Ethan thought it over, planning to ask about it tomorrow.
As luck would have it, their first class tomorrow was Charms Class with their Head of House, Professor Flitwick.
Once he had his plan in mind,
Ethan let out a huge yawn and rubbed his eyelids, which were practically sticking together.
He was simply too tired.
He'd meant to write to Luna as soon as he arrived at Hogwarts.
But Ravenclaw's endless staircases and the damn door knocker had beaten him.
He'd tried his hardest and still couldn't win.
He'd just have to write tomorrow morning.
Ethan dragged his exhausted body along, too tired even to look at the dignified, elegant furnishings in the common room.
He staggered into his dormitory and forced himself to wash up.
While the other students were still out there struggling, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
He slept without dreaming.
The next morning.
[To my best friend, Luna:]
[Sorry, I should have written to you last night, but I was really tired. Hogwarts is quite a challenge for a clueless little wizard like me.]
[I received the manuscript for the latest issue of The Quibbler. It was as interesting as ever.]
[My mind is already brimming with all sorts of ideas. I hope I can really open their eyes.]
[By the way, I was sorted into Ravenclaw.]
[It was a little unexpected, but I soon realized it suits me perfectly. Everyone here is so nice and talented. I love it.]
[I'm sure a clever little witch like you will be sorted into Ravenclaw too. I can't wait to be classmates with you.]
[Then we can do all sorts of things together and bring all our brilliant ideas to life!]
[Here's a little warning in advance: I might write to you pretty often, so don't get annoyed. Something new and fascinating happens at Hogwarts every day.]
[Looking forward to your reply, Ethan Vincent]
[Ps. It's a shame I can't join your family's roasted Diricawl feast. Just hearing you describe it makes me imagine how delicious it must be.]
After rereading the letter in his hands and making sure there was nothing wrong with it,
Ethan nodded, carefully folded it, and felt the corners of his mouth lift.
On the windowsill, Luna's owl Carrot cocked her head at him with a soft hoot. Her round, golden eyes looked like a pair of buttons, clear and bright.
Ethan held out his hand. She affectionately rubbed her head against it and lifted one little paw, as if she knew the routine by heart.
After delivering so many letters, she had come to think of Ethan as her second owner.
"What are you looking at? You look so happy."
A resentful voice sounded.
Ethan turned and saw Michael sitting at the head of his bed, his hair hanging down like Sadako's.
With his haggard face and dark circles, he looked as if he'd been out drinking all night.
Ethan advised him sympathetically, "You should still go to bed early. Otherwise, you won't grow any taller."
Michael's eyes widened. He stared at Ethan in disbelief and shouted,
"Go to bed early?? Do you think I don't want to go to bed early?!"
It was as if the floodgates had opened. Michael launched into an endless tirade.
"Do you know what time we got into the common room last night? Nearly one!"
"After you left, nobody could concentrate. It wasn't until midnight, when the door knocker changed its question, that we finally managed to answer it!"
Even after Ethan had gone inside, his presence still haunted everyone like a nightmare.
He was downright poisonous.
At the other bed, Mandy Broh nodded and slowly put on his thick glasses. He looked like an old man of seventy or eighty.
Ravenclaw had the fewest students, so each dormitory room held three people.
The rooms were spacious, and everyone had their own little area and a separate desk.
Ethan had already made a plan.
Once he earned some money, he would buy lots and lots of art books, along with all sorts of intricate models and ornaments.
He'd fill his desk, which was empty right now, to the brim.
Abandoning his companions, who were still asleep, without a hint of mercy,
Ethan headed to the Great Hall by himself, enjoying a sumptuous breakfast under their envious, jealous, and resentful gazes.
There were fried eggs cooked until the yolks were just set, bacon fried to perfection, little sausages, roasted tomatoes, meat-filled puddings, and all kinds of bread.
There was also a huge assortment of jams.
Ethan spotted a jar of "Biting Berry Jam."
Well, eating it was like eating popping candy. It gave his tongue a faint tingling sensation.
The strange thing was,
Ravenclaw was clearly the most studious of the four houses.
Yet this morning, there were hardly any students at the long tables.
The few who were there kept yawning as they ate.
Sigh. They ought to keep a regular sleep schedule.
Ethan shook his head with a solemn air.
After breakfast, Ethan picked up his textbooks and leisurely made his way to the Charms classroom.
The Charms classroom was on an upper floor of a tower.
Getting there early had its advantages, especially for first-years who weren't familiar with the paths around Hogwarts yet.
Ethan patiently waited for the staircase ahead to shift, glancing sideways at a few Gryffindors who came rushing past.
"Where are you off to, little wizard?"
The portrait on the wall beside him spoke.
It showed a plump woman with a thick layer of makeup on her face. She held up a fan and smiled at him.
"The Charms classroom, beautiful lady," Ethan replied politely, studying the portrait with curiosity.
"Oh, ho, ho! You certainly know how to talk."
The woman blushed and laughed so hard her whole body shook, then pointed Ethan toward the classroom.
"Thank you," Ethan said. "I'm curious—how did you end up in a painting? I mean, how can you move around like this?"
Photographs in the Wizarding World could move, but they were no more than animated images, like GIFs. They didn't possess much self-awareness.
Living Paintings were different.
A portion of a creature's soul and consciousness was truly fused into the portrait.
That made them lifelike in the truest sense.
Ethan very much wanted to paint something like that.
"What a curious child," the woman said. "As far as I can remember, while I was alive, I asked someone to copy a portion of my memories into the portrait."
"Hmm, I imagine the canvas and paint matter too. You haven't studied Ancient Runes yet, have you? The canvas must have been enchanted beforehand."
"Oh, I see."
Ethan nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked,
"Then do you think you have a soul? Or are you merely a 'copy' that acts according to memories?"
"Huh?"
The woman froze.
The question had struck a gap in her knowledge. She murmured in confusion,
"Do I... do I have a soul? Who am I? What exactly am I...?"
"Thanks for answering."
Ethan nodded with satisfaction, leaving the poor portrait thoroughly confused as he strolled toward the staircase, which had returned to its original position.
What he wanted to do was more than just reproduce Living Paintings.
He wanted to go one step beyond what his predecessors had achieved!
If he could use "summoning" to bring the little paper people in a painting into the real world...
That would be incredibly interesting.
Ethan licked his lips, a peculiar gleam in his eyes.
He focused on his thoughts as he chuckled to himself.
The sight made the other little wizards give him a wide berth.
Ron, who was heading downstairs for breakfast, was stunned. He muttered,
"I don't want to end up like him! Ethan's gone crazy from studying!"
"Haha."
Harry gave an awkward laugh, grumbling inwardly:
Mate, you're overthinking it.
We've got neither talent nor diligence, so there's no way we'll turn out like Ethan.
Honestly, that's a completely needless worry.
Before you continue