Chapter 122
Ethan gave a bitter smile. "Magical creature blood isn't compatible with Muggles, is it?"
He could see the curiosity about the magical world in his parents' eyes, and he had always wanted to find a way to make them wizards.
Family meant everything to Ethan. Last semester, when he looked into the Mirror of Erised, he saw his family.
Three couples appeared in the mirror, standing apart from one another.
Two of the couples were relatively clear. Sofia and Albert were there, alongside Jenny and a figure who looked like Remus. The other two figures were so blurry that he could barely make out a man and a woman.
"I don't know. However, after all these years, Hogwarts has never managed to expand its student body on a large scale." This was Snape's indirect answer.
"The answer to your second question is no."
"I know you grew up in Muggle society and view blood transfusions as commonplace, but in the wizarding world, this simply does not work."
Ever since blood transfusions became a medical treatment in the Muggle world, healers in the magical world had taken a keen interest in the concept. Wizards had actually attempted the procedure long before Muggles developed it, but all such attempts failed.
Later, as Muggle technology advanced, some healers saw renewed potential in blood transfusions.
After all, while wizards had blood-replenishing potions to treat blood loss, they certainly wouldn't object to having another method available.
Unfortunately, aside from a few successful transfusions between close relatives, every other attempt ended in failure. Although most subjects survived the procedure, the results proved conclusively that this approach was a dead end.
Seeing Ethan about to speak, Snape cut him off. "It is not a matter of blood types. When that theory first emerged, St. Mungo's conducted its own experiments, but they still failed."
"Your understanding of the Muggle world is far deeper than I expected," Ethan said. A conflicted expression crossed his face. He had not expected his professor, a man who seemed entirely detached from the Muggle world, to know more about this subject than he did.
Snape remained unmoved by the implied flattery.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was already mealtime. His expression shifted slightly. "Is there anything else? Get out."
"One last question. If the blood lake on that book's cover eventually covers the whole thing, what will happen?" Unsure why Snape was in such a hurry, Ethan quickly asked the question he had been holding back.
"I do not know." Snape's patience was already wearing thin, and his irritation was clearly etched on his face.
Ethan didn't get the answer he wanted. Rather than risk Snape making his life difficult during tomorrow's private lesson, he made a quick exit.
Snape checked the time again, quickly changed, and left the office.
"So, if that blood lake turns the entire cover red, what would actually happen?" The question left Ethan burning with curiosity.
Over five days, using more than ten drops of blood, the lake on the cover had grown roughly two millimeters in diameter. Ethan had verified this by marking the edge on a piece of parchment and measuring the growth.
*If I wanted to fill the entire cover with that blood lake, it would probably take thousands, maybe tens of thousands of drops. I'd be better off waiting until I could borrow it again, or perhaps sneaking it out of the Restricted Section to find out.*
After estimating the sheer effort required, Ethan decided to set the matter aside for the moment.
*I wonder if pouring blood directly would have any adverse consequences.* He had a new idea, but decided not to tempt fate for now. At the very least, he should wait until he had made a good copy of this precious book.
After returning to the dormitory, he wrote a letter that night and sent it with Edward to Cyril, asking him to prepare some tracing paper and pencils to copy the illustrations in the book.
*Hmm?* The next morning, after breakfast, Ethan knocked on Snape's office door.
"No one here?" He knocked repeatedly for five minutes, but no one answered. Ethan left, puzzled.
Two hours later, he knocked on the office door again, but still received no response.
*Forget it. I don't know where Professor Snape went. I should focus on my own business first.*
Ethan wrote a note, tied it to the doorknob with a piece of string, and returned to the dormitory to continue copying the book.
Snape had a note delivered that afternoon.
It read:
Today's Potions class is canceled.
S. Snape.
After thanking the first-year Slytherin he didn't recognize, Ethan set the note aside and returned to copying the book.
The supplies Cyril had helped him buy arrived that morning, keeping him busy.
He traced the illustrations from the book onto tracing paper with a pencil, transferred the outlines to parchment, then inked them with a quill.
It took just ten minutes to copy a single illustration onto parchment.
That evening, Ethan rubbed his sore eyes. *If only I could use Geminio on this book,* he thought. *Then I wouldn't have to rush like this.*
Because of the three-hour time limit, Ethan had completed less than a tenth of the book that day. At this rate, he might not finish copying it this week.
So, after dinner, he decided to skip the library and copy the book instead. He would do his homework during any downtime and take the book to the Room of Requirement at night to continue copying.
Sure enough, the twins he hadn't seen in nearly a week were also inside.
"You've come at just the right time. Check out our preliminary results."
Fred quickly pulled Ethan inside and led him eagerly over to the two workbenches.
He picked up a card roughly the size of a playing card and held it up for Ethan to see.
"We haven't drawn the portraits yet, so we just cut a picture out of the newspaper as a placeholder."
"Ah, so that explains it. The face on the card, isn't that Minister Fudge?"
It suddenly dawned on him. He'd thought the person looked familiar earlier, though it wasn't any of the Hogwarts headmasters or other figures from the school's history. He only realized it was a photo from the Daily Prophet of an interview with Fudge when they mentioned the newspaper.
Fred flicked the edge of the card. "Heh, never mind who it's for right now. Take a look and tell me if this matches your description."
"Let me see." Ethan took the card and examined it carefully.
"This is exactly what I described." The twins really were rare talents. Both the picture frame and the numerical display on the card were complete.
"Look at this one, too," George said, picking up a card labeled [Freezing Charm] and tapping it with his wand.
A small ball of frost shot from the card and dissipated a short distance away.
"It won't affect the other cards, right?" Ethan asked, pleased with the result.
"No. I'll activate it again. Put your hand out and feel it," George said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"It feels like a winter breeze. It doesn't feel like an attack." Not a trace of frost remained on Ethan's hand.
"That's not all. Watch." Fred placed the card with Fudge's head on the table. George set the [Freezing Charm] card down as well, tapped it lightly with his wand, and directed the frost at Fudge.
Fudge was covered in a faint layer of frost.
"Excellent!" Ethan didn't know how they'd achieved the effect, but it matched his vision perfectly.
The two looked at each other, both pleased. Their hard work had paid off.
"We've finished the mana growth cards too," one of them said. "A light tap with a wand raises or lowers the mana crystals." They pulled out two more cards and demonstrated.
Ethan felt a twinge of guilt. He'd personally taken on the task of making the characters on the cards produce three-dimensional light and shadow effects, but this week he'd been so engrossed in his book that he hadn't made any progress.
"Don't worry," Ethan assured them. "I'll definitely figure out the charm I promised. I've already got some leads. I just got distracted by something else. Once this week's over, I'll pick up the pace."
"No rush. We still have other problems to work out anyway. Take your time."
"Right." Ethan nodded firmly, walked over to the table the twins had set up specifically for him, pulled out his book, and began copying.
When he finished copying for the night, Ethan suddenly remembered his earlier idea.
"Can you two make magical items that let people communicate with each other?"
He'd originally planned for the twins to make magical walkie-talkies to help the group communicate, but on second thought, that didn't seem quite right. A device like a mobile phone, one that could send messages, might be a better fit.
Ethan started by explaining how mobile phones worked, placing particular emphasis on text messaging.
Fred and George, who had only recently learned about telephones from Harry over the summer, were fascinated by the idea of handheld devices that allowed people to communicate anywhere, anytime. These were just the sort of things their father was obsessed with.
Fred exclaimed in amazement, "You mean people can be thousands of miles apart and still use this thing, a mobile phone, to talk to each other?"
George looked equally impressed. "I thought telephones were brilliant enough. I never imagined mobile phones could be even more magical!"
Realizing he might have overwhelmed them with details, Ethan quickly interjected.
"We don't need to go that far. We just need a way to contact each other quickly within the school to set up a time and place to meet. The most important feature is the ability to read text messages."
The twins nodded in understanding.
As midnight approached, the three of them packed their things. Ethan cast a Disillusionment Charm on the group, checked that the coast was clear, and opened the door to the Room of Requirement.
"Bye."
In the empty corridor, Ethan flew slowly toward the dungeons.
"Hmm? Someone there?" In the distance, a silhouette lengthened by the firelight appeared at the entrance to the fourth-floor corridor.
Ethan stopped short. He waited until the figure, who he thought might be Filch, moved on before continuing.
*He didn't look like Filch. Mrs. Norris was nowhere in sight.* Back in the dormitory, Ethan couldn't stop thinking about it.
Besides, the footsteps didn't sound like Filch's. They were light. It was probably a student, not an adult. Someone out for a midnight stroll?
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1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 277
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 193
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 279
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 120
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