Chapter 62: Phoenix Shedding Feathers
During dinner in the Great Hall, Ethan received a summons from Dumbledore again.
He passed through the familiar gate and entered the Headmaster's office for the second time.
The portraits on the wall were dozing, chatting, or empty, their occupants having wandered off elsewhere.
Once inside, the first thing Ethan did was look behind the door. Sure enough, Fawkes was still perched on his golden branch.
Last time, Fawkes had merely brushed his head against Ethan's palm. This time, Ethan wanted to be bolder and actually touch the phoenix's feathers.
Just as Dumbledore sat down, he saw that Ethan intended to approach his bird.
"Fawkes, come here."
At his call, the phoenix flew from the golden branch and landed on his shoulder.
This left Ethan dissatisfied, his wish thwarted.
"What does the Headmaster want with me this time?" Ethan didn't bother with formalities; he simply sat in the same spot as before.
Dumbledore smiled. "No rush. Same as last time? Black tea?"
"Mmm, black tea."
Dumbledore raised his cup. "I'll have a cup as well, with extra sugar."
He snapped his fingers, and two cups of hot tea appeared on the coffee table.
Ethan picked up his cup, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow.
"Headmaster, this tea wasn't prepared by the house-elves in the kitchen, was it? This cup was obviously prepared by Toto. The temperature and taste are exactly how I like them."
"Can house-elves hear our conversation?" he asked, hazarding a bold guess.
"Keen observation, Mr. Jones." Dumbledore nodded with a smile.
"Then can't I ask Toto to bring me food in the dormitory?"
"Yes, sir, as long as you wish." Toto appeared in the office and bowed to them both.
"That's great, Toto. I'll call you when I'm hungry." Ethan was startled; he hadn't expected Toto to appear so suddenly.
"Toto, this is not where you should be." Though the old man was still smiling, his eyes had turned dangerous.
Toto cringed. "Toto only appeared because he heard Mr. Jones's call. Toto won't dare do it again!"
His voice trembled, thick with the fear of being banished from Hogwarts.
"Just this once. You may go."
"Thank the great Dumbledore!" Toto vanished with a pop.
"So, Headmaster, are all our conversations monitored by the elves? Does Hogwarts have no secrets?"
"That's true to a certain extent, but as long as we do this, our conversation is private." He drew his wand, tapped it lightly, and cast a spell.
"What spell is that? Muffliato?"
"Yes, it's the only way to ensure no one overhears us. But generally, I have nothing to be ashamed of, so there's no need for such measures."
"Good to know. I'll use it next time." Ethan looked as though he'd just learned something valuable.
"What secrets do you have to hide?" Dumbledore found his expression amusing.
"No, I just value my privacy."
"All right, enough small talk. I called you here today because of the troll incident last night." At that, his expression turned serious.
"Professor McGonagall told me you killed the troll last night, is that right? What spell did you use?"
"Confringo." Ethan thought for a moment and finally decided to tell the truth. The traces on the troll's corpse remained; lying would be too easily exposed.
"You are..." Dumbledore started to say, but Ethan cut him off.
He already knew what the old man wanted to ask. "I learned that spell from the book *Advanced Spells*. Because I have a high affinity for dark magic and fire magic, I was able to cast it successfully."
"Mmm, I see." The old man didn't look angry. "But tell me the truth, did you really invite the three of them on an adventure with you yesterday?"
Ethan took a breath. "Professor McGonagall told me about it, but I'm not convinced you'd actually do that. You won't deduct points if I tell the truth, right?"
"No, I haven't personally deducted points in a long time."
"Actually, it was like this..." Ethan simply recounted yesterday's events.
The old man listened intently. "So, you also discovered the troll when you rushed to the dungeons?"
"Yes, I went all the way down from the third floor. When I left the Great Hall, Professor Quirrell hadn't arrived yet. I only heard later that he reported the troll had entered the castle."
"Well done, Jones. Brave and responsible. You would fit well in Gryffindor." Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, I already know what I wanted to know. Let's end today's conversation on a pleasant note."
Seeing Ethan still wanted to say something, Dumbledore assumed he was asking about his bloodline and reassured him: "As for that alchemical item, it will arrive after Christmas. I've confirmed it. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."
"No, Headmaster, it's Halloween today. You're sending me off without giving me any candy?" Ethan gave the old man an odd look.
"You want to steal my candy again?" The old man sounded exasperated. "Honeydukes won't restock for another two weeks. I don't have much left either. No!"
"Not giving candy to children on Halloween? Then I'm going to make a scene!" Ethan glanced at Fawkes perched on Dumbledore's shoulder.
Of course, it was fine if Dumbledore didn't give him any candy. Just let him touch Fawkes, and he'd consider that payment enough.
He produced the dagger. What was all that talk about candy? It was all an excuse. He just wanted to touch a real phoenix. Last time, the bird had only brushed against him; this time, he wanted to touch it to his heart's content.
"Fawkes, what do you think?" Dumbledore asked, conflicted. He didn't really want his beloved phoenix touched by others, but he also didn't want to lose his candy. So he hoped Fawkes would refuse Ethan.
"I'm just a bird. How am I supposed to think so much?"
Driven by instinct, Fawkes flew up and landed on Ethan's shoulder.
Fawkes had settled the matter. No response needed.
"All right, Headmaster, I don't want the candy. Keep it for yourself. But watch out for diabetes." Ethan smiled in satisfaction, offering the advice with mock concern.
He glanced at Fawkes, who was preening his feathers, and gently placed his hand on the bird's wing. When Fawkes didn't react, he grew bolder, running his fingers through the soft, warm plumage.
Dumbledore watched this with visible displeasure, like a man whose most prized possession had been stolen.
Ethan didn't care. He held Fawkes and pampered him thoroughly. If Dumbledore hadn't chased him away, he might have kept at it until curfew.
So stingy. I only petted him a bit longer and took a tail feather that had fallen out naturally. Did he really have to look like he was about to duel me?
Sitting on the spiral stone staircase, Ethan held the long phoenix tail feather in his hand, muttering to himself.
He hadn't actually meant to take it. The feather had fallen out naturally while Fawkes was preening, and the phoenix had picked it up and placed it in his hand.
The old wizard's eyes had turned red, and he'd chased Ethan away immediately.
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