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Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: If Not Us, Who Is the Villain?

"Hmm... What's up?" Ron mumbled, turning over in his sleep.

Harry swallowed hard, his voice hoarse. "I dreamed... I dreamed about that night, Lord Voldemort..."

At the sound of that forbidden name, Ron snapped awake.

"You... you dreamed about it?" Ron propped himself up, asking in a tense whisper.

Harry nodded gravely.

Then he winced, pressing his hand to his throbbing scar.

Since arriving at Hogwarts, his scar hadn't hurt this badly in ages.

The last time was during the Welcoming Feast, when he'd locked eyes with Professor Snape.

Over Christmas, the Mirror of Erised had indeed shown him his lost family, nearly ensnaring him in obsession.

But thanks to the painting Ethan had given him beforehand, Harry snapped out of it quickly, feeling only a sharp sting on his face.

'This definitely isn't a good thing!' Harry had thought at the time.

He carefully turned the mirror around to face the wall, reflecting on it, to prevent it from tempting the next unwitting visitor.

After that, Harry returned to his dormitory and slept soundly, his dreams sweet and untroubled.

He just didn't know why.

The next day, when Headmaster Dumbledore came looking for him, the old wizard's expression seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

The trip to the Forbidden Forest had left Harry with no bad memories either—

Though that rampaging mother dragon had been truly terrifying.

But afterward, when he and Ron talked about it, they both agreed it couldn't have been more exciting!

It was awesome!

The Weasley twins were openly jealous.

Even Hagrid sent him a letter saying the injured unicorn had been healed!

Everything at Hogwarts was so wonderful.

Under Ethan's chaotic influence, who even cared about a little savior like him?

Harry ate and drank well every day, learning incredible magic. He'd grown taller, and his cheeks were no longer hollow.

But now.

The sudden nightmare and the piercing pain snapped Harry to full alertness.

The Gringotts break-in, the Halloween troll, Nicolas Flamel, Cerberus, the dragon egg...

And what Ethan had said—that Dumbledore wasn't at school today.

A flash of insight.

Connecting all the clues.

Harry's face drained of color.

"W-what's wrong, mate?" Ron stammered, his heart pounding.

Harry whipped his head around, saying urgently, "Don't you think it's strange? Why would Hagrid want a dragon egg, and why would a stranger just happen to have one in his pocket?"

"How many people walk around with dragon eggs? You know that's against wizarding law!"

Ron's eyes widened, his throat bobbing as he said dryly, "So... so—"

"So! Hagrid very likely leaked how to get past Cerberus!!"

"Hiss—" Ron gasped.

"You mean—the Philosopher's Stone?" Harry said with certainty. "Exactly! Tonight, Snape is going to steal the Philosopher's Stone while Headmaster Dumbledore is away!"

"And Ethan is probably there too! He might be being threatened by Snape!"

"Ethan is in danger!!"

Ron: "Huh—huh?"

Who is threatening whom?

Who is in danger?

Ron suddenly fell silent.

His heart settled back into place.

Meeting Harry's urgent gaze, he flopped back onto his bed, rolled over, and mumbled:

"I thought it was something important. I'm going back to sleep."

If Ethan is in danger, he won't eat chicken legs for a month.

Harry immediately grew anxious.

He jumped out of bed, elbowed his best friend hard, and whispered urgently:

"You don't understand! Not only Snape, but behind Snape—there's likely Lord Voldemort pulling the strings!"

"My dream just now foretold this!"

"We..." Harry gritted his teeth. "We have to go save Ethan!"

A moment later.

Three pairs of feet appeared before the Fat Lady's portrait.

No bodies.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione—whom they'd bumped into right after leaving the dormitory—were all squeezed under the Invisibility Cloak.

"If Filch suddenly came out, he'd definitely think Hogwarts was haunted."

"Shh—quiet!"

The three stumbled into the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor and carefully entered Cerberus's room.

They were shocked to see a harp standing there.

It was playing gently, keeping Cerberus in a deep sleep.

Harry: "See! I told you! Snape must have already broken in!"

"Ethan usually helps us so much; we have to save him now!"

Dumbledore wasn't here, the professors certainly wouldn't believe them, and there wasn't enough time.

Though they didn't know what use a first-year wizard could be.

But Ron and Hermione still nodded firmly.

After a series of challenges requiring courage and wisdom.

Ron was defeated in the giant wizard chess game, and Hermione went back to find the professors and Dumbledore.

Finally, Harry stood alone before the painted door.

His scar throbbed violently.

Harry could feel that Lord Voldemort was beyond this door.

A whole wall of eerie, ancient city murals pressed down on him like a mountain, making Harry gasp for breath.

Ahead lay great danger.

"Whew—" Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, he suddenly opened his beautiful, shining emerald eyes and pushed the painted door without hesitation!

Unexpectedly.

The door opened smoothly.

Due to pushing too hard, Harry even knelt and lunged forward.

As if someone had opened it from the inside beforehand, making it convenient for him.

Or as if this door had never intended to stop him at all. Harry's breath hitched, and for a moment, he felt a sense of weightlessness.

Light poured out, and he squinted, holding his breath, looking forward nervously and vigilantly.

What met his eyes was not the scene of Snape threatening Ethan, or Snape torturing Ethan.

Instead, it was Ethan, having knocked a humanoid creature to its knees.

With a genial smile on his face, he was squatting on the ground, showing his paintings to the "humanoid creature."

Harry: "...?"

Harry's eyes widened, his mouth agape, staring blankly at the scene.

W-what happened?

What exactly is going on here?

What is that humanoid charcoal? Did Ethan finally kill someone??

"Ah! Harry, you're finally here!" Ethan looked up, surprised to see a bewildered Harry.

He stood up abruptly, closing the distance in two quick strides.

His mouth held an unchanging smile, and his cobalt-blue eyes, like those of a carnivorous hawk, gazed at him unblinkingly.

He slowly spoke:

"I need the Philosopher's Stone, Harry." In his hand, he firmly held his wand.

"Huh?" Harry stared blankly at Ethan, who was only a foot away.

He subconsciously recoiled, reaching back, but only feeling a cold wall.

The door he came through was gone.

"I'm very happy that you were able to understand the hint I gave you—the hint that Dumbledore wasn't here!"

"This shows that you and I have a telepathic connection—hmm, perhaps the faint light in your skull also played a role."

Ethan spread his arms, spinning in place, his pleasure evident.

Just like a performer who had painstakingly and perfectly completed a grand show.

The madness usually hidden beneath his stoic, iceberg-like exterior now showed a few hints.

Ethan: "I didn't want to trouble you, but I couldn't get it out myself."

"And what I saw in the Mirror of Erised wasn't the Philosopher's Stone at all, but—"

Ethan turned around, raising his arm high.

"It was the scene of me (with art) reigning over the world."

"The Philosopher's Stone can help me get closer to that goal."

???

Harry: (O.O)

Even Lord Voldemort and Quirrell, lying on the ground, were stunned.

They had stopped whimpering, listening without a word.

In the dead silence.

Ethan raised his wand and kindly tapped Harry's forehead, on his lightning-bolt scar.

He tilted his head and smiled:

"So—go get me the Philosopher's Stone, my dear friend, Mr. Harry Potter."

--

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