Chapter 45: Dream Interpretation Short Stories
Ethan had also heard Malfoy's warning to the others, and his approval of the Malfoy boy increased even more.
Actually, he was no longer angry when he came down from the Astronomy Tower.
Getting angry at a bunch of clueless kids was beneath him, and even if they really did spread rumors that Ethan was a Muggle-born Slytherin, it wouldn't really affect him.
He still went to class and studied as usual. So what if the older students did not like him? He had no plans to interact with them anyway, and it was unlikely they could even beat a first-year like him.
"Draco, you don't need to warn them. Whatever they do won't affect me."
Draco scoffed, "I'm worried you might hurt them if you go berserk."
In fact, the blond boy had done this not only to befriend Ethan, but also because of a letter from his father, Lucius Malfoy.
After writing to his father about Ethan's situation, he received a reply. Though Lucius couldn't find a way to help test the bloodline, he instructed Draco to befriend Ethan.
Drawing from his own experience, he judged that a wizard with such exceptional talent, as long as he didn't die young, would definitely make a name for himself in the wizarding world, and at that time, it would all come down to connections.
In the letter, Lucius gave Draco several suggestions, including standing by Ethan's side and supporting him if things turned against him.
Draco noticed that Ethan seemed to be treating him more warmly, and he became more convinced his father was right. He planned to find time to reread the letter and learn more about networking.
Ethan, exhausted from practicing spells and running to avoid being late, yawned. "Alright, it's getting late. Let's get some rest."
With that, he changed out of his pajamas and went to wash up.
That night, he dreamed he kept practicing the spell Confringo and transforming into all sorts of animals, including mythical creatures such as Hippogriffs and Phoenixes, as well as ordinary beasts such as lions and tigers. The strangest of all was a giant python that could actually talk.
While brushing his teeth, he pondered his increasingly hazy dream. "Is it because I've been thinking about it all day, or am I imagining my Slytherin classmates as giant pythons?"
Even after finishing, he still couldn't figure it out, so he stopped worrying about what the dream meant. He wasn't a Seer, and there was no point in constantly pondering dreams. However, he still wanted to know what his dream might mean.
After finishing his breakfast feeling refreshed, he went to the library.
He spent almost all his time in the library, except when he was in class.
This time, he was looking for books related to spell usage and prophetic dream interpretation.
Seeing the Dream Interpretation Guide in his hand, Hermione asked curiously in a low voice, "Why are you looking at this? Did something strange happen in your dream?"
He answered in a similarly low voice, "I had an interesting dream last night. Let me see if there's any explanation."
Hermione didn't really believe in such mystical things. Although magic was a wonderful power, she still believed that Divination was one of the most unreliable disciplines of magic, not to mention dream interpretation, which was a niche branch within the field.
"Whatever makes you happy."
Time flew by, and after only an hour of reading, it was time to go to class. Since he had borrowed several books and hadn't returned them yet, Mrs. Pince wouldn't allow him to borrow any new books for now. He could only reluctantly put the book down, hoping that no one would borrow it.
This didn't mean that the book helped him understand the various images in his dreams; rather, he regarded it as a collection of fantasy stories with a wide scope.
For example, one case study told the story of a witch tribe in the Brazilian rainforest. From this story, he learned about the ancient form of witch gatherings that still existed, and the magic potion that repelled snakes.
These scattered bits of knowledge, nestled within short stories, gave him a greater understanding of the world.
He enjoyed the feeling of constantly exploring and discovering little-known facts about the world. Although this knowledge might have been commonplace for Brazilian wizards, it was something new and exciting for him.
*I wonder if this snake-repelling potion will work on Basilisks. Although they are both snakes, I don't recall that the birth of Basilisks has much to do with snakes.* He pondered this little bit of knowledge and went to his Herbology class.
After regularly exchanging information with Professor Sprout about the growth of the Dittany he was cultivating, he also consulted the professor about snake-repelling potions.
The professor was somewhat surprised. "Where did you see this name? Few British wizards would know of it."
"This kind of potion is often carried by wizards who live in tropical countries or have a lot of contact with snakes."
"We don't usually brew this kind of potion, but if you need it, you can buy it from the apothecary in Diagon Alley; they probably import some to keep on hand."
After confirming the existence of the snake-repelling potion with Professor Sprout, he became even more interested in this Dream Interpretation Guide.
After leaving the greenhouse, he went back to his dormitory, returned a book he had borrowed for homework, and borrowed that collection of stories.
He decided to transcribe all these little bits of knowledge into a small collection for his own reference, to broaden his horizons.
Since she would be taking Flying lessons soon, Hermione had been reading mostly books related to broomstick flying, such as Quidditch Through the Ages.
Hermione, who had never flown before, was very nervous. She kept copying down flight instructions from various books, hoping they would help her have a smoother flight lesson.
Ethan, also a flying novice, was somewhat afraid of the unknown, but he still put on a relaxed demeanor and comforted Hermione, "Relax, Hermione. Some things are harder when you're nervous. Just relax. Not everyone at school has flying experience, otherwise there wouldn't be this course."
It was unclear whether his words had any effect, but at least Hermione reduced the number of times she recited the flight guide in front of him, making it a little easier on his ears.
Thursday arrived quickly. After their Charms class, the Slytherins hurried down to the large lawn in front of the castle.
Broomsticks were lined up neatly on the ground, but they were worn out. Compared to the ones Ethan had seen in Diagon Alley, they were worlds apart.
After they had all arrived, they waited a while before the Gryffindors hurried out of the castle.
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