The book explained in great detail how to permanently stabilise an Undetectable Extension Charm inside a physical structure.
Simply casting the spell wasn't enough.
The process also required ancient magical carvings capable of continuously supplying magical support, along with specialised materials possessing expansion-related properties.
Most of those ingredients weren't difficult for Ethan to obtain.
Things like Moke skin slime could easily be found in the Potions classroom storage cabinets.
But one critical ingredient remained completely unavailable inside Hogwarts.
Occamy feathers.
Occamies were feathered, winged serpentine creatures capable of freely changing their size.
And their feathers inherited the exact same magical property.
Because of this, Occamy feathers were considered ideal stabilising materials for long-term Undetectable Extension Charms.
Unfortunately, Occamy eggs were made of pure silver.
Which meant hunters constantly targeted them.
As a result, Occamies had become extremely rare, and their feathers remained outrageously expensive.
After calculating the requirements described in the book, Ethan estimated he would need at least seventy-seven Occamy feathers if he wanted enough interior space to house both himself and a growing dragon comfortably.
Basically an entire bird's worth of feathers.
There was absolutely no way Ethan intended to spend that much money personally.
Occamy feathers cost even more than unicorn hair on the market and belonged to the Ministry of Magic's dangerous 4X classification.
At least unicorns could sometimes be approached peacefully.
They allowed pure-hearted individuals near them, and even Ollivander occasionally collected loose tail hairs.
Though Ethan vaguely remembered Ollivander mentioning he was almost impaled by an angry unicorn once.
Occamies were completely different.
Because humans constantly stole their silver eggs, they distrusted humanity instinctively.
The moment they sensed human presence, they fled immediately.
And if escape became impossible, they simply expanded into gigantic serpentine monsters and crushed intruders to death.
"This supply chain is a little too suspicious…"
Ethan frowned while staring at the contact information printed at the bottom of the chapter.
For high-quality Occamy feathers, please contact Nerva Rodrigues of Dorset. Competitive prices. Fast delivery throughout Europe.
That sounded like Dumbledore's problem, honestly.
So on Saturday morning, Ethan carried his half-finished box directly to the Headmaster's office.
This time for something surprisingly constructive.
"I saw in the book that stabilising the runes requires Occamy feathers," Ethan said straightforwardly after entering the office. "But they're ridiculously expensive."
Then he looked at Dumbledore expectantly.
"Can you give me some?"
"Have we already reached the stage involving ancient runic reinforcement?" Dumbledore asked mildly.
A mountain of letters sat stacked across his desk.
He looked genuinely surprised.
Ethan's progress had exceeded his expectations considerably.
Newt Scamander himself hadn't begun reinforcing his magical suitcase until after leaving Hogwarts, and the Undetectable Extension Charm normally lay far beyond the capabilities of younger students.
Still…
This was Ethan Norton.
If Ethan suddenly behaved like an ordinary eleven-year-old child, Dumbledore would probably become more worried, not less.
After all, magical creature materials weren't simply vanishing into thin air around him.
"It honestly doesn't seem very difficult," Ethan replied. "The only issue is the materials. Occamy feathers cost too much."
Then he casually displayed the partially completed box.
"Maybe I should just become a full-time magical creature breeder later. If I raised enough creatures, their seasonal shedding alone could buy me cake every day."
Dumbledore looked extremely pleased by that statement.
"The salary of a headmaster is not particularly high," he said slowly.
Ethan silently refused to believe that for even one second.
Dumbledore wasn't poor.
Money simply stopped mattering once you reached Dumbledore's level.
"There is good news, however," Dumbledore continued pleasantly. "Newt Scamander's Occamies have produced quite a healthy population over the years."
Then he winked over the top of his half-moon spectacles.
"And he happens to be one of my favourite former students."
Ethan's eyes immediately lit up.
"So you can help me get seventy-seven Occamy feathers for free?"
"It means," Dumbledore corrected patiently, "that you may purchase them from him at a reduced price."
"We can likely acquire them for around seven Galleons each. Considerably cheaper than unicorn tail hair."
His smile remained perfectly calm.
"Ethan," Dumbledore continued gently, "obtaining things effortlessly certainly makes achieving goals easier. But life is not only about results."
"The process matters too."
Clearly, Dumbledore had already learned about Ethan infiltrating the unicorn herd through the centaurs.
And equally clearly, Dumbledore had no intention of paying for all seventy-seven feathers personally.
Mostly because Ethan himself was becoming alarmingly wealthy already.
Still, discounted prices were better than nothing.
Ethan immediately decided to sell some of his Acromantula venom stockpile.
He barely needed the stuff anyway.
If he truly wanted to poison someone, using cursed blood sealed inside a container sounded vastly more entertaining.
After receiving Newt's address and a formal letter of introduction, Ethan prepared to leave.
Before he reached the door, however, Dumbledore spoke again.
"I'm glad Hogwarts helped you discover something you genuinely enjoy."
His expression softened slightly.
"And once your box is complete, I can assist with additional stabilisation."
"Newt once complained that his creatures occasionally escaped by accident."
Translation:
Dumbledore absolutely did not want a dragon suddenly bursting loose inside Hogwarts Castle.
Otherwise the repair costs alone would bankrupt half the Ministry.
Ethan agreed immediately.
After all, he intended to carry the box around personally in the future.
If Norbert escaped inside Number Four Privet Drive during summer holidays…
Rose would probably murder him.
Then the entire family would end up fighting the Ministry of Magic together.
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Ethan returned to the Room of Requirement and immediately began drafting letters to potion shops willing to purchase Acromantula venom.
Newt Scamander almost certainly wouldn't buy it.
Newt wasn't a terrorist.
And at his age, he probably no longer raised dangerous magical creatures requiring paralysing venom for breeding purposes.
After carefully bottling the venom into reinforced jars, Ethan stuffed everything into a heavy bag and handed it to the Count.
The owl stared at the suspicious cargo with obvious concern.
"…This won't leak, right?"
The Count glanced nervously at the bulging sack.
"I have children to raise now. If I die halfway to Diagon Alley…"
"I'll personally deliver the egg to Hedwig afterward," Ethan reassured him calmly.
Then he added:
"Besides, how do you even know the chick is yours?"
The Count responded with a deeply offended glare.
Still, once the money arrived and the Occamy feathers were purchased…
Ethan could finally begin constructing his mobile base properly.
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