Bro, You're a Little Too Unhinged

Harry didn't have time to think about it.

His best friend, who'd just been shown off, had another trick up his sleeve—he pulled out a plump old rat.

Harry noticed Ethan's gaze sharpen the moment the rat appeared.

As if frozen lake water, those cobalt-blue eyes stared coldly at the fat rat.

Though his lips were smiling, the amusement never reached his eyes.

"Oh, how interesting. You have a cute little pet."

Ethan spoke slowly.

He shifted in his seat and crossed one leg, half his body hidden in the shadow cast by the window.

The atmosphere around him turned solemn.

Ron tensed for some reason and stammered,

"Uh, y-yes. His name's Scabbers. He used to belong to my brother Percy. He became a Prefect this year, so Dad bought him an owl and gave me this unwanted rat..."

"Hmm."

Ethan gave a nasal hum, his eyes never leaving the fat rat, fast asleep.

"Scabbers."

Or perhaps the man who'd indirectly caused Harry's parents' deaths—

Peter Pettigrew.

Ethan propped his chin on his hand and pondered nonchalantly.

First of all, if he just went ahead and smashed this rat to death, he'd certainly leave Ron and Harry with an unforgettable impression.

However, his next stop wouldn't be Hogwarts but Azkaban.

He'd get to keep the wrongfully accused Sirius company.

After all, Peter was still considered the hero who'd protected Harry's parents.

Besides, although it looked like he'd killed a rat, he'd actually killed a person.

He wondered if a wizard killed in Animagus form would turn back after death.

Just imagine a corpse suddenly appearing on the train...

Come on, this was the wizarding world, not the set of a detective show.

Killing someone might affect my soul.

Ethan thought.

I'm an honest and kind little wizard. I'd never wickedly split my soul into seven pieces like a certain Noseless Freak.

What should I do...

After thinking it over, Ethan came up with a plan.

Meanwhile, Ron had picked up his battered wand and was preparing to cast a spell on Scabbers.

Just then—

"Whoosh!"

The compartment door slid open.

A girl with bushy brown hair like a tumbleweed appeared in the doorway.

Beside her stood a round-faced boy who looked close to tears.

He'd been here earlier, asking if anyone had seen his toad.

"Have you seen a toad?"

The girl asked as soon as she stepped in, revealing two prominent front teeth while sweeping the compartment with a sharp gaze.

She was quite rude.

Harry frowned and was about to say they hadn't when Ethan's interested voice rang out:

"Which part?"

"..."

Everyone's expressions went blank for a moment.

The poor round-faced boy blinked in confusion.

A moment later, he realized what Ethan meant. His flushed face turned deathly pale.

Ethan: "Hahaha, I'm just kidding."

Harry gave a few dutiful chuckles.

Ethan's sense of humor was a little unusual...

The brown-haired girl raised her eyebrows sternly and was about to lecture them when she saw Ron holding a wand.

So she changed tack. "Oh, are you doing a spell? Then let's see what you can do."

"Okay, o-okay. Ahem."

Ron blushed and muttered as he solemnly cast a completely ineffective spell on Scabbers.

The fat rat rolled over, only a little disturbed from its sleep. It looked perfectly comfortable.

"Are you sure that was a spell? It doesn't seem very impressive, does it?"

The brown-haired girl commented disdainfully. She was about to deliver a speech about how well she knew her textbooks when Ethan interrupted her.

No one gets to give a speech in front of me.jpg

"Hey, I've learned a spell too. Want to see?"

As he spoke, Ethan slowly drew his wand.

"Of course, of course!" Harry hurriedly said.

At that moment, he was willing to do anything to spare his best friend Ron any more embarrassment.

Ron's face was bright red as he muttered under his breath.

He wanted Ethan to perform an impressive spell and shut that annoying girl up.

But he also didn't want to see Ethan actually succeed.

He was torn.

But Ron soon realized he'd started worrying too soon.

Ethan pointed his wand at Scabbers and said with a smile, crystal clear:

"Avada Kedavra."

The moment the words left his mouth,

the entire compartment fell silent, as though someone had hit pause.

Harry, Ron, the brown-haired girl, and the round-faced boy all stared at Ethan, dumbstruck.

It was as if he'd suddenly turned into a Troll wearing a skirt.

"—SQUEE!!!"

A shrill scream burst from Ron's hands.

The fat rat suddenly convulsed. Its leg, missing a toe, kicked frantically, and its two tiny, bead-like eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

It looked as terrified as if it had suddenly come face-to-face with its deepest nightmare.

But—

It was only a rat, wasn't it?

There shouldn't be anything in its tiny brain that could be called a "terrifying nightmare."

"Y-you killed my Scabbers?!" Ron shouted in horror, breaking the silence.

Ethan: (￣︶￣)

"...No, obviously not." The brown-haired girl recovered, pressed her lips together, and said, "He didn't manage to cast it. There wasn't even a beam of light."

"Your rat should still be alive."

Though... that was a little strange.

Hermione frowned.

If the spell hadn't worked, why had the rat reacted so strongly?

Could an ordinary rat understand the words "Avada Kedavra"?

"Exactly. That was just a little joke too," Ethan said.

"I'm not some Dark Wizard with a twisted heart. How could I possibly cast such a terrifying curse?"

"So—"

Ethan tilted his head and looked at the others.

"Why aren't you laughing?"

Everyone: "..."

Bro, you're a little too unhinged.

Ethan smiled gently and innocently.

You'd never guess that just seconds ago, he'd joked about casting one of the Three Unforgivable Curses.

"...That wasn't funny at all!" Hermione finally burst out, crossing her arms and speaking sharply. "If all you can do is play nasty tricks like that, then you're nothing special!"

"You're even worse than that redhead!"

As she spoke, she fearlessly glared into Ethan's eyes.

For a moment,

the atmosphere in the compartment grew tense.

Neville, who'd only come looking for his toad, looked as if he wished he'd never set foot in this carriage.

Ron was entirely focused on his fat rat, muttering, "Bloody hell! It's not gonna shit in my hand, is it?"

Harry glanced back and forth, wanting to smooth things over but not knowing what to say.

He thought a good wizard like Ethan surely wouldn't actually want to hurt someone's pet.

It was just that Ethan's jokes were a little too advanced.

Like inviting Dementors to sing "Happy Birthday" at a birthday party—Harry had read about those creatures in Hogwarts: A History.

It would certainly be thrilling.

But it wasn't necessary.

"...Good grief. You really think so little of me."

Ethan murmured, wearing the smile that seemed permanently welded to his face.

Holding his wand, he casually swept it through the air.

"Accio!"

At the words,

Hermione launched into a lecture as if someone had flipped a switch. "The Summoning Charm? Haven't you even read the textbook properly? The Summoning Charm can only summon inanimate objects. That won't work—"

Before she could finish,

a bang sounded nearby, mixed with someone's scream.

A dark shape came hurtling down the corridor.

It swept around the doorframe and landed straight in Ethan's hand.

—It was unmistakably a dazed green toad!