Chapter 73: Draco Striving for Improvement
In the afternoon, Ethan brewed four more potions. Besides the Cure for Boils he'd brewed the night before, he prepared three others of varying difficulty to verify that he had truly mastered the spell.
The results satisfied him. All four succeeded; not a single one failed.
He murmured to himself, "Not bad, not bad. Today's task is complete. From now on, I only need to brew one potion per day. In the evening, I can go to the library and learn something new. The Flight spell is just too difficult!"
That afternoon, Draco had quietly watched him work.
"Want to learn potion brewing?" Ethan asked, having noticed Draco's interest all afternoon.
"Mm." Draco wasn't sure what he meant, but nodded anyway.
"Have you asked the Professor? What did he say?"
"Rejected." Draco looked desolate.
Is that so? Ethan thought for a moment, considering his schedule and abilities, before an idea struck him.
"Here's an idea, Draco. I don't know why the Professor rejected you, but if I teach you some of the material myself, he shouldn't object, right?"
"But I've been busy lately. As you know, I really don't have much time to teach you."
"Here's an idea: I'll ask the Professor's permission, organize my notes, and give you a copy."
"I'll organize the notes; you can make a copy to study on your own. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me. If I don't know the answer, I'll ask the Professor. What do you think?"
Draco was stunned at first. He hadn't expected Ethan to help him like this, but he thanked him warmly. "Thank you, Ethan."
"You're welcome. Helping you study reinforces my own knowledge too. I'll check with the Professor first. If he agrees, I'll organize the materials and give them to you." He waved.
He figured it wouldn't take long, but building a solid rapport with Draco could prove useful later. After all, this was the future Death Eater Voldemort had handpicked.
He went to Snape's office first.
The professor responded, "As you wish, but you may not teach the Separation Charm or related material to anyone else for now."
Ethan understood. He headed back to give Draco the good news, then went to the library to organize his notes.
As soon as Ethan left, Draco jumped up from his chair in excitement.
Before Ethan gave him the notes, Draco planned to review his current potions textbook first to brush up on his fundamentals.
He hadn't been able to answer Snape's questions that morning. He decided to ask his family to send him a copy of Advanced Potion-Making.
No time like the present. He started the letter immediately. He wanted to improve, no, he was determined to improve, and make Snape see him in a new light!
Ethan carried several thick notebooks to the library to meet Hermione. Harry and Ron were there too, rushing to finish the homework they hadn't completed that week.
He and Hermione exchanged a quick glance in greeting. Ethan spread out his notebooks and began organizing his thoughts.
"Oh, so that's how it works. Why didn't I notice that before?"
Hey, this works here too. I'll try it out next time.
As he organized his notes and processed what he'd learned, new ideas and discoveries kept coming to him.
Two hours flew by. Ethan glanced at the remaining notes, gathered them up, and headed back to the dormitory to finish sorting them.
Finally, just before bedtime, he finished organizing the thick stack of Potions notes.
He set down his quill, stretched, and opened it to the section on Snape's secret teachings. Then he grabbed his wand. "Geminio!"
The rest of the notes duplicated instantly.
"Draco, this copy is for you. Start copying them down as soon as you can. I don't know how long the Doubling Charm lasts. If the notes vanish before you're finished, just ask me to make another set." Ethan handed the stack to Draco and went to wash up.
Draco stared at the secret notes Ethan had left on the table. Curiosity gnawed at him.
He checked to make sure Goyle and Crabbe weren't watching, then darted over to Ethan's desk and scanned the pages.
He couldn't copy them. Having never practiced the Doubling Charm, he could only stare helplessly.
He didn't dare turn the page either, afraid Ethan would catch him.
Hearing footsteps from outside, Draco stepped back quickly and accidentally banged his calf against the stool. "Ow!" he yelped, hopping on one foot before collapsing onto the bed.
Goyle and Crabbe, who had been debating which sweets to have the older students buy for them next time, turned to look at Draco.
"Just bumped my leg. Don't mind me." Draco rolled up his pant leg, looked at the bruised calf, and pressed his hand gently against it. He planned to visit the Hospital Wing tomorrow.
Ethan, who had just returned from the bathroom, glanced at Draco's leg. "I know a spell for minor injuries. Want me to try it? Fair warning: I've only practiced it on animals. I've never cast it on a person. It might not work."
"Try it. It hurts a bit." Draco rubbed the bruise and grimaced.
"Don't move. Take your hand off. Yes, just like that."
Ethan told Draco to stay still, then cast the spell on the injury. "Episkey!"
"Is it better? The bruise looks a little smaller." The spell didn't seem to be working very well. Maybe it simply wasn't the right spell for this kind of injury.
The book claimed it could treat minor injuries, specifically bleeding wounds. He'd tested it on cuts before, and it had worked quite well.
"Maybe a little better?" Draco wasn't sure either.
"I'll try a few more times."
He raised his wand and cast the spell repeatedly.
Finally, after a dozen more casts, the bruise on Draco's leg disappeared.
"It really doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you, Ethan." He pressed his hand to the spot and rubbed it again. No pain remained.
"As long as it's healed, get some sleep. It's getting late." Ethan set down his wand, yawned, tidied up the notes on the table, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.
"Alright, you two, get some sleep. Buying candy takes the whole weekend anyway, and you just got this week's delivery. What's the rush? Discuss it tomorrow." Seeing the two getting worked up and about to argue, Draco quickly stepped in.
The two looked at each other, snorted in unison, and returned to their beds.
Draco glanced at Ethan's desk, fighting the urge to peek at the notes still sitting there, then got into bed.
Snores echoed through the dormitory while a figure wandered in the Forbidden Forest.