Deep beneath Gringotts.
In a corner where no one was looking.
Rustle, rustle.
Several figures walked out in single file from a secret passage that was nearly impossible to detect with the naked eye, as if appearing by magic.
It was as though they had walked straight through the solid stone wall.
Suddenly, their field of vision opened up.
The students tilted their heads back, staring dumbfounded at the shocking scene before them!
Countless tracks crisscrossed high above like a massive spiderweb, layering over one another in a dizzying array.
Every so often, a thunderous roar, amplified by the vast empty space, would echo through the cavern.
It was the sound of mine carts speeding by.
"I never knew there was a waterfall deep inside Gringotts..."
Ron stared in a trance at the water cascading down with a mighty crash.
He muttered, "It really has style."
"That is the anti-thief system. Tsk, Gryffindors," a Ravenclaw student said haughtily.
In Ethan's Illuminated Society club, Ravenclaws and Slytherins willing to go on "field missions" were rare species.
Amidst the chattering, Ethan clapped his hands, looking for all the world like a kindergarten teacher taking a group of chicks on a field trip.
He spoke gently and patiently:
"Alright, everyone."
"Let's save the sightseeing for after we blow Gringotts sky-high."
The group choked.
...They weren't that in the mood for sightseeing.
Ethan continued, "First, we need to find a goblin to ask for directions."
The Weasley twins raised their hands.
"Question! We are miles underground, far away from our family vault. Where are we supposed to find a goblin?"
"Are we going to catch one?!"
The twins were eager to try.
However, before Ethan could issue his supreme directive, a hoarse roar came from above:
[RUUUU!]
It sounded like a dragon's cry, yet also like human speech.
It echoed faintly through the cavern.
The anger and resentment wrapped within that sound made everyone shudder!
"W-what is that?" Ron asked in astonishment.
He looked at the Ravenclaw student with questioning eyes.
The Ravenclaw pushed up his glasses and huffed, "It's a dragon. Goblins train dragons to guard their most important vaults."
Before his voice had even faded—
[———————Kill them... kill the intruders! Protect my treasure!!]
Ron: "So, giant dragons can talk, can they?"
Ravenclaw: "..."
Awkward Silence.jpg
"Intruders" definitely referred to them.
The killing intent was palpable, almost solidifying into a scarlet skull that swept down from above!
"It's a strong enemy," Harry gripped his wand tightly, feeling his heart pounding wildly against his ribs. "Ethan, what do we do———————"
Ethan: "Haha, perfect! Now we have a goblin to ask for directions."
He turned his head.
Facing the dumbstruck expressions of the group, Ethan flashed a refreshing, handsome smile and gave a thumbs up:
"We sure are lucky~ right?"
Everyone: "..."
—Are you sure we are here to "ask for directions" and not "seek death"?
The intruder is literally screaming in our faces, right?
That's certainly one way to live.
Ron face-palmed. "I feel like our biggest danger isn't the powerful enemy, but our President who lacks all common sense."
Even if the destination were the infamous Arkham Asylum, Ethan would probably happily say, "I'm home."
However.
Ethan might be crazy, but he wasn't a brute.
As a "Hufflepuff (self-proclaimed)" who had been thoroughly marinated in Ravenclaw values, Ethan had always been synonymous with calmness and caution.
"Disillusionment Charm."
Ethan issued the instruction.
His cobalt blue eyes looked down at the club members.
The members paused for a moment.
Then, under this clear command, they quickly recovered their composure.
One by one, they crouched down and waved their wands over their heads.
Even Neville, who was the least proficient with spells, managed to stumble his way through completing this high-level magic.
It was like the invisible veil of a goddess gently draping over everyone.
In just a few breaths, the originally bustling corner became empty and silent.
Only by looking very carefully could one notice the unnatural distortion flashing across the dim rocky wall.
"Very good."
Ethan nodded.
He didn't need to hide himself in the same way; he simply held his breath and focused, retracting his outwardly radiating magical power back into his body.
His presence instantly became thin and scarce.
Using the Anywhere Door.
The group shuttled between the vault platforms that were otherwise impossible to climb.
The sheer cliffs, designed to prevent intruders, felt like flat ground beneath Ethan's feet.
Soon.
They saw the source of the roar.
"Merlin, what is that...?"
Justin, hiding in the shadows with the others, stared wide-eyed. He clamped his hand tightly over his mouth to stifle the scream threatening to escape.
Appearing in everyone's field of vision was a massive circular arena.
It was about the size of more than half a Quidditch pitch.
————And painting this arena...
Was bright red blood!
Drip, drop.
Drops of blood fell onto the stone walls, one by one.
They meandered downwards, forming a crisscrossing pattern of stains.
A colossal white dragon lay across the pool of blood.
A massive gash had been torn open in its abdomen, though its body was still heaving tenaciously.
"That's too cruel!"
Hermione gripped her wand in heartache, wishing she could rush out immediately.
But just then.
A strong hand pressed down on her shoulder.
Ethan held a finger to his lips, signaling everyone to be quiet.
His eyes were focused intently on the platform.
He didn't notice that Hermione, whose body he was holding down, felt her face gradually heating up.
She went rigid, not daring to move a muscle.
While the others were shocked by the heavily injured white dragon, Ethan was thinking about something else.
...Dragon scales are incredibly hard, possessing extremely high resistance to both spells and blades.
Especially on the soft underbelly, where the scales are usually very thick.
What kind of creature could ignore defense and tear through scale and flesh like that?
Whatever it was, it shouldn't be something found inside Gringotts.
"As expected, it's Dark Magic," Ethan thought, his gaze sharp as a sword.
And.
It was extremely potent Dark Magic!
The world of Harry Potter had one setting that was somewhat broken: "Magic is heavily influenced by emotions."
As long as one harbored "joyful" feelings, even a pink toad like Umbridge could cast a Patronus—don't ask why she was joyful.
And even a student, under extreme anger, could successfully cast Crucio.
What appeared in Ethan's eyes was an extremely twisted, extremely dark magical power.
It was like a giant maw devouring living beings, emitting a silent scream full of resentment.
—Bellatrix.
This was the first name that popped into Ethan's mind.
He wasn't surprised.
Having taken Bellatrix's wand, he had long anticipated that she would chase after him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such comprehensive preparations before raiding Gringotts.
"However, it seems Bellatrix herself hasn't recovered from her injuries yet."
"She needs to use a 'stand-in' to fight."
Ethan looked at the small, thin shadow crouching in the pool of blood.
By the looks of it, it should be a goblin.
"No choice then. Let's finish this quickly and beat the location of the Lestrange vault out of him!"
In the original story, this poor white dragon didn't die.
If it died just because he showed up, wouldn't that make him look incompetent?
Ethan absolutely would not allow that.
He turned his head and instructed the students:
"Watch closely. This is an advanced technique you will need to learn in the future."
Then.
He quietly crouched down, the Anywhere Door appearing directly beneath his feet.
It transported him, unknowingly to gods or ghosts, directly behind the goblin!
Students: !!!
"That's too bold!" Ron lowered his voice and whispered frantically.
The Weasley twins were excited: "He actually teleported directly behind the enemy! As expected of Ethan! Great skill implies great courage!"
Just thinking about it was thrilling!
Everyone held their breath.
Waiting in grim, excited anticipation!
They couldn't wait to see what kind of superb technique Ethan was about to demonstrate!
Next.
They saw Ethan wave his wand.
The tip burst forth with a ghostly blue magical light.
It spun continuously, the tip sharpening.
It condensed into a high-speed rotating magical drill!
Everyone: ?
The expectant expressions froze on their faces.
Watching Ethan crouching behind the goblin with that eager look on his face.
They couldn't help but reach out their hands————President, don't do it!
The next second!
"BANG!!!"
The magical drill stabbed straight into the goblin's buttocks!
Light exploded, erupting with an incredibly terrifying momentum!
It illuminated the cavern as bright as day!
The tremendous force sent the goblin flying straight into the air!
[AAAAAHHHHHHH—————!!!!]
A scream of incomparable misery echoed three hundred and sixty degrees off the rock walls.
It echoed in the ears of every student.
The sheer pain, the tingling shock, the absolute penetration contained within that sound.
It made listeners weep and onlookers heartbroken.
Silence was tonight's Gringotts.
Everyone felt a phantom pain radiating from an indescribable place on their own bodies.
"Is this... the technique Ethan wants us to learn?"
Ron was completely stupefied.
Thousands of words choked in his throat, finally condensing into a single word—
"Mental."
He hoped he would never, ever cross Ethan in this lifetime.
On the other side.
It was only then that Hermione realized with delayed hindsight:
She felt that joining the Illuminated Society was the biggest criminal record of her life.
Would she fail the Ministry of Magic's background check because of this?
————Pain, so much pain!!!
The goblin gasped violently, sweat pouring down his face, blood flowing like a river.
The pain was so intense his features twisted until he looked like Professor Norn.
He stared furiously at Ethan, as if looking at the most sinister scumbag he would ever meet in his life.
At the same time.
He was incredibly shocked inside.
How did this guy suddenly pop up?
Gringotts had already set up an inescapable dragnet; it should have been impossible to break through!
...But, none of that mattered anymore.
At this moment, the goblin supervisor, Gornuk, had only one thought in his mind——————
[ROAR!!!]
He leapt up, scattering a string of blood droplets.
The white dragon's blood seemed to have a life of its own, sweeping up.
It surged into the goblin's body.
"He took a spell like that head-on and is still alive," Ethan said softly, his eyes reflecting the blood-splattered scene. "Dark Magic really does contain infinite possibilities."
However.
This kind of clumsy power obtained by modifying the body.
He didn't care for it.
The goblin's thin physique expanded rapidly like a balloon being inflated.
Muscles burst forth like tumors, displaying monstrous strength.
Squelch!
Blood condensed in his palm.
It grew with a crackling sound like bone spurs.
Finally, it formed a bizarre Saw Cleaver nearly two meters long!
"Oh ho?"
Ethan's eyes lit up. Thud!
Interest piqued, he looked at the hideous Saw Cleaver.
A specific aesthetic point in his heart went ding.
The goblin crashed to the ground like a small mountain!
The platform trembled twice from the impact!
New hatred piled upon old grudges.
The goblin grit his teeth and said: [Ethan Vincent! I will——————]
Ethan: "Hey, you guy! Why did you steal my stuff?!"
Goblin: [?]
Ethan pointed a finger at the Saw Cleaver and said with the righteous confidence of someone completely in the wrong:
"That is clearly my weapon! You thief! Crook!"
Goblin: [???]
What the f#%&!!!
Presumably having never met such a brazenly shameless person.
The goblin was so angry he almost vomited blood!
The emotional damage was maxed out!
He forgot his speech, and finally, swinging the Saw Cleaver, his thoughts turned into the most simple, unadorned wish:
[GO TO HELL! ETHAN VINCENT!!!]
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