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The next morning, as soon as Malfoy entered the auditorium, all Gryffindor students turned their attention to him, bursting into laughter.
Some exclaimed, "Malfoy, you've got a new scar on your face!"
Ignoring the comments, Malfoy ordered Goyle, "Two cups of pumpkin juice and a bowl of mashed potatoes."
The Weasleys jeered loudly, "You must have stumbled on air again"
Malfoy, wide-eyed, retorted, "How can you be so oblivious to people's innocence...".
"Innocence? I saw with my own eyes the day before yesterday when you stepped on air and rolled down the stairs."
Malfoy blushed, veins on his forehead pulsating, arguing, "Stepping in the air doesn't count as... a stumble... Pure-blood matter, can it even be considered?" His subsequent words, filled with terms like "pure-blood glory" and "mudblood," only intensified the laughter that filled the auditorium.
The spectacle concluded with Professor Snape deducting five points from Gryffindor.
In the following days, the Basilisk refrained from further attacks, yet Hogwarts' defenses remained vigilant. Ethan continued his daily wizard close combat class, specifically opting to instruct the first-year students. During these sessions, he shared a prepared story with the young wizards, recounting an encounter with a scholar possessed by the evil spirit of an ancient book. The scholar sought Ethan's help, leading to a series of thrilling adventures that ultimately freed the scholar from the ancient book's control, allowing him to reclaim a bright future.
After class, the first-year wizards animatedly discussed the story's content. Only Ginny gazed at Ethan with a pale face. Clutching her shirt tightly, she seemed hesitant and abruptly turned and hurried away.
Ethan felt a twinge of disappointment as he watched Ginny's retreating figure. It appeared that his attempt to deceive Tom's diary with a story was somewhat naive.
Ginny had it clear that the black diary was undoubtedly a sinister magical object. It had ensnared her into committing terrible deeds. Despite considering giving the diary to Professor Ethan, Ginny hesitated, fearing repercussions for releasing the basilisk.
Later, a young Slytherin wizard informed Ethan that Professor Snape was looking for him. Puzzled, Ethan followed the winding stairs to the Potions room beside the Slytherin lounge. As he approached, Snape's indifferent voice instructed, "Come in."
Entering the office, Ethan found Snape seated behind a desk cluttered with potion-filled bottles. Snape, resembling an old bat shrouded in shadows, maintained a sallow and expressionless countenance. Jars lining the shelves contained otherworldly biological materials like water ghost brains and swamp witch tongues.
"The potions documented in your notebook have been deciphered, excluding the herbal concoctions. They can now be crafted using materials from this world, suitable for consumption by ordinary people."
Snape maintained a calm demeanor, speaking in a regular tone. "Honestly, as potions, your witcher's herbal brews are rather crude and barbaric. Imbibing such potions is akin to courting death. Is life a gamble for all of you?"
Ethan didn't offer a rebuttal but instead bowed his head. As the last novice witcher of the Wolf School, Ethan was well aware of the brutality of the grass trial and the daunting success rate of merely three-tenths. The mutation process itself constituted a horrifying torture that spanned several days.
During this period, Ethan ingested the magical mutation potion, altering his metabolic functions entirely. Subsequently, he endured the waiting period for the effects to manifest, a process known to be exceptionally harrowing.
Continuous high fever, vomiting, bleeding, epilepsy—the witcher's screening was undeniably rigorous at this stage. Most individuals who underwent the trials did not survive this grueling phase.
A select few progressed to the next stage—transformation. At this point, the witcher would receive additional potions and injections, becoming exposed to various unsavory substances. This phase, too, involved enduring high fever, sweating, hallucinations, incontinence, and inexplicable vomiting.
The process was rumored to be occasionally "enhanced" during the testing of new elixirs and mutagenic potions. This implied more pain, vomiting, and intensified suffering for those chosen for these "special trials." Only Geralt managed to survive these trials, but he bore a lifetime of painful memories and depigmented hair.
Others subjected to these particular experiments were not as fortunate—none of them survived.
Ethan once came across a record in the Kaer Morhen castle, documenting the list of witcher apprentices who partook in the grass trial.
Henhorth, 9 - Died of heart failure.
Didric, 10 - survived the trial, but died shortly after, with multiple organ failure.
Japp, 8 – Survived the trial, but suffered too much brain damage and required euthanasia.
Alled, 10- died after taking the potion, hemorrhage in the brain.
Cohenlard, 9 - Alive, recovering, may start training next month.
Observing Ethan, Snape, feeling a bit low-spirited, acknowledged that he had committed a blunder, though his character made offering an apology entirely out of the question. Fortunately, Ethan quickly adjusted, expressing gratitude to Snape for his efforts in localizing the potion. Ethan then delved into his bag.
Before long, Ethan retrieved a monster head with an unpleasant, putrid odor. This gruesome trophy was the first memento Ethan had collected after completing a monster hunt—the head of a Bruxa. Ethan intended to present it as a thank-you gift to Snape.
Snape regarded the monster's head on the table with a touch of warmth. As a potions master, Snape had long lost interest in wealth and fame. The only thing that stirred excitement in Snape was the prospect of acquiring new knowledge.
This inherent curiosity was the primary reason why Snape willingly delved into potion studies with Ethan. Simultaneously, the bodies of otherworldly monsters brought by Ethan also ignited Snape's enthusiasm.
In truth, Snape harbored a peculiar interest in biological materials. Many times, when alone in his office, he would extract his jars containing "exquisite" biological samples, quietly savoring his peculiar hobby.
Now, seeing the monster head Ethan presented, which seemed more valuable than the biological samples provided before, and being offered as a gift, Snape expressed his gratitude. He then handed over the prepared potion and detailed notes on its creation to Ethan, bidding him farewell politely. After Ethan left his office, Snape felt a twinge of impatience. Eagerly, he lifted the head of the tomb witch and began to scrutinize it.