This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Sirius had been spotted by the Aurors, and he'd initially thought he'd blown it again.
But he hadn't expected...
Harry and the others to come chasing after him.
It was like fate itself was pulling the strings!
The instant he laid eyes on Ron, Sirius made his choice.
He raised his wand and bellowed, "Expelliarmus!"
"I've waited too long—"
Sirius fixed his gaze on Ron—on Pettigrew, who was tucked away in his pocket.
"Today, I'm going to finish what I couldn't back then!!"
Kill Pettigrew!!
Is he about to kill Harry?!
Hermione gasped.
She froze on the spot, her mind going completely blank for a split second.
The next moment...
Harry let out a roar and charged forward in a fury!!
He slammed into Sirius, tackling him to the ground, and the two started grappling!
Two wizards, reduced to a bare-knuckle brawl!
Hermione stood there, stunned and helpless: "W-what do we do?!"
She turned to Ethan, her small hand clutching his sleeve in panic.
"You're the only one with a wand! But, but it's too easy to hit Harry by mistake right now—!"
At those words...
Harry, who had one hand jammed up Sirius's nostril, looked up and shouted:
"Don't worry about me! Ethan, hurry up and take them to find the Aurors!!"
Sirius grimaced in pain: "Harry! Y-you have to listen to me first—!" Harry snarled: "You killed my parents! What's left to explain?!"
"Ethan! Go, now!!"
"Harry—"
Sirius's mouth twisted in agony—a double torment of body and soul.
His nostril felt like it was about to tear open.
Sirius gazed at Harry with eyes brimming with sorrow and a hint of relief.
Truly James's son, bursting with courage.
But Harry didn't notice any of it.
Right now, his mind was consumed by just two words—revenge!
When the Dementors had closed in earlier, he'd heard his mother's scream, the flash of that green light, and that haughty laughter echoing in his head.
Who knew if Sirius's laugh was mixed in there!
Not even Ethan could stop him now!!!
Ethan eyed the two of them, tangled up like an octopus, shook his head, and let out a classic Ravenclaw sigh:
"Truly a pair of reckless Gryffindors."
In the original tale, if anyone there had just taken a breath and listened to the explanation...
It wouldn't have ended with all that wasted effort and no real change.
Sirius still on the run, Pettigrew still slipping away.
Ethan: "I'll use that spell to help you two cool off."
In an instant...
Harry and Sirius both shuddered at the same time.
As if something filthy was eyeing them up.
They turned their heads.
And there was Ethan, looking down at them with cold, thrilled eyes, like a scientist eyeing a rat on the dissection table.
Harry & Sirius:
...Harry: "Wait, Ethan, I suddenly feel calm—!" But...
It was too late.
Ethan waved his hand and called out:
"Portal!!"
Whoosh!
Two dark portals appeared, one above and one below Harry and Sirius!
Like the filling in a sandwich cookie, they were trapped right in the middle.
Harry & Sirius: "Ahhhh—!!"
Screaming, they plummeted into the portal that had opened beneath them!
Then, they tumbled out of the one above!
And straight back into the one on the floor!
And so the loop continued!!
Their speed ramped up, faster and faster, faster and faster!!
"Ah ah ah ah ah—!!!"
Harry and Sirius's screams echoed through the entire room!
Outside the Shrieking Shack...
The Aurors jumped, staring at the house in horror, and muttered:
"W-what twisted screams! Like tormented ghosts seeking vengeance!"
"Yeah, the legend's spot on!"
"This Shrieking Shack really is haunted!!"
Only one Muggle-born Auror frowned, puzzled:
"? Why does that sound just like screams from a roller coaster?"
"Speaking of which, where'd Delice go?"
"Who knows. Heh, probably fell through some 'dark door' again, right? Heh, how funny!"
Meanwhile...
Inside the house...
Hermione stared blankly at the two "haunted" figures.
Their forms were blurring into afterimages, and their screams pitched even higher.
Fully showcasing that Gryffindor grit!!
Ron's eyes bulged, and he blurted out:
"Cool—"
Harry: "Ronnnn—save meeeeee—!"
Ethan curled his lip, thinking: "I'll call it 'The Ring of Harmony,' a symbol of beauty and joy."
Just listen to that sound—how delightful.
Seeing that Harry and Sirius had had enough fun...
Their voices had finally quieted down.
He considerately dismissed the portals.
"Bang!"
The two slammed hard onto the floor.
They rolled apart to either side, breathing shallowly.
Their wands lay scattered nearby.
They were utterly calm.
Ethan nodded, pleased: "Another dispute settled. I really am a kind, helpful soul."
Everyone:
It's not settling disputes—it's settling the "people" in the disputes, isn't it?!
At that moment...
The impact shook a nearby bookshelf, causing it to topple.
A heap of twigs, glass bottles, and assorted junk spilled out and scattered across the floor.
"Chirp!"
A bird's call.
A golden bird—a shrike that guides people to treasure.
It flew in from who knows where, gliding lazily through the air.
It perched on the pile of junk.
Oh?
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Looking at the golden bird, it seemed to be standing atop some grand treasure.
It pecked at the grimy dry branches beneath it with its beak, chirping happily without pause.
Is there treasure in this junk pile?
Ethan lifted his foot, about to step toward the shrike.
Suddenly, he paused.
His gaze shifted behind him.
"Incarcerous!"
Whoosh!
A spell shot from behind, striking Sirius on the ground!
"Hmph!"
Sirius grunted as his limbs were bound tight!
Even his mouth was sealed, stopping him from uttering any incantation.
Amid Hermione's gasp...
Ethan turned and saw a man in Auror robes.
He looked like your average desk jockey.
His magic sapped by the grind of the job.
Delice held his wand high, exclaiming in triumph: "I got you! I got you! Fugitive Sirius!!"
He stared hard at the writhing fugitive on the floor, a strange feeling bubbling up inside.
He'd expected Sirius to be ragged and wild.
But...
Surprisingly, he looked remarkably put-together.
His black hair was neatly trimmed, falling in messy but clean waves to the ground.
His eyes were sharp and lively, his face shaved smooth, no stubble in sight.
Even his cheeks had a healthy flush.
It was as if... he'd been well looked after.
Delice narrowed his eyes.
His gaze slid to Ethan.
He smirked and rasped:
"Heh, caught in the act, Ethan Vincent! This time, you're finally mine!!"
Ethan regarded this sour-faced Auror.
After a beat, he asked earnestly:
"Who are you?"
Delice, who'd been foiled by Ethan time and again:
"...I'm John Delice! You cocky little punk!!"
Delice yelled in frustration.
"During the Treasure Hunt Challenge, you mangled that Slytherin kid, and I got stuck with the blame for 'lousy oversight'! And last time, when you were fishing in the North Sea, you rammed my boat—and me—straight into the icy winter waters!!"
"And at Hogwarts—"
As Delice rattled off Ethan's misdeeds one by one...
Hermione's face flushed red.
—Ethan had secretly pulled off so many huge stunts.
As expected of Ethan—truly incredible!
Delice wrapped up, huffing for breath.
Catching Ethan's look, which seemed to say, "What a small-minded guy."
The rage in his chest only burned hotter.
"Anyway! Today, I'm hauling Sirius and you! Both straight to the Ministry of Magic!"
Hermione: "But! Ethan's here to help—"
Delice: "Hmph, Miss, we'll sort out the truth at the Ministry."
Hermione's brows knit tight.
Just as she opened her mouth to argue...
Ethan raised a hand to stop her.
Ethan: "I came with Harry. Is the Boy Who Lived an accomplice too?"
At the same time...
A thread of magic drifted out quietly.
Gently nudging the fallen wand toward Sirius.
Delice glanced at the faintly groaning Harry and posed a piercing question: "You attacked Harry, didn't you?"
Ethan:
"...Haha, you're quite the comedian, Auror sir."
"My name is John Delice!!"
Just then...
The wand finally rolled into Sirius's hand!!
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