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For a brief, very brief second, Ethan wondered why it ever was that he hadn’t wanted to go into healing. That would’ve been the easier path, that would’ve been the way to go if you wanted to know exactly how your life would pan out. Instead he’d chosen a career that involved other powerful wizards hurling powerful hexes at you, and when that one had come to an abrupt end, he’d decided that expeditions into dangerous tombs that housed monstrous snakes was the next best thing. For a Ravenclaw with very logical tendencies, he was really starting to wonder if he had a screw or two (or three) loose in his head. People shouldn’t want to get themselves into situations likes this, though he supposed as he nodded along with Nico’s warnings, no one ever actually expected ridiculous things like this to happen.

There was just a higher percentage rate of it actually occurring when you were a curse-breaker that took tours into ancient magical burial grounds. He had to begin to expect the worst and hope for the best, which was not a mantra a once successful dueler like Ethan would ever have thought he’d have to accept.

A rather loud and aggressive rattle caused Ethan’s eye to twitch, but he did manage to keep still. All right, this was certainly doable and livable. Livable! They would survive this, because there was no way that he was going to be killed and eaten on his first trip out. He would end up haunting this bloody pyramid and emote how very irritated he was with himself for failing so miserably at a job that not many people thought he’d be good at. But, but. This team had taken a chance on him and he wanted to make sure that their decision had not been a bad one.

Nico said not to move unless he knew exactly what he was doing, not to talk unless it was a damn useful spell. Well, all right then. Ethan had been working on some hexes back at the campsite when the snake problem was getting a little too annoying (in sleeping bags,really?) and while he hadn’t had much time to practice what he’d come up with now seemed like a good time to give it a shot. He and Professor Flitwick had spent many an hour working on the linguistics of spells and how to carry them over into a real life situation; Flitwick had always said that if dueling didn’t work out, Ethan should go into the Experimental Charms Committee.

But, hey. Attacking giant cobras was sort of like dealing with experimental charms, eh?

His dueling instincts jolting him into motion, he took a few quick steps to the right to bring the snake’s attention his way. Immediately, the giant cobra lurched toward him and---oh, look at that, it spit venom. He didn’t miss a beat however, there were not many things that could move faster than Ethan’s wand, and he threw up a shield, automatically volleying back with his newly concocted spell.

“Expellioserpens!” he shouted, praying to whatever deity that this tomb was dedicated to to take mercy on them and have this spell do something effective. The spell was dark blue in color and his stab like motion created a nearly lightning bolt like ripple into Mama Snake’s (as he’d dubbed it in his head, much less frightening than Monster Snake) stomach. The snake was flung into the edge of the opening ceiling, causing more stone to crash down and make a wider opening for Larkin to get around it and get through. Ethan’s wand stayed at the ready, feet planted and waiting to strike the giant cobra again.