Ethan Must Have Been Forced Into It

Malfoy whipped his head toward Professor McGonagall, and sure enough, the professor's expression softened considerably.

"Fighting between students is forbidden. I'm afraid I'll have to deduct five points from Ravenclaw, as well as assign further detention."

"But."

Professor McGonagall changed her tone and glared sharply at Malfoy.

"I believe Professor Snape has already warned you that you are forbidden from provoking your fellow students again! Since you were the one who initiated this duel, you should bear the consequences."

After all, Ethan was usually so diligent and eager to learn, and extremely polite.

He must have beaten his classmate so badly by accident.

The more Professor McGonagall thought about it, the angrier she became.

She could only feel that the Malfoy family's education was deeply flawed.

"Slytherin loses ten points, and I'll be notifying your father."

"At the same time, you must thank Ethan for treating you despite your past grievances. And swear that you will never provoke another student again."

Malfoy: "..."

Fine.

He had to thank Ethan too, did he?

Malfoy gazed at Ethan's innocent, pure face, and a line came to mind:

Hell was empty, and the devils were here on earth.

Where was justice? Where was heaven's justice?!

However.

Under Professor McGonagall's glare, Malfoy eventually gave in.

"Th-thank you, Vincent..."

Malfoy forced the words through clenched teeth, feeling as though his healed wounds had begun to ache again.

"I promise I'll never provoke you again."

When he said this, Malfoy felt a wave of relief.

This duel had happened because of his father's Howling Letter in the first place.

And now, he had lost completely.

It was truly over.

If his father asked again, "You lost a duel to Ethan, so why don't you reflect on your own mistakes?"

Malfoy would suggest that his great father have an honorable knightly duel with Ethan as well.

He believed that before that kind of fighting technique spread, no wizard would be able to defend against it completely.

"Very good."

Professor McGonagall turned toward Ethan, her tone softening.

"Mr. Vincent, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, come with me."

"Yes, Professor."

Ethan obediently followed Professor McGonagall. No one would have guessed that just minutes ago, he had slammed his fist into a fellow student.

An orphan trying to survive in the chaotic Spider's Alley needed some real skill.

This outcome was exactly what Ethan had expected.

He had no intention of provoking a large-scale conflict.

At least, the time was not right yet.

Professor McGonagall had arrived at just the right moment.

These young wizards needed to grow and learn.

What he needed to do was plant a seed in their hearts.

A seed that would make them question and resist.

Thinking of this,

Ethan curled up the corners of his mouth.

He lowered his head and followed behind Professor McGonagall as she continued scolding Malfoy, looking like a model student who had rarely made a mistake.

Behind him, the sunlight cast a long shadow that stretched across Hogwarts' lush green lawn.

Meanwhile.

The Hogwarts tower.

Several Ravenclaw upperclassmen were watching the conflict below come to an end.

They had seen the entire thing from start to finish, and could not help applauding Ethan.

Prefect Robert Hilliard sighed emotionally:

"He won the duel, and he won everyone's respect."

"That move of Ethan's was truly brilliant."

Robert had no idea how Ethan had managed that magic punch from a distance.

It looked somewhat like Apparition, but no matter how he looked at it, it was not something a first-year wizard should have been able to perform.

A genius. A genuine genius.

Even though he considered himself clever, he probably could not have done what Ethan had at the age of eleven.

A girl with long sideburns, next year's designated Prefect, Penelope Clearwater, excitedly suggested:

"Should we bring him into our club? Only Ravenclaw's finest and cleverest students can join, and Ethan absolutely meets the standard!"

"But he's only a first-year."

An incongruous voice rang out, its tone gloomy.

Robert and Penelope turned around and saw a tall, thin young man.

He looked just like the shut-in bookworm of popular stereotypes: pale skin, permanent dark circles beneath his eyes, and a gloomy, mean expression.

"We never recruit underclassmen. They're too immature. Cho Chang, the second-year who joined this year, was already an exception."

Sean Max said in a low voice.

Looking down at Ethan on the lawn, he frowned as though he were staring at something dirty.

"Besides, someone who wins through tricks and glib words isn't qualified either."

At this, Penelope puffed out her cheeks and said indignantly:

"That's just your personal prejudice! In my opinion, Ethan is even stronger than some upperclassmen—at least he doesn't make careless judgments about others."

"..."

Sean narrowed his eyes dangerously and stared at Penelope.

She did not back down either.

Their gazes met in midair, seeming to crackle with sparks.

"All right, all right," Robert mediated. "Disagreements are fine. That's what discussion is for, but don't split apart."

After all, they would most likely be colleagues at the Ministry of Magic in the future.

"...All right. I agree to give Ethan another probationary period. How about that?"

Sean withdrew his gaze as though he had made a tremendous concession.

"If he can do something else earth-shattering, we'll consider bringing him into our team."

Penelope nodded. "Fine."

Nearby, Robert, who would be leaving for the Ministry of Magic next year, watched their argument and revealed a kindly, fatherly smile.

How naïve.

They were arguing here over something that had not even been decided.

Whether Ethan was willing to join them was still unknown.

Recalling how, for the first time in his life, someone had shut a door in his face, Robert grinned.

You should get a taste of this feeling too.

Heh heh heh~

He turned his head and watched with interest as Ethan crossed the lawn and disappeared into Hogwarts.

He sighed inwardly:

What a pity.

As someone about to graduate, he would not get to see the turbulent events of the future.

Flying Class was dismissed right where it had taken place.

The Slytherins left with dark expressions.

By the time they returned to the Great Hall, they would probably find a group of foolish Hufflepuffs gathered around the hourglass, marveling that they were not in last place after all.

The Gryffindors, on the other hand, felt somewhat unsatisfied.

They had not actually gotten to fight. How infuriating...

"Why wasn't Malfoy given detention?" Ron complained indignantly. "Ethan clearly didn't do anything wrong!"

Seamus: "Uh—maybe because Professor Snape already gave him detention?"

Ron: "...Oh. That makes sense."

Ron fell silent.

He gazed at Ethan as he left with Professor McGonagall, his eyes filled with envy and admiration.

He imagined himself standing before everyone, leading them with passion and fervor.

Soon.

Ethan's exploits spread through Hogwarts once again.

When Ethan walked through the corridors, the young wizards still avoided him, but their eyes now held a little more respect.

With one elbow strike, he had shattered Slytherin's arrogance and left their House Points at the bottom.

That was incredible.

Slurp.

The number of Ravenclaw young wizards gathering around him also increased.

This caused Michael's sense of crisis to explode.

One night, he even stood by Ethan's bed and asked resentfully whether he was still first in Ethan's heart.

Ethan smiled at him and bestowed upon him a prestigious Stunning Spell.

The world was peaceful again.