Chapter 152: Abundant Harvest
Ethan remained vigilant, ensuring his actions went unnoticed.
"They're coming. Move fast." He heard the crunch of snow beneath their feet and immediately stopped cutting.
"Scourgify." He quickly cast the wandless spell, cleaning the stains from his gloves. Once everything was secured, he soared upward.
Ethan departed, leaving the battlefield in greater disarray than before.
"Why does it feel like there are far fewer spider corpses? And our losses seem lower, too?" The Centaurs carefully examined the ground, finding several hollows in the snow that showed only signs of a struggle, but no bodies.
Ethan had certainly left no trace behind. He had applied a scent-removal charm beforehand. Even while butchering and collecting the corpses, he stayed airborne, leaving not a single footprint.
And so, though the Centaurs noticed the anomalies, they couldn't determine their cause.
*Should I tell Hagrid?* As he approached Hagrid's hut, Ethan hesitated, then decided it was better to stay silent. After all, he couldn't exactly explain to Hagrid why he had gone into the Forbidden Forest.
Instead, he flew to a deserted spot near the castle and landed there. After removing the Disillusionment Charm, he entered the Entrance Hall, braving the wind and snow.
The moment he stepped inside, Ethan's stomach growled. "I was too focused on watching them fight and scavenging materials earlier. I'm only now realizing I'm hungry."
The battle had started around eleven o'clock. He had watched for over two hours and spent more than an hour gathering materials. It was nearly three o'clock now. He should have been starving hours ago, but his mind was elsewhere, so he hadn't noticed.
Ethan hurried back to his dormitory, shoved everything into his trunk, and slid it under the bed. Then he returned to the hall and descended a different staircase toward the kitchens.
Dinner was being served that night, so the house-elves were all busy. Nevertheless, the moment they saw Ethan enter, they stopped what they were doing and listened attentively to his request.
"A pie will do just fine. I'm still looking forward to tasting your cooking properly tonight."
Ethan let the other elves get back to their work, keeping only the familiar elf, Dobby, or rather, Toto, with him.
Before long, a steaming beef pie was set before him.
"You get back to work, too. I'll see myself out when I'm done." Ethan sat at the table, picked up the pie, and took a bite.
"That's hot." He opened his mouth and exhaled, trying to cool down.
In no time, the pie was gone. He patted his stomach as his hunger subsided, and left the kitchen satisfied.
With his appetite sated, Ethan suddenly remembered his professor.
Given Snape's personality, Ethan figured the man wouldn't care that he had entered the Forbidden Forest or how he learned the news. So, before heading back to the dormitory, he took a slight detour and knocked on Snape's office door, intending to curry favor.
"What is it?" Despite the approaching holidays, Snape didn't seem pleased.
"Professor, the Acromantulas and other magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest got into a fight. I thought you might need some materials from the aftermath."
"Oh?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
"Wait here. You're coming with me." Surprisingly, Snape did not ask how he knew this.
Soon, Snape emerged, his robe pockets bulging.
Although Ethan was reluctant to run again, he wanted to gain favor, so he quickly followed Snape out of the castle.
On the way, Snape asked him detailed questions about when the fight started and how many casualties each side suffered.
Ethan answered as vaguely as possible, so Snape wouldn't think he had already gathered the materials and demand them.
Snape wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer, but he held his tongue. After all, witnessing a battle like that firsthand was dangerous. Even he couldn't guarantee that he would escape unharmed from such a chaotic melee.
"Professor, if Hagrid asks where we're headed, please don't tell him I discovered the fighting in the Forbidden Forest. Just say you found it yourself and brought me along to help gather materials," Ethan said as he spotted Hagrid's hut in the distance.
"Very well," Snape agreed without hesitation.
To avoid Hagrid's questions, Ethan chose to enter the Forbidden Forest at a spot some distance from the hut.
Amid the howling wind, Hagrid didn't hear them approaching, and Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.
"This way, Professor." Ethan took the lead.
Soon, they arrived at the battlefield, which had already been cleared.
Across the battlefield, aside from the many Acromantula corpses that most creatures wouldn't eat, the bodies of other magical creatures had vanished, leaving only severed limbs and torn flesh.
After all, many magical creatures were carnivorous. While they might refrain from devouring their own kind, they would hardly turn down the meat of other species.
"Acceptable." He glanced at the numerous Acromantula corpses that remained and seemed fairly satisfied.
"Collect the venom." Snape produced several glass phials, first demonstrating the proper technique himself.
"Ah, I see." Ethan observed Snape's movements closely. He realized his own previous attempts had been too crude, resulting in wasted materials.
However, what's done is done. He had gathered a vast number of corpses. He would simply have to repeat the process with the others.
The two of them worked together, collecting the venom without pause.
Before long, they had successfully harvested the venom from every remaining Acromantula.
"Extract the venom glands," Snape said, demonstrating the technique first.
They placed the harvested glands into specimen bottles one by one.
"Harvest the silk sacs."
"Remove the fangs."
After demonstrating the process repeatedly, Snape made sure all valuable materials had been stripped from the spiders.
However, the bag Snape had brought was not yet full. He gathered several of the corpses he'd already harvested and stowed them inside.
He had no interest in the remaining limbs of the creatures. Finally, he collected some of the webs left by the Acromantulas and returned to the castle with Ethan before six o'clock.
"Adequate work. I shall share some of these materials with you once the term begins." Snape was in a good mood and offered Ethan a portion of the haul.
This surprised Ethan.
"Thank you, Professor!"
Snape waved a hand. "Mm. Go get ready for dinner. I need to tidy up here first, then I'll head to the Great Hall."
When Ethan returned to the dormitory, several of his roommates had already left. The common room was empty, too.
Noticing that he still smelled faintly of blood, Ethan quickly changed his clothes and sprinted toward the Great Hall.
Ethan cracked open the door to the Great Hall and heard Dumbledore finish speaking. "Dig in!"
Ethan slid into the seat Draco had saved for him. Draco immediately asked, "What were you doing this afternoon? Why are you so late?"
"I went to help Professor Snape with a few things," Ethan replied, glancing up at the empty seat at the staff table.
"Oh." Draco closed his mouth and began serving himself from the platters in front of him.
The spread looked even more sumptuous than usual, and after a busy afternoon, Ethan was starving.
After more than a year of study, gruesome tasks such as processing ingredients no longer ruined his appetite.
Ethan thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
At nine o'clock, as the last of the desserts vanished, Dumbledore stood up to announce that dinner was over.
Happy students surged toward the Great Hall doors like a tide.
Crabbe and Goyle flanked Ethan, each clutching small cakes to their chests as they shuffled toward the exit.
Though sleepy after the heavy meal, Ethan headed back to the dormitory, packed his things, washed up, and went to bed.
After breakfast the next morning, Ethan dragged his trunk and carried Edward's cage as he waited with his roommates in the entrance hall for the carriages.
"When the shop opens, I'm definitely going to check it out," Draco said, peppering Ethan with questions about the Wizarding Cards shop as the carriage rolled along.
Ethan replied, "When you get there, I'll give you a card."
The group continued chatting as they boarded the train.
Ethan parted ways with his roommates, who planned to find someone to play Wizarding Cards with, then dragged his trunk to an empty compartment and sat down.
After a while, Hermione brought Neville in.
"Your family runs the Wizarding Cards shop? I thought Fred and George were running it," Neville said, surprised to hear Ethan and Hermione discussing it.
Ethan said modestly, "It was a partnership. I just came up with the concept. They did the rest."
"That's still very impressive. The Wizarding Cards are really fun. My gran is just afraid I'll spend money recklessly, so she doesn't give me much pocket money. That's why I only have the one deck so far." Neville looked somewhat distressed.
The Longbottom family was not actually poor, but when it came to Neville's education, his grandmother, Augusta Longlong, had her own philosophy.
Among the pure-blood families in the British wizarding world who had preserved their wealth for centuries, aside from the Gaunts, who went bankrupt through extravagance, and the Weasleys, who fell on hard times for unknown reasons, Ethan had never heard of any others who were destitute.
"I think your gran has her reasons." Ethan didn't feel comfortable judging other people's family affairs, nor did he know the true nature of their relationship, so he left it at that.
Neville, who had been raised by his grandmother since childhood, nodded. "I actually think she has a point. Although she always thinks I don't do well enough, she rarely scolds me."
As they were talking, the compartment door slid open. The familiar trolley witch smiled at them. "Anything from the trolley, dears?"
Neville, having spent the last of his pocket money on card packs, shyly patted his empty pockets. He gazed longingly at the treats and then shook his head.
Ethan noticed the gesture and patted him on the shoulder. "Well, you bought those card packs from me, didn't you? It's my treat."
"In that case, I'll have a Chocolate Frog," Neville said after a moment of hesitation, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I'd like a Pumpkin Pasty," Hermione said, setting down her book.
"Two Chocolate Frogs, one Pumpkin Pasty, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," Ethan added.
Ethan took the purchases and the change, closed the compartment door, and the three of them began sharing the snacks.
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2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 223
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 321
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 150
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