Chapter 61: Getting Used to Vomiting
Body parts littered the floor, turning everyone's stomach.
Ignoring Hermione's attempts to comfort him, Ethan staggered to the nearest toilet and vomited violently.
The other three couldn't hold it back either. They each claimed a toilet and vomited until their guts were empty.
Harry had it worst. Having been right beneath the troll's feet, he was covered in dust and gore, the metallic stench of blood clogging his nostrils. He vomited the most violently of all.
Heavy footsteps echoed toward the girls' bathroom. The group didn't bother looking up, each focused on their respective toilet.
"Oh my God!" Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway, her face going pale at the blood-splattered scene.
The two professors behind her fell silent, staring at the carnage.
Quirrell glanced at Ethan, still hunched over the toilet, then immediately put on a show of weakness, collapsing onto a toilet lid with a sob and clutching his chest.
"Who can tell me what happened here?" Professor McGonagall demanded, looking at the four students with their backs to her.
Ethan raised a shaky hand. "Professor, just... give me a moment." He heaved again, retching loudly.
The professors' expressions darkened.
Snape stared at the shredded flesh coating the floor, his gaze locking onto Ethan.
Professor McGonagall's attention snapped to him as well, since he was the only one who had spoken.
Quirrell kept shooting him furtive glances. Now every professor's eyes were fixed on the retching boy.
Unable to stand the stench, Professor McGonagall waved her wand, vanishing the blood and flesh from the floor. The air in the room became slightly more bearable.
After what felt like an eternity, Ethan finally lifted his head from the toilet bowl, his face deathly pale.
With no dinner left in his stomach, he had emptied himself down to bile.
He wiped the yellowish fluid from the corner of his mouth and drew his wand, intending to cast Aguamenti to rinse his mouth. Before he could finish the incantation, a sphere of clear water materialized beside him.
"Thank you." He cupped his hands and caught it, bringing it to his lips.
After rinsing his mouth, he realized that Snape had sent him the water.
"Thank you, Professor." He inclined his head respectfully.
"Professor McGonagall, I heard the troll was in the dungeons. I was afraid it would cause damage and affect our Potions class, so I snuck here to get rid of it," Ethan took full responsibility.
"I invited the three of them to help, in case I failed."
"Mr. Jones, do you know how dangerous this is? A troll is not something first-year wizards should be dealing with!" Professor McGonagall was shaking with anger.
"Five points from Slytherin! Now return to your respective common rooms."
"Sorry, Professor."
He glanced at Snape. The Head of Slytherin House, who he expected would be furious about losing points, actually seemed to be smiling.
He must have imagined it.
He supported Hermione by the arm, while Harry and Ron leaned on each other as they made their way toward Gryffindor Tower.
Harry whispered, "Thank you. Otherwise, we would have lost points too."
"It doesn't matter. Points were going to be deducted anyway. It's better to deduct from one person than all four." Ethan, who had already earned plenty of points for Slytherin this semester through various outstanding performances, could easily afford these five points.
Ron stayed silent.
Hermione felt guilty too. It wasn't about the five points, but because her bad mood had put everyone in danger.
After what had just happened, she thought back to their earlier argument and felt ashamed.
Since the professors hadn't punished him for it, Ethan must have been right; she was the one in the wrong.
And what she was thinking about now was how to get rid of the two third-wheels so she could explain to him why she'd been in the bathroom in the dungeons in the first place.
The group, exhausted from vomiting, struggled to climb the eight-story tower.
"Pig Snout." Harry and Ron went in first, leaving Hermione and Ethan in somewhat awkward silence.
"I wanted to find you, but when I got to the Slytherin entrance, I asked a few people, and no one would leave me alone, so I had to let out my frustration in the bathroom." Hermione lowered her head, unsure what to do with her hands.
"It doesn't matter. Enjoy Halloween."
"Mm." Hermione's voice was barely audible.
"Alright, rest well. I'm heading back now."
Hermione watched him leave before giving the password to enter the common room.
Harry and Ron, who had entered earlier, were nowhere to be seen. Presumably, they had gone back to clean up and change. After all, showing up covered in blood wasn't exactly appropriate.
Hermione noticed stains on herself, too, and hurried to the girls' dormitory.
After returning to the dungeons, Ethan changed out of his dirty clothes immediately.
He had actually stood far enough away, but the explosion had been too powerful, and some blood had still splashed onto him.
Feeling refreshed, he went to the common room, which he rarely visited, and spent the rest of Halloween night with the other Slytherins.
In Potions class the next day, Snape continued to make life difficult for Harry. Especially after Seamus's wand misfired and blew up his cauldron, Snape took the opportunity to deduct a point from Gryffindor.
After class, before Harry and Ron could finish thanking him, Snape called him away.
After surviving the troll incident together, Hermione's relationship with the two of them had warmed considerably, especially following Ron's sincere apology.
The Gryffindor trio was finally complete.
In Snape's office, the hook-nosed professor asked, "Was that Confringo you cast yesterday?"
Ethan nodded.
"Very impressive power. No wonder Quirrell is so eager to teach you Dark Magic." Snape paused. "Also, good work yesterday."
After giving this abrupt praise, he dismissed the confused Ethan without giving him a chance to ask questions.
Bewildered, Ethan couldn't tell if he'd just been thanked for indirectly saving Harry's life.
"Really, just speak clearly. I hate people who talk in riddles!"
After finishing his afternoon classes, he saw Hermione in the library again for the first time in ages. She wasn't alone; Harry and Ron were with her.
Ethan nodded to them and sat down beside Hermione, asking quietly, "You made up?"
"Mm. We're friends again now."
"That's good."
After a brief exchange, the two of them buried themselves in their favorite books and worked on their homework.
Eventually, Harry and Ron finished their homework, said their goodbyes, and left early.
Harry went to Quidditch practice to prepare for his first match, and Ron went to hang out with his friends.
Once they were alone, Hermione glanced at Ethan, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
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