"Roar!!"
The Cerberus lunged forward, its black mane flaring like flames, radiating an overwhelming presence!
Under Ethan's command, even though the beast recognized the girl ahead, its charge didn't slow.
As its razor-sharp claws were about to slam into Luna, everyone winced, unable to look, holding their breath.
They had no idea what this "crazy girl" was trying to pull off.
After all, Luna's golden hair gleamed, her face pale and gentle like the moon, her expression calm and wise.
Maybe even Ethan had slipped up this time.
At that pivotal moment, Luna whispered softly:
"Accio Wall."
In the next instant, the robe tied to the wall snapped taut!
Whoosh.
The result of this ridiculous spell was that Luna herself shot into the air!
"Roar!"
The Cerberus's fangs skimmed the sole of Luna's shoe as it snapped shut.
In its six wide eyes, Luna's gracefully ascending form was mirrored.
Her golden hair danced, and her dress, embroidered with Blibbering Humdinger patterns, fluttered lightly.
Luna clutched the rope fashioned from the robe—if graded by exam standards, it would be a total flop.
The rope still retained the fabric of a black robe, looking odd and out of place.
But it did the job.
Luna narrowed her eyes, feeling the breeze against her face, and couldn't help but smile faintly.
With a thud.
Luna tumbled headfirst into the wall.
When she scrambled back up, her hair was tousled, and her face smudged with dirt.
Still, she waved cheerfully down below.
"Grrr—"
The Cerberus growled low, unable to resist wagging its tail.
Sensing a piercing stare from behind, it shuddered instantly and then bounded off majestically to chase the others again.
Soon, screams echoed from deeper inside.
Meanwhile, the other students gaped at Luna, three words popping into their heads: That actually worked?!
No, how on earth did she pull it off?!
Hermione's mouth fell open in shock.
She stared incredulously at the figure beyond the railing.
It was like spotting a glitch in the system.
She swiftly pieced together the mechanics of "Luna's flight" in her mind.
The key was that incantation: "Accio Wall."
Naturally, a wall fused to the ancient city couldn't come flying over.
That led to two possibilities: one, the spell fizzled out, and nothing happened.
The other was that she flew toward it herself, closing the gap to the summoned object.
A clever workaround for "Accio."
Hermione recalled a Muggle adage about "action" and "reaction."
But damn it!
She'd never seen Muggle physics applied to the wizarding world like this!
It was way too unorthodox!
Magic, to some degree, was a force of will.
It demanded a clear mental image of the outcome you desired.
Even after witnessing this quirky twist on Accio, Hermione couldn't wrap her head around it, let alone copy it.
"Foul!
Coach, that's a foul!"
Hermione whirled toward Ethan.
But on his face, she saw unmistakable approval.
Ethan's cobalt-blue eyes fixed on Luna, his lips curving slightly, his expression glowing with a certain spark.
It was like he'd spotted a kindred spirit.
Setting aside his raw power, that touch of eccentricity did echo Luna's vibe.
Hermione went still.
An inexplicable unease stirred in her chest.
"Hmph, anyway, I'd never condone that kind of cheating!"
Luna stood on the high platform.
She brushed the railing, scraping off a flake of brown that clung to her fingertips.
"Indeed, everything here is a painting," Luna murmured.
She glanced up, meeting the stares from below, all eyeing her like some oddity.
Luna knew plenty of people were chasing after Ethan, that Hufflepuff standout, and Gryffindor's Hermione.
They were desperate to prove themselves to Ethan, to match his stride.
"Hmm, but it doesn't matter if you can't keep up," Luna said softly, her golden hair framing her serene, lake-like face.
"I still have my own path to follow. If our paths align, then we can walk together."
What's more, the moon doesn't need to pursue the stars, because they're already sharing the same night sky.
When the three minutes ticked down, Luna's mouth quirked up.
She unceremoniously swung a leg over the railing and, amid a collective gasp, jumped down.
Landing right into Ethan's extended hand.
His cobalt-blue eyes regarded her as always—with the look he gave to ordinary folks.
"Heave-ho."
Ethan used a charm to hoist Luna up.
He clasped her hand and set her gently on the ground.
"Excellent, Luna," Ethan said with a smile, "a brilliantly clever idea."
"Actually, I was curious if anyone would spot the clever potential of that high platform."
That spot was a historic site where Professor Quirrell had once chugged down two bezoars.
Ethan sighed inwardly.
Luna replied brightly, "Then it seems we were thinking alike."
The two shared a look and chuckled together.
"I'm so envious—" Ron muttered, fixated on Ethan and Luna.
"Right! Take notes!"
Ron jolted back to the moment, patting himself down frantically.
But then he realized he never carried anything like that.
So he just bulged his eyes, trying to burn the scene into his memory for later practice.
Harry teased, "Did you catch the key element?"
Ron shot back eagerly, "What?"
Harry: "Looks."
Ron: "...Go to hell!"
With that, he deflated.
Staring at the Invigoration Draught in his hand.
He threw his head back, chugging it like a beverage, and belched loudly afterward.
This sent Harry into fits of laughter.
Ethan announced: "This group has three selected candidates!"
"They are the Weasley twins, who, through their seamless teamwork, knocked out all the other students and fended off the Cerberus with Dungbombs." Ron's face turned beet red.
Amid good-natured chuckles, the Weasley twins tipped their hats and bowed: "You're too kind, too kind!"
"And," Ethan went on, "through a wonderfully imaginative tactic, the Ravenclaw first-year, Luna Lovegood, dodged capture!"
This time, it took a solid two or three seconds for scattered applause to erupt.
"A witch even younger than Hermione—"
Someone whispered.
Hermione caught it and pressed her lips together in irritation.
Ron consoled her, "Hey, don't get down. You're better than her."
Hermione spun around: "Don't talk to me, failed candidate."
Ron: "..."
He glanced at Hermione, who'd passed, then at Harry, who'd been pre-selected.
He slumped to the floor in defeat, taking another swig from the empty potion bottle.
Hermione fixed her gaze on Luna standing beside Ethan, thinking:
I will never back down!
In the future, the one with the power to build a grand venture alongside Ethan will be me!
"Hmm? Hold on."
What grand venture was Ethan even aiming for?
Hermione sank into contemplation.
The remaining students assembled for the third group and started their test.
Surprisingly, the sole selectee in this batch was Neville Longbottom.
That round-faced, pudgy boy everyone figured didn't fit the Gryffindor mold.
He'd securely bound himself to the corridor with vines, evaded the Cerberus's swipes, and played possum until the end.
At this, everyone was at a loss for words.
What kind of crew were Ethan's founding Enlightenment Society members?!
The "know-it-all" Hermione Granger and the famous Boy Who Lived were somewhat standard.
But the mischief-making Weasley twins, "Crazy Girl" Luna, and the most timid Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom.
Why were they all infamous troublemakers?!
Could this club actually function?
Ethan hadn't anticipated his initial lineup would feature these standout oddballs either.
"Indeed, the strong are drawn to each other," Ethan mused deeply.
He reflected a moment more, then added, "Finally, to recognize Cedric's bold move, and deeming it a passing effort, he's specially admitted to the club."
Hearing this, Cedric's eyes widened.
The Ethan before him seemed to radiate a brilliant glow in an instant!
"Yes, yes!"
Cedric snapped to attention.
He yelled excitedly:
"I won't let you down, Ethan!"
Ethan rubbed his ringing ears.
Good. Very enthusiastic.
"Finally,"
Ethan turned slowly, his emotionless, doll-like gaze landing on a figure skulking in the corner:
"As for those who showed up but skipped the test—congratulations, you've unlocked a hidden prize."
"Enjoy some quality playtime with the Cerberus in the ancient city."
"No time limit."
"How's that sound, Senior Wallace?"
The named Gobstones Club president jolted, his eyes nearly bulging out.
He watched the crowd part silently and the monstrous beast creep closer.
He stammered shakily:
"No, I didn't mean any harm, I just, I just wanted to check it out—"
"Ethan, you get it, right, as a senior—Ahhh!"
Wallace was abruptly yanked down by the Cerberus.
It clamped his robe in its jaws, hauling him toward the ancient city's cold, jagged spikes!
"No, no—!"
Wallace freaked out, shrieking in panic all around:
"Help me, help! I didn't do anything!"
Seeing everyone just staring down at him quietly, Wallace shattered completely.
"I just wanted to ride Ethan's coattails to snag some recruits for my club!"
"Juniors should help seniors, right?!"
"Don't you all see something off here?! What kind of weird club initiation is this?!"
"It's too bizarre, too scary?!"
The students traded looks and replied, "Actually—it was pretty fun."
"Yeah. It was terrifying at first, but looking back, it was an exciting challenge."
After all, it was just a regular ancient city.
Not built in Ethan's typical gruesome fashion.
Ethan had held back after all.
The gentleman is kind-hearted.
The students thought, touched.
Seeing the looks on their faces, Wallace was dumbfounded.
Then, a wave of dread chilled him to the bone.
"They're insane—they're all insane—!"
Wallace twisted around and yelled at Professor Lockhart, who'd been quiet:
"Professor! Professor Lockhart! Stop that lunatic! Why are you just standing there?!"
However,
Professor Lockhart just trembled, ducking his head lower.
He looked like he wanted to melt into the stone wall.
At that, the spark vanished from Wallace's eyes.
"I never should have messed with Ethan Vincent from the start."
He hung his head in despair, drained of all fight, letting himself be dragged into the shadowy ancient city by the Cerberus.
Watching his form vanish,
Ethan folded his arms and snorted.
"If the tiger doesn't show its claws, you take me for a house cat, huh?"
No heads-up didn't mean ignorance. He'd already cut that senior some slack once at the notice board.
But he wouldn't learn and tailed him to the test site.
Though he wouldn't actually off the senior, just let him have fun roughhousing with my Cerberus in the ancient city.
[Your Lamp of Teaching has left a deep impression on everyone!]
[Lamp Brightness, Spread increased!]
["Breaking the Shell" progress increased by 5%!]
[17% → 22%]
[Light the Lamp, Illuminate the Hidden]
[You found a tool lost in who knows what layer of history—]
[Shedding "Skin" Scissors]