Chapter 164: Power Upgrade, Soul Expressions
Early the next morning, looking thoroughly refreshed, Ethan left the Room of Requirement under cover of invisibility.
"Did you sneak out early this morning, or did you never come back to the dorm last night?" Draco asked the moment he ran into Ethan in the Great Hall, having woken to find him missing.
"Had some things to take care of. I didn't make it back to the dorm last night." Ethan didn't see the point in hiding it.
Draco noted the date and immediately understood what "things to take care of" meant.
Remembering the chaos in the dorm last time, Draco wanted to ask if Ethan had suffered another magic surge. After a moment's thought, though, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Of course, even if Draco had asked, Ethan wouldn't have told him the truth.
The second magic surge could be explained away by claiming the first one hadn't fully released his potential. A third time wouldn't be so easy to dismiss.
The official explanation for Ethan's second magic surge, the one Draco and the others had witnessed, had been agreed upon by Snape and Dumbledore and shared with a select few insiders.
Noting the look on Draco's face, the way he clearly wanted to say something but held himself back, Ethan decided it was better to take the initiative and lie before Draco's imagination ran wild.
"Nothing happened last night. I was just worried. I slept right through until dawn."
Draco believed him, seeing Ethan's serious expression. After all, he really didn't want to believe someone could suffer three magic surges in three consecutive nights.
Having successfully deceived Draco, Ethan enjoyed a fine breakfast in the Great Hall. Then, following his plan, he left the castle and made his way toward Hagrid's hut.
As he walked, he mulled over the scene he had glimpsed earlier.
"What are you doing here so early? It's not Sunday, is it?" Hagrid opened the door in surprise and welcomed Ethan inside.
"I had nothing to do this morning, so I came to practice spells," Ethan said, looking at the blurry, indistinct soul phantom within Hagrid's body.
Earlier in the Great Hall, he had activated his special vision, wanting to check if his ability to see soul fragments had changed.
The result was a host of phantoms filling his vision, one inside every person he saw.
He realized then that he should be able to see a person's soul.
However, the Great Hall had been crowded at the time. Afraid of a repeat of the last incident, when a flood of ghosts had flashed before his eyes, he had quickly switched off the ability.
But now, with only Hagrid in the hut, he could finally observe properly.
"Sit down. I'll brew some tea." Hagrid stood up and busied himself. Ethan watched from behind, observing how the phantom within Hagrid, which must be his soul, moved in sync with him.
*What did Voldemort's soul look like?* The main soul that revealed itself last time appeared as a fragment, but that was just how it looked while possessing Quirrell. *Once he resurrects, will he remain in that fragmented state?*
*If someone's soul split from committing murder, what would it look like?*
*What about someone who had made only one Horcrux?* *What kind of defect would their soul have?*
Ethan pondered these questions as he watched Hagrid's soul moving in sync with his body.
He had been so absorbed in brewing potions that he hadn't come out for weekend spell practice in two weeks.
Over tea, he caught up with Hagrid on how things were going.
Hagrid seemed to have plenty more to say, but Ethan had come to the Forbidden Forest for a specific purpose. He needed to test the changes in his abilities and practice controlling his magic to avoid causing trouble as he had in yesterday afternoon's Charms class.
After promising Hagrid he would stop by for tea on Sunday, Ethan left the hut and headed for the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where he cast spells to his heart's content.
He began by testing the strength of his current magic with Meteorological Charms. Satisfied, he moved on to practicing other spells in the snow.
Noon arrived quickly. Having already experienced a magical surge, Ethan made solid progress in his practice, regaining nearly half his previous control.
Taking advantage of the setting, Ethan also tested his innate charm and deterrence. There was definitely an enhancement, though it was hard to quantify. His abilities had been incredibly strong to begin with, so for the creatures living at the forest's edge, there wasn't much of a difference.
It was time for lunch. Ethan didn't go back inside the hut. Instead, he shouted through the door, "Hagrid, I'm heading out!"
"Don't forget to come on Sunday!" Hagrid opened the door and stuck his head out.
"Won't forget!" Ethan waved, turned, and walked toward the castle.
Hagrid stepped onto the patch of snow still lingering at the doorstep, the remnants of Ethan's Snow-Making Spell that hadn't fully melted, and murmured, "Truly remarkable."
Although Hagrid had been busy inside for most of the morning, he had caught a glimpse of Ethan casting the spell through the window earlier.
By the time Ethan had walked some distance away, he could no longer hear Hagrid's whisper.
He was considering a specific question. As a former Death Eater, had Snape committed murder, leaving his soul torn as a result?
*I will verify this theory during Potions class this afternoon.*
During the first Charms class and the second Transfiguration class that afternoon, Ethan secretly activated his vision. After a brief observation, he confirmed that both professors had intact souls.
After a short break, they descended to the dungeons for the final lesson of the week: Potions.
To keep Snape from noticing he was staring, Ethan waited until the professor turned his back. Then, he activated his ability and carefully examined Snape's soul from behind.
The moment Snape turned around, Ethan lowered his head slightly and glanced up. Once he had clearly seen the state of his soul from the front, he deactivated his special vision.
Ethan thought, *Snape's soul actually shows no sign of tearing either. Is there anyone else in the school who bears the marks of a torn soul?*
*Could Dumbledore have a trace of a torn soul?* He considered the old man's early history, but he couldn't be certain.
Ethan turned his attention back to Snape. Just as he had expected, there were no obvious defects or cracks on the professor's soul.
This left Ethan uncertain about what the phrase "killing tears the soul" from Secrets of the Darkest Art actually meant.
According to Snape's earlier remarks about developing new potions, his inventions must have undergone human trials. Among those death row inmates and dangerous criminals, someone must have died because of them.
However, their deaths hadn't caused Snape's soul to tear.
*Does this mean it doesn't count as killing?* Ethan didn't know, but he wanted to understand the nuances.
*Then what exactly counts as killing? What kind of soul becomes torn? What precisely does a defective soul look like?*
Questions flooded Ethan's mind, but there was only one he could currently answer. He knew what a defective soul looked like.
That was because there was a professor at the school whose soul had become defective for a specific reason: Professor Kettleburn.
After Potions class, Ethan didn't go to the Great Hall for dinner. Instead, he waited near the professor's office, watching for him to appear.
*He's coming.* Hearing the thumping sound from afar, Ethan knew the professor was returning, leaning on his crutch.
Ethan pretended to be a student just passing by, activated his ability, and walked toward the professor.
"Hello, Professor."
"Ah, Jones. Hello," the professor replied with a smile, then continued toward the office, his crutch thumping with each step.
After brushing past Professor Kettleburn, Ethan was left with more questions than answers.
As for the question of soul defects, he now had his answer.
Professor Kettleburn's hands and feet, the ones he had physically lost, were indeed defective in his soul as well.
And unlike the physical wounds that had healed, his bitten-off parts showed no signs of healing. They remained permanently broken, with visible teeth marks where they'd been torn away.
Now, what Ethan found strange was something else entirely: the expression of the soul.
When he'd previously observed Hagrid, he hadn't noticed this problem. But while observing Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall, he had already detected a slight disconnect between their soul expressions and physical expressions, though it was very subtle.
And now, with Snape and Professor Kettleburn as additional samples, he finally confirmed it: the expressions of souls and bodies could be out of sync!
Like with Professor Kettleburn just now, as he approached Ethan and before he smiled in greeting, his soul was already smiling.
As for the Potions Professor, Ethan carefully recalled the brief glimpse during class: *Snape's expression seemed to be... sadness?*
He wasn't entirely sure. He could only confirm that Snape's expression was uglier than the indifferent look he'd given when he turned his head.
"So, what exactly is going on with soul expressions?" Ethan had come up with several theories and decided to test them on his roommates that night.
After dinner, Ethan didn't linger elsewhere. He returned to the Slytherin common room, settled onto a sofa, activated his ability, and began observing the students coming and going.
*Clearly smiling, but the soul is expressionless. Is this the most obvious sign of a smile without warmth?*
*This one matches. Both soul and body are smiling. Must be genuine.*
*And this one was calm at first, but after getting into an argument, the soul started showing anger too. So real emotions do affect the soul's expression.*
After about an hour of observation, Ethan had a rough understanding of how soul expressions worked.
"I won't experiment on you lot." Ethan glanced at Draco, who sat at the table looking rather dejected after losing a game of Wizarding Cards, and then examined his soul.
He felt he'd tentatively answered his questions on the matter, but the discovery didn't seem particularly useful.
*Even if I can clearly see the base color of a person's soul, whether sadness, joy, or something else, so what? I can judge a person's true emotional state from the mismatch between their soul and their expression, but it's basically useless.*
Ethan shook his head. He felt this discovery lacked practical value. He couldn't figure out how to use it at the moment, but he was still very satisfied with this upgrade to his abilities.
*Being able to see a person's soul is a remarkable ability in its own right. I doubt even Polyjuice Potion can change a person's soul. This way, I can instinctively confirm if someone is in disguise.*
Thinking of the various scenarios involving Polyjuice Potion, Ethan smiled. He could essentially be the nemesis of such trickery. He could see at a glance whether a person was truly themselves.
Ethan entered the boys' dormitory, greeting Nancy, who had just returned from outside.
*Why does Nancy's soul also look somewhat pained? Is it because of her life in the orphanage? I wonder what kind of expression my soul would have.*
"There is no way to see my own soul, and that's truly a pity." He shook his head with a hint of regret.
Sitting at his desk to write down his discoveries, Ethan continued practicing his magical control with the Wand-Lighting Charm in the dormitory, striving to regain his previous level as soon as possible.
Early the next morning, Ethan secretly observed Severus Snape's soul in his office. *Snape's expression really is sad. I didn't expect that after more than a decade, this sadness would be so deeply etched into his soul, becoming his permanent expression.*
Ethan looked at Snape's soul, feeling both admiration and pity. It was a complicated mix of emotions.
However, once class started, these complex feelings faded when he discovered that Snape's attitude toward him had changed yet again.
Snape had actually become almost gentle.
When Snape turned around, Ethan even caught a trace of a smile on his face.
Ethan was so accustomed to Snape's usual cold demeanor that this sudden shift left him off-balance. He couldn't understand what had triggered such a drastic change in the Potions Master's attitude. Terrified that Snape might suddenly turn on him again, Ethan listened with bated breath.
However, it wasn't long before Ethan realized the reason. It was Adams' Projection Spell.
Snape first outlined the protocols for submitting articles to The Practical Potioneer, a journal dedicated to the study of potions.
Then Snape mentioned the spell and offered a few words of praise. Ethan, who had never been on the receiving end of compliments from the man with the perpetually cold expression, felt a surge of delighted surprise.
It made sense. Snape had seen the journal, which explained the change in attitude. Everything stemmed from that spell.
Through that spell, he must have seen the person he'd missed for so long. Ethan felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Ethan cursed silently. *You could've just asked me directly! I mentioned it at the time and even planned to teach you the spell. Instead, you ended the class and kicked me out.*
*I don't know what mood you were in last week, either. You looked absolutely foul.*
What Ethan didn't know, however, was that after he had been dismissed that day, Snape had gone straight to the West Tower to learn the spell from Professor Flitwick.
Snape's foul mood last week wasn't the reason for his suspicions, either.
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