Sirius's eyes trembled!
He strained to open his hand and grasp the rolling wand!
"Bang!"
With a sudden explosion,
his entire body sharply bent.
Like twisting into a tube, he suddenly vanished!
An Apparition!
The impact of the magic release scattered the "junk" from the cabinet with a clatter.
"Chirp chirp!"
The golden bird flapped its wings and flew up.
A dusty, withered branch rolled to Ethan's feet.
""
Dawlish's smile froze on his face.
His eyes widened, staring blankly at the empty space in front of him.
After a long while,
he suddenly trembled!
The fugitive, Sirius, had escaped right under his nose!
It was like finally winning a million-dollar lottery prize after immense effort, only for it to be blown away by the wind!
"No, no, no. No!!!"
That piercing scream
reached the Aurors outside the Shrieking Shack, startling them again.
They exchanged glances, uncertainly saying:
"This ghost... has a second phase?"
Why is it more tragic each time?
Inside the Shrieking Shack.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
Dawlish's eyes were bloodshot.
He felt an immense knot in his heart.
His magic surged, almost making him vomit blood!
He glared at Ethan.
Although he didn't know how Sirius had managed to get a wand and Apparate away,
he instinctively felt
that Ethan must have had a hand in it!
"As an excellent Hogwarts graduate and a righteous Auror... I must bring evil to justice..." Dawlish murmured, clenching his wand.
He could still salvage the situation.
Even if he didn't catch Sirius,
catching Ethan, who was colluding with Sirius, would also be a great achievement!
Surely,
Minister Fudge would be very keen to see Ethan appear in his office.
"Come with me, you can't escape!"
Dawlish nervously poked Ethan with his wand.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
He looked up at the sweating Auror.
Suddenly, he chuckled softly:
"The Ministry of Magic is indeed efficient in its work."
Just like that first year.
"Alright, I'll go with you..." Ethan said softly.
His eyes darkened as he stroked his wand.
Recalling the layout of the Shrieking Shack in the original story,
he curled his lips and slowly said:
"I know there's a secret passage in the Shrieking Shack that leads outside. Let's go that way."
"Secret passage?"
Dawlish's eyes lit up.
He thought to himself:
The other Aurors don't know about any secret passage in the Shrieking Shack.
If he found it,
wouldn't that be another achievement?
Dawlish: "...Good, you lead the way, kid!"
He hadn't considered
why Ethan would suggest this.
Beside them,
Hermione finally reacted.
She angrily clenched her fists and shouted:
"Ethan is innocent!"
Dawlish: "Whether he's innocent or not will be decided by the Ministry of Magic."
"What?!"
Hermione was furious.
She felt an impulse gradually gather in her fists.
How could a public servant of the Ministry of Magic be so unreasonable?!
This made Hermione recall her first year.
When Ethan was brought to trial just for acting in self-defense during a competition... and Sirius.
When Hermione flipped through the legal codes,
she was speechless to discover that Sirius's trial had almost no evidence to convict him.
The only reason was that "only Sirius was present at the scene."
Then,
the Ministry of Magic hastily announced to the public that they had caught the culprit responsible for the Potters' deaths.
...If I were in charge, I could definitely do better.
This thought popped into Hermione's mind.
Just then,
a clear voice sounded.
"Then please follow me."
Ethan said politely.
His expression remained calm, and his tone was as clear as a spring.
He seemed like a host guiding guests on a tour, not a "prisoner" held at wand-point.
However,
when Hermione met Ethan's cobalt blue eyes,
she instinctively shivered, as if chilled.
A storm.
A storm was brewing.
It contained a fierce emotion that was unfamiliar to Hermione.
It was like a calm sea revealing its wild and terrifying depths.
It made Hermione... feel her heart race a little.
Ethan turned and walked away.
He lifted his foot, and with a 'crunch,' he stepped on something.
He casually glanced sideways.
His gaze met the dark eyes of the golden bird.
— Hmm?
Ethan paused.
At this moment,
the Shrike, which could guide people to places of treasure,
was quietly standing on a withered branch, about an arm's length, beneath his foot.
A ray of sunlight streamed through a gap in the window's wooden planks.
It happened to fall on the bird's forehead,
forming a spot of light the size of a small fingernail.
Like a shimmering "third eye"!
Professor Trelawney's prophecy instantly flashed in Ethan's mind:
[When the three-eyed bird brings a branch, when the branch is forged into a sword]
The first half matched!
At the same time,
before leaving,
Luna's melodious voice also echoed in his ears:
"Watch your step, oh."
It was as if countless threads of fate converged at Ethan's feet at this moment!
Ethan's eyes gradually lit up, and a genuinely sincere smile slowly formed on his lips!
He slowly bent down and picked up the unremarkable withered branch.
As Ethan moved,
the golden bird chirped, flapped its wings, and vanished.
[Uses of "Shrike's Nest": 1/3]
[You have found "Remains of the Blazing Sun"]
It truly was a treasure!!
Ethan raised his eyebrows, a sense of pleasant surprise welling up within him.
Remains of the Blazing Sun... what was that?
Was it related to the "Sun Brand" in his palm?
Just then,
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
The Auror's shout came from beside him.
""
Ethan glanced sideways at the nervous-looking Auror.
He thought:
First, deal with this noisy fellow.
Then, I can examine it slowly in an undisturbed Chamber of Secrets.
Anyway,
the treasure was already in hand.
"Nothing, let's go."
Ethan said with a smile.
He put away the branch and walked forward with light steps.
— He's truly crazy.
He acts like he's found a treasure, even with a piece of trash found anywhere.
Dawlish pouted, not paying attention... Led by Ethan,
they went down through the trapdoor on the first floor of the Shrieking Shack.
Entering a passageway.
The group looked around in surprise.
Dawlish murmured, "There really is a secret passage..."
How did that kid know?
...It was as if he knew everything about this place.
It was very eerie.
Harry walked in silence.
Still immersed in the frustration of letting Sirius escape.
Suddenly,
a flash of inspiration struck him, and he thought of something.
He stopped, frowning in contemplation:
...Wait a minute.
This morning, when the Weasley Twins gave him the Marauder's Map,
they seemed to mention the secret passage under the Shrieking Shack.
But it couldn't be used.
The reason, he remembered, was...
Gradually, Harry's eyes widened.
He snapped his head up, looking at Ethan in shock!
Could it be that Ethan was trying to lead this rude Auror towards— He noticed Harry's gaze.
Ethan curled his lips.
He put a finger to his mouth and cunningly said, "Shh."
It wouldn't be fun if he said it out loud.
Harry was dumbfounded.
After a long while, he closed his mouth.
From behind his glasses, he looked at the unsuspecting Auror.
Internally, he lit a candle for him.
They walked for a very, very long time.
Finally,
a glimmer of light appeared ahead.
Dawlish's eyes lit up, as if he saw a great achievement beckoning him.
He impatiently poked Ethan's back, urging, "Hurry up!"
Ethan obediently quickened his pace.
He was as docile as a harmless sheep.
— ...Heh, indeed.
No matter how bad he was, when faced with a tough Ministry of Magic Auror, he would obediently comply.
Dawlish curled his lips in pride and smugness.
He even thought, "Ethan isn't scary at all."
— Finally.
The group filed out of the cave entrance.
Breathing in the fresh air deeply.
Hogwarts' majestic Castle stood before them, beneath the grey sky.
Dawlish: "Incredible... To be able to bypass the guards from Hogsmeade Village and go directly to the school!"
"This, this must be Sirius's escape route!"
Indeed, Ethan was colluding with Sirius!!
Dawlish snapped his head around to look at Ethan.
But he saw a faint, pitiful smile on the latter's face.
It was as if
a god was looking at mortals about to suffer.
The next second,
Ethan: "Portal."
"Whoosh!"
A Portal opened beneath Ethan and the trio's feet!
With a gasp,
the figures instantly appeared more than ten meters away!
Dawlish: ???
"Don't, don't run!"
Before he finished speaking,
a rustling sound came from above.
It was very familiar.
It made Dawlish suddenly freeze.
No way... it couldn't be such a coincidence.
He slowly, incredulously, looked up.
He saw the thick tree trunk crashing towards him!!
The Whomping Willow!!
The secret passage entrance to the Shrieking Shack was the Whomping Willow!!!
Dawlish in horror: "No—"
"Bang!!!"
A heavy thud.
Dawlish, like a kite with a broken string,
traced a graceful arc in mid-air and fell into the snow.
He rolled several times.
His limbs dangled limply on the ground.
He stopped moving.
The trio: (mouth) ?!!!
In the dead silence,
Ethan's clear voice rang out.
"A kind and brave Auror single-handedly fought against the fugitive Sirius, and escorted four students out of danger, unfortunately suffering severe injuries."
Ethan tilted his head and smiled brightly at the three:
"What a touching story, right?"
The trio: ""
Oh my god, what a journalistic moment!
"Ah."
Harry suddenly paused.
Looking in the direction of the Auror, he whispered:
"It's the biting cabbage..."