Eavesdropping Hermione

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Ron was briefly stunned by Hermione's question but quickly regained his dismissive attitude.

"Probably Professor Ethan asked Mr. White to hand it over to us. This might be Professor Ethan's Christmas present to Harry!" Ron said casually.

Then, Ron's eyes lit up as he thought more about it, convinced his guess was correct.

"Do you think Professor Ethan will give me a Firebolt too?" Ron asked excitedly.

"God, Ron!" Hermione said, holding her forehead in frustration.

"Why don't you ask Mr. White directly?" Hermione suggested persuasively.

"We don't know him well, and it's unusual for him to suddenly give you such an expensive broomstick."

Harry thought about Hermione's words seriously and finally nodded.

"I should ask," Harry said. "After all, this is too expensive."

Harry stood up and walked toward Sirius Black, sitting at the professor's table.

"Professor White," Harry said, standing before Sirius to get his attention.

Sirius, engrossed in his meal, looked up and noticed Harry.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Sirius asked nervously, surprised that Harry had approached him.

"Professor White, why did you give me this Firebolt?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Do you like it?" Sirius asked nervously.

"I love it!" Harry said excitedly. But soon, he added with a pained expression, "Professor White, can you take it back? It's too expensive!"

Sirius looked at Harry blankly for a moment and then replied.

"Harry, I bought it, especially for you. Just enjoy it!" Sirius said seriously.

Harry wanted to say more, but Sirius stood up and walked out of the Great Hall before he could.

Harry scratched his head and returned to Ron and Hermione.

"What did Mr. White say?" Ron asked nervously.

"He said he bought it, especially for me," Harry said hesitantly.

"Great!" Ron cheered.

"But it's so weird!" Hermione said, still puzzled by Sirius' generosity.

"God, Hermione! You're being paranoid!" Ron said with a headache. He couldn't understand why Hermione had so many worries.

But his headache didn't last long as Ron's attention quickly returned to the Firebolt.

"Hey! Mate!" Ron slapped Harry on the shoulder.

"If Malfoy sees you with such a treasure, he'll be furious! The brooms their entire team has aren't worth the one in your hand!"

"Yeah!" Harry said, becoming happy at the thought. Imagining Malfoy's envious, jealous, and angry face made him feel ecstatic.

"Hey! Let's go outside and try this Firebolt!" Harry suggested excitedly.

"Great!" Ron said happily.

Harry stretched his hand towards the Firebolt, and the broom seemed to sense his presence, leaping forward and landing perfectly in his grasp.

This responsive design elicited a burst of admiration from both Harry and Ron.

With broad smiles, they held the brand-new, shiny Firebolt and headed to the Quidditch pitch to test it out.

Meanwhile, Ethan finally left the Ministry of Magic, feeling physically and mentally exhausted from the high-intensity work over the past few days.

Now that all urgent matters had been addressed, Ethan looked forward to returning to Hogwarts for a more leisurely and enjoyable life as a professor.

Before he departed, Fudge expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Ethan for his persistent support, promising to apply for a First Class Order of Merlin for him.

Ethan readily agreed; one could only have a few medals.

Traveling by Floo Powder, Ethan instantly arrived at Hogsmeade from the Ministry of Magic in London.

As he entered Hogwarts, he noticed Harry and Ron floating in the sky.

Soon, Ethan's brows furrowed as he recognized the exquisite Firebolt beneath Harry.

It was undoubtedly a gift from Sirius Black.

Ethan felt a pang of irritation because, in some ways, the Black family fortune was partly his own.

Ethan was angry and hurt by Sirius's reckless squandering of the Black family's wealth.

Determined to talk seriously with Sirius, Ethan strode purposefully from the corridor to his office.

Hermione had been on her way back to the Gryffindor standard room when she spotted Ethan returning to the school.

This sight made Hermione very happy, as she always felt an inexplicable sense of security whenever Ethan was at Hogwarts.

She decided to go and say hello to Ethan and take the opportunity to discuss the Firebolt that the peculiar Mr. White had given to Harry.

When Hermione caught up with Ethan, he had already entered his office. Hermione stepped forward, about to knock on the door, but paused when she heard voices inside.

"You gave the Firebolt to Harry?" Ethan's annoyed voice carried through the door.

"Of course," replied another voice, which Hermione quickly recognized as Mr. White's.

Hermione stopped, her hand hovering just above the door, wanting to hear what Professor White would say.

"You should have told me in advance! Do you know how expensive a Firebolt is?" Ethan reprimanded.

"I bought this broom myself! Of course, I know it!" Professor White responded.

"I am using my own money! I don't need to report it to you. The Black family's money is at my discretion!"

Hearing White's words, Hermione's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Mr. White to belong to the Black family.

But then confusion settled in again. To understand Sirius Black, Hermione had read the family tree of the pure-blood families in detail. She knew that the male line of the Black family had now been cut off.

Hermione wondered why Mr. White would claim he belonged to the Black family unless... She thought of a terrible possibility but quickly shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. She trusted Ethan deeply and believed he could never betray them.

Hermione pressed her ear closer to the office door, eager to hear more.

But Ethan's following sentence made Hermione feel like she'd been struck by lightning.

"Sirius, you can't just throw around your family's wealth like that. You know how hard we've worked to secure it."

Hermione's mind raced. Sirius? Family's wealth? The implications were staggering. She had always trusted Ethan, and now she felt a wave of uncertainty wash over her. What did this mean? She needed to understand the full context of what was being said.