Harry didn't have time to think.
Because his good mate, who'd already been showing off, pulled out a new trick—producing a plump, fat rat.
Harry noticed that when the rat appeared, Ethan's eyes sharpened instantly.
Like a lake freezing over, those cobalt-blue eyes fixed coldly on the fat rodent.
Even though his lips curved into a smile, the warmth didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh, how interesting. You've got a cute little pet," Ethan said slowly.
He shifted his posture, crossing one leg over the other, half his body cloaked in the shadow cast by the window.
It gave him an air of sudden gravity.
Ron grew inexplicably nervous, stammering, "Er, y-yeah. It's called Scabbers. Used to be my brother Percy's. He became a prefect this year, so Dad got him an owl, and I ended up with this unwanted rat…"
"Hmm."
Ethan let out a hum through his nose, his gaze never leaving the dozing fat rat.
"Scabbers."
Or rather—the man indirectly responsible for the death of Harry's parents.
Peter Pettigrew.
Ethan propped his chin on his hand, musing idly.
First off, if he just grabbed the rat and smashed it dead, it'd definitely leave an unforgettable impression on Ron and Harry.
However, his next stop wouldn't be Hogwarts—it'd be Azkaban.
Right alongside the wrongly accused Sirius Black.
After all, at this point, Pettigrew was still considered the hero who protected Harry's parents.
Besides, though it'd look like killing a rat, it'd actually be killing a man.
And who knew if a wizard killed in Animagus form would revert to human upon death?
Imagine the scene: a corpse suddenly sprawled across the train compartment…
Please, this is the wizarding world, not some detective drama.
Killing might taint my soul, Ethan thought.
I'm an upright, kind young wizard. I'm not about to go splitting my soul into seven evil pieces like a certain noseless freak.
So what to do…
Ethan pondered and came up with an idea.
Meanwhile, Ron had picked up his battered wand, ready to cast a spell on Scabbers.
At that moment—
Crash!
The compartment door slid open.
A girl with bushy brown hair, wild as tumbleweed, stood in the doorway.
Beside her was a round-faced boy with a mournful expression.
This boy had been here before, asking if they'd seen his toad.
"Have you seen a toad?" the girl asked abruptly, flashing two prominent front teeth as her sharp gaze swept the compartment.
Her attitude was anything but polite.
Harry frowned, about to say they hadn't seen it, when Ethan's intrigued voice cut in:
"Which part?"
"…"
The group's expressions went blank for a moment.
The poor round-faced boy blinked dumbly.
Only after a beat did he process the comment, his already flushed face turning ghostly pale.
Ethan: "Hahaha, just kidding."
Harry let out a forced chuckle to play along.
Ethan's sense of humor… it was a bit unusual, wasn't it?
The brown-haired girl raised her eyebrows sternly, about to launch into a lecture, when she noticed Ron holding his wand.
Her tone shifted. "Oh, are you casting a spell? Well, let's see it then."
"R-right, okay," Ron mumbled, his face reddening. He cleared his throat and, with an air of importance, cast a completely ineffective spell on Scabbers.
The fat rat merely rolled over, slightly disturbed but looking quite comfortable.
"Are you sure that was a spell? It didn't seem like much, did it?" the brown-haired girl remarked haughtily, ready to launch into a speech about her mastery of the textbooks, when Ethan interrupted.
No one out-lectures me.jpg
"Hey, I've learned a spell too. Want to see it?" Ethan said, slowly drawing his wand.
"Of course, of course!" Harry said quickly.
Right now, he'd give anything to spare his mate Ron from further embarrassment.
Ron, his face beet-red, muttered under his breath.
Part of him wanted Ethan to cast a brilliant spell to shut the annoying girl up.
Part of him dreaded Ethan actually succeeding.
Very conflicted.
But soon, Ron realized he'd been worrying too soon.
Ethan pointed his wand at Scabbers, smiled, and said clearly:
"Avada Kedavra."
The words fell.
The entire compartment seemed to hit a pause button, frozen in silence.
Harry, Ron, the brown-haired girl, and the round-faced boy all stared at Ethan, dumbfounded.
As if he'd suddenly turned into a troll in a skirt.
"—Eek!!!"
A shrill squeal erupted from Ron's hands.
The fat rat's body convulsed, its missing-toed leg kicking frantically, its beady eyes nearly popping out of its skull–
Its expression was one of abject terror, as if it had come face-to-face with its deepest nightmare.
But—
It was just a rat, wasn't it?
There shouldn't be any "nightmares" in its tiny brain.
"You—you killed my Scabbers?!" Ron shouted in horror, breaking the silence.
Ethan: (¯~¯)>
"…No, obviously not," the brown-haired girl said, snapping out of it and pursing her lips. "He didn't even cast it properly. There wasn't even a light."
"Your rat's probably still alive."
Though… something's odd.
Hermione frowned.
If the spell had no effect, why did the rat react so strongly?
Could an ordinary rat understand the "Avada Kedavra" curse?
"Exactly," Ethan said. "It was just a little joke."
"I'm not some dark, twisted wizard. How could I possibly cast such a terrible spell?"
"So—"
Ethan tilted his head, looking at the others.
"Why aren't you laughing?"
Everyone: "…"
Mate, you're a bit over the top.
Ethan smiled gently, innocently.
No one could tell that just seconds ago, he'd tossed out one of the three Unforgivable Curses as a joke.
"…That wasn't funny at all!" Hermione finally snapped, crossing her arms and glaring. "If all you can do is pull crude pranks, then I don't think much of you!"
"You're even worse than the redhead!"
She fearlessly met Ethan's eyes.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the compartment grew tense.
Neville, who'd only come looking for his toad, looked like he wished he'd never set foot in this carriage.
Ron, entirely focused on his fat rat, muttered, "Bloody hell! It's not going to mess up my hand, is it?"
Harry glanced left and right, wanting to smooth things over but unsure how to start.
He felt that a good wizard like Ethan wouldn't actually mean to hurt someone's pet.
It's just that Ethan's jokes were… a bit too cutting-edge.
Like inviting a Dementor (Harry had read about them in Hogwarts: A History) to sing a birthday song.
Thrilling, sure.
But unnecessary.
"…Tch, I'm being underestimated," Ethan murmured, his smile still fixed in place.
He raised his wand and gave it a leisurely wave.
"Accio Toad."
At that, Hermione lit up like a switch had been flipped, launching into a tirade. "The Summoning Charm? Haven't you read the textbook properly? The Summoning Charm only works on inanimate objects. You won't succeed—"
Her words were cut off.
A distant thud echoed, followed by someone's yelp.
A dark shape zoomed through the corridor.
It whipped around the doorframe and landed squarely in Ethan's hand.
—It was, unmistakably, a dazed green toad!
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