"I hear you've been making friends everywhere, esteemed Mr. Malfoy."
In the dead silence, Ethan Vincent spoke coolly.
He flashed a smile, extending his wicked hand toward the trembling Draco Malfoy.
"How about we become friends, then?"
"Uh… uh…"
Draco's eyes widened, practically bulging out of their sockets.
Staring at that hand, it was as if the gates of hell had swung open before him, his mind flashing back to that agonizing memory.
Under the shocked gazes of the others, the once-arrogant Draco let out a blood-curdling scream, turned, and scrambled away in a frantic, tumbling escape!
Crabbe and Goyle: ???
Mate, why're you the first to bolt?!
With their leader fleeing, the two bodyguards froze for a moment before hurriedly chasing after him.
Crash!
The commotion drew curious onlookers as compartment doors swung open, heads poking out to see what was happening.
Though no one knew exactly what had gone down, the image of the blond boy's pathetic retreat was seared into their minds.
"I'm telling Professor Snape! You're done for—you'll be expelled!"
Draco's feeble threat echoed from the end of the corridor.
In plain view, he stumbled at the junction between two train cars, crashing onto his backside.
His two lackeys nearly squashed him in their haste.
Talk about making a complete fool of himself.
"What a pity," Ethan said, retracting his hand with a sigh.
"I really wanted to be his friend. Why'd he run off like that?"
Turning around, Ethan faced the crowd with his handsome, innocent smile.
"Am I that scary?"
Scary-looking? Not at all.
It's just his personality was a bit too devilish!
Harry and Ron stood rooted to the spot, one word blazing in their minds:
Awesome.
With just a single appearance, Ethan had terrified Draco into screaming for his dad, like some human Killing Curse.
Ron, meanwhile, was lost in a daydream.
He imagined himself striding in like a hero, pummeling the smug little Malfoy who'd dared bully his best mate, dragging him home in defeat…
Harry, on the other hand, was wrestling with a dilemma:
Is Ethan a good guy or a bad guy?
He punished bullies like Draco, so he couldn't be that bad.
But good? Well… he didn't exactly spare his own side either.
Just look at poor Neville's ashen face—his toad was practically being strangled to death.
In short, Ethan didn't seem to play favorites.
[Ding!]
[Your artistry has left a profound impression, increasing soul fusion from 27% to 28%!]
Oh, nice! Another boost!
Ethan's eyes lit up at the floating text before him, a delighted smirk curling his lips.
Looked like he'd need to "make friends" with Mr. Malfoy more often.
As his soul fusion rate climbed, a surge of magical energy coursed through Ethan's body.
It felt like electricity, his nerves tingling with a crackling sensation.
Raising his wand, Ethan pointed it at the mess on the floor and murmured, "Reparo."
A soft, misty white light glowed from the tip of his wand.
The crumpled carpet smoothed out, shards of glass from Neville's "toad cannonball" swirled and danced back into place, and Ron's button, torn loose in the earlier scuffle, zipped back onto his shirt.
The toad let out a "ribbit" and hopped back into Neville's pocket.
It was as if an invisible hand of restoration had swept through, returning everything to its original state.
Finally, Ethan aimed his wand at Harry's glasses.
Under Harry's alarmed gaze, the cracked lenses snapped back together, perfectly mended.
"Wow…" Harry blinked, stunned for a moment before stammering, "Th-thanks, Ethan."
"No problem. I should've thought of it sooner," Ethan said with a smile.
At that moment, a young man in a blue-trimmed robe approached, his face full of admiration.
"I'm Robert Hilliard, Ravenclaw Prefect," he introduced himself. "Fighting on the train would normally earn you a reprimand, but that spellwork was impressive. Few first-years could pull off what you just did."
"You're Ethan Vincent, right? I've read about you. Ravenclaw would welcome a talented student like you."
Robert grinned at Ethan.
The students peeking out from the corridor gaped in awe, some even whistling playfully.
What had started as a dull journey had turned into Ethan's personal stage.
Watching this, Hermione bit her lip, frustration flickering in her eyes.
Is this the gap in talent?
She'd practiced "Reparo" at home, but could only manage small fixes—glasses, teacups, that sort of thing.
How laughable that she'd been so proud of herself back then.
Hermione considered asking Ethan for pointers.
But on second thought, why ask this shady guy when she could just consult a proper professor at Hogwarts?
"You'd better watch out," Hermione said, tilting her chin up with a frown. "That Malfoy kid said he's going to tell a professor and get you expelled from Hogwarts."
Ethan smirked. "Yeah, and I'm a powerful Emperor "
Hermione: "…"
She shot him a withering glare.
Like a strict headmistress facing a disobedient student, she huffed, "I warned you," before spinning on her heel. Her bushy hair swatted Ron in the face as she stomped off.
Rubbing his stinging cheek, Ron gaped in disbelief. "Who does she think she is? Thinks she's all that? Hmph, she can't even cast a spell as well as Ethan!"
"Mm," Harry mumbled absently, his worried gaze shifting to Ethan.
"Ethan, I think… she might have a point."
"Malfoy said he's going to snitch, and it sounds like he's got a professor in his pocket. I'm worried… you might get in trouble."
The thought of being expelled from Hogwarts and sent back to the Dursleys made Harry feel like he couldn't breathe.
Surely Ethan would feel the same.
"A professor in his pocket, huh…" Ethan murmured, picturing Snape's sour, hook-nosed face.
Well, he was curious to see whether Draco's connection with Snape was stronger—or if the name "Lily" held more weight.
Ethan's lips curved into a sly grin.
Suddenly, he turned to Harry, saying cryptically, "You have a really nice pair of green eyes."
Harry: ???
Caught in Ethan's piercing cobalt-blue stare, Harry felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
He backed away, pressing himself against the compartment door.
Ethan continued, "If a professor ever gives you trouble, just stare at them with those eyes. Trust me, it'll work."
Before Harry could puzzle out what Ethan meant, the train's loudspeaker crackled to life:
[Attention, students: We will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school for you.]
Outside, the scenery had grown dark without them noticing.
"No need to worry about me. I'll be fine," Ethan said with a grin, waving his wand to retrieve his luggage.
"Let's get changed."
Seeing Ethan's calm, carefree demeanor—completely unbothered by the threat of expulsion—Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, swallowing their concerns and hurrying to change into their school uniforms.
They could only hope Ethan would be okay.
But even if he wasn't expelled, surely someone as powerful as Ethan couldn't escape a professor's punishment entirely, right?
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