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That night, Ethan delved into Snape's potion notes in his office with great interest. It must be acknowledged that Snape's mastery of potion-making remains excellent.
He not only localized the Witcher potions Ethan brought, making them producible with materials in this world but also enhanced their effects to some extent. Furthermore, he resolved the toxicity issue of Witcher potions, making them consumable by ordinary people.
As Ethan meticulously studied the potion notes, he suddenly detected approaching footsteps with his keen Witcher senses. The footsteps halted at Ethan's office door, followed by a distinct sound. Afterward, the footsteps quickly retreated.
Drawing his Witcher's silver sword, Ethan cautiously surveyed the situation beyond the door using his heightened senses. Satisfied that no danger lurked, he carefully opened the door.
To his surprise, a notebook with a tattered black cover lay outside. Despite remaining vigilant, Ethan cautiously wielded his wand to cast a detection spell, ensuring the notebook carried no curses or dark magic. Satisfied, he picked up the notebook.
Upon flipping through it, Ethan found only "Tom Riddle" on the first page, the rest blank. Exercising caution, he closed the notebook, pondering silently.
The reason Voldemort's notebook landed in Ethan's hands likely stemmed from Ginny's reluctance to hand it over directly. She resorted to this method, tossing it outside Ethan's office door due to her unwillingness to retain the notebook.
Simultaneously, Ethan admired Tom Riddle's prowess. Creating the first Horcrux at sixteen showcased Tom's extraordinary talent. While giving Voldemort's notebook to Dumbledore seemed the best course, Ethan thought of extracting the remaining value from the young Voldemort before doing so.
Opening the notebook, Ethan took up a quill and wrote, "Hello, my name is Ethan."
The black ink appeared on the paper before being abruptly absorbed, leaving no trace. A peculiar line then materialized: "Hello Ethan, my name is Tom Riddle. How did you find my diary?"
"Your diary appeared at my office door. Are you a dark magic item?" Ethan wrote, opting not to conceal his professorial identity, as he couldn't hide it anyway.
The soul of Tom Riddle in the diary sank. He recognized that enchanting an adult Hogwarts professor was far more challenging than ensnaring a first-year witch.
"So, you're a professor at Hogwarts? I'm not a dark magic item. I graduated from Hogwarts fifty years ago, so I should be your senior," many words appeared in the diary.
"I graduated from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I know your name, and it appears on the trophy for the Special Contribution Award" Ethan wrote.
"The reason I got that award is because I caught the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets" Tom Riddle's soul in the diary heard that Ethan was from Ilvermorny and felt a little disdain. Although Voldemort later became the Dark Lord, deep down in Tom Riddle's heart, he still believes that Hogwarts is the best school of magic.
"I can take you to see what happened fifty years ago." Shining white light emerged from the cracks in the diary, and Ethan felt a force pulling himself into the diary.
In the notebook-made fantasy, Ethan browses the false memories that Tom Riddle concocted.
During the conversation with Tom Riddle, Ethan felt a slight vibration of the wolf school badge on his chest several times, meaning that Tom Riddle had been casting detection spells on himself. Voldemort is an outstanding master of legitimacy, but his Horcruxes have not yet reached the point where Legilimency can be used.
Tom Riddle's notebook spells can at most read human emotions, and the witcher's mutation weakens emotions, making the detection spell inconclusive. This confuses Tom Riddle's soul in the diary.
"How do you prove that what you say is true?" Ethan wrote in his notebook.
"Although you can investigate and verify it yourself, the chamber has been reopened. I used to be a student of Hogwarts, and I don't want to see the tragedy of fifty years ago happen again." Tom Riddle's affectionate disguise is nauseating.
"There are people in the school sheltering Rubeus Hagrid, so please don't expose my existence. Otherwise, I will be caught as a scapegoat by them, and you will be implicated. But we can cooperate. Think about ending the Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets attack with your power. You will become a warrior and receive an Order of Merlin" The words in the diary are tempting.
"I'll think about it." Ethan wrote this sentence and closed the diary without giving Tom Riddle a chance to write.
Ethan's face is serious. He recognizes Tom Riddle's ability to deceive and manipulate people. Fortunately, he knows the truth and has extensive knowledge. If Tom Riddle's words were directed at other Hogwarts students, they might have worked.
Ethan stashed the diary in the innermost drawer of his office desk, casting several spells to conceal it and block any form of perception. He planned to thoroughly investigate Tom Riddle.
Simultaneously, Hogwarts students gathering in the auditorium for dinner discovered a fresh notice on the bulletin board. The words above-captured everyone's attention: "Duelling Club," with the meeting scheduled for the evening of December 17th at eight o'clock.
Excitement rippled through the young wizards as they eagerly discussed the latest news. Since the recent attack, a lingering sense of crisis had pervaded Hogwarts. With the Defense Against the Dark Arts class proving ineffective, students couldn't learn adequate self-protection methods. Now, an opportunity to enhance their self-defense skills emerged, sparking enthusiasm among the young wizards.
Gathering together, the students fervently debated the Duelling Club. Since the notice didn't mention a professor presiding over the club, it left room for speculation. Many believed it would be the Master of Magic and former Duel champion, Professor Flitwick.
Some younger wizards speculated that Professor Ethan, renowned for his close combat class, might take charge. After the extensive course, Ethan's impressive strength had garnered recognition from many young wizards. This sparked a quarrel, reigniting the ongoing debate among the students this semester: who is more powerful, Professor Flitwick or Professor Ethan?
By the following morning, a rumor had spread throughout Hogwarts that Professors Ethan and Flitwick were gearing up for a wizarding duel at the Duelling Club.