Chapter 54: Disillusionment Charm
After he got used to the smell, time flew by, and before he knew it, it was evening.
"Alright, you can go. Next Saturday, use the frogs you pickled to brew an antidote for a Love Potion. I will personally brew a pot of Love Potion to test the effect of your antidote." Snape was grinning from ear to ear.
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine. Could there be something wrong with the materials he had processed? Would it cause his antidote brewing to fail?
With worry and nausea, he left the office, even forgetting to bring Little Black back with him.
Ethan, disgusted by frogs all day, didn't even eat dinner. After showering and changing into clean clothes, he headed to the library.
Love Potions and antidotes weren't covered in their current potion textbooks. Ethan could answer because he genuinely wanted to learn potions, so he had browsed many related books in the library.
This time he was looking for the detailed brewing steps of the Love Potion antidote.
"Advanced Potion-Making. Found it." This was the textbook for students taking N.E.W.T. level Potions after sixth year, and the library had a small collection as well.
He turned to the chapter on Love Potions and antidotes, studied it carefully, and copied the entire text, intending to study it thoroughly. He even planned to brew it once himself to avoid making a fool of himself in front of Snape.
Who knew who he might end up testing it on? It would be fine if it were a small animal, but what if it were someone like Pansy Parkinson? He'd be done for.
No matter how small the probability, he would not allow it to happen.
Hermione, who had searched the Great Hall but couldn't find Ethan, found the person she hadn't seen all day in the library.
Hermione glanced at Mrs. Pince's location and asked quietly, "Why didn't you come to lunch or dinner?"
"Processed frogs all day. No appetite." His face was still rather pale.
Hermione's words reminded him of the frog entrails he had processed, and he instantly felt nauseous again.
Fighting back the bile rising in his throat, he managed a weak smile for Hermione.
Seeing his reaction, Hermione didn't ask further, not wanting him to vomit right there in the library.
After Ethan had studied the Love Potion chapter until he knew it thoroughly, he began working through other potion material to avoid being unable to answer Snape's sudden questions next time and having to endure his vicious ridicule.
He remembered what Snape had said to Harry Potter during the first Potions class; he didn't want similar words directed at him.
He frantically copied everything that might prove useful. Caught up in her enthusiasm, Hermione focused even harder on the alchemy book in her hands.
By closing time, Ethan had accumulated three feet of notes.
"Phew, I'm exhausted." He shook his sore wrist to ease the stiffness.
After saying goodbye to Hermione, he felt a bit hungry and decided to head to the kitchen for a snack.
However, when he reached the kitchen and caught the smell of the food, his stomach turned, devastating Toto, who'd been watching him expectantly.
Pale-faced, he comforted the house-elf. "It's not your fault. I'm just not hungry today. Don't be sad."
At his words, Toto looked even more heartbroken.
Finally, unable to bear the guilt, Ethan packed up the food to take with him, planning to eat later when he felt better.
Before leaving, he called over his shoulder, "You did wonderfully, Toto. Don't blame yourself."
The house-elf was moved to tears, overwhelmed with gratitude and looking as though he'd give his life for Ethan.
Back in the dormitory, Crabbe and Goyle eyed the pies and sandwiches he'd packed. "Ethan, is this our midnight snack?"
"It's my dinner. If you want some, take the pie. Leave the sandwich for me; I'll eat it later." He handed the pie to their outstretched hands.
Setting the sandwich aside, Ethan burned the midnight oil studying Potions.
On Sunday, Ethan arrived at Hagrid's door with Hermione, looking haggard after a night of nightmares about frogs.
He sank into a large chair with a cup of hot tea, unwilling to move.
"Ethan, you don't look so good. What's wrong?"
"Didn't sleep well last night," he said listlessly.
"Want a stoat sandwich? The stoat I caught last night is delicious."
Ethan's face turned green. "No thanks, Hagrid. I can't eat anything right now. I'll go practice. I'll chat with you later."
Since he wasn't feeling well, he cast a few harmless spells like Engorgio and Geminio to settle his stomach.
After casting magic for a while, Ethan felt better, and he began concentrating on practicing the Disillusionment Charm, hoping to master the complex spell before the end of the term.
He cast the Disillusionment Charm on various objects around him: stones, trees, wood, grass, anything he could see. He wasn't sure if it would work; he just cast it anyway.
After pointing at some random object and reciting the incantation again, he felt magic drain from him, and his wand tip glowed.
"Did I... succeed?" He began searching for the object he'd cast the charm on.
"Wait, what did I cast the Disillusionment Charm on?" He looked around but couldn't find anything nearby concealed by the spell.
"Should I try casting Finite Incantatem?" After searching for a while without success, he tried another approach.
He hadn't wanted to cast Finite Incantatem earlier because he'd wanted to see what the Disillusionment Charm looked like once cast, afraid he wouldn't be able to replicate the success.
Just as he hesitated, Hermione spoke up. "I thought of a spell that might be useful. I'll try it."
She began casting and pointed her wand at the sky.
Thin snowflakes drifted down slowly, but most melted into droplets before they could land on the ground.
Hermione kept casting, and finally, through the thin veil of snow, a hidden object revealed itself.
"It's a small stone." Ethan trudged through the shallow snow, picked up the stone, and showed it to Hermione, who had just finished casting.
Hermione reached out and poked it to confirm he was actually holding something.
"Is this the Disillusionment Charm? It's amazing. It's right here, but you just can't see it." She traced her fingers over his palm, trying to discern the stone's shape.
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