Chapter 146: In Hand
Saturday arrived quickly. This time, Snape did not stand him up.
Several new specimens of Basilisk organs had been added to the professor's office. Among them was a snake eye identical to the one Ethan held.
Ethan's own snake eye and the snake's gall, which was now reduced to just its outer membrane, had already been soaked in the solvent obtained from Snape. Both items were currently kept in his dormitory.
This Potions class was dedicated to Basilisk research, or rather, to participating in it.
To that end, Ethan brought out a small bottle of bile for detoxification experiments.
The deaths of several mice and rabbits showed that the bile he had collected could only neutralize the Basilisk's venom. Moreover, its detoxifying properties were even weaker than those of a simple liver extract.
This result was a major disappointment for Ethan. However, upon seeing Snape quietly pocket the remaining bile, his spirits lifted. He prepared to extract some concessions from his professor.
"Professor, my bile."
"What bile? Isn't that your snake venom?" Snape pointed to a small bottle of Basilisk venom on the table.
"Yes, yes, yes. My mistake." Ethan quit while he was ahead and immediately stowed the bottle of venom.
"Continue."
After a day of classes, Ethan's understanding of the Basilisk had improved significantly. At the same time, a new idea had formed in his mind, one he was eager to put into practice.
That evening, Ethan arrived at the Great Hall right on time for Dueling Club training.
Unlike the packed crowd last time, attendance had dropped now that the Basilisk was dead and their lives were no longer in danger. Combined with Lockhart's unreliable performance, fewer than half as many students had come to learn.
However, Ethan's target, Nancy Riddle, was there.
At eight o'clock sharp, two somewhat different people stood on the same stage as last time.
Although Lockhart was still hosting, his assistant had changed from Snape to Professor Flitwick.
Wearing emerald green robes and a matching hat, Lockhart gathered everyone in front of the stage.
He gestured toward the day's assistant. "Today's assistant is Professor Flitwick."
A burst of surprised cheers erupted from the audience.
When the Dueling Club first started, the students had speculated that Professor Flitwick, a former dueling champion, had organized it. They had been disappointed then, but hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise this time.
Professor Flitwick smiled, stroked his beard, and waved to the students.
But the turnout was low that day. *What a pity.* *They wouldn't be able to appreciate the wonderful duel demonstration between Professor Flitwick and me.*
Lockhart grinned broadly, flashing his brilliant white teeth, and winked at the crowd.
"Now then, I hope everyone can appreciate the duel demonstration between Professor Flitwick and me."
Compared to how Snape had previously trounced Lockhart, this duel lacked that same satisfying impact, but it was certainly flashier.
Perhaps to spare his colleague some embarrassment, Professor Flitwick stuck mainly to defensive spells.
The students watched as Lockhart cast spell after spell, all of them easily neutralized by Professor Flitwick. However, Lockhart couldn't defend against the occasional minor jinx Flitwick threw his way, such as the Jelly-Legs Jinx, which many of the students could cast themselves.
After roughly three minutes of posturing, Lockhart was struck by a Full Body-Bind Curse. His body went rigid, arms snapping tight to his sides, and he crashed to the floor like a board, ending the duel abruptly.
Once the spell was lifted, Lockhart straightened his robes and spoke.
"Did you see that? That's what a duel looks like."
"I allowed Professor Flitwick to land a few hits to extend the demonstration. Otherwise, it would have been over in seconds."
However, most students weren't buying this excuse. Lockhart had suffered repeated defeats and failed to even beat a student like Ethan, losing his aura of a best-selling author and powerful wizard in their eyes.
"What we're going to practice today is the Shield Charm that Professor Flitwick uses."
Unfortunately, Lockhart couldn't clearly explain the specific applications or proper execution of the Shield Charm, so Professor Flitwick had to step in and explain it himself.
After the professor finished speaking, Lockhart stepped forward again. "All right, everyone, pick a partner to practice with. Stick to the Disarming Charm. Other spells will just cause trouble, and I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."
Hermione, who had originally intended to partner with Ethan, was pulled away by her roommate. Draco paired off with Pansy Parkinson. Ethan was left without a partner.
"Professor, why don't you partner with me?" Ethan asked with a malicious smile as Lockhart passed by.
Lockhart would never actually practice with a student.
"No, no, no. I still need to supervise the other students. Why don't you find Professor Flitwick?"
He hurried off.
Finally, seeing that everyone except Ethan had found a partner, Lockhart returned to the stage and shouted, "Ready! Face your partners and bow."
With fewer people today, everyone could keep a proper distance according to dueling regulations.
"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart called. "Remember, one of you casts the Disarming Charm, and the other casts the Shield Charm! On the count of three, cast!"
"One, two, three!"
Most of the students assigned to defend failed to cast their spells. Red lights flashed everywhere as wands flew through the air.
"That's my wand! You took the wrong one! Give it back right now! Where did my wand go? Has anyone seen my walnut wand?"
The Great Hall was instantly filled with the anxious voices of students searching for their wands.
Lockhart and Professor Flitwick began assisting the struggling students once more.
Naturally, Professor Flitwick was the one actually providing help. He kept casting the Summoning Charm to retrieve the lost wands. As for Lockhart, he could only offer comfort.
Ethan stood by the wall, watching Nancy.
Since she'd been assigned to defend, her wand had flown from her hand as well, and she was searching for it among the scattered wands on the floor.
*Good opportunity.* Watching Nancy with her head down, Ethan walked toward her, considering whether to "accidentally" elbow her or knock her over.
"Hmm? I really didn't do this!" Ethan saw Nancy crouching down, covering her nose, while a boy scratched his head and apologized.
He walked quickly over to them and listened to their conversation.
"Sorry, sorry. I was just looking for my wand and didn't notice you next to me. I accidentally bumped into you when I looked up. Do you want to go to the hospital wing? I'll take you there."
Nancy didn't say anything; she just crouched there, covering her nose.
"Let me take care of that," Ethan interjected.
He crouched down. "Move your hand. I'll fix it."
"Episkey!" He drew his wand and cast the spell on her nose.
The injury healed instantly, though a little blood still trickled from her nose.
"Go clean up first. You can look for your wand when you get back. I doubt anyone will steal it."
"Mm." Nancy hurried away, blood still smeared on her face, her hand pressed over her mouth.
"Thank you. I really didn't know what to do at that moment."
"I'm John Stephen, a first-year Ravenclaw," the boy said with a grateful smile.
"It's nothing. Ethan, second-year Slytherin," Ethan replied.
"I know you. You're the student who defeated Professor Lockhart last time." Stephen recognized him immediately.
Ethan was somewhat surprised. "Is that so? Go find your wand first. I'll clean the floor so no one slips."
"Mmhmm!" Stephen left. Ethan quietly took out a small bottle, collected some blood, and then cleaned the floor.
"Accio Nancy Riddle's wand!" As many students were still searching for their wands, Ethan cast the Summoning Charm, having already accomplished his goal for the day.
A brown wand flew from about ten meters away and landed in his hand.
Ethan waved it, noting it didn't feel as comfortable as his own.
Once everyone had retrieved their wands, Lockhart had the class resume dueling practice.
Nancy still hadn't returned, so Ethan stepped in to take her place against her original partner.
Facing a first-year Slytherin girl, Ethan went on the offensive this time and cast the required Tripping Jinx.
The spell was designed to send the target stumbling to the floor. It was a minor jinx, hardly lethal, the kind usually mastered by younger students.
The girl across from him failed to cast a Shield Charm, but Ethan had held back. She felt a tug at her leg and swayed sideways, yet managed to keep her footing.
Just then, Nancy pushed the door open and walked back in. Ethan returned her wand, retreated to his spot against the wall, and quietly slipped out of the Great Hall.
Back in the empty dormitory, he placed the inheritance box on the table, retrieved the blood he had collected, and dripped a single drop onto the snake.
The snake seemed to come alive, emitting a faint glow as its tongue flickered.
Ethan watched as gaps appeared on all four sides of the wooden box. They widened until the lid finally detached and floated upward.
He caught the lid and set it on the table.
The silver snake grew still, reverting to its original form.
The contents of the box came into view. Aside from a small object wrapped in green velvet, there was a thick stack of parchment.
He pulled on gloves, first removed the small, tightly wrapped package, and then carefully took out the stack of parchment.
After checking for hidden compartments, he replaced the lid.
The lid soon returned to its original seamless appearance.
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