Chapter 86: Letters, Letters, Letters
Boom! Dark clouds suddenly gathered above the Forbidden Forest, thunder rumbled, and lightning, accompanied by rain, struck several running wild rabbits.
The wild rabbits, their fur soaked by the rain, turned into charcoal instantly after being hit by lightning.
He still needed to improve. About half of the lightning missed its target and struck the trees instead, Ethan thought.
The thunderstorm came and went quickly. In just a few seconds, the dark clouds dispersed.
Hermione pushed open Hagrid's door, and the three of them ran toward Ethan.
Ethan waved to them as they called him, turned around, patted Fang's head, who was scared out of his wits, and then cast a Rain-Making Spell (or Atmospheric Charm) to extinguish the fire ignited on the lightning-struck wood.
"What happened just now? Why did I hear thunder? Did it rain here just now, or did you cast some magic? I saw some trees on fire," asked the skinny Harry, who was running in front.
"I cast a Thunderstorm Spell to test its power." Ethan shrugged.
Standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, several people watched wild rabbits and other small animals running frantically toward the interior, clearly frightened by the thunderstorm just now.
Hagrid also came out, lagging behind, then strode forward. "Oh, Merlin's beard! Luckily, you didn't set the forest on fire."
Ethan Jones comforted the gamekeeper. "I know my limits, Hagrid. Don't worry."
Of course, judging by Hagrid's actions, he probably didn't believe it much.
Hagrid took Fang for a walk in the forest where it had rained, confirming that the lightning strike just now hadn't left any hidden fire, before returning to the hut with muddy feet.
Taking off his overcoat and tidying his hair, damp from the rain on the leaves, Hagrid sat in the chair closest to the fireplace, staring unblinkingly at the dragon egg.
Seeing Hagrid's obsessed look, Ethan knew that the three of them had either not persuaded him or had failed to persuade him.
He didn't waste his breath any more. Even if it were discovered, Dumbledore would cover for him, so it wouldn't be a big problem.
The old man wouldn't drive Hagrid away, even though he did cause quite a bit of trouble.
After the four said goodbye, they returned to the library to rush through their holiday homework.
After Ethan finished his homework, he began spending less time in the library. He often appeared in the Room of Requirement, researching improvements to Dark Magic spells and the Thunderstorm Spell.
On the third-to-last day of the Easter holidays, he received a letter from Cyril Shafiq.
The moment he received the letter, he was confused. He didn't know why this old man, his biological grandfather, would still send him a letter when he had already politely refused to meet him.
Opening the letter, he found the contents inside were very simple:
"Child, I want to meet you to talk about some secrets hidden in our bloodline, especially at this critical moment.
"I have obtained the consent of your adoptive parents to meet with you. I must say, they are genuinely reasonable and good people.
"See you in the Headmaster's office at seven tonight."
The signature was Cyril Shafiq.
Before the second letter arrived, rage soared in his heart. The red light in his eyes flickered like flames.
He didn't know what method this old man had used to persuade his parents, whether it was emotion or some disgraceful magical means.
He immediately took out a pen and paper, scrawled a letter, intending to have Edward act as an urgent messenger to send their reply.
Just as he was halfway through his letter, he received the second letter of the day, from Sofia.
"Dear Ethan, my child.
"Before your biological grandfather came to visit, we hadn't expected that you had discovered this secret we had kept for over ten years on your own.
"Yes, you are not our biological child. We adopted you from the orphanage.
"We're sorry, Ethan. We didn't intentionally hide your background; we just didn't want to add unnecessary burdens to your life before you came of age.
"We originally planned to tell you the truth after you became an adult, and let you decide whether to seek out your biological parents or stay with us.
"But your grandfather's visit made us realize that your biological parents have passed away, which fills us with guilt.
"Child, we hope you don't blame us for keeping this from you for so many years, and we hope you can grow up happy.
"Additionally, your grandfather said he has important things to discuss with you regarding the secret of your bloodline.
"I think we have no reason to refuse the humble request of a lonely, helpless old man.
"Finally, we love you."
On the letter paper, there were traces of water droplets that had wet it and then dried, causing some of the handwriting to smudge and become blurry.
Many words were written hesitantly, leaving deep impressions on the paper, almost tearing the rather thick letter paper.
From this letter, he could feel his mother Sofia's guilt, hesitation, and deep love.
"Mom, how could I blame you?" Ethan clutched the letter to his chest, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.
He recalled every detail of his childhood. Tears dripped from his smooth cheeks onto the table.
It was breakfast time. Though it was a holiday and the hall wasn't crowded, a few people were still present.
His behavior deterred some girls who had initially planned to approach and comfort him.
After a long moment, Ethan wiped his tears with his sleeve, tore up the half-written letter, and started over.
[Dear Mom and Dad, please don't blame yourselves or feel guilty. I knew this news when I enrolled. I was afraid you would be sad, so I hid it from you. I don't want to leave you or this home. I have always been your child, I was before, I am now, and I will be in the future.]
The signature was [Your child forever, Ethan Jones]
Though he had a thousand words to say, when it came to writing, only these few pale and feeble sentences remained.
He didn't know how much impact these few sentences would have on them, but there was no other way for him to appear before them now.
In truth, he wished he could go home immediately and tell them face-to-face how much he loved them, but the train to and from Hogwarts had already left, and he couldn't go back for now.
Rolling up the letter, he stood and walked toward the Owlery. He wanted to send it now, immediately, right away.
Wait, Dumbledore! I can ask him for help to go home. As soon as the letter was sent, he thought of that smiling old man.
As the Headmaster, he must have a way to let him go home.
He ran wildly toward the Headmaster's office.
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