Days went by, and every Sunday was the unwavering time for spell practice. Ethan Jones, who was getting to know Hagrid better, often asked him to bring back things from Hogsmeade.
"Here you go, the Honeydukes candies you wanted." Hagrid handed over a large bag of candies.
Ethan Jones smiled and said, "Thank you. I can send them more this time. I sent too little last time, and they kept complaining that they didn't get enough."
"What a good boy." Hagrid stroked his long beard.
"This is for you, Hermione." He then took out a smaller package and handed it to Hermione.
"Thank you, Hagrid." Hermione opened the package to check if all the materials she needed were inside; she was about to craft her first alchemical item.
"Are you learning Alchemy, Hermione? When I went to buy these materials for you, the shopkeeper searched for a long time before finding them all." Hagrid asked curiously.
"Yes, the weather is getting colder, so I'm planning to make a fire pot to warm my hands."
"That's amazing! To do this much in just first year, Hermione, you're really great!"
Upon hearing the praise, a fleeting look of joy crossed her face, but she then looked up somewhat shyly and said, "I'm not sure if it can be done yet; this is just an attempt."
"Even so, it's still remarkable. Before you, the Weasley twins were the only ones who had some knowledge of Alchemy."
They often bring strange, homemade props into the Forbidden Forest to cause trouble, and it takes a lot of my energy to drive them away.
"Ron's brothers?" Hermione thought of the brothers who often threw wild parties in the Gryffindor Common Room.
Although Hagrid complained about the two, he still liked them very much: "Yes, it's them, they're such little troublemakers."
"Then I'll ask them for advice sometime." Hermione was very happy to have two seniors she could consult.
After leaving Hagrid, Ethan Jones went to the Owlery to have Edward send back most of the Peppermint Toads and Honey Toffees that his parents had specifically asked for. He planned to share the rest with his roommates.
Crabbe and Goyle both love to eat. Every time Ethan Jones brings food back to the dorm, he is greeted by their expectant stares. There's nothing he can do but save some for them each time, and it's become a routine.
"Thank you, Ethan!" The two scrambled to share the candy, while Draco told him some good news—the Salamanders had given birth!
"You didn't see how they were born either? It's a pity I didn't see the process in the first place." He looked at the three much smaller Salamanders that had just emerged from the flames with some regret.
He observed that the three newborn Salamanders had grayer scales than Little Black, unlike their father? Mother? Anyway, they weren't pure black like Little Black.
"Is this a deterioration of the bloodline, or is it because my flame can only last for one generation?" He wasn't a Magizoologist and didn't know any theories or knowledge behind this phenomenon, so he could only guess.
Regardless, it's a good thing that Little Black has offspring.
A week ago, Little Black stopped growing, and he told Hagrid about it.
Hagrid speculated that it might give birth soon, but a week passed and there was no sign of it conceiving.
Today, Hagrid was still asking when Little Black would have offspring; he's been looking forward to raising a mutated Salamander for a long time.
Now, he can finally give Hagrid an explanation.
He picked up the jar that had previously contained Little Black, put one of the newborn Salamanders inside, and ran towards Hagrid's hut.
"Why are you back again? Did you leave something behind?" Hagrid opened the wooden door and looked at Ethan Jones, who was panting heavily.
"Quick, quick, light the fire! Little Black has offspring!" He pulled out a jar to show Hagrid.
Hagrid didn't dare to delay. He quickly grabbed an umbrella, lit the fireplace, and put a small Salamander into the flames.
"Hagrid, why isn't its color as dark as Little Black's?"
"It's not as dark and shiny as Little Black. It's probably because the mutation is weakening. Because of the mutation caused by external factors, the offspring will revert to their original state after losing the effect of the external factors."
Suddenly, he turned his head and said, "Do you think those green Salamanders disappeared because they lost the catalyst that caused their mutation?"
"I think it's very likely." He nodded; the logic was self-consistent.
He thought to himself, "I wonder if there are any journals or magazines for magical zoology. With this discovery alone, how about a paper? I'll ask Professor Kettleburn during class."
Hagrid was so engrossed in watching the Salamander he had named Little Grey that he couldn't even spare the energy to talk to Ethan Jones. Not wanting to be a third wheel for Hagrid and Little Grey, he promptly got up and said goodbye.
"They've forgotten their friends now that they have a pet! They won't even bother to see it off." He muttered to himself.
Looking at the remaining two gray Salamanders, he had already decided where they would go: one for Hermione, as he had already promised; and the other for Snape.
Compared to using Little Black's blood for shady deals, what's more honest and straightforward than using a whole live gray Salamander?
Without further ado, Hermione wasn't in a rush; she needed time to prepare the breeding environment in her dormitory. Snape, on the other hand, could start working on his own. With his own office, he could arrange his space as he pleased.
He used the same jar that had contained Little Black before, and this time he knocked on Snape's office door with the jar in his hand.
It was still that greasy hair, those indifferent black eyes; everything was the same as before.
Ethan Jones was already very familiar with Snape's behavior. As soon as he entered, he held up the jar: "Professor, look what good stuff I brought!"
But Snape only glanced at the jar before turning his gaze to Ethan Jones.
He panicked: "Professor, Head of House, Boss! Don't look at me! Look at this! A mutated Salamander, it's very rare!"
Snape then looked seriously at what was in the glass jar.
Then, his eyes flashed: "What are you going to do with this?"
"Isn't Professor the only Potions Master in the entire Hogwarts? I was thinking that if I had this mutated Salamander, it would only be able to be kept as a pet. Wouldn't that be a waste of a good thing?"
So, I plan to give it to the professor, hoping to study the differences in the effects of this gray Salamander's blood compared to ordinary blood.
Snape was intrigued. He was eager to know the specific effects of this unknown potion ingredient and what kind of potions it could be used to make.
"Make your request. I don't think you're just thinking of giving it to me without expecting anything in return, are you?"
Ethan Jones grinned slyly: "Hehe, then I'll bring it up."
"Professor! I want to study Potions!"