Ethan Jones swallowed the last bite of food, glanced at the clock in the hall, and extended an invitation to Hermione: "Would you like to come with me to find Professor McGonagall?"
"Of course I'm going, we already agreed." Hermione's mood improved, and she chewed faster.
Hermione grabbed her backpack: "Let's go."
The two walked against the flow of people out of the Great Hall, through the foyer, and for quite a distance before finally reaching the second floor of the castle.
Professor McGonagall was having lunch when they knocked on her office door.
"Come in."
Ethan Jones opened the door: "Professor McGonagall, it's me, Ethan Jones. I have a question for you."
"What's the problem?" McGonagall put down her knife and fork and invited the two of them to sit on the sofa.
"About my background." He stared intently into McGonagall's eyes and, sure enough, caught a fleeting glint of light in them.
"Have you noticed too? I'm a Muggle-born student, but I was sorted into Slytherin, a House known for its bloodlines." He quickly pressed for an answer.
"Yes, child, although I don't know exactly what happened, there are only two possibilities now—the Sorting Hat changed the sorting rules, or you are at least a Half-blood wizard."
McGonagall's face showed pity; clearly, she didn't believe the Sorting Hat had suddenly changed the principles that had been upheld for centuries and passed down from Slytherin.
She then comforted Ethan Jones, saying, "But child, whether you are your parents' biological child or not, their love for you is genuine. I could tell from just half a day of interaction with them."
"Professor, I have never doubted my parents' love for me. I just want to find out the truth." Ethan Jones was speechless. From Hermione to McGonagall, everyone was talking about him.
"That's good." Professor McGonagall seemed relieved. "Don't worry, I discovered this problem at the Sorting Ceremony yesterday and spoke with your Head of House Snape and Professor Dumbledore."
The Headmaster promised to borrow an alchemical apparatus from his friend to determine your bloodline.
"Oh, is that so? Thank you, Professor." Ethan Jones was somewhat surprised, but he quickly realized that this friend was most likely the owner of the Sorcerer's Stone—the legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel.
"Does Granger have any questions?" Seeing that Ethan Jones's question had been resolved, she turned to ask the little girl who hadn't spoken until now.
Hermione shook her head: "No, Professor, I just came with him."
"If you two have nothing else, you may leave now. I need to finish my meal and rest for a while before preparing for my afternoon classes," Professor McGonagall said, signaling them to leave.
"Okay, goodbye, Professor." The two said goodbye, and the office door closed automatically after he left.
"Now that Dumbledore has intervened, you can rest assured that he will definitely find out the origin of your bloodline and uncover the truth!"
"Yes, I believe in Dumbledore." Ethan Jones nodded.
"It's still early. Are you planning to go back to your dorm to rest for a while, or do you want to do something else?"
Thinking of her two roommates who weren't exactly friendly to her, Hermione shook her head: "How about we go to the library? Hogwarts has so many books, and many of them are items you can't find at Flourish and Blotts."
"Okay, but before I go to the library, I want to go back to my dorm first to bring my History of Magic class this afternoon, so I won't be rushed later."
"Then I'll go back to Gryffindor Tower and take the Herbology textbook with me, so I won't have to go back to get it this afternoon."
The two agreed to meet at the library entrance, one going up and the other down, each heading towards their respective House dormitories.
Unbeknownst to him, Professor McGonagall, after quickly finishing her lunch, paced back and forth in her office: "How did Ethan discover he wasn't the biological son? Was it just because of the Sorting Hat's judgment? But judging from his certainty, it doesn't seem like it. We should probably consult Dumbledore."
After making up her mind, she hurriedly walked towards the Headmaster's office.
Ethan Jones quickly returned to the dungeons, retrieved what he needed, and bumped into the trio returning from the Great Hall before leaving.
"Ethan, is the girl you're with a Gryffindor first year?" Draco seemed to have forgotten that Hermione was the girl he met on the train.
Crabbe and Goyle each held a chicken leg in one hand and a small cake in the other.
"Yes, we're classmates from the same school." Ethan Jones didn't want to talk to Malfoy about Hermione any more.
"I'm going to the library now. Don't forget to leave early for the History of Magic class this afternoon."
After saying that, Ethan Jones pushed open the door and left.
Although short in stature, Goyle, who mostly appeared mentally challenged, was occasionally quite perceptive: "Draco, does he not like us? Why does he always leave in such a hurry?"
Draco's eyes flashed: "Ignore him. He's clearly at least a Half-blood wizard, yet he always hangs out with a Muggle-born. He's nothing like a Slytherin. It's shameful."
If Ethan Jones hadn't heard, he would have made sure the rude child learned a lesson.
When he arrived at the library, Hermione was already waiting for him.
Upon seeing Ethan Jones, she said mysteriously, "You'd never guess what I just saw."
"What? Could it be that a dragon attacked the Gryffindor Common Room?"
"Get out of here, let's get down to business. I just saw Professor McGonagall; she came from the Headmaster's office. I wonder if it's because of you."
"Maybe, who knows?" Ethan Jones shrugged.
He found a seat next to Hermione, put down his backpack, and began to walk among the bookshelves, browsing through most of the books whose names he had never even heard of.
Suddenly, he stopped in front of a bookshelf and pulled out a book with a blood-red spine.
He read the book title softly: A Brief Analysis of the Origin of Bloodlines and Some Talented Witchcraft.
The book cover depicted a dragon of an unknown species, spewing flames outwards.
The author's name was somewhat obscured; it's unclear whether it was deliberately erased or worn away over time.
He took the book back to his desk and started flipping through it from the first page, the table of contents.
"Fantastic Beasts books? You still love reading these." Hermione returned as well, glancing at the contents of the book.
He opened the book cover, pointed to the title, and said softly, "No, it's about bloodlines. You know, I awakened an ability during the accidental magic. I think this book can answer some of my questions, and might even bring some other surprises."
Hermione wanted to say something more, but Mrs. Pince, the librarian, shouted, "No noise allowed in the library!"
She quickly shut her mouth. Although Mrs. Pince might not be talking about her, continuing to speak now would definitely lead to trouble.
She gestured that they could talk later and opened a book she had taken from the bookshelf.
At 1:40, Hermione stopped reading, tapped Ethan Jones's arm, and signaled that she had to go to class.
To avoid being yelled at by Mrs. Pince again, he turned his head toward Hermione and whispered, "See you in the Great Hall tonight."
Perhaps they were getting too close, because Hermione felt a little uncomfortable. She blushed, pushed Ethan Jones away, glared at him, and quickly packed her bag and left.