Chapter 80: Life-Saving Items
When Ethan left Quirrell's office, his heart raced, his face burned, and his head swam.
Taking a deep breath, he gripped the railing and forced himself down the stairs, steadying himself against the desks and walls until he finally made it out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Once in the corridor, he couldn't hold back the fear any longer. He crouched, gasping for breath.
After a while, he recovered from his terror, but his legs remained weak. He could only inch his way toward the entrance to the Headmaster's office on the third floor.
He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to find Dumbledore and tell him everything about Quirrell, to end the deadly threat to his life.
Still shaken, he entered the Headmaster's office, fear lingering in his eyes.
Dumbledore seemed to sense something and offered him a piece of chocolate. "Child, you're frightened. Is it because Professor Quirrell kept you after class?" he asked gently.
Sitting on the sofa, Ethan stared at Dumbledore with wide eyes. "You know everything?"
The old man smiled, stroking his long beard. "Child, this is Hogwarts. As Headmaster, I may be getting on in years, but I'm not senile yet. Of course I know about such things."
"So you knew he was possessing Quirrell, and you still let him in?!"
"No, no, no. Before Quirrell entered the school, I didn't know Tom was possessing him."
"Tom..."
"His former name. Given your state, I should use the alias."
The old man explained, "However, his subsequent behavior raised my suspicions, and I eventually realized something was wrong with Quirrell. But it wouldn't have been appropriate to just send him away, so I kept him here, monitoring his every move."
"Then why don't you deal with him yourself? Is it because of that rumor that only Harry can kill him?"
Ethan felt Dumbledore placed too much faith in prophecies, that ethereal magic that could easily change.
"No, Ethan, that's not a rumor. It's a prophecy.
"You know, prophecies can foresee the future, and this one has already come true, hasn't it? Of course, this is a secret. I hope you won't reveal it."
Ethan had no response. In all his actions, Dumbledore was grooming Harry as the Chosen One, firmly believing that Harry was the only one who could end Voldemort's life.
"What about me? I'm the one facing him!" Realizing he couldn't persuade Dumbledore, Ethan turned his attention to his own safety.
Dumbledore tried to comfort him. "Rest assured, Ethan. Tom won't act on campus, especially before he achieves his goal."
"This is his best chance at resurrection in over a decade. He won't abandon it for you, a student who isn't part of his plans."
"Don't worry."
He patted Ethan on the shoulder.
"Don't worry? How can I not worry! Just thinking about facing the Killing Curse makes my heart leap into my throat. I can't calm down at all!"
Ethan wasn't like Dumbledore, a seasoned wizard who had faced life and death with such composure. His life had just begun. How could he not be afraid?
Dumbledore let Ethan's outburst settle before responding. "There's no counter-curse for the Killing Curse. It's an unblockable curse, but there are ways to defend against it."
"The simplest way is to dodge. Another is to use solid objects for protection. Transfiguration is the most effective of these methods."
"It's too late for you to learn the Transfiguration you'd need to resist the Killing Curse. For now, I can lend you some protective alchemical items."
"Wait here a moment." He stood and headed toward his study.
Only after hearing that there were magical items capable of blocking the Killing Curse did Ethan relax slightly.
Once he'd calmed down a bit, he began to feel hungry.
He opened the chocolate wrapper he'd been clutching, now misshapen, and ate the chocolate that had melted from the warmth of his hand.
The high-calorie food eased his tension further, and he began thinking of ways to save himself.
Maybe I just need to study Transfiguration intensively, like Dumbledore said.
He thought hard. Aside from Dumbledore's methods, the only other option was to create Horcruxes himself. There really were no other good options.
Damn it. Once I get through this, I need to find other ways to avoid death! Ethan swore inwardly, crushing the chocolate wrapper in his fist.
Just as he was trying to recall other life-saving magical items, Dumbledore returned with several small objects.
He placed the items on the table, introducing them one by one: "This rabbit-shaped pendant, when tapped with a wand, transforms into a wooden hare that can block a single attack."
"The deer-shaped and cat-shaped ones work the same way."
"As for this wolf-head brooch, once you bind it with magic, you can control its appearance and reversion with your thoughts, so you must keep it on at all times."
Ethan listened carefully. First, he bound the brooch with magic and released an alchemical wolf in the Headmaster's office, a silver-white creature the size of a normal gray wolf.
After several rounds of releasing and recalling the brooch, he practiced with the other three pendants as Dumbledore had described.
Satisfied with his mastery, he stored the other three lifesaving items and immediately pinned the wolf-head brooch to his robes, finally feeling secure.
Dumbledore watched him silently, then asked with a smile, "Well, do you feel more at ease now?"
"A tiny bit more at ease," he said, holding up two fingers to show how small the amount was.
"Then you should head back now. You might still catch dinner in the Great Hall."
"No, Headmaster. I think I can eat here, too. Besides, I have some questions I'd like to ask."
Seeing Ethan's determined expression, Dumbledore had the house-elves bring some food to the office.
As he ate, Ethan casually tried to extract information from Dumbledore: "Headmaster, why didn't Tom die? Wasn't he killed when his own Killing Curse rebounded?"
Dumbledore, eating pudding, responded, "Oh? When did this theory emerge? This is the first time I've heard of it."
Ethan feigned ignorance. "There are other theories? That's what I heard. So, Headmaster, how did he avoid death?"
"This isn't for you to know, Ethan. All methods of avoiding death have enormous flaws," Dumbledore said seriously.
"Including the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Including the Philosopher's Stone."