Chapter 185: Potential Risks
The people in the room listened as Dumbledore's hurried footsteps faded from the hospital wing. They were too anxious to wonder where he was going.
However, Ethan had his suspicions. *Going to the library? Judging by the old man's expression, he must have guessed from Ron's description that the diary is a Horcrux, right?*
Although Dumbledore was best known for Transfiguration and alchemy, a wizard who had lived for over a hundred years was certainly no slouch in the Dark Arts either.
Besides, the Dumbledore family was also one of the famous pure-blood families, so it came as no surprise that he realized Voldemort had been clinging to life through Horcruxes.
*But the fact that Dumbledore only confirmed it now, and went to the library to get that book, is what surprised him most,* Ethan thought.
But on second thought, he supposed it made sense. *After all, it was an unconfirmed theory, and generally, very few people created Horcruxes. The pain of splitting one's soul was not something ordinary people could endure. Moreover, if one truly understood the state of 'immortality' granted by a Horcrux, even fewer would want to create one. It made sense that Dumbledore hadn't thought of it immediately. A man like him, who could face death calmly, wouldn't expect anyone to actually create Horcruxes, let alone several.*
While Ethan was lost in thought, staring at the doorway, everyone else gathered around Ron.
"Why didn't you think to go to the professors when you encountered something like this?!"
There were things Arthur had found inconvenient to say in front of the professors, but now that they were gone, he couldn't hold back:
"It was the same at the beginning of the school year. After being blocked at the station entrance, instead of immediately seeking help from the adults, you stole the car and drove to Hogwarts. This time is no different. After discovering the problem, you didn't think to ask the professors for help; you kept it to yourself. Even now, seeing the consequences you've caused, you still show no remorse."
"I'm not talking about you, Harry. The incident at the beginning of the year was all Ron's fault." Arthur caught Harry lowering his head out of the corner of his eye and added quickly, not wanting to hurt Harry's feelings.
"I'm at fault too. At the time, I didn't try to stop Ron either. I actually thought it was a great idea." Harry stepped in to share the blame, insisting on taking his share of the responsibility.
"Alright. The business at the start of the school year is over. They were punished. We're not going to discuss it any further. But Ron, after all these experiences, you really should have learned something from this."
Molly looked at Ron's face, which had instantly paled again, and tugged her husband back slightly to stop his incessant scolding.
"I know." Ron's voice was barely a whisper.
Seeing Ron's reaction, Molly felt that today's lecture had probably hit home.
The children at home weren't settling down, and neither were the adults.
As the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, Arthur had led the way in modifying Muggle artifacts. If he hadn't enchanted a flying car, the two of them never would have thought of driving to school.
Molly glared fiercely at Arthur, who had been watching Ron and now looked rather baffled.
"Alright. We're going to Dumbledore's office first. You two head back early, too. Exams are coming up soon. Study hard. Especially you two! Fred, George!"
Before she left, Molly glared at the twins.
The Weasley twins had always been the most troublesome. But looking at them now, they also seemed to have the most potential, though not in the direction Molly had imagined: careers at the Ministry of Magic.
What's more, the one who'd caused the most trouble this time was actually Ron, who was usually the better-behaved one. That left Molly with complicated feelings.
"Got it, Mom," the twins answered in unison with cheeky grins, though it didn't seem like they were taking her words to heart at all.
When they reached the door again, they spotted Ethan standing off to the side.
The couple felt genuinely grateful to the child who'd transformed their family's living conditions.
Mrs. Weasley said, "Thank you, Ethan. We invited you last year and you didn't come. You must visit us during the holidays this year."
"If I have time, I will. Thank you for the invitation," Ethan replied with a polite smile.
"Then it's settled." With that, the couple left.
Ron, lying on the hospital bed, hadn't noticed the conversation between his parents and Ethan at all. His attention had been completely captured by Molly's words to the group gathered there.
Ron's jaw dropped. "Exams?! It's the end of the school year already?! I just woke up and now I have to face end-of-year exams. Have I been petrified for half a year?"
Madam Pomfrey had stepped out to fetch medicine before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left. Treating Mrs. Norris was far more troublesome than treating Ron.
So the only adult "wizard" present was Filch, still waiting for his beloved cat to recover.
However, the relationship between the caretaker and the twins had improved dramatically after the alchemy wand incident, so they didn't hesitate to tease Ron. "What did you expect, dear little Ronnie?"
"No! I haven't learned the material in over two terms. If I have to take the exams now, I won't pass a single subject. I'll be held back a year..." Ron let out a wail.
"This is the price you have to pay." Percy looked stern.
Ron cast a resentful glance at his oldest brother, then turned to Hermione for help. "Hermione, can you lend me your notes? If I really have to take the exams, you're the only one I can turn to!"
Percy's face stiffened. He hadn't expected Ron to show him so little respect.
Hermione said, "It's too late to ask for notes now. Aside from subjects like History of Magic, which are purely written, what are you going to do about the other practical classes?"
"There's also Defense Against the Dark Arts. I think the written exam should just cover content from Lockhart's books. As for the practical, maybe the Disarming Charm. After all, that's the only spell most people have learned. Otherwise, is everyone supposed to imitate him?" Harry muttered softly beside her.
Seeing Ron look even worse, she hurried to comfort him. "But don't worry. Professor McGonagall probably has other arrangements. As for repeating the year..." She glanced at Ron. "You might have to go see Professor McGonagall yourself and discuss whether you can take makeup exams or find some other remedy."
"I might as well not wake up until summer vacation." Ron covered his face in pain.
"All of you, time to leave." Just then, Madam Pomfrey entered. Seeing the group still there, she began shooing them away.
"Coming, coming. We wouldn't want to wake Mrs. Norris." Fred gave an apologetic smile.
"Please, Madam. With your skill, surely we can stay another five minutes. We've finally got our brother back, alive and breathing. Just let us stay a little longer." George's face suddenly twisted as he spoke, tears welling in his eyes.
The matron seemed genuinely moved by the display of brotherly devotion. "A few more minutes. When time's up, you leave."
"Thank you, Madam." George's voice was thick with tears.
The moment she turned her back, George lunged for Fred, hissing, "Why don't you pinch yourself?"
"Isn't that what you were just saying?" Fred dodged George's hand, laughing.
"Alright, you two, settle down. Ron needs his rest too." Percy assumed the authority of the eldest brother present.
"That's right. Right now, the most important thing is Ron." Ginny pushed the two apart as well.
"You'll get yours tonight!" Seeing even his sister speak up, George lowered his hand for now.
But the playful scuffle had eased Ron's anxiety. He stopped worrying about his exams and whether he'd really be held back.
"Who's been taking care of Scabbers? How is he? And where did you two get the money? Can you count me in?" Ron thought of his rat, then looked at the new robes Ginny was wearing, feeling envious.
Even though the twins had just promised he'd get the same treatment and new things of his own, it was never quite as satisfying as earning his own money and spending it however he wanted.
"Scabbers is in the dormitory," Harry answered the first question. "After you were petrified, Scabbers kept trying to leave the dormitory, so I had no choice but to ask Hagrid to buy a rat cage to keep him in."
Fred, meanwhile, straightened his robes, which had gotten slightly wrinkled from their scuffle. He cleared his throat and said seriously, "Our money-making methods? That's a secret. Can't tell you. As for letting you in, the answer's no. Our team's already set. Can't add anyone else now."
Ron, confused as he was, still understood that the two had no intention of taking him along to earn money.
So he made his displeasure known: "I'm your own brother! Can't you even do this one little thing for me?"
"Of course. Trade secret. Can't tell a soul." George raised a finger to his lips.
"Let me tell you." Seeing the twins act like that, Harry couldn't help filling Ron in on what had happened after he'd fallen into a coma.
"Lockhart's Dueling Club? He really is a liar. Knows nothing. Actually got beaten by a student. And a second-year at that. Too weak." Ron glanced at Ethan.
"Basilisk eradicated? Good, good. Fortunately, no other victims."
"Wizarding Cards? You worked with Ethan? Even opened a shop?!" Ron glanced at Ethan again.
Even Harry hadn't known that Ethan had been involved in destroying the Basilisk. Otherwise, Ron would have been even more shocked.
Listening to Harry fill Ron in on everything that had happened over the past six months, Ethan realized he'd had a hand in most of it.
*Hey, I really did accomplish a lot this year.* Thinking about his secret potion research, Transfiguration studies, and Animagus work, Ethan felt genuinely satisfied.
"Just a minor thing. Don't worry. I promised you a new wand and new robes, and I always keep my word." Fred straightened his back.
"Thank you, Ethan." The boy lying on the bed met Ethan's gaze for the third time. He fell silent for a few seconds before speaking quietly.
"The Wizarding Cards thing? Don't mention it. Fred and the others earned them." Ethan waved his hand.
"Mm." Thinking about what he'd written in that diary, Ron felt his face flush.
"Hey, hey, hey. Shouldn't you be thanking us for this?" Sensing the mood growing heavy, Fred quickly tried to lighten the atmosphere.
Meow!
Ron was just about to open his mouth when he heard a faint meow from the next bed.
Everyone looked in that direction.
"Mrs. Norris! You're finally awake!" Filch burst into tears of excitement.
Madam Pomfrey quickly cautioned, "Don't get too excited yet. She still needs more potion. She's weak, and she's been petrified for so long. Don't touch her just yet."
"It's good you're awake, it's good you're awake." The tip of Filch's nose turned red, and a bit of snot dripped out.
"I think we should get going, too. Get some rest." After catching Madam Pomfrey's approving glance, several people said their goodbyes to Ron and filed out under the matron's satisfied gaze.
Aside from Ethan, they were all Gryffindors. So after leaving the hospital wing, the two groups separated at the stairwell.
He walked toward the dungeons, mulling over Ron's complicated thanks from moments ago:
*Judging by Ron's reaction just now, did he write bad things about me in the diary? And even though he didn't know Tom Riddle was Voldemort, did he already tell him everything about the Quirrell situation from last year?*
Standing at the dungeon door, Ethan carefully recalled Ron's behavior before being petrified:
Back then, hadn't he been cold to Harry as well? Plus, they'd had some friction over the Snape situation. So Tom in the diary most likely knew everything about him by now. Damn it. Was Voldemort already targeting him?
Ethan hadn't considered these matters in such detail before. After all, he didn't know exactly what Ron had written in the diary.
But judging by the way he had talked, Ron had probably told the diary everything he knew.
*Then should I discuss this with Dumbledore? Take the initiative to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes?* Ethan was hesitant.
He didn't want to make an enemy of Voldemort. That madman truly didn't care about anyone's life. But Ethan did. He had parents and family to consider.
If Voldemort found out he had been involved, there was no telling what kind of revenge would follow.
Secretly taking the diadem was already pushing the limit. After all, that old monster didn't know who had taken it. As long as he didn't show it off, using it himself in secret would be fine.
But once he took a clear stand and joined Dumbledore's side, this contradiction would be exposed. The final outcome would be difficult to predict. Ultimately, the hardest problem to deal with was actually Harry, this pseudo-Horcrux.
Finally, Ethan reached a decision. *I can't destroy Voldemort's soul fragment without endangering Harry's life right now. So it's better to wait and see. Besides, the results of the diary investigation haven't been confirmed yet. If this danger can be eliminated, there's no need to be so conflicted.*
He sighed to himself. He headed into the common room.
========================================
------------------------------------------
Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 399
2.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 414
3.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 212
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 120+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic