I Sincerely Invite You to Join the Ravenclaw Top Club

Ethan walked along the stairs back to the Common Room with the Three Little Ones.

As soon as the professors were out of sight, Ron couldn't hold back and shouted:

"Ethan, you're incredible!"

"That was a Troll! Merlin's Socks, even Headmaster Dumbledore probably couldn't have taken down a Troll alone when he was in first year!"

Those streaks of light left a deep impression on Ron.

So beautiful, so powerful!

With just one strike, it pierced through the Troll's rock-like skin and pinned it to the wall!

Amazing!

That kind of miraculous power was what real magic should be!

"If only I could cast a spell like that..."

Ron murmured, drifting off into a fantasy.

He imagined himself descending like a Heavenly Soldier, appearing before everyone and saving them from danger.

"With hard work, you'll get results," Ethan said. "Magic won't betray you, just like painting."

Just like his current skill in painting—built from the mountains of practice notebooks and stacks of drawing paper from his past 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 softly.

He'd never cast Avis so smoothly before.

These two months of effort hadn't been wasted.

He'd worn out quite a few brushes alone.

Tonight, I'm sleeping with my brushes!

Ethan made up his mind, a small flame burning in his eyes.

Just then.

Watching Ron wave his arms around like a windmill, Ethan suddenly thought:

His appearance here had indeed proven his strength.

But in turn, he'd robbed Harry and Ron of a chance to train!

Never mind Harry jumping three meters high to grab the Troll from behind—that was a Triathlon, not magic.

Ron, though, had genuinely missed an opportunity to practice the Levitation Charm.

No.

Ethan's expression turned serious.

He was a good wizard; he couldn't go around stealing other people's spotlight.

With that in mind, Ethan turned to Ron, who was still grinning foolishly, and said:

"Ron, how about I teach you some spells sometime? We'll start with the Levitation Charm, okay?"

As he finished speaking.

Hermione, who had been silent, snapped her head up, her eyes blazing.

But Ron looked like someone had grabbed him by the throat—his excited shouts died instantly, and his eyes widened in terror.

Teach him spells? Who? The Great Demon King Ethan?!

Bro, no!!

Even though Ron kept saying "I really want to learn," deep down he was still a case of Lord Ye's Love of Magic.

When it came down to actually buckling down and working hard, he wasn't so keen.

"Well, that... that'd be too much trouble for you."

Under Hermione's glare of frustration, Ron backed away, grabbing his buddy Harry and frantically signaling him.

Bro! Save me!

Harry caught the signal, cleared his throat, gathered his courage, and faced the smiling "Great Demon King" directly.

"Ethan, thanks for saving us tonight."

"If it weren't for you, we might've been smashed into pulp by that Troll's club."

As he spoke, Harry's mood sank.

He'd meant to save people, but in the end, he was the one being protected.

Remembering how he'd recklessly jumped in front of Ethan, only to block his spellcasting, Harry's face burned.

Ethan shifted his gaze from the tense Ron to the dejected Little Chosen One.

He thought for a moment, then smiled: "It's fine, Harry. Don't worry about it."

Harry was stunned.

He inexplicably felt like Ethan was about to ride off on a golden cloud.

"You're standing in front of me, and behind me are Ron and Hermione—how could I not have a reason to act?"

Ethan said with a smile.

In the moonlight, that smile looked incredibly handsome, with bright eyes and white teeth.

"Bro, bro!"

Ron was completely moved; even at home, he'd never been valued this much.

Harry felt the same, even getting a lump in his throat and his eyes stinging.

Sometimes, Harry felt that Ethan, though the same age as him, had an elder-like quality.

He'd break the rules without hesitation to come save them.

Sure enough, beneath that eccentric and bizarre demeanor, Ethan's nature was still very kind...

"Besides," Ethan grinned, "I was heading to fight the Troll anyway. It was just a side quest."

Harry, Ron: "..."

Instantly, that surge of emotion got stuck in their throats.

What was with this vibe of completing a main quest while casually finishing a side one?!

Wasn't Ethan running over specifically to save them?!

Harry fell silent, his expression gradually going blank.

Yeah.

Even those tangled little thoughts had vanished into thin air.

As expected of Ethan.

Ethan tilted his head, leaned in, and asked sincerely:

"Harry, why aren't you talking? Is it because you're naturally quiet?"

"..."

For crying out loud, just shut up!!

Harry suddenly thought.

If someday, someone could truly be friends with Ethan, close and intimate like that.

Then that person would either have to be extremely broad-minded, with endless tolerance.

Or, be just as weird as Ethan, so they'd have common ground.

Or, both.

Lost in thought, they reached a fork in the path.

Ethan: "Good night. Hope you enjoy this Halloween and have sweet dreams."

With that, he turned and continued upstairs.

Watching Ethan's retreating figure, Ron sighed, "This is the most exciting Halloween I've ever had. I'll probably never forget it for the rest of my life."

First Professor Quirrell falling from the sky, then a Troll attack.

This year's Halloween was like a parade of a hundred ghosts.

"Yeah."

Harry nodded too, thinking:

So this is Halloween in the wizarding world... It's really urbanized.

At the same time.

Harry was also thinking about doing something for Ethan.

After all, no matter what, since the start of the semester, Ethan had helped him a lot, directly or indirectly.

He wanted to help Ethan as much as he could, within his own limits.

Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts, Hermione, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke:

"I want to become like Ethan too."

Hermione lifted her head.

Her eyes had completely lost their usual arrogance, now settled into humility.

Harry shuddered slightly, and actually saw the shadow of Malfoy, beaten to his knees by Ethan, on her face.

Ron was horrified: "You want to stop being human?!"

"..."

Hermione's composure shattered in an instant.

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I mean, I want to learn from him—stop sticking to textbooks, practice more... uh, and also consider other people's opinions more."

As she spoke, the girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Just the single spell "Avis" had made Hermione viscerally feel the gap between her and Ethan.

Like a chasm.

Hermione couldn't even imagine catching up to him.

No.

It hadn't been this big before.

She remembered on the train before school started, Ethan had used "Accio" on the toad.

Impressive, sure, but still within the realm of "ordinary."

In just two months, he'd improved this much!

Such talent was downright intimidating!

Hermione bit her lip, feeling both frustrated and excited.

Even if she couldn't surpass Ethan, she'd do her best to keep pace with him!

Her eyes were full of longing.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to chase after someone so badly.

"Whew—"

Seeing her so fired up, Ron scratched his head and thought:

What was that Muggle word... the one Dean taught him.

Oh right, "virus."

Ethan really was a highly contagious virus.

Ravenclaw Common Room.

Ethan stepped familiarly through the doorway he'd created and entered the common room.

The moment he appeared, the noisy room fell dead silent.

Countless eyes fixed on him, a mix of admiration and tension.

Tonight's star was undeniably Ethan.

The biggest oddball in Ravenclaw, and also a legendary prodigy among the first-years.

Destined to leave a bold mark in history.

For better or worse.

"Look who's here!"

Professor Flitwick was among them.

The tiny professor broke the silence, greeting him warmly with open arms:

"I just told everyone about your feat of soloing a Troll! They can't wait to see you show off again!"

"But first, someone wants to talk to you."

With that, Flitwick winked mysteriously.

He stepped aside, revealing a young man Ethan didn't recognize behind him.

The youth looked gloomy, thin as a rail, with a sallow complexion and deep dark circles under his eyes—like he'd overdone it on something.

"He's one of the vice-presidents of the Ravenclaw Top Club! Sean Max! Top of his year every year!"

The gossip king Michael had somehow crept up and whispered excitedly.

"Hmm~"

Ethan raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.

"Wait! Why's he walking toward you?!"

Michael gasped, grabbing Ethan's sleeve tightly, eyes wide:

"Could it be—no way—they never take first-years—"

"Tap."

Ethan looked up calmly at the gaunt upperclassman standing before him.

And before the other could speak, he cut in:

"Senior, you're not here to confess to me because you lost a dare game, are you? Sorry, I'll have to pass."

Sean: "..."

What the hell!

He was so furious he nearly lost it, wanting to just turn and leave.

But under the Prefect Robert's watchful gaze, Sean had to swallow his anger and reluctantly extended a hand to Ethan, saying:

"I, Sean Max, formally invite you, Ethan Vincent, to join Ravenclaw's top club—"

"The Round Table Council."