Ethan and the Three Little Ones walked down the stairs toward the Common Room.
As soon as the professors were out of sight, Ron couldn't wait to shout:
"Ethan, you were amazing!"
"That was a Troll! Merlin's socks, even Headmaster Dumbledore might not have been able to beat a Troll on his own when he was a first-year!"
Those streaks of light like shooting stars had left a deep impression on Ron.
So beautiful, so powerful!
With a single strike, they pierced the Troll's rock-hard skin and pinned it firmly to the wall!
Amazing!
That miraculous power was what magic was all about!
"If only I could cast magic like that..."
Ron muttered, lost in another daydream.
He imagined appearing before everyone like a heavenly soldier descending from the sky, rescuing them from danger.
"If you practice hard, you'll get results eventually," Ethan said. "Magic won't betray you, just like painting."
His painting skills had reached their current level thanks to the mountains of practice books and stacks upon stacks of drawing paper he'd gone through in his previous life.
Ethan gripped his wand.
The thought that he finally had a wand perfectly suited to him, one that could even turn magic directly into paint, made him hum with delight.
He'd never cast Avis so smoothly before.
Two months of hard work hadn't gone to waste.
He'd worn out quite a few paintbrushes alone.
Tonight, I'm sleeping with my paintbrush!
Ethan made up his mind, a little flame lighting up in his eyes.
Just then.
Watching Ron wave his arms around like a windmill, Ethan suddenly realized:
His appearance had certainly proved his abilities.
But at the same time, he'd taken away Harry and Ron's chance to get some practice.
Never mind Harry jumping three meters into the air and grabbing the Troll from behind—that was a triathlon, not magic.
Ron, though, had genuinely lost an opportunity to practice the Levitation Charm.
No.
Ethan's expression turned serious.
He was a good wizard. He absolutely couldn't steal someone else's moment in the spotlight.
With that in mind, Ethan turned to Ron, who was still grinning foolishly, and said:
"Ron, how about I teach you some spells when we have time? We can start with the Levitation Charm. What do you say?"
The moment he finished speaking,
Hermione, who'd been silent all this time, snapped her head up, her eyes shining.
But Ron looked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. His excited shouts died at once, and his eyes widened in terror.
Teach him spells? Who? The Great Demon King Ethan?!
Ethan, please, no!!
Although Ron had been saying, "I really want to learn," deep down, he was still the sort who admired magic from afar.
If he really had to knuckle down and study right away, he'd rather not.
"Th-this... wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
Under Hermione's exasperated gaze, Ron backed away, tugging at his good friend Harry and frantically signaling him with his eyes.
Brother! Save me!
Harry got the message. He cleared his throat, worked up his courage, and faced the smiling "Great Demon King" before him.
"Ethan, thank you for saving us tonight."
"If it weren't for you, the Troll might have smashed us into meat paste with its club."
As he spoke, Harry's spirits sank.
He'd wanted to save someone, but in the end, someone else had protected him.
Thinking back to how he'd foolishly stepped in front of Ethan and ended up getting in the way of his spell, Harry felt his face burn.
Ethan's gaze shifted from Ron's tense face to the dejected Little Chosen One.
After a moment, he smiled. "It's all right, Harry. You don't need to worry about it."
Harry froze.
For some reason, he felt as though Ethan was about to ride off on a golden cloud.
"You stood in front of me, and Ron and Hermione were behind me. How could I not step in?"
Ethan smiled.
In the moonlight, that smile made him look impossibly handsome, with bright eyes and white teeth.
"Brother, brother!"
Ron was completely moved. Even at home, he'd never felt so valued.
Harry felt the same, his nose stinging and his eyes growing damp.
Sometimes, Harry felt that although Ethan was the same age as him, he seemed more like an older relative.
He'd broken the rules without hesitation just to rush over and save them.
So, beneath those eccentric, peculiar mannerisms, Ethan really was kind at heart...
"Besides," Ethan said with a grin, "I was going to deal with the Troll anyway. It was no trouble."
Harry and Ron: "..."
Their surge of gratitude caught in their throats.
What was with that feeling of completing a side quest along the way while doing the main quest?!
Hadn't Ethan rushed over especially to save them?!
Harry fell silent, his expression gradually turning blank.
Well.
Even those tangled little worries had vanished into thin air.
As expected of Ethan.
Ethan tilted his head and leaned closer, asking sincerely:
"Harry, why did you go quiet? Were you born not to talk?"
"..."
Please, just shut up!!
Harry suddenly felt that if anyone ever became a true friend of Ethan's, the sort who was completely close to him,
then that person would either have an exceptionally broad mind and endless patience,
or be just as strange as Ethan and have things in common with him.
Or perhaps both.
As they spoke, they reached the fork in the stairs.
"Good night," Ethan said. "I hope you enjoyed Halloween. Have sweet dreams."
Then he turned and continued up the stairs.
Watching Ethan's retreating figure, Ron sighed. "That was the most exciting Halloween I've ever had. I don't think I'll ever forget it."
First Professor Quirrell had fallen out of the sky, then a Troll had attacked them.
This year's Halloween had been like a night of wandering ghosts.
"Yeah."
Harry nodded too, thinking:
So this is what Halloween in the wizarding world is like... It's so urbanized.
At the same time,
Harry was also thinking about doing something for Ethan.
After all, since the start of term, Ethan had helped him a lot, directly or indirectly.
He wanted to help Ethan as much as he could, too.
Just as the two boys were lost in their own thoughts, Hermione, who hadn't said a word until now, suddenly spoke:
"I want to become like Ethan, too."
Hermione raised her head.
All her usual arrogance had disappeared from her eyes, replaced by humility.
Harry shuddered slightly. For a moment, he saw in her the image of Malfoy, whom Ethan had beaten to his knees.
Ron was horrified. "You want to stop being human?!"
"..."
Hermione's composure broke in an instant.
She rolled her eyes and said, "I mean, I want to learn from him. Stop sticking so rigidly to the textbooks and get more practice... and, um, listen to other people's opinions more, too."
As she spoke, the girl lowered her head, her cheeks faintly red.
That one spell, Avis, had given Hermione a clear sense of just how big the gap between her and Ethan was.
It was like a chasm.
Hermione couldn't even imagine catching up to him.
No.
The gap hadn't been this big before.
Hermione remembered the train ride before the start of term, when Ethan had used Accio on a toad.
It had been impressive, sure, but still within the realm of what an "ordinary person" could do.
In just two months, he'd improved this much!
His talent was enough to make anyone give up before they even tried!
Hermione bit her lip, feeling both frustrated and excited.
Even if she couldn't surpass Ethan, she'd do her best to keep up with him!
Her eyes were full of admiration.
For the first time in her life, she wanted so badly to work hard to catch up with someone.
"Yikes—"
Watching her fervent expression, Ron scratched his head and thought:
What was that Muggle word again... Dean had taught it to him before.
Oh, right. "Virus."
Ethan really was a highly contagious virus.
Ravenclaw Common Room.
Ethan stepped through the doorway he'd created with practiced ease and entered the Common Room.
The moment he appeared, the once-noisy room fell completely silent.
Countless eyes turned toward him, filled with a mixture of admiration and nervousness.
Tonight's main character was none other than Ethan.
Ravenclaw's biggest oddball, and a legendary new student with astonishing talent.
He was destined to leave a bold mark on history.
For better or worse.
"Look who's here!"
Professor Flitwick was among them.
The tiny professor broke the silence and hurried over enthusiastically, spreading his arms as he called:
"I was just telling the students about your feat of defeating a Troll all by yourself! They can't wait to see you show off again!"
"But before that, someone wants to speak with you."
As he spoke, Professor Flitwick winked mysteriously.
He moved aside, revealing a young man Ethan didn't recognize.
The young man looked gloomy, as thin as a reed. His face was ashen, and dark circles surrounded his eyes, as if he'd been staying up all night.
"He's one of the vice presidents of Ravenclaw's top club! Sean Max! The top student in his year every year!"
Michael, the gossip king, had appeared beside them at some point and whispered excitedly.
"Hm~"
Ethan raised his eyebrows, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Wait! Why's he walking toward you?!"
Michael sucked in a sharp breath, clutched Ethan's sleeve tightly, and stared in disbelief.
"Could it be—no way—they never accept first-years—"
"Tap."
Ethan calmly raised his head to look up at the slender older student standing before him.
Before Sean could speak, Ethan beat him to it:
"Senior, did you lose a forfeit game and have to confess your love to me? Sorry, but I'll have to pass."
Sean: "..."
What was he even talking about?!
Sean was so furious he nearly lost his composure. He wanted to turn around and leave on the spot.
But with Prefect Robert watching, Sean had no choice but to suppress his anger. Reluctantly, he held out his hand to Ethan and said:
"I, Sean Max, formally invite you, Ethan Vincent, to join Ravenclaw's top club—"
"The Round Table Council."
Before you continue