#134 - Section 134

The Thunderbird mother noticed Ethan's arrival and immediately flew down to him, landing gently and making cheerful calls.

Ethan stuffed a handful of energy cubes into her beak, then nimbly flipped himself onto her back.

After joining the other four Thunderbirds, Ethan voiced his request.

They naturally didn't refuse, and promptly carried Ethan into the air, reaching the lower edge of the clouds.

There, they flew around and circled,鸣叫 constantly, causing the clouds to grow darker and darker, with lightning beginning to flash within them.

At that moment, Ethan used the Weather Charm, directly controlling a large patch of dark clouds.

A torrential rain fell with thunderous roars, and the Thunderbirds carried Ethan through the lightning and dark clouds.

Ethan found that his control over the Weather Charm was becoming more and more skilled, his level rising at a visibly rapid pace.

Moreover, on the Thunderbirds' backs, the lightning intentionally avoided him; not that Ethan was afraid of it anyway.

With his lightning affinity talent, the moment he touched the lightning, Ethan could use magic to control it—not to mold it into shapes, but to direct it with his wand to strike in any direction he chose.

Once the surrounding area was drenched in heavy rain, Ethan had the Thunderbirds take him back.

Ethan didn't need to worry about what came next. At the current rate, the clouds would dissipate in just an hour or two.

He just wondered if the condition of needing a thunderstorm with lightning, after burying the Mandrake leaf and saliva, could be assisted by the Thunderbirds. If so, it would be extremely simple.

He could try it in a couple of days when the clouds were thicker.

However, Ethan quickly abandoned the idea, deciding it was best to leave this step to nature.

He wasn't sure if altering the environment with magic would cause any problems.

Today's condition was moonlight; changing the weather now didn't matter, as the Thunderbirds were only affecting the clouds, not the moon.

That evening, Ethan went alone to the Forbidden Forest, to the location of the Acromantula's nest.

Thanks to the heavy rain in the morning, the weather had cleared up by the afternoon.

Now, moonlight illuminated the earth, promising another fine day tomorrow.

Taking out a crystal phial, Ethan spat into it until it was about two-thirds full.

Then, he took out the Mandrake leaf and soaked it in the saliva-filled crystal phial.

He held it up to the moon, allowing it to fully absorb the pure moonlight.

As expected of a Mandrake leaf, after being soaked for a month, its appearance hadn't changed much. An ordinary leaf would have rotted away long ago.

After about ten minutes, Ethan added a strand of his own hair and a teaspoon of dew. This dew was collected by Ethan deep in the Forbidden Forest, from a place that had never seen sunlight, and had never been touched by humans.

Finally, he added a Death's-Head Hawkmoth pupa, and buried the mixture under a rock not far from the Acromantula's nest.

He instructed the Acromantula to absolutely not disturb the area, and not to pass by or eat there.

Chapter 170: Visiting Hogsmeade

The last day of October was Halloween Eve, and also a Saturday!

Early in the morning, everyone gathered in the Great Hall, excitedly discussing the trip to Hogsmeade Village.

Mainly, the third-year students were surrounding the older students, begging them to recommend fun activities.

There were only so many shops on the surface, but as the only entirely wizarding village in Great Britain, and the largest gathering place for wizards, you could always find what you wanted there if you had enough Galleons.

After breakfast, Ethan and Cassandra met up with Penelope and the others, and headed towards the gates of Hogwarts together.

Filch was already waiting there, holding a long piece of parchment.

When the time came, Filch took the parchment and began checking everyone's name. Only those on the list could go to Hogsmeade Village.

Harry, having reconciled with his aunt's family, naturally got his guardian's signature, and was now standing in the crowd, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

As for Ron, Ethan didn't see him.

After checking everyone with Mrs. Norris and confirming that no one was sneaking in, Filch began arranging for people to take the Thestral carriages to Hogsmeade Village.

Ethan and the others got into a carriage. Normally, these seated four people comfortably, but they could squeeze in.

For example, right now, Ethan was holding Penelope in his arms, letting her sit on his lap. It was most comfortable to hold her.

Once the carriage started moving, Ethan opened the box and let Nagini out, seating her between Cassandra and Hermione.

Ethan couldn't possibly leave her in the Ravenclaw Chamber of Secrets while everyone else went out to play!

The Thestrals didn't seem to mind the extra weight.

Before long, the carriage began to slow down, eventually stopping on a side road.

The young wizards who got out of the carriage curiously looked around, while others headed purposefully in one direction.

Arriving at the commercial shops in Hogsmeade Village, beautifully dressed witches stood outside each shop, soliciting customers.

On the days when Hogwarts students came, the turnover of Hogsmeade Village's commercial street would increase exponentially.

Unlike Ethan, who didn't follow the rules at all, Hermione had genuinely never been to Hogsmeade Village. Nagini, of course, was even more of a stranger to it.

Pulling Ethan along, Hermione first went to Honeydukes Sweetshop. After receiving the notice that they could come to Hogsmeade Village, Hermione had thoroughly questioned the older Gryffindor students about it.

The place she was most interested in was Honeydukes Sweetshop. Although she was born into a dentist family, that didn't mean she didn't like to eat snacks. Before coming to Hogwarts, she had simply restrained herself.

But after learning that potions could completely solve the problem of cavities, Hermione no longer had such concerns. It wasn't that she ate snacks as meals, but that the frequency was slightly higher than before, about the same as ordinary young wizards.

Arriving at Honeydukes Sweetshop, the entrance was filled with the scent of various sweets. Several young wizards had already arrived, and a large group was heading in that direction.

The shop was also newly decorated, with considerable changes compared to when Ethan had visited before.

On the shelves directly opposite the entrance, there were various chocolates, as well as their signature Fizzing Whizbees.

On the walls of the shop, there were also various advertisements, some for Lockhart, some for Fudge, and one for a beautiful witch in her twenties, wearing revealing clothing, her eyes closed and full of charm, holding half a chocolate in her mouth and offering it forward. Of course, these were all animated.

Ethan didn't know who the witch was. He hadn't seen any reports about her in the magazines and newspapers he regularly ordered, but her appearance and figure were top-notch, and even Ethan couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

Ethan could understand the unknown witch and Lockhart accepting endorsements, but Ethan couldn't figure out why Fudge was also accepting endorsements.

Actually, Dumbledore would have been the most suitable. He loved these desserts. I reckon offering him a year's worth of afternoon tea sweets would have sealed the endorsement deal. Too bad the landlady doesn't have an eye for talent.

And now, the landlady of Honeydukes is showcasing a new product.

She popped a blue bubble gum into her mouth, chewed it a few times, and then began to blow endless bubbles the color of bluebells, which floated out of the shop.

This commotion once again attracted many people to enter the shop.

"Ethan, do you know what's going on?"

Hermione's eyes sparkled with excitement. How could a teenage girl resist this?

"It should be a reaction caused by some kind of potion. Buy some if you want."

The prices here weren't too expensive. A Galleon could get you a small bag. As long as the young wizards weren't too poor, they could afford it.

Watching Hermione happily run off to pick out sweets, Ethan said to Nagini, who was beside him:

"Feel free to take anything you're interested in. I'll pay for it at the end."

At this moment, the landlady, having finished her demonstration, walked over with a smile on her face: "Ethan, I'll give you a 20% discount later!"

She liked young wizards like Ethan, who always spent a lot and never haggled.

Especially before Christmas, his individual spending was higher than her daily turnover. It took several owls to deliver his orders.

"Thank you!"

Ethan nodded in thanks. They had known each other for quite some time.

The passage that Ethan, Fred, and George used to travel to Hogsmeade Village led directly to the basement of Honeydukes Sweetshop, and they had a good relationship thanks to the twins' introduction.

He usually bought sweets here when he needed gifts because their ingredients were real and the taste was good. (ceei) Oh, and this is also a new product this year. Would you like to try it?

The landlady handed over a package of black bread slices.

"It's not a prank product, is it?"

Ethan looked at the landlady with some suspicion.

Don't underestimate this sweet shop. Some of the stuff isn't meant to be eaten casually. For example, an early product, Acid Pops, could burn a hole in your tongue.

Fizzing Whizbees, the kind that explode. Although they don't cause injury, the pain is real, and your head buzzes for several minutes.

Ethan hadn't tried these, but the twins had, and they had used them to prank others.

"No, don't worry. I'm not Fred or George. I'll definitely tell you in advance if it's a prank product."

The landlady patted her chest to assure him, but now that she was over fifty, she didn't have much appeal.

Those prank sweets were made to suit the tastes of some wizards and weren't the main products of the shop.

Besides, Ethan was a big customer. You'd have to be crazy to offend him.

Since the landlady said so, Ethan took out a piece of bread, and gave the rest to Penelope and the others.

The bread slice was black pepper flavored. Although it was a bit strange, the taste was not bad, but it was a bit pungent.

As Cho Chang sneezed, a burst of red flame shot out of her nose.

Ethan also took a deep breath, and then a burst of red flame suddenly shot out of his nose.

Reaching out to feel it, it only looked like a flame. In fact, it was red smoke. Ethan had felt something was off.

As for the specific ingredients added, Ethan wouldn't investigate. They were all researched by themselves and could be considered a trade secret.

Moreover, the effects of these potions weren't great, just interesting.

When the other young wizards saw Ethan eating the black bread slice, they immediately asked the landlady about it.

Compared to blowing bubbles just now, the young wizards felt that breathing fire was more interesting.

"Little Black Pepper Imps, that's its name. Over here, the quantity is definitely sufficient."

The landlady led the young wizards to a shelf and began to introduce it.

Honeydukes Sweetshop launches two new products every year, and this year's are Little Black Pepper Imps and the Chewing Gum Bubble Blower.

Ethan didn't squeeze over. Instead, he took Cassandra's hand and strolled around the shop. She wasn't interested in these snacks.

Cho Chang and Penelope also went to Hermione's side. It could only be said that Honeydukes Sweetshop was successful this year. The fire-breathing bread attracted young wizards, and the bubble gum that could blow blue bubbles attracted young witches.

After packing some Cockroach Clusters, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and Fizzing Whizbees, Ethan took Cassandra out. The shop was already quite crowded.

Many young wizards regarded this place as the first stop on their tour of Hogsmeade.

After coming out, Ethan immediately used a transformation spell to turn the cockroach-shaped chocolates that were constantly crawling in the bag into normal chocolate balls.

After trying Cockroach Clusters at Dumbledore's place, Ethan felt that the chocolate tasted quite good. He would occasionally buy some and then cast a transformation spell to make them normal, otherwise it would really be a bit disgusting.

After Hermione and the others came out carrying large and small packages, Ethan and his group headed to their second stop.

The Three Broomsticks Pub!

By the time Ethan and the others entered, many young wizards had gathered here, sitting in twos and threes.

From time to time, some young wizards would peek at Madam Rosmerta, the landlady.

This pretty widow could be called a flower of Hogsmeade. She received countless love letters every year, and the young wizards of Hogwarts contributed a lot to them.

Early in the morning, Ethan and the others naturally wouldn't order any alcohol, just some violet water and Umberella Cherry syrup soda.

Mainly, Hermione wanted to see why this famous tavern was so attractive, otherwise Ethan wouldn't want to come.

Although Madam Rosmerta was still charming, she was already over forty and really wasn't his type. He couldn't appreciate her.

Chapter 171: Fred's Girlfriend

Lunch was also eaten at the Three Broomsticks Pub. They had all the usual food.

In the afternoon, Ethan and Cassandra were abandoned by Hermione and the other four. They were going to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

This was a large clothing chain in the wizarding world. Not only in Britain, but also in Paris, France, they had stores.

They mainly sold women's clothing, including luxurious clothing made of magical animal fur, and of course, the price was quite expensive.

But Hermione and the others could now be considered minor rich people.

Last school year, they had won several thousand Galleons in the Wizarding Dueling Competition held by Lockhart, which was enough to cover these expenses.

Ethan and Cassandra, each holding a glass of Umbrella Cherry syrup soda, strolled hand in hand on the roads of Hogsmeade Village.