Chapter 80: Life-Saving Items
When Ethan left Quirrell's office, his heart was racing, his face was hot, and he felt dizzy.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to lean on the railing and walk down the stairs, then steadied himself against desks and walls as he slowly left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Once in the corridor, he could no longer contain his fear. He crouched down slowly, gasping for breath.
After a long while, he recovered from this fear of death, but his legs were still weak. He could only inch his way toward the entrance to the headmaster's office on the third floor.
He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to find Dumbledore and tell him everything about Quirrell, to remove the mortal danger to himself.
Still shaken, when he entered the headmaster's office, the fear in his eyes hadn't fully dissipated.
Dumbledore seemed to perceive something and offered him a chocolate. "Child, your heart is filled with fear. Is it because Quirrell held you after class just now?" he asked gently.
Sitting on the sofa, Ethan stared at Dumbledore, eyes wide. "You know everything?!"
The old man smiled, stroking his long beard. "Child, this is Hogwarts. As headmaster, though I'm getting on in years, I'm not senile. Of course I know about such things."
"So you knew he was on Quirrell, and you still let him in?!"
"No, no, no. Before Quirrell entered the school, I didn't know Tom was on him."
"Tom—"
"His former name. Given your state, I should use the alias."
The old man explained, "However, his subsequent behavior aroused my suspicions, and I eventually confirmed something was wrong with Quirrell. But it's not appropriate to simply send him away now, so I keep him here, monitoring his every move."
"Then why don't you deal with him yourself? Is it because of that rumor—that only Harry can kill him?"
Ethan felt Dumbledore placed too much faith in prophecies, ethereal magic that could easily change.
"No, Ethan, that's not a rumor. It's a prophecy.
You know, prophecies can foresee the future, and this one has already come true, hasn't it? Of course, this is a secret. I hope you won't reveal it."
Ethan had no response. Throughout all of Dumbledore's actions, he was grooming Harry as the Chosen One, firmly believing Harry was the only one who could end Voldemort's life.
"What about me then? I'm facing him directly!" Seeing he couldn't persuade Dumbledore, he could only focus on his own safety.
Dumbledore tried to comfort him: "Rest assured, Ethan, Tom won't act on campus, especially before achieving his goal."
"This is his closest chance at resurrection in over a decade. He won't abandon it for you, a student not in his plans."
"Don't worry."
He patted Ethan's shoulder.
"Don't worry? How can I not worry! The thought that I might face the Killing Curse makes my heart leap into my throat. I can't calm down at all!"
Ethan wasn't like Dumbledore, a seasoned wizard who had faced life and death with such calm. His life had just begun. How could he not be afraid?
Dumbledore considered Ethan's outburst before responding: "There's no counter-curse for the Killing Curse. It's an unblockable curse, but there are ways to defend against it."
"The simplest way is to dodge. Another is to use solid objects for protection. Of these methods, Transfiguration is the most effective."
"It's too late for you to learn Transfiguration now that can resist the Killing Curse. I can lend you some protective alchemical items first."
"Wait here a moment." He stood and headed toward his study.
Only after hearing there were magical items that could potentially block the Killing Curse did Ethan relax slightly.
Once his mood eased somewhat, he began to feel hungry.
He opened the chocolate wrapper he'd been clutching, now misshapen, and ate the chocolate that had melted from the warmth of his palm.
The high-calorie food further eased his tension and fear, and he began thinking of ways to save himself.
"Maybe I just need to work hard on Transfiguration like Dumbledore said."
He thought hard. Aside from Dumbledore's methods, the only other option was to create Horcruxes himself. There really were no other good methods.
"Damn it. Once I get through this, I need to find other ways to avoid death!" Ethan swore inwardly, crushing the chocolate wrapper in his fist.
Just as he was trying to recall other life-saving magical items from memory, Dumbledore returned with several small objects.
He placed the items on the table, introducing them one by one: "This rabbit-shaped pendant, when tapped with a wand, transforms into a wooden hare that can block one attack for you.
The deer-shaped and cat-shaped ones work the same way.
As for this wolf-head brooch, once you bind it with your magic, you can control its appearance and reversion with your thoughts. So you must wear this one at all times."
Ethan listened carefully. He first bound the brooch with his magic and released an alchemical wolf in the headmaster's office—silver-white and the size of a normal gray wolf.
After practicing releasing and recalling the brooch several times, he continued to practice using the other three pendants as Dumbledore had described.
Satisfied with his mastery, he stored the other three life-saving items and immediately pinned the wolf-head brooch to his robes, finally feeling a sense of security.
Dumbledore watched his actions silently, then asked with a smile, "Well, do you feel more at ease now?"
"A tiny bit more at ease." He held up two fingers, indicating a small amount.
"Then you should head back now. You might still catch dinner in the Great Hall."
"No, Headmaster. I imagine I can eat here as well. Besides, I have some questions I'd like to ask."
Seeing Ethan's determined expression, Dumbledore had the house-elves bring some food to the office.
As he ate, Ethan casually tried to extract information from Dumbledore: "Headmaster, why didn't Tom die? Wasn't he killed by his own Killing Curse rebounding?"
Dumbledore, eating a pudding, responded, "Oh? When did this theory emerge? This is the first I've heard of it."
Ethan feigned ignorance. "There are other theories? This is what I heard. So, Headmaster, how did he avoid death?"
"This isn't for you to know, Ethan. All methods of avoiding death have enormous flaws," Dumbledore said seriously.
"Including the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Including the Philosopher's Stone."
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