftsman who wants to do his job well must first sharpen his tools.
I’ll go have a word with Professor Flitwick and ask him to teach you a few more defensive spells.”
“All right, all right.
Sharpening the axe won’t delay the chopping.” Ethan sighed and said goodbye to Professor Fig.
“Then I’ll head off first, Professor.
If you discover anything new, remember to come find me.”
“Oh, Ethan,” Professor Fig called after him.
“Is there something else, Professor?”
“Although it’s a little late.
Congratulations on being sorted into Gryffindor.
I hope you have a pleasant time at Hogwarts.”