Chapter 8: Three Visits to Gringotts
The Grangers, having overheard their conversation, also turned to look at the handsome blond young man.
"Are you Hermione's classmate?"
"Yes, Mr. Granger, Hermione and I are classmates." Ethan smiled warmly.
Looking at her daughter's shy smile, Mrs. Granger guessed what she was thinking.
"Hello, Ethan. It seems you'll also be enrolling at Hogwarts. I hope you two can take care of each other in your new environment."
Hermione tugged at her mother's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.
Mrs. Granger smiled slightly as she looked at her daughter's face, which was so red she looked ready to burst.
Ethan politely took his leave and found a goblin to take him down to the underground vault.
This time he performed better than last time. At least he didn't vomit while underground.
The goblin watched Ethan withdraw another four hundred Galleons with a pained expression, as if Ethan were robbing him personally.
Back above ground, he vomited for a while, hugging a pillar, before entering the hall with a pale face.
He was surprised to find that Hermione's family and Professor McGonagall were all waiting for him.
"Sorry, I wasn't feeling well earlier, so I got back a little late."
Hermione looked at his pale face with concern and whispered, "Is the underground vault really that scary?"
"It's terrifying! We have to go all the way down and cross the territory of a grayish-white fire dragon. To get the Galleons from the vault, we'll have to outwit and outmaneuver the dragon guarding the treasure. It's horrible!" Ethan teased, feigning fear.
"Ah!" She covered her mouth with her hand and let out a terrified scream. "A fire dragon! Does such a creature really exist?!"
"Ethan, don't make up stories to scare Hermione," Professor McGonagall said with a smile.
Realizing she had been tricked, Hermione lightly slapped his arm and angrily hid behind her parents.
"Sorry, sorry, it was just a joke. There really is a fire dragon down there, but it's the guardian of the vault. I'm just a little car sick because the ride is so bumpy," he apologized to Hermione, who was peeking at him through the gap between her parents.
"Hmph!" Hermione snorted and pulled her parents outside.
Ethan quickly followed, telling her jokes with a grin to cheer her up.
At last, Hermione burst out laughing and rolled her eyes at him.
Seeing her smile, he chuckled and slung his bag over his shoulder before finishing the checkout process, Professor McGonagall had walked him through earlier.
Hermione hadn't bought a pet, and she hadn't spent as long choosing a wand as he had, so she finished her shopping in just an hour and moved on to the last of her school supplies.
Ethan carried all the robes he'd picked up at Madam Malkin's over his shoulder and took a big bite of the ice cream he'd just bought from Florean Fortescue's.
He turned to Hermione, who was slowly licking her ice cream cone. "How is it? Pretty good, right? It's different from the ice cream we usually eat. A totally new experience."
"Mmm." Hermione nodded, casting a cautious glance at her parents, the dentists.
Ethan caught the look, turned to the Grangers, and flashed a bright smile, revealing his pearly white teeth flecked with ice cream.
He'd actually wanted to buy five, but Professor McGonagall had declined since she didn't like sweets, and the Grangers avoided anything that might damage teeth. In the end, only he and Hermione got one.
"Your teeth are in excellent condition," Mr. Granger observed, nodding at Ethan's smile.
When they returned to Flourish and Blotts, the first thing Sofia asked was, "What took you so long?"
Before he could answer, she spotted Hermione beside him, with Professor McGonagall and the Grangers following behind.
She stood and gave a graceful, ladylike bow to the group.
"Mum, this is my classmate Hermione Granger, and these are her parents." Ethan turned to Hermione. "And this is my mother, Sofia Jones."
He glanced around and spotted his father reading nearby. "Dad! Over here!"
He pointed as his father walked over. "And my father, Albert Jones."
The two men exchanged pleasantries with the Grangers, as adults do.
Soon, Professor McGonagall joined them, chatting with the two ladies about skincare.
Witch or Muggle, it seemed women were pretty much the same when it came to skincare.
Having done this before, Ethan helped Hermione gather the necessary textbooks.
Seeing the five adults happily chatting in small groups, he didn't interrupt.
When he saw Hermione reach for a book he'd already bought, he reached out to stop her. "I already have that one. You should get something else, and we can swap over the summer. If you really want your own copy, you can always buy it later."
"Okay." Hermione blushed again, though she couldn't say why.
She picked up a copy of Hogwarts: A History that Ethan didn't have, then moved on to the other shelves.
After browsing around, Ethan held seven more books, and Hermione held five.
"Dad, Mom! Is there any book you want to buy? I'll pay for everything at once."
"Here he comes!" Albert left Sofia to continue chatting with the Grangers and Professor McGonagall and walked over carrying a stack of fairy tales and novels about the wizarding world.
"Wow, Dad, you've bought a lot of books," Ethan exclaimed, looking at the stack, which had to be more than twenty.
"Well, we don't come here often, so we might as well stock up. Son, how much money did you withdraw? Your mother wants to buy some more potions. She said the amount she just bought wouldn't last a year, so she plans to get a few more."
"I withdrew four hundred. After I pay, I'll see how much is left. If it's not enough, I'll get more." His expression turned grimly determined.
"All right, all right, I'll tell your mom to be careful with the money. It should be enough for about a year." Albert, feeling sorry for his son, immediately changed his mind.
Is it really that scary? Hermione, who had never experienced it, looked at Ethan with suspicion.
This gave him a slightly wicked idea. "Dad, no need. You two chat first. Anyway, Hermione's robe won't be ready for a while, so I'll take her to try it."
"Huh?" Albert was startled. Having experienced it once before, he never wanted to go through it again. He wasn't sure if his son was joking, so he asked Hermione, "Hermione, what are your plans?"
This only fueled her curiosity. "I want to experience it, Mr. Jones."
"Well then, good luck." Albert shuddered, feeling a pang of sympathy for the suffering she was about to endure.
With his backpack on again, Ethan headed toward Gringotts for the third time.
The goblins at the entrance all recognized him. After their customary bow, they complained, "It's you again! You've been here three times today!"
Ethan chuckled, ignoring their complaints, and led Hermione inside.
He took Hermione for a ride through the maze and withdrew four hundred Galleons from his vault.
Even though he could see Hermione fighting back nausea, he couldn't resist teasing her. "Did you see that fire dragon? It's white and gray, and it's huge."
Although he was also pale, Ethan had built up some tolerance after six rides on the cart that day, and he was clearly handling it better than before.
A phrase suddenly popped into his head. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger!"
After helping a shaky Hermione out of Gringotts once she'd stopped vomiting, they stopped at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to wait for a while, picked up her robe, and then returned to Flourish and Blotts.
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