Chapter 163: 42
Chapter 42: Hogsmeade
"If you want your dream to come true, what's the first step?"
"Wake up!"
As Ethan answered, the door to the common room swung open.
"Where have you been?"
As Ethan walked back to the dormitory, he suddenly heard a deep voice behind him, tinged with a hint of irritation.
Ethan shivered. Who could that be?
He had been so focused on returning to the dormitory that he hadn't noticed anyone else. Besides, it was unusual for anyone to be in the common room at this hour!
"Please don't scare me like that!"
Turning around, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.
"Scare you? I'm the only one here; can't you see that?"
"Tell me, where did you go in the middle of the night?"
Penelope approached Ethan, arms crossed. This week, she had noticed that Ethan was acting oddly. He was late to rise in the morning and looked unrested.
On the first day, he claimed he didn't recognize his bed, which made no sense if he was truly insomniac.
To uncover the truth, she had waited for him tonight. Otherwise, she would have had to check the boys' dormitory directly.
"Night run!"
Ethan met Penelope's gaze, speaking with determination.
"A night run? It's almost three o'clock. Do you expect me to believe you went for a run at this hour? Are you questioning my intelligence?"
"Just admit you were on a date with that little witch. I might cover for you."
Penelope was clearly upset, her frustration evident in her posture.
"It's late, Penelope. It's time to go to bed. Staying up late is a woman's natural enemy. It causes wrinkles"
Ethan was exasperated. He hadn't expected to be confronted tonight.
Except for the first day, Ethan had been leaving around ten and returning around one or two. Today, he had hoped to return later to rest, only to be intercepted.
"Enough of this. Tell me the truth about why you're out so late. I'm the prefect, after all."
Penelope gestured to her prefect badge with a determined expression.
"Why are you out so late? Are you practicing magic?"
Ethan decided to tell the truth. His midnight outings were not romantic but rather for secret practice.
At Hogwarts, it was forbidden to practice magic in the corridors. The open spaces outside the castle were allowed, but most spells could be practiced quietly in the dormitory.
"Well, if you want, I can show you the Room of Requirement at 10 o'clock tomorrow night."
There was no need to hide the Room of Requirement as long as it wasn't widely known.
Ethan used it solely for practicing magic, not just one room.
"Alright, 10 p.m. it is. I'll be waiting for you here!"
Penelope flashed a sweet smile at Ethan before heading back to the girls' dormitory to catch up on her sleep.
Ethan sighed as he returned to the dormitory. Penelope's behavior seemed a bit suspicious!
But there was nothing wrong with being cautious.
Time to rest. He had plans to meet the Weasley twins in the afternoon for a trip to Hogsmeade.
...
Afternoon, 2:30 p.m.
In the dark, narrow passage, Ethan and his companions had been walking for nearly an hour. The passage changed from stone walls to muddy surroundings, with occasional water dripping from the ceiling.
This passage, located beneath the one-eyed witch statue, led to a secret exit in the basement of Honeydukes Sweet Shop.
"We're almost there!"
Fred, leading the way with a light spell, turned to Ethan and offered a reminder.
Soon, Fred pushed open the concealed cover, and Ethan and George followed him into a storeroom.
After using a cleaning charm to brush off the dirt, they arrived at Honeydukes Candy Store. They were quite familiar with this place.
The scent of fudge wafted through the air. Although it was tempting, Ethan wasn't keen on eating it. The sweets were overly sugary. He had enjoyed the ice cream from Diagon Alley more.
Inside the shop, they took their time. Fred and George still needed to shop.
They bought an assortment of candies including toffees, nougat, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and Chocolate Frogs. They also picked up Jelly Slugs, Cockroach Clusters, Ice Mice, Toad-shaped Cream Mints, Sour Lollipops, and Exploding Candies.
They weren't buying these just for themselves; they acted as middlemen.
Students in third year and above had to be accompanied by a school representative and had their parents' permission to visit Hogsmeade Village. Visits were limited to a few times a year.
Honeydukes' products were popular among young wizards, so there was no concern about selling them.
Of course, pricing had to be reasonable.
As the twins said, making a lot of money was not their goal—just enough to make some pocket money.
Ethan finally understood why, despite the Weasley family's financial constraints, the twins still had money for things like betting on the Quidditch World Cup. They were indeed making a profit.
Next, Ethan followed the twins to Zonko's Joke Shop. This time, they didn't indulge in a shopping spree but purchased five large dung bombs and left.
Four were for their own use. If Slytherin caused trouble in the next Quidditch match, they would place two on Slytherin's long table and two on their common room door.
The fifth dung bomb was promised to Peeves, the poltergeist whom Ethan had petrified. Peeves had been petrified for almost three days and had targeted the twins while Ethan was in his Disillusionment state.
To make amends, the twins had promised to deliver the dung bomb to him.
They then visited the Three Broomsticks for Butterbeer. The drink was light on alcohol and quite enjoyable, so Ethan bought some.
The owner of the Three Broomsticks, a charming widow in her forties, made the place lively with a crowd of middle-aged and elderly wizards.
Their final stop was at Bruce's Pet Shop. With the twins' help, Ethan purchased all the frogs in the shop for fifteen Galleons as live feed.
There were likely thousands of frogs, which Ethan placed in an oversized fish tank he had prepared in advance with a hidden expansion spell.
The tank, slightly smaller than Ethan's four-person dormitory, had been transformed and enhanced to last for two weeks.
Finally, they bought some special potion oil from a local shop.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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