"What's wrong, Cho?"
Marietta Edgecombe, Cho Chang's close friend, leaned over and asked curiously.
"Nothing, it's fine—"
Cho clutched the paper crane in her hand.
But Marietta had already spotted it.
Her eyes sparkled with envy as she said, "That's a message from the Round Table Council, isn't it? I wish I could join them too—I'd do anything for it."
Marietta cupped her cheeks and sighed dreamily.
Cho let out a couple of awkward laughs.
She pressed her lips together and stole a cautious glance at Ethan, who wasn't far away.
By chance, their eyes met.
"Ah!"
Cho quickly turned her head away, her cheeks starting to burn.
"Oh, you're blushing?"
Her friend teased with a grin.
"Stop it."
Cho gave Marietta a playful swat, feeling a mix of shyness and quiet delight.
But when she thought about what the Round Table Council might want her to do...
Cho's expression grew somber again.
Sigh.
Why couldn't Ethan just join the Round Table Council instead of insisting on starting his own club?
It was completely baffling.
To recognize Ethan's selfless contributions, Dumbledore immediately awarded Ravenclaw one hundred points.
He also generously granted Ethan a space to use however he wished for his club.
In the house hourglasses, the blue one for Ravenclaw surged upward dramatically.
It had been neck-and-neck with Gryffindor before (thanks to Hermione's points).
Now, it was way out in front.
Creating a clear lead.
Ethan: Pleased <(-)
Excellent.
Now, the "Hogwarts Overthrow Plan" could move forward without a hitch.
Hehe.
Dumbledore: "So, will you be handling the club's training personally, Mr. Vincent? I'm concerned it might interfere with your studies."
Ethan pondered for a moment.
A name came to mind.
He curved his lips into a smile, his gaze landing on Professor Lockhart, who was giggling along with the crowd like an idiot.
"It's settled! You're my free labor (slave)!"
Ethan: "I'd like to invite Professor Gilderoy Lockhart to oversee this for me."
Lockhart, caught off guard by the mention, startled: "Huh? Me?"
Managing someone else's business sounded like a thankless job!
Lockhart was about to come up with an excuse to bow out when he suddenly recalled Mr. Lamp's order: [Unconditionally assist Ethan with all his requests].
Ethan—what was his connection to that Mr. Lamp?
Damn it! Why did he favor Ethan over him?!
Lockhart felt like his talents were being slighted.
He jumped to his feet, forcing a smile: "Of, of course, no problem! Vincent! I'd be thrilled to assist you with this!"
Hmph!
Just wait until I earn Mr. Lamp's favor—then we'll see who calls the shots!
Lockhart shot a covert glare at Ethan—Mr. Lamp himself.
His heart brimmed with the optimistic vibe of "the future bigwig will definitely have my back."
Indeed.
Some people develop a masochistic streak after a good whipping.
Ethan mused.
He regarded the enthusiastic Lockhart with a pitying look.
The morning assembly in the Great Hall finally wrapped up.
The silver lining was that, to help everyone shake off last night's attack and unwind, morning classes were canceled.
After polishing off his belated breakfast, Ethan downed a glass of pumpkin juice in one go.
Then he and Luna wandered over to the library.
Ethan was fixated on tracking down information about "giant-sized bug bait."
Lost in thought, he walked straight into a "wall."
His nose smacked right into a thick fur coat, making his eyes water from the sting.
It was the worst injury he'd suffered since the school year began.
"Oh! It's you, Ethan!"
Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper, runner-up in magical creature hybridization, and master of wild beasts, turned around and boomed, "Sorry! I didn't spot you there—are yeh alright?"
Ethan wiped the tears from his eyes, massaged his numb nose, and shook his head.
He was about to say "I'm fine" when—
"—No shouting in the library! Or I'll have to ask you to leave!"
Madam Pince, the librarian, shot Hagrid a withering glare.
Then she turned to Ethan with a gentle tone: "Good morning, dear. Here, would you like some chocolate?"
A touch of worry softened her usually stern features.
She must have heard about last night's events.
Hagrid: "..."
The favoritism was blatant!
Ethan held back a laugh and replied politely, "No, thank you for the offer, Madam Pince."
"I'm looking for books on insects—preferably large ones."
Madam Pince: "Fifth shelf on the left, sweetheart."
"Ahem," Hagrid cleared his throat and asked, "Er, books about spiders—"
"Find them yourself! I'm occupied!"
Madam Pince instantly transformed into a terror and stormed off.
"Pfft."
Ethan couldn't suppress a chuckle.
He watched the massive half-giant standing there, frozen in pitiful awkwardness.
Reaching out, he tugged at Hagrid's sleeve and whispered, "Come on, Hagrid. All the natural history books are grouped together."
Hagrid let out a huge sigh of relief and gave Ethan a grateful look: "Oh—"
Before Hagrid could get himself ejected for volume, Ethan hushed him quickly and led him toward the shelves.
"'Encyclopedia of Insects,' 'One Hundred Pests,' 'If You Marry an Insect,' 'The Taste of Insect Mouthparts'—?"
Ethan's finger paused on the book spines, his expression twisting into a question mark.
Something's off here.
Ethan carefully selected his books.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Hagrid had scooped up a stack and was rushing toward Madam Pince.
He glanced back and yelled to Ethan: "Thanks, Ethan! Drop by me hut sometime—er, in a wee bit, though. I'm a tad busy lately!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
He watched the half-giant bolt away like his trousers were ablaze, books clutched tightly.
—Had something gone wrong in the Forbidden Forest again?
Was Hagrid trying to catch spiders to feed to the Norwegian Ridgeback mother and son, hoping to bond with the family?
Ethan couldn't fathom the mindset of this creature fanatic.
He shook his head and headed to the long table with his chosen books.
Luna had already claimed a spot.
"I'm working on my History of Magic assignment," Luna said brightly, holding up her parchment with its tidy, graceful script. "Goblin Rebellions.
I don't think Professor Binns would object if I tacked on the exploits of a legendary fifth-year transfer student at the end."
Ethan: "That's straight from history. It's just that it was too earth-shattering, so later generations covered it up and rewrote it."
"Just like the Chamber of Secrets."
Ethan hadn't spoken loudly.
But maybe because everyone was already tuned in to them, the library went dead quiet the instant he said it.
The flipping of pages and scratching of quills stopped abruptly.
Students exchanged glances, and then a Hufflepuff boy mustered his courage, stood up, and approached Ethan.
"Hey, remember me? I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley from Hufflepuff. I sat next to you in our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
Ethan nodded: "Ah, right, I remember now."
The first Defense Against the Dark Arts class?
That was two months ago.
Sorry, I don't make a habit of memorizing boys' names.
Justin went rigid for a second but brushed it off.
Come on, this was Ethan Vincent!
He had a ton on his plate, after all!
Though nobody really knew what that entailed.
Justin said eagerly: "You saw it too, right? The bloody message on the wall!"
"'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, prepare yourselves!'"
"Filch scrubbed at it like mad, but it wouldn't budge!"
Ethan nodded.
Not only do I know about it.
I wrote it myself.
"So, do you know?"
Justin leaned in conspiratorially—Ethan leaned back.
"...We've got a theory about who opened the Chamber of Secrets!"
Ethan looked intrigued and asked curiously: "Who?"
Were they suspecting him already?
Was this a probe?
He had been pretty front-and-center in the whole thing, after all.
It made sense to be a suspect.
Ethan's pulse quickened involuntarily.
Adrenaline flooded his system, heating his blood.
His cobalt-blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.
If Justin named him, how thrilling would that twist be!
Justin: "Don't freak out when I say it. It's—"
"Say it! Spit out the name—"
"Harry Potter."
Ethan: "Oh—Oh?"
Ethan froze, the spark in his eyes turning to ice.
Who?
Harry Potter?
Why the Boy Who Lived?
Why???
Right then.
Crash!
A noise erupted behind Justin.
Both Ethan and Justin turned to look.
There stood "the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets," Harry Potter, just a few paces away.
Books were scattered at his feet, and his face was ashen.
With him were the ever-present Hermione and Ron.
Justin: !!!
Ethan: Oh dear.
"I—I didn't say a thing!"
The Hufflepuff boy yelped, only to be swiftly booted from the library by Madam Pince...
An uncomfortable silence settled between Ethan and the Golden Trio.
"Ethan—"
Hermione started, fumbling for words.
Ron just puffed his cheeks and stayed quiet.
Harry balled his fists. He wasn't mad at Ethan, of course—he just didn't know how to face him.
What if Ethan bought into it?
What if Ethan started avoiding him like the plague—
Harry couldn't imagine the hit that would be.
Gathering his nerve, Harry looked up!
And met Ethan's intense stare.
Harry: ?
No fear, no revulsion.
Just a blend of outrage and bewilderment.
As if Harry had swiped a chunk of Ethan's glory.
Ethan: So you stole my thunder?
"—Pfft."
Harry couldn't hold back a laugh.
His earlier anxiety and strain melted away.
...Classic Ethan—defied normal logic.
Harry felt a wave of relief and comfort.
The trio took seats across from Ethan and Luna.
Ethan: "So, why are the rumors pinning you as the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"
Looking downcast, Harry recounted how he'd followed a voice and ended up being the first to find the bloody message.
"—Some ghost must have spread it around, since the Deathday Party was going on."
So, pure coincidence?
"Ah," Ethan patted Harry's shoulder and murmured, "How fortunate."
Getting pegged as the villain by mistake—like pulling the Werewolf card in a game of Werewolf—had to be exhilarating.
Harry: ???
Even if he still couldn't follow Ethan's logic, Harry found himself oddly consoled.
What felt like a catastrophe to you might be a minor blip to someone else, dismissed with a casual wave.
His spirits lifted without him realizing it.
Harry broke into a grin at last.
Hermione shifted topics: "Oh, and by the way, we bumped into Hagrid on our way in."
"He mentioned that his 'good friend' in the Forbidden Forest has been running into some issues lately."
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