Neville Longbottom?
That Gryffindor who was almost turned into potion ingredients by Professor Snape in Potions class?
The students exchanged puzzled glances.
Among all his subjects, Neville was only halfway decent in Herbology.
How could he possibly be the key figure in such a groundbreaking potion?
But when they pressed him again, Ethan just smiled and kept his mouth shut.
It seemed like he was gearing up to hit everyone with another secretive "big surprise."
Seeing that, the others had no choice but to let it go.
They shifted to chattering about the spectacular events from yesterday.
Over at the staff table, Professor Snape arched his eyebrows high.
Then, he let out a snort of laughter.
"That Neville Longbottom?"
"Ignoring so many excellent students, he picks Neville Longbottom, who's useless for anything except blowing up cauldrons."
Even he, a renowned Potions Master, hadn't gotten a single scrap of information.
"Ethan, Ethan, you're getting a bit too arrogant this time, aren't you?"
Professor Snape slammed his goblet down, glaring at the composed Ethan.
He felt like his already foul mood—reminiscent of Sirius's—had soured even further.
"He'd love to see what Ethan Vincent could pull off in the end."
"Hmph, no matter what he does, it absolutely can't top his improved Wolfsbane Potion!"
Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table, "Achoo!"
Neville sneezed, feeling an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
Harry: "Haha, who's thinking about you?"
Neville mumbled: "It feels gloomy and full of resentment—"
"It's the vengeful spirit of a defeated dog."
Dean leaned in, trying to spook him with a straight face.
Hermione: "There's no such thing as a vengeful spirit."
Then, she pursed her lips and couldn't help adding, "Also, didn't any of you notice the prophecy from before?"
Harry jolted: "Prophecy? You mean Professor Trelawney's prophecy?"
Hermione nodded, barely containing her excitement: "Yes! Before, we thought it meant 'Sirius is going to kill Harry'!
"But it turns out, what it actually meant was 'Ethan is going to judge Pettigrew'!"
"Prophecies are pretty fascinating, aren't they!"
"—Harry pointed out the key detail: "Doesn't that mean—Ethan is the 'evil soul'?"
After all, the last line of the prophecy was, "The evil soul will judge the hero in the eyes of the world."
Hermione went quiet.
After a long pause, she suddenly whipped her head around and said flatly, "Sure enough, prophecies are all nonsense."
Harry: "...You weren't saying that earlier!"
Harry glanced speechlessly at Ethan over at the Ravenclaw table.
In his heart, he felt a twinge of something.
"—Ethan has really taught everyone a lesson."
"Don't trust others easily, stay firm in yourself—or rather, believe in him, believe in Ethan Vincent."
It was practically like a brainwashing session.
"—Ethan is truly a terrifying and respectable person."
Harry mumbled, digging into his breakfast with a relaxed mood.
He felt that very soon, the title of "Savior" could be handed off to Ethan.
Ethan had stirred up so much trouble and taken down so many enemies.
No matter the methods, deep down, he must want to be a superhero saving the wizarding world, not some demon king villain.
Speaking of demon king villains—for some reason, the first thing that popped into Harry's mind wasn't Lord Voldemort.
Instead, it was the mysterious and eerie Mr. Lamp he'd encountered at the end of his second year.
"—Forget it, with Ethan around, could Mr. Lamp really rule the wizarding world?"
Harry thought as much, pushing the idea out of his mind.
A few days later, late at night, Ethan, Luna, Neville, and a "dog" made their way through the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Two Ravenclaws, two Gryffindors.
School rules? What do they know about adventure!
Neville clutched a lantern, stammering nervously: "B-because of the moonpetal flower's shade-loving growth habits, after several experiments, we found that the Forbidden Forest is the best spot for planting it..."
It was as if he feared Ethan might question him, so he rambled on and on.
In the still-chilly early spring night, a sheen of sweat broke out on his face.
"Hmm~" Ethan hummed in response.
He turned his head, his pale face lit by the moonlight, giving him a ghostly appearance.
He flashed a smile at Neville.
Neville: "!!!"
Neville clamped his mouth shut pitifully, shaking with fear.
"Woof!" The "spotted dog" barked beside him, as if cheering Neville on.
Before, he'd always been the one accompanying Neville into the Forbidden Forest.
He had a soft spot for this kid—timid, sure, but persistent.
What is this! Ethan's cosmic wardrobe is truly indescribable!
Azkaban would have to send someone to study it.
By the way, without Ethan's deliberate "dyeing," Sirius's fur had gradually returned to its normal black.
Neville said gratefully: "Th-thank you—Mr. Sirius. As expected of Ethan's pet, he's just so brave!"
Sirius: "...If he hadn't added that last bit, I would've been thrilled."
Why, even after it was revealed he was human, was he still seen as Ethan's pet?!
Hogwarts, what on earth are you teaching these students?!
Sirius barked twice in dissatisfaction.
At that moment, Ethan: "Shh—quiet."
The surroundings fell silent at once.
Ahead, the faint sound of water trickled through.
A bright crescent moon hung high over the deep forest, casting a soft glow.
Neville scanned the area and whispered: "We're almost there—keep going for about ten more minutes, and there's a big lake."
"That's where the moonpetal flower is planted, right next to it."
Ethan nodded slightly but didn't budge.
In his line of sight, a gentle "mist" floated ahead.
That had to be the magical aura of the moonpetal flower.
Just like its name, it shimmered with a warm, ivory-white hue, reminiscent of tonight's bright moonlight.
But that wasn't why Ethan had stopped.
On top of that, an "uninvited guest" had appeared in his view.
Even from this distance, the magical fluctuations it gave off were as massive as a small sailboat.
Its body seemed to trail countless ribbons, gliding gracefully through the lake Neville had mentioned.
It was an enormous creature.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
As he racked his brain, a silvery voice suddenly spoke beside him: "It's a kelpie."
Luna said softly.
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly and turned to look.
Luna's face, bathed in moonlight, looked as warm as the moon itself.
Her expression was dreamy, her blue eyes seeming to peer through the obstructing trees, gazing far into the distance.
"K-Kelpie what?" Neville asked, trembling.
To him, compared to the fatherly Ethan, this "mad girl" with her ghostly aura made him even more uneasy.
Luna continued softly: "It's a water demon covered in seaweed that can shapeshift into various creatures. It lures people to ride it, then drags them under to drown."
Her eyes seemed fixed on something beautiful.
"!" Neville sucked in a horrified breath.
Clearly, this thing hadn't been here the last time he'd come.
Luna: "It looks like the moonpetal flower attracted this adorable little creature, drawing it from another body of water."
"It's claimed this spot as its territory."