"Impedimenta!"
A spell shot out, hitting the pouncing werewolf with pinpoint accuracy.
It was as if the creature had slammed into an invisible wall.
The werewolf's body twisted mid-air, and it leaped off to the side.
Growling low, its already ferocious face twisted further with bloodthirsty rage.
Harry turned his head in surprise.
There stood Luna, who was only about to start her second year this fall, holding her wand steady.
Her fair, youthful face showed not a hint of panic.
Her clothes were still speckled with reddish-brown stains.
Harry: ?!
What on earth have you been up to with a second-year, Ethan?!
But there was no time for that.
"Roar!"
The werewolf lunged again, giving Harry no chance to complain.
He could only wave his wand desperately, dodging like a cornered fox.
He was doing his best to buy Ethan time, just as Ethan had asked.
The realization that he'd already used magic—and was now technically a criminal—hit him.
It was like a lock had been snapped off.
He swung his wand with even more fervor.
What a heartwarming scene.
Watching the members of his Enlightenment Society battling the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Ethan nodded in satisfaction.
Don't they say smart students get to know their teachers before classes even start?
These kids hadn't just met him.
They'd uncovered the teacher's true nature.
No doubt they'd get along famously with Professor Lupin from here on out.
"Now, let's hurry up and learn this Patronus Charm so I can turn Professor Lupin back to human form."
Ethan thought to himself.
He stepped back a bit and picked up the mirror in his hand.
A chill began to creep across the smooth surface.
A female figure emerged in the reflection.
Her face was unnaturally beautiful, her skin a cerulean blue, her long hair pale as frost.
Her pupil-less eyes held an empty void laced with sharp cruelty.
Staring at her felt like the gentle scrape of a paper cutter across your skin.
It sent shivers down his spine.
[You have summoned the High-Ranking Being, "Girl in the Mirror"]
[Even though "Girl in the Mirror" is merely a servant, to mortals, she is an untouchable existence]
The cerulean-skinned woman with her ethereal beauty slowly opened her mouth: "Thou—"
Ethan: "No time to explain! I need to learn the Patronus Charm!"
Girl in the Mirror: "...—"
Then, a voice like a winter wind scraped across Ethan's ears.
It sounded like howling gusts, but when it reached his mind, it carried clear meaning.
"Kenaz. —. It is fire, the primordial flame, the first spark upon the chaotic earth —."
"It is protection, strength, sacred wisdom—"
[Girl in the Mirror teaches you one of the Ancient Runes, the Guardian Spell]
[You have obtained the complete Advanced Expecto Patronum]
Yes!
Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement.
The missing runes slotted into place.
An incredibly complex Guardian Spell finally formed fully in his mind.
It was like fitting the last pieces into a jigsaw puzzle.
The pure bliss of a perfectionist.
Without wasting a second, Ethan began waving his wand and chanting the extraordinarily intricate spell.
He completely ignored the summoned Girl in the Mirror.
Girl in the Mirror: "...—."
You've successfully caught my interest, mortal.
She had nothing better to do anyway.
So she watched Ethan as he chanted relentlessly, and couldn't help but comment:
"Mortal, this Guardian Spell is extraordinarily complex; mastering it would take days, if not months, of dedicated study."
Ethan paid her no mind.
He just kept reciting the incantation, channeling the magic within him.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
Not far off, wolf howls echoed.
Like the relentless ticking of a clock, urging him on.
The Expecto Patronum draws on positive, protective energy fueled by joyful emotions.
Its casting requirements are quite stringent.
But that meant nothing to Ethan.
Thanks to his [Erudition] skill, he could cast spells without relying on emotions at all!
He'd become a true "emotionless spell-casting machine"!
And with his [Erudition] skill and innate talent, he was a genius that defied common sense!
Ethan could feel it—he'd grasped the essence. Girl in the Mirror: "You're wasting your effort, mortal."
Her tone was even, but it carried the innate arrogance and disdain of a higher being.
"I still remember the last mortal who sought this spell from me. It took him months of study before he finally succeeded—"
Before she could finish,
Ethan cut her off: "Oh? I don't think so."
The Girl in the Mirror paused, taken aback.
Then, a frigid chill seeped from the mirror!
[Girl in the Mirror is displeased by your impudence]
In the howling cold wind, Ethan's skin crackled with frost.
But he didn't flinch.
He pressed on:
"You see mortals as dull-witted, treating us like foolish apes in your words."
"Then witness—the power of mortals!"
Right after that,
Ethan leaped through a suddenly opened portal!
His figure appeared instantly in front of Harry, not far away!
Facing down the lunging werewolf head-on!
"Ethan!"
Harry shouted in surprise, his tense expression easing at once.
Ethan raised his wand.
He pointed it straight at the werewolf, whose pupils contracted sharply at his sudden arrival.
His cobalt-blue eyes gleamed like stars as he chanted in a strange, mystical tone:
"Expecto Patronum!!!"
In an instant,
A brilliant silver-white light erupted from the tip of Ethan's wand, like a cascading galaxy!
It wrapped around the werewolf like a veil, drawing out an agonized howl!
In her mirror, the Girl in the Mirror's eyes widened in shock, her anger giving way to stunned disbelief.
This is... the Patronus Charm...!
This mortal actually mastered the complex Ancient Runes in such a short time?!
Is he truly human? Or some magical creature in disguise?
The Girl in the Mirror sank into deep thought.
"Roar—!!!"
The wolf's mournful cry echoed down the entire street.
It startled distant birds into frantic flight.
From within the silver light, several thick, translucent tentacles emerged.
They writhed and coiled, binding the werewolf with unyielding strength.
Suppressing its desperate struggles.
Turning its furious roars into pitiful whimpers.
Ethan watched as the werewolf's eyes gradually cleared. He lowered his wand slightly and intensified the spell.
With the silver-white tentacles, he forcibly stripped away the cursed "wolf skin"!
"Ow—!
!!!"
A heart-wrenching howl.
Under Harry's wide-eyed stare,
The werewolf's form shrank, its gray-black fur shedding in clumps, its arched hind legs straightening back to human.
In mere moments,
Where the werewolf had stood, there now lay a disheveled, gaunt man.
His eyes were shut, his body still.
[You have successfully cast Advanced Expecto Patronum, turning a Werewolf back into a human on a full moon night!]
[Your understanding of Ancient Runes has deepened]
[Proficiency increased]
The corners of Ethan's lips curled up.
This is the wisdom of mortals.
Add points to the [Erudition] skill!!
Harry stood there, utterly stunned.
He'd never heard of werewolves being turned back to human form.
How had Ethan done it? Did the wizarding world even know this was possible?
But what he said was: "He... he's not dead, is he?"
The curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position had struck during summer break!!
Ethan: "We'll find out if we check."
With that, Ethan manipulated the silver-white tentacles to give Professor Lupin a couple of smacks.
"Listen—"
Professor Lupin groaned in pain.
As if in a nightmare, sharing a bed with dementors.
Ethan turned to Harry with a grin: "See? Not dead."
Harry: (①mouth 0)
Harry hoped that, since they'd saved a Muggle street,
Their sentence might be lighter.
Just then,
The mirror in Ethan's hand let out a voice like a frigid, whistling wind:
"Mortal, what is your name—."
Ethan glanced down, meeting the Girl in the Mirror's impassive face.
"Ethan. Ethan Vincent."
"The man destined to be known the world over."
Ethan replied, his voice brimming with conviction.
The Girl in the Mirror fell silent for two seconds.
Then, with a sigh-like whisper, her form began to fade:
"I hope, one day, I may wander beyond the world with thee—"
"Crack."
The mirror shattered into tiny stone fragments.
Only a lingering chill remained, slowly dissipating.
[Girl in the Mirror has returned]
Wandering beyond the world, huh...
It did sound intriguing.
Ethan mused, staring at the fading frost on the ground.
He wondered if, after his advancement, he'd encounter this mysterious mirror maiden again in that hidden realm—
Only time would tell, once he advanced!
Ethan gripped his wand tighter, a fierce determination surging through him.
Advance, and unlock higher-level painting skills!
"First off, I've mastered the Guardian Rune—this incredibly potent light magic—"
"Now, I need to use it to navigate past the souls of the dead on the path to advancement!"
"I need a new painting card!"
Ethan murmured, a scheme taking shape in his mind.
He'd start painting tonight.
Holy, banishing evil—
Heh, inspiration struck.
Just then.
Bang, bang, bang!
Several sharp cracks, and figures apparated around Ethan and the others.
They leveled their wands threateningly!
Harry: !!!
Oh no! Aurors from the Ministry of Magic!
Ever since teaming up with Ethan, the Aurors had become their natural enemies.