It was almost time for class, so Ethan Jones took the book to Mrs. Pince, who was sitting behind the counter, and handed it to her, saying, "I'd like to borrow this book."
Mrs. Pince took the book, registered the title and his name: "Return it within two weeks. Also, do not damage or soil the book."
"Okay, thank you, Mrs. Pince." He thanked her politely, put the book in his bag, and headed towards the History of Magic classroom on the second floor.
He didn't arrive early this time; the Slytherins who had learned their lesson that morning had already mostly arrived.
Ethan Jones glanced around and saw that there was an empty seat next to Draco, so he sat down.
While there was still time, based on some information he had read in the book, he tentatively asked, "Draco, as a Pure-blood, don't you have any bloodline talents?"
"How could we not have them! As members of the noble Malfoy family, how could we not have innate talent!" These words seemed to enrage Draco, who shouted loudly, and everyone in the classroom heard him.
"What are you yelling about!" Ethan Jones's eyes widened, and a red light flashed in them that he didn't notice.
Draco sensed danger, and he finally realized that he hadn't been mistaken last night; his roommate's eyes had indeed flashed red.
At this moment, he finally realized why Ethan Jones had asked him that question: "You, have you awakened some kind of bloodline talent?"
"Hmm." There were quite a few people in the classroom, so he didn't reveal anything at this moment.
If he wasn't mistaken, Draco's eyes were filled with deep envy.
"It seems you must be a descendant of a Pure-blood family, or at the very least a Half-blood."
"Why do you say that? Don't Muggle-born wizards have awakened talents?"
He shook his head: "Yes, but very few. Muggle-born wizards, although they may have wizarding blood in their ancestors, have had their bloodline diluted over many generations. It's already quite an achievement for them to become wizards; very few of them awaken their talents further."
"Is that so?" Ethan Jones remained noncommittal. As a newbie who had just entered the wizarding world, he had no evidence to prove whether Draco's words were true or false, so he gave up for the time being.
"What talent have you awakened?"
Draco glanced somewhat awkwardly at the classmate who was secretly watching the two of them: "Talent is a very private matter. I'll tell you when we get back to the dorm. It's not convenient to talk about it now."
"Okay." He glanced at the equally curious little snakes and nodded.
However, he had a guess in his heart: Draco might have talent, but it was definitely not very strong. That was why he was so secretive and unwilling to reveal it in public. Otherwise, given his boastful personality, if his talent were strong, he would reveal it regardless of whether it was private or not.
"So, the question is, what kind of talent is a strong talent, and what is a weak talent? Is it determined by combat ability or something else? This book only provides a superficial analysis, and it is vague in these aspects."
Just then, the school bell rang, and a withered ghost wearing small, thick glasses passed through the wall and floated behind the podium.
"A ghost!" the Slytherins exclaimed.
"I am Professor Cuthbert Binns, History of Magic. Now, turn to the first page of your textbooks, and let's begin the lesson." The ghost's voice was flat and emotionless, and it had a buzzing quality that made people very uncomfortable.
Ignoring the murmurs of the Slytherins below the stage, he began reading from the first page in monotonous and tedious language.
Ethan Jones had initially been looking forward to seeing what level Professor Binns, who rarely appeared in the film, was at, but he quickly grew to dislike him.
Professor Binns's performance reminded him of the professors in college who simply read from the slides.
He rolled his eyes: "The book is right in front of us, can't I read it myself? Do you have to read it for me?!"
He didn't yet know what the professor's temperament was like, and he didn't dare to blatantly slip away, so he carefully flipped through the book he had just borrowed from the library, placing it under his thick, brick-like History of Magic textbook.
To appear attentive in class, he would occasionally look up and meet Professor Binns's eyes, trying to make eye contact.
But it was all in vain. Professor Binns's eyes were fixed on the back wall of the classroom, and he kept reciting the contents of the textbook, word for word.
Soon, Ethan Jones gave up the act and stopped pretending altogether. He pushed aside the History of Magic textbook that he had already roughly read and started reading extracurricular books openly.
Draco, who was sitting next to him, was practically drooling with envy. He hadn't expected that what could have been a very interesting History of Magic course would be so boring. He was so annoyed!
The bell rang, and Professor Binns's buzzing voice immediately stopped.
Professor Binns glanced at the gloating Slytherins: "Before the next class, hand in an essay about the lives of Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball, and make sure it's at least eighteen inches long."
"Oh! No!" A chorus of wails immediately erupted.
Professor Binns didn't care about any of that and disappeared through the wall again.
Ethan Jones finished packing his backpack and stood up: "I have things to do tonight. We'll talk about talent when I get back to my dorm."
Without waiting for Draco to speak, he walked toward the Great Hall as agreed.
Draco watched his retreating figure, pursed his lips, walked up to Crabbe and Goyle, and slapped their desks: "Get up! Class is over!"
The two people, who were sleeping soundly, were jolted awake.
Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, Crabbe, still somewhat dazed, stared blankly at the almost empty classroom. He slowly packed up his things and, along with Goyle, followed Draco like bodyguards, heading towards the dungeons.
When Ethan Jones arrived at the Great Hall, Hermione had already been waiting for a long time.
He put his backpack on the chair, took out his book, turned to the third page, and handed it to Hermione across from him.
"A Brief Analysis of the Origins of Bloodlines?" Hermione read the title above.
"Is the special ability you awakened a talent brought by your bloodline?" The intelligent girl quickly understood Ethan Jones's meaning after a brief glance at the two pages.
"Yes, I asked Draco during class just now, and he said he also has a special ability, but it needs to be kept secret, so we agreed to talk about it when we got back to the dorm tonight." He nodded, took the book, and placed it on the table.
Hermione said enviously, "That's wonderful. I wonder if I'll ever awaken my own bloodline talent."
Based on Draco's words, Ethan Jones knew that the chances were slim, but he still comforted Hermione by saying, "It's hard to say. Although the book says that talent usually manifests during Accidental Magic, it doesn't say that it can't be awakened during the growth process. I think you should still have a chance."
To prevent Hermione from realizing he was bluffing, he began to change the subject, diverting her attention to the History of Magic class he had just finished.
"Professor Binns assigned homework: write an 18-inch-long essay. Should I go to the library tonight to do some research?"
"Eighteen inches? That's quite long. I don't have anything planned for tonight, so I'll go to the library. How about History of Magic? Is it interesting? What kind of person is Professor Binns?"
Ethan Jones thought about the question seriously, but ultimately did not reveal anything.
Since Professor Binns's only highlight is the way the ghosts appear, if he were to cover that up, the course would lose all its appeal.
However, he couldn't bear to see Hermione waste a class, so he gave her his advice: "You'll see when you go, but I suggest you bring another book, like The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts or something else."
"Really? Professor Binns goes into such depth?" Hermione, unsuspecting, decided to bring another book to tomorrow's class.