As the incident spread like wildfire, more and more students gathered to watch. The twins, Cedric, Natasha, and Harry all heard the commotion and rushed over to inquire about the situation and express their concern to Ethan.
Of course, Malfoy, one of the main culprits, was also hiding in the crowd, observing from the sidelines.
The five unlucky Slytherins had already met Ethan and the others before the train departed, so they were expecting good news upon arrival. However, they never anticipated such a disastrous outcome.
Now, looking at the bruised and broken group, Draco began to sweat. Ethan had managed to overpower five fourth-year students, and did so with shocking brutality.
Thinking back to the conflict on the train, Draco realized just how much Ethan had held back at that time.
He began to wonder if their involvement had been exposed. If Ethan discovered that Draco was the one who orchestrated the incident, things could get worse.
The thought made Draco's legs tremble uncontrollably. He silently cursed himself—why had he chosen to provoke someone like Ethan?
"Goyle, Crabbe, let's go back!"
Draco's voice trembled as he walked away unsteadily, supported by the two of them. All he wanted now was to stay as far away from Ethan as possible.
Chapter 51: Punishment
The Potions classroom office also served as Snape's private laboratory and storage room. After finishing a day of teaching, Snape finally had time to focus on his personal work—brewing potions and processing magical ingredients.
At the moment, Snape was squeezing pus from Bubotuber bulbs. These were large, thick, black, wriggling lumps, covered with shiny pimples. They looked like grotesque slugs.
As the yellow-green viscous fluid dripped out, the room filled with a sharp, petroleum-like smell.
Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks interrupted his concentration. Snape removed his dragon-hide gloves and strode to the door, opening it with clear impatience.
"If you can't give me a valid reason, you'll be spending the rest of the week with Filch," Snape warned coldly, his dark eyes fixed on the trembling student before him.
He detested interruptions, especially while handling difficult or expensive ingredients like Bubotuber pus. One wrong move and the materials could be ruined.
"Head of House," the Slytherin student stammered, "Barry Raglon and four others got into a fight with a Ravenclaw first-year—Ethan Adrian. One of them has a hole blasted in his stomach. We're not sure if he'll survive."
Snape's expression darkened further. "Whose stomach was blasted open?"
"Willard Colby."
Snape froze. "Who?"
"Willard Colby," the student repeated nervously.
Snape remained silent for a moment, then proceeded toward the scene without another word. Internally, he was seething. He already knew that Ethan couldn't have been the instigator—Snape understood exactly what sort of students he had under his care. A first-year wouldn't randomly provoke five fourth-years.
He could only hope Ethan was unharmed. If not, Professor Flitwick would never let this go unchallenged.
The other Heads of House were also informed and immediately set out to assess the damage—though none of them were quite as furious as Snape.
Professor McGonagall, after hearing a summary of events from a reporting student, decided the matter was too complicated to handle alone and needed to be referred to Dumbledore.
She had to head to the infirmary anyway to assess the students' conditions.
"Mr. Adrian, please go to the Headmaster's office. The password is 'Lemon Drop.'"
"Understood, Professor McGonagall," Ethan replied calmly.
He turned and walked off without showing any signs of fear or anxiety.
When McGonagall and the other professors arrived, the five Slytherins had already been taken to the infirmary by Madam Pomfrey. Ethan, along with a few onlookers, remained at the scene.
"Professor McGonagall, the Slytherins struck first. Ethan was only defending himself, and according to school law—" Hermione tried to explain.
"I will investigate thoroughly, Miss Granger," McGonagall replied curtly and made her way to the infirmary.
Though she admired Ethan's talent in Transfiguration, she wasn't yet sure how to handle the situation.
Ethan reached the eighth floor, stood before the large stone gargoyle, and said the password. The statue came to life and split open, revealing the spiral staircase leading to the Headmaster's office.
He knocked on the door.
"Come in!" came Dumbledore's voice.
Inside, the portraits of former Headmasters lined the walls. A brilliant phoenix perched nearby, and behind the desk sat Dumbledore himself.
"Child, what brings you here?" Dumbledore asked warmly.
"I got into a conflict with five older students from Slytherin. Professor McGonagall told me to report to you," Ethan explained.
"I see," Dumbledore said, already forming a clear picture of what had happened based solely on Ethan's calm demeanor.
He gestured to a chair. "Sit down and have some pumpkin juice. We'll sort this out soon."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Ethan said, settling into the seat and drinking the juice without hesitation.
Before long, the four Heads of House arrived, each wearing an expression of varying degrees of concern.
Seeing them, Ethan respectfully stood up.
Professor Flitwick went straight to Ethan. "Ethan, I know you didn't start this. Just explain what happened."
Sprout and McGonagall offered encouraging glances, clearly supportive.
"I had borrowed a book from the library and was heading back to the Ravenclaw dormitory…" Ethan began.
He explained the entire incident clearly and without embellishment, omitting only the specific spells he used. Onlookers could confirm his account.
After hearing the report and assessing the injuries, McGonagall updated Dumbledore on the current state of the five attackers.
"Breaking a student's wand is a very serious offense, and Barry and the others are severely injured," Dumbledore stated.
"In light of that, Ravenclaw will lose fifty points. Ethan, you'll serve one month of detention, patrolling the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, starting tonight. Filch will escort you. If you have any objections, now's the time."
Ethan shook his head. "I have no objections. I accept the school's punishment."
He was pleased. This punishment allowed him to roam the Forbidden Forest openly—an opportunity for magical study, not a punishment in his eyes.
Professor Flitwick spoke up, clearly dissatisfied. "And Slytherin? They used the word 'Mudblood' and attacked first. They should face consequences too."
Snape flinched at the word. He remained silent, though it stirred old wounds.
"Slytherin will lose two hundred and fifty points and serve one month of detention once they recover," Dumbledore declared, effectively removing them from the House Cup competition.
Snape opened his mouth to speak, then said nothing.
Chapter 52: Forbidden Forest Patrol
As Ethan exited the Headmaster's office, he found a group waiting on the eighth floor staircase—mostly Ravenclaws and a few Hufflepuffs.
He briefly explained the punishment and left with them.
Later that night, Ethan stood before Filch's office.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in," came a raspy voice.
As soon as he entered, he was hit by the strong scent of grilled fish. A shabby Maine Coon with patchy fur glared at him from a chair.
"Follow me," Filch muttered, grabbing a lantern and leading Ethan outside.
He limped silently, not uttering a single insult as the others had described.
Ethan was puzzled. Filch didn't seem like the malicious caretaker he'd heard about.
In truth, Filch knew about Ethan's power. He wasn't afraid of retaliation—but if anything happened to Mrs. Norris, that would be unforgivable.
So, Filch picked his battles carefully. Ethan was one he would not provoke.
"This is it. Go on your own," Filch said, dropping him off at Hagrid's hut and limping away quickly.
Just then, two dog barks rang out. Fang rushed out of the darkness, wagging his tail at Ethan.
"Ethan, that you? Come in!" Hagrid called out, standing at the doorway.
"It's me, Hagrid!" Ethan replied, walking inside with Fang.
A roaring fireplace heated the wooden hut. On the table were a pot of venison stew, crispy pork rinds, and some of Hagrid's rock cakes.
"Eat something first. The Forest is cold, and we'll be out there a while," Hagrid said, handing him a bowl of stew.
"Thank you," Ethan replied, sitting down with gratitude.