Oh, You Really Cried?

"..."

Malfoy's smug smile froze on his face.

His eyes widened in disbelief at what he'd just heard, and he instinctively asked:

"Sorry, Professor, perhaps I misheard—"

"You heard me perfectly well, Mr. Malfoy."

Professor Snape's icy voice shattered the last of the hope in his heart.

In front of everyone, he said without the slightest mercy:

"How many times do I have to tell you? Because of your personally crude and brainless behavior, which is just like a troll's, Slytherin will lose ten points!"

"Insulting a fellow student—is that the sort of manners your father taught you? What have you been learning? I think I should inform Lucius of your appalling behavior lately."

As soon as he finished speaking,

the office and the corridor outside fell utterly silent.

"..."

Malfoy was so stunned by the scolding that he simply stood there, dumbfounded.

His lackeys were no different. They looked at one another in bewilderment.

They didn't dare breathe too loudly, and could only stare as three question marks seemed to pop up over their heads.

They'd guessed the outcome correctly—Professor Snape had sternly reprimanded a student.

But they'd got the details wrong. The one being reprimanded wasn't Ethan. It was their leader, Draco Malfoy!

Standing there on the floor, Malfoy felt dizzy.

The air in the underground office seemed to turn thick and stifling all at once, leaving him unable to breathe.

No one had ever berated him so mercilessly before!

And it had happened in front of all his classmates, too.

Once he realized that, Malfoy's pale face flushed bright red.

He wished he could travel back a few minutes and slap himself for insisting on bringing his friends along!

—Ethan, you really were looking out for me!!

"B-but..."

Malfoy's burly bodyguard, Crabbe, stammered:

"Malfoy was the one who got insulted, wasn't he? Why are you protecting this [Mudblood]..."

Oh, wow.

Was there an even bigger fool here?

Hearing that "forbidden word," Ethan looked at the clueless oaf with admiration.

Maybe Crabbe had just said it out of habit.

They probably used the word "Mudblood" to refer to him all the time.

But to say it in front of Snape...

Ethan shifted his eyes and glanced at Professor Snape.

Sure enough,

Snape's face had gone black as a cauldron.

"Whoosh."

The fireplace obligingly went out.

Or perhaps Snape's surging magic had forcibly snuffed it out.

"Never, ever, say that word in front of me—!!!"

His voice was low and hoarse, yet deafening, as it rang through the room.

A gale howled.

Crabbe was scared shitless. The other Slytherins were pale-faced, too, not daring to make a peep.

They had never seen their head of house this furious.

"Ten more points from Slytherin, for your stupidity!"

"Malfoy, Crabbe! Detention, starting tomorrow night, for two weeks!"

"Now get out of my sight!"

As Snape roared, Malfoy and the others were swept out like rubbish caught in a hurricane.

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut behind them.

Ethan turned his head leisurely and saw Malfoy standing with his head bowed and fists clenched, not saying a word.

Ethan bent down, bringing his face close to Malfoy's, and stared straight at him with his cobalt-blue eyes.

He whispered:

"Oh, you really cried?"

!!

Malfoy shoved Ethan away, biting his lip. His eyes were clearly red-rimmed.

He didn't understand. He couldn't make sense of it.

He'd been insulted like this for the first time, and now he'd suffered the ultimate public humiliation. Two layers of shame had piled on top of each other. He should have had the upper hand.

So why had things turned out this way...

Why was he the one who'd ended up being so severely punished?!

He'd barely started the school year and already had a two-week detention package to his name. Malfoy couldn't imagine what his father would say!

Crabbe gave him a foolish grin. "It's okay, Malfoy! You've still got me!"

Malfoy: "..."

Just die.

Malfoy raised his eyes and looked at Ethan, whose face was full of concern, as if to ask, "Are you okay?"

Those cobalt-blue eyes, curved in a smile, seemed to mock him, dealing him the ultimate insult.

Ethan Vincent!

How had this Mudblood managed to pull this off?!

Could it be... that he was actually pretending to be weak while hiding his true strength?

Maybe he seemed like an orphan with no family or connections, but he actually had even more powerful connections than Malfoy did?

He'd even managed to get Professor Snape firmly under his thumb!

The more Malfoy thought about it, the more convinced he became.

Now he understood.

No wonder Ethan had the nerve to insult the noble Malfoy family. He had powerful backing...

Malfoy clenched his jaw, suddenly wary of him.

After a long pause, he said hoarsely:

"So that's it. I had no idea you were hiding so much, Vincent."

Ethan: ?

Hiding what?

Had Malfoy figured out that he'd brought up Lily?

The boy knew quite a bit about what had happened, huh? His father had probably told him.

Thinking this, Ethan nodded. "That's right. You figured it out."

Just as he'd thought.

Malfoy's eyes lit up.

Ethan really did have powerful backing!

"...We'll see about that."

Malfoy gritted his teeth, gave Ethan a long look, then turned and strode away.

Goyle and Crabbe hurried after him.

The rest of his lackeys exchanged glances, and one of them snickered under his breath.

They looked at Ethan and teased, "You're pretty good, kid. You managed to bully the mighty Malfoy like that."

"Tell us, how'd you do it?"

The way they looked at Ethan suggested they wanted to make friends with him.

After all, Ethan was a Ravenclaw.

Sure, his status was a bit low, and he might even be a Mudblood.

But it wouldn't hurt to toss him a few crumbs and do him a favor.

At this,

Ethan slowly bared his teeth in a grin.

The air seemed to turn cold all of a sudden.

Half his face was hidden in shadow, his white teeth gleaming in the candlelight.

His cobalt-blue eyes fixed on them, like a beast peering out from the depths of darkness, radiating a chilling menace.

"Do you really want to know?"

Two seconds later,

"Ahhh—"

Several figures came sprinting out of the corridor in a panic.

"..."

Ethan stood in the corridor, innocently watching them flee into the distance, and wondered:

I didn't even do anything. Why did they run?

I only wanted to discuss the great art of painting with them~

Ethan hummed a little tune as he hurried toward his own house's common room.

He couldn't wait to record the inspiration he'd found tonight.

Then, in the morning, he'd go to the Owlery to send a letter, buy some new art supplies, and repaint [One Look Opens the Door].

Luna, Luna.

It was such a shame you weren't starting at Hogwarts this year.

You had no idea how much excitement you were missing!

[To my very best friend, Ethan,]

[I've read your letter at least five times over. I wish I could fly to Hogwarts right now and go to school with you.]

[It's a pity I'm not old enough yet. Besides, without me, the Dirigible Plums outside our house will all fly away again, and Dad still hasn't quite figured out how to look after them.]

[Seeing how you've been so eager to help so many people, especially helping a professor remember the wonderful memories of his childhood, made me feel once again that my first impression of you was right.]

[When I first saw you, I knew right away what a good little wizard you were! Your ideas about Goblins were absolutely brilliant.]

[Speaking of your classes, I saw that you were having trouble figuring out how to transform your wand into a perfect paintbrush.]

[Hmm, I think perhaps you could try bathing in the moonlight at night?]

[You know, moonlight can reflect the deepest desires in a person's heart.]

[Enclosed is the next issue of The Quibbler.]

[With love, Luna.]

[P.S. If you don't have any plans, would you like to come to our house for Christmas this year?]

[Dad and I are both really looking forward to seeing you. We can have a big feast of Roasted Diricawl.]

[Write back soon.]