However...
At this moment, Ethan was the only one still in the mood to express such sentiments.
Portkey travel felt like a large hook seizing a person's navel.
Hermione groggily picked herself up from the ground.
She frowned and cast a Freshening Charm on herself, her face ashen: "Isn't there a more stable method?"
Ginny nodded beside her, patting Hermione's back with concern.
Perhaps it was due to playing Quidditch, but her complexion was better than Hermione's.
Mr. Weasley cheerfully said, "Cheer up, girls! You know, opportunities to travel hundreds of kilometers at once are rare!"
Ethan nodded: "Indeed. It's quite interesting to be hooked up like salted fish."
One sentence ended the conversation.
Only the thick-skinned Mr. Diggory—Cedric of Hufflepuff's father—
laughed heartily: "You must be the famous Ethan, right? Your words are truly amusing."
"But our Cedric isn't bad either!"
Amidst Cedric's embarrassed expression,
Mr. Diggory proudly patted his sturdy back, boasting: "Look! This back, forged through a thousand trials! I have a premonition that Cedric will become a great hero! If you ask me, this is much better than pushing a pen!"
"Please mind your words, sir."
Unexpectedly,
the one who interrupted Mr. Diggory's bragging was none other than the usually quiet Mr. Lovegood!
Everyone looked at the pale, platinum-haired man in surprise.
Even Mr. Diggory looked at him, startled,
as if he had just realized he was present.
Mr. Lovegood tightened his face and said, word by word:
"Ethan is a man of his word; if he says he'll hang people like salted fish, he will certainly do it!"
"You cannot disbelieve Ethan!"
His shouts echoed in the ears of the bewildered crowd.
Wait, was that really your point of rebuttal?!
Please, don't actually do that!!
Mr. Diggory was dumbfounded.
Then he heard Ethan say, touched: "Oh~ you understand me, Mr. Lovegood."
Mr. Lovegood chuckled, scratching his head shyly.
He breathed a sigh of relief internally... Phew, he spoke without overthinking.
Fortunately, running around with Ethan and Luna before had given him some experience.
He didn't lose face!
Diggory looked shocked.
This crazy family, were they the idols Cedric constantly talked about?!
Mr. Diggory shivered.
He suddenly had deep doubts about Hogwarts' safety... However, no matter what,
with Headmaster Dumbledore there, nothing could possibly happen to Cedric at school.
Haha, it's not like he could die, right?
How ridiculous.
This small interlude quickly passed.
As they approached the venue,
they were questioned by Aurors.
Dozens of Aurors stood solemnly at the entrance, wands in hand, meticulously checking everyone with tireless patience.
Commanding nearby was a young, black-haired witch.
Her hair was neatly pinned up, making her appear extremely capable.
Ethan gazed at her back.
In a trance,
he seemed to see Miss Black from a century ago.
According to Sirius,
one day he accidentally looked at the tapestry and was surprised to find:
Eve Black's name had appeared in the tapestry's family tree!
... It seems Miss Eve was doing very well in the past.
Ethan thought.
He curved his eyes,
planning when he would use the silver key to return to ancient times to see her.
Just then,
that Auror witch turned her head.
With just one glance,
Ethan completely distinguished her from Miss Black.
If he had to make a comparison... it was the difference between a wolf king and a husky.
Her face carried a clear stupidity.
Round eyes, a perky little nose, her entire face was full of spirit and sparkled.
Her appearance, however, was very pretty.
A standard Gryffindor.
"Oh, oh!"
Seeing him, the Auror witch let out an unintelligible gasp.
Her face quickly turned crimson.
Then, she walked over stiffly.
She saluted with a click and loudly declared:
"Connie Rosier, I salute you!"
Rosier?
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Was it that French family that once followed Grindelwald?
As if reading Ethan's thoughts, the Auror witch's face grew even redder.
A flicker of fighting spirit rose in her eyes:
"I am one of the Aurors responsible for the safety of this match! Although there was an attack before—I will catch the criminal and protect this World Cup match!"
"You, you must watch carefully, Mr. Vincent—!"
After speaking,
her face turned tomato red.
Two seconds of silence.
Suddenly, she shrieked "Ah" and disappeared with Apparition.
Ethan pointed in the direction she left, puzzled: "Is she challenging me?"
Why tell me to "watch carefully"?
Was she implying that she had sensed his true identity?
Ethan's eyes darkened.
Weasley Twins: "Dude, if that's called a 'challenge'—
"Then all the girls at Hogwarts are challenging you."
Meeting Ethan's confused gaze,
the Twins helplessly patted his shoulder.
They gave their younger sister, Ginny, a look of "good luck."
A rare bloom, a blockhead awakening.
Little sister, a long road ahead... Then she was elbowed hard by an exasperated Ginny.
On the other side,
Harry clenched his fists.
He instinctively believed that this attack was done by Mr. Lamp.
Because the lingering Lord Voldemort wouldn't want to make headlines.
However, this exaggerated style—
was somewhat similar to Ethan's.
After the Aurors' inspection,
the group finally entered the venue.
It was like tearing through a paper window; the clamor instantly rushed over them.
Everything within sight was so lively and bustling.
Wizards of different skin colors and nationalities moved among countless tents.
Some tents even had chimneys sticking out.
Morning light filtered through the clouds, scattering across the grounds.
It was a rare sunny day in Britain.
Ethan raised a hand to shield his forehead, muttering:
"The weather isn't very good today."
He raised his hand and conjured a dark cloud above his head.
With a splash, it drenched everyone to the bone.
Passing Wizards: (○mouth○)??
They stared in shock at the few people experiencing a "localized downpour," even forgetting to watch where they were going.
They bumped into others head-on.
"This is much more comfortable."
Ethan smiled contentedly, huddling under the already erected umbrella with Luna.
Under the deadpan gazes of the Weasleys and others, he exchanged a smile with Luna.
The atmosphere was extremely warm.
"This umbrella is so beautiful."
Luna raised her hand, gently stroking the pitch-black umbrella.
A speck of black residue, like paint,
stained her fair fingertips.
Ethan's eyes widened, and he said meaningfully:
"This is a wonderful tool we'll need later~"
Just then,
an excited shout rang out: "Mr. Crouch!!"
It was Percy, who had Apparated.
He was excitedly and nervously waving at a fleeting figure passing by.
Hearing this,
Ethan tilted his head.
He looked at Mr. Barty Crouch, who insisted on having the same name as his son.
His gaze shifted slightly.
Next to Crouch, he saw an invisible outline.
Ethan slowly grinned.
...Oh, isn't that Barty?
Haven't seen you in a few days, caught by your dad again?