??!
Hermione stared at the toad in Ethan's hand, her eyes widening in shock as she blurted out, "How is that possible?!"
The textbook clearly said the Summoning Charm couldn't be used on living beings!
"GOOGLE SEARCH TWKAN"
"Perhaps you should read a few more books outside the curriculum, miss."
Ethan waved his wand with a look of distaste and murmured a Levitation Charm.
The ugly, slimy toad in his hand floated over to Neville.
The round-faced boy looked flattered and hurriedly took it, cradling the toad like a precious treasure as he stammered his thanks.
"It's true that an ordinary Summoning Charm can't be used on living beings, but wizards invented Summoning Charms for specific creatures decades ago."
"For example, the great Magizoologist, Mr. Newt Scamander, and his Niffler Summoning."
Ethan lowered his head and cast a Scouring Charm on his palm.
Only then did he lower his wand.
He turned and smiled at Hermione, who had been left completely speechless.
"So I happened to find this 'Toad Summoning' in an old book and learn it. That's not impossible, is it?"
"..."
Hermione opened her mouth.
She'd lost.
Completely.
The spell she'd meant to show off was now hardly worth casting.
With Ethan's impressive Summoning Charm as a precedent, anything she knew would amount to little more than rote learning.
And that wasn't all. Though Hermione prided herself on all the preparation and practice she'd done,
she still couldn't measure up to Ethan.
...This was the difference talent made.
As a lifelong top student, Hermione felt a fierce fire ignite in her eyes, along with a powerful sense of crisis.
—They'd made eye contact. He was a formidable rival of the future!
"You're from a wizarding family, right? I'm Hermione Granger. My parents are both Muggles. What's your name?"
Hermione had barely finished speaking
when, before Ethan could answer, an angry roar rang out from the corridor:
"Damn it! Whose bloody toad was that?!"
!!!
Neville's eyes flew wide.
He hugged the struggling toad tightly, looking terrified that someone might try to take his precious pet.
Only then
did they belatedly remember
that when the toad had flown over, they'd heard what sounded like a thud.
And... a scream?
"..."
Harry and Ron's expressions grew increasingly horrified.
—Some poor sod had clearly been hit by a toad flying at high speed!!
One spell, multiple injuries.
Ethan, where had he learned a combo move like that?!
Ethan: "Heh."
Once they'd recovered,
Harry and Ron instinctively stood up and shielded Ethan.
Ethan's thought process might not have been entirely normal,
but the magic of friendship didn't break so easily.
Ethan just liked to joke around. Deep down, he was a good person.
And besides, he'd helped Neville find his toad!
Since Ethan was rather slender,
the two of them managed to block him from view entirely.
Malfoy thought his day had been downright bizarre.
First, that despicable Ethan had tricked him and made a complete fool of him in front of everyone.
Then, while he'd been walking peacefully along the corridor, a toad had come flying out of nowhere and punched him!
What had he ever done to deserve this?!
Malfoy was so furious his eyes turned red.
He, young master Malfoy, had never suffered such humiliation in his life.
When he chased after the toad and spotted that stupid fat boy holding it, Malfoy immediately wanted to cast a vicious curse.
If only he knew how.
But just as Malfoy was about to explode,
he caught sight of the people in the compartment out of the corner of his eye—Harry Potter.
The Chosen One he'd been looking for.
What a coincidence.
Malfoy's eyes lit up. Forcing down his anger, he curled his lips into a smile and said,
"Being around lowlifes like them always leads to trouble, doesn't it?"
"..."
Harry's tense expression immediately darkened.
"I'm Draco Malfoy."
"You'll soon find that some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You wouldn't want to make friends with the wrong sort. I can help you with that."
As he spoke, Malfoy instinctively held out his hand to Harry.
But a miserable memory suddenly came flooding back, and he froze.
Two seconds later, Malfoy pulled his hand back as if nothing had happened and folded his arms as he looked at Harry.
Perhaps shaking hands... was best avoided.
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," Harry said coldly.
Beside him, Ron let out a loud laugh.
"..."
Rejected twice in one day, Malfoy could no longer hold back his anger. He roared,
"A red-haired mole who's so poor his family can barely scrape by, a fat idiot, and a buck-toothed girl... Ha!"
"You'd rather stay with this bunch of freaks than join the glorious evolution, is that it? What a disgrace!"
"If I were you, I'd watch my tone!" Malfoy spat. "Potter!"
"Or you might end up just like your parents! They were both ungrateful!"
With two towering bodyguards behind him, Malfoy let loose without a care.
"What did you say?!"
Ron shouted and started to charge forward, only for the two hulking bodyguards behind Malfoy to block him.
Malfoy sneered at their helpless fury, feeling his shattered pride slowly return.
That was right.
He was Malfoy, a Pure-blood aristocrat.
How could he be frightened by a bunch of freaks like them...
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
"Get out."
Harry clenched his fists and glared at Malfoy, his voice cold.
Malfoy's lips curled. "Oh, looking for a fight on your first day of school, Chosen One?"
With two burly bodyguards, how could he lose?
Goyle and Crabbe grinned viciously too.
They greedily eyed the snacks left on the seats and reached out, ready to shove the two boys out of their way.
Just then,
a clear, bright voice that was completely at odds with the tense atmosphere rang out from behind Harry and Ron:
"So you mean I'm one of the freaks too, is that it?"
Harry whipped around.
He saw the boy who'd spoken behind him.
The slender boy looked as if he hadn't understood the situation at all. A friendly smile still graced his face.
Oh, no!
Harry was overcome with despair.
Ethan was about as sturdy as he was. If he stepped forward, he'd only get himself beaten up.
But then something happened that left Harry stunned.
The moment Malfoy saw Ethan, he looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
His eyes widened, and his flushed face turned deathly pale in an instant.
His lips trembled as he stumbled backward, nearly falling to the floor.
It was as if the boy standing in front of him wasn't slender and lightly dressed, but a terrifying demon!
"Y-you... Why are you here... Ethan Vincent?!"
At the name, Ron's eyes flew wide as if a lightning bolt had struck him and cleared his head.
He stared at Ethan, then at Malfoy, unable to believe it.
He finally remembered where he'd heard the name "Ethan Vincent" before!
It had been from his dad, who worked at the Ministry of Magic. One day, he'd come home and shared some Ministry gossip with them!
—[Ethan Vincent: Once listed in the Ministry of Magic's Register of Potentially Dangerous Persons, an evil little artist whose drawings cause mental contamination!!]
His dad had even forbidden them from looking at that issue of The Quibbler with Ethan's drawings printed in it.
Ron only knew that his twin brothers had managed to get hold of a copy.
Then, for the entire week that followed, they hadn't touched their Flying Broomsticks for some reason.
So this was Ethan Vincent!!!
Now Ron thought he understood who had made the mighty Malfoy cry earlier...
Before you continue