"..."
Inside the ancestral home, there was dead silence.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
They held their wands aloft, staring blankly at that familiar figure.
It was as if they had just witnessed a Dementor delivering Christmas presents.
"Oh my, the rain is really coming down today. It's a good thing Mr. Lovegood can use magic freely," Ethan muttered, as if making casual small talk.
While holding Luna's hand, he stepped naturally across the threshold.
Mr. Lovegood trailed behind them, keeping his head lowered firmly. He refused to look at the crowd ahead, seeming determined to play the ostrich.
"......E-Ethan?"
Harry called out tentatively.
His mind was a blank slate.
Everything happening before his eyes felt as absurd and ridiculous as a dream.
How could Ethan be here at the Order of the Phoenix?
No, rather—how did Ethan even know of the Order's existence?
And why did he look so comfortably at home here?
No one noticed that to the side, Sirius seemed to suddenly remember something. His expression froze instantly.
Ethan asked Mr. Lovegood to dry his and Luna's clothes.
Hearing no response, he looked up, glancing condemningly at the group, who stood with their mouths agape as if they had been hit with an intelligence-draining curse.
He raised an eyebrow.
"What? Is it possible that after just one summer break, you don't recognize me anymore?"
"And here I went to the trouble of bringing you a gift!"
"...A gift?"
Harry repeated like a puppet.
"Yes."
Ethan looked at Harry with confusion. Then he blinked, as if realizing something. His smile suddenly became kind—the sort of look one gives a wealthy man's simple-minded son.
He patiently raised his hand and pointed behind the group.
A gentle smile, warm as the morning sun, rose on his handsome face as he said:
"Look, didn't I have the giant bring it over to you?"
"...."
Creak, creak.
Harry slowly turned his head.
He felt as though he could hear the sound of his own stiff neck protesting.
Upon turning around, the first thing that caught his eye was the giant's massive, open palm.
And there... resting in the center of the palm, was a red gift box.
Compared to that colossal hand, it appeared tiny. It was exquisitely tied with a golden ribbon—Gryffindor colors, naturally—showing a meticulous attention to detail.
"..."
In the dead silence, Ethan's cold hand rested on Harry's shoulder from behind.
His voice, clear yet inexplicably eerie, spoke right next to Harry's ear:
"Happy Birthday, Harry~"
"Why aren't you going to take the birthday gift I prepared for you?"
Harry: "........."
His back was soaked with sweat.
Good news: It wasn't a Dark Wizard attack.
Bad news: It was freaking Ethan Vincent!!
A Dark Wizard might have been preferable!!!
In this moment, Harry finally realized something regarding the debate of "whether or not to tell Ethan about the existence of the Order of the Phoenix."
They never had a choice from the very beginning.
......Sob QAQ
[Name: "Furnace Giant"]
[Rank: Tier 3 · Golden Legend]
[Type: Living Painting]
[Effect: A Progenitor Giant driven by immense energy. It possesses unrivaled strength and can freely manipulate the power of fire without spells. This is a fire of calamity, distinct from dragon fire.]
[Although activation requires throwing an item containing immense energy into the furnace within its chest, it possesses incredibly powerful AOE capabilities.]
[Evaluation: One man, a fortress.]
Amidst the pouring rain, the dim glow of the furnace gradually faded.
Finally, the Progenitor Giant's massive form dissolved into motes of light, returning to the card in Ethan's hand.
On the blank canvas, it coalesced into the image of a hideous giant wielding fire. Its face bore an uncivilized wildness and bloodlust. Vaguely, one could hear a roar that made the mountains and rivers tremble.
This was the new painting Ethan had created, utilizing the Giant's Heart and inspiration from the primeval giants!
Ethan turned his head, looked at everyone present, and asked excitedly:
"Who do you think is stronger: him or Voldemort?"
"....."
Everyone watched with twisted expressions as Ethan naturally sat down at the dining table. They felt a chest full of retorts stuck in their throats, utterly stifled!
Finally, it was Mad-Eye Moody—who had experienced Ethan's "torture" before and had a relatively higher tolerance—who snorted and spoke:
"If you have that thing from just now, you could go one-on-one with that fleshy abomination form of Voldemort."
"At the very least, it could completely restrict Voldemort's movements!"
Hearing this, Ethan nodded in satisfaction, the corners of his mouth curling up proudly.
He looked at the newly acquired card in his hand. He simply couldn't love it more.
There was nothing more delightful than creating a perfect painting!
With his mood lifted, his appetite improved as well.
Surrounded by indescribable stares, Ethan gulped down a mouthful of hot soup.
He let out a satisfied sigh as the warmth traveled from his throat all the way to his stomach.
His brain began to whir into action.
"However, this powerful card isn't without its limitations," Ethan pondered.
"Every time it activates, I need to feed a massive amount of energy into the heart's furnace."
"This time, I nearly drained my magical core just to make that behemoth move for a short while."
"If driving the giant consumes me instead, the loss outweighs the gain."
"Is there any other extraordinary object containing powerful magic..."
Ethan frowned in thought.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
A great idea popped into his head!
"That's it! If there are any items that can match my level of magical power, it has to be—"
"The relics left by the Four Founders!"
Furthermore.
If it were a relic attached to Voldemort's soul...
That would be even better.
Items flashed rapidly through Ethan's mind.
Finally, he locked onto a target—
Helga Hufflepuff's Cup.
The golden cup possessing Hufflepuff's imagery, symbolizing abundance and harvest.
Surely, it could provide the Furnace Giant with a great deal of energy, right?
When reading the original books, Ethan often wondered about this.
The precious treasures left by the Four Founders were destroyed just like that?
Without showing any special efficacy?
It was simply a reckless waste of god-given gifts. Truly a pity.
Now.
Ethan could actually explore their uses.
Hufflepuff's Cup was hidden in Bellatrix's vault.
Gringotts... it seems it is time to pay another visit~
"Hehe, hehehehe..."
At this thought, Ethan couldn't help but chuckle with delight.
That chilling laughter was like a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter, poured right over everyone's hearts.
Everyone stared silently at the delicious food in front of them.
It had the distinct feeling of "The Last Supper."
We'll ask Ethan how he knew about the Order of the Phoenix later.
Yes.
In that moment, everyone present silently reached a consensus.
On the other side.
The Black family's house-elf, Kreacher, huddled behind the door.
His large eyes stared unblinkingly at Ethan.
His gaze was filled with fear and longing.
He muttered incessantly:
"Little Master's locket... give Little Master's locket back...
"Thief, thief——————!!!"
Kreacher didn't notice Ethan's cobalt-blue eyes glancing slightly in his direction.
...Since he knew that Kreacher would seize the opportunity to exploit a loophole in Sirius's words, sneak out, and tattle to his beloved mistress Bellatrix Lestrange...
(Forgive Ethan, he still hadn't remembered the crazy woman Bellatrix's full name. Nor did he care to.)
...Since he knew Kreacher would leak intelligence about this place to Bellatrix, which in the original story indirectly caused Sirius's death...
Then why not turn the tables and use that to his advantage?
A triple agent scenario.
Wouldn't that be interesting~
Ethan raised the corners of his mouth.
A spark of devilish cunning flashed through his mind.
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