Inside the Leaky Cauldron.
The golden light gradually faded.
Ethan's pupils darted sideways, catching sight of Harry and his group peeking around the doorway.
That appearance.
It was just like groundhogs poking their heads out of a hole.
It made Ethan's Silver Warhammer itch with the urge to strike.
He checked his watch.
It was nearly a quarter past one.
Ethan nodded.
This fit his stereotype of Gryffindors perfectly: never stepping out the door until the very last moment.
"My companions have arrived."
Ethan's cobalt blue eyes looked down with pitying condescension at the believers kneeling on the floor.
He spoke in a loud, clear voice:
"I am leaving to embark on a new, great journey!"
His voice was deep and resonant, every word hitting the ground with weight!
It made the believers tremble with excitement.
They gazed up at Ethan with looks of unparalleled reverence!
As if wishing to embark on that "great journey" together, they reached out their hands toward Ethan, stammering with longing.
Harry and the others: "..."
Aren't we just going to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies?!
You make it sound like you're going to conquer the world!!
...So mentally exhausting.
"Come!"
Ethan whipped his head around.
With burning eyes, he extended a hand toward Harry and the others as if issuing a grand invitation, shouting loudly:
"Let us forge ahead together! My brothers!"
Under the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of the crowd.
Harry and his group buried their heads in their chests, faces exploding with redness as they hurried through the pub.
They were so ashamed they wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
It made Harry feel...
Like he was back in his first year, being surrounded by people wanting to shake his hand for the first time.
...No, back then.
It wasn't even as shameful as this!!
"Bloody hell..." Ron's eyes were glazed over. "Aren't we going to Diagon Alley to shop?"
"Why are they looking at us like we're a flock of lambs about to be gloriously sacrificed!!"
If one were to ask Ethan.
Ethan would answer gently:
Two-legged sheep are still sheep.
Before leaving the pub.
Ethan glanced at the donation box and the free supplies.
He nodded appreciatively.
Indeed.
A pub was the best starting point for a career.
The location was easy to find, the foot traffic was heavy.
And under the influence of alcohol, the atmosphere could easily become incredibly hyped.
Ever since the trial of Peter Pettigrew and the distribution of the Wolfsbane Potion.
The reputation of the Enlightenment Society had gradually spread.
At first, Remus Lupin managed it.
Now.
As the number of believers gradually increased, the "idling at home" Sirius Black had also slowly begun to participate.
Although, compared to Lupin's thoughtful deliberation...
Sirius's contribution was mostly...
Suppression.
Hmm... like a wolf guarding a flock of sheep.
Letting those troublemakers...
Experience the authentic flavor of an "Azkaban Graduate."
As for Ethan, the leader.
Occasionally leaking a bit of miraculous magic from his paintbrush...
Was enough to solidify their hearts.
Back to the present.
Ethan offered words of encouragement to the believers: "Continue to carry forward our glory."
"When danger comes, you will receive worry-free sanctuary."
"Ah—Bless your mighty power! Lord Vincent!"
The believers were endlessly grateful.
Even the pub owner, old Tom, stood to the side.
Seeing this, even he felt a little envious.
...Although this child, Ethan, was a billion bits wicked.
It was undeniable.
Being under his protection was the most reassuring thing imaginable.
The corners of Ethan's mouth curled up slightly.
He wasn't just spouting nonsense.
Fate was bound to set off a great war in the wizarding world.
He planned to transform the already sturdy Hogwarts into a massive shelter.
The light of the lamp would spread across the world.
And Ethan would only allow his believers to bathe in the darkness he created.
Not some "Death God."
Ethan pondered:
"From the Goblin Wars of the past, I also obtained a design for a rare alchemical fortress."
"I can apply it to Hogwarts."
This was a massive project.
It would require more than just Ethan's power alone.
"I need to plan this long-term..." Ethan murmured. "Fortunately, there are still two or three years before the war begins."
"So there is no desperate rush."
"This semester, as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, my main priority is to first raise the students' overall level."
"After all, having tampered with fate, the difficulty of the war will also rise linearly."
————The most important thing, and the thing Ethan despised the most...
Was to fix that "bad habit" where wizards turned into Muggles the moment they lost their wands.
"I'm really looking forward to the start of term."
Ethan's eyes curved into crescents as he hummed happily.
"Come on, Ethan!"
Harry and the others were standing at the back door of the pub.
They called out to him in hushed voices.
Ethan pulled back his thoughts.
He lifted his chin and walked toward the group waiting for him with steady and lofty steps.
—————This time, we will really win.
Without leaving a single one behind, we will step into the new era!
Click, clack.
The brick wall rotated and closed behind them.
Blocking out those scorching gazes from inside.
Ethan heard Harry and the others beside him let out a loooooong sigh of relief.
Their lung capacity made Ethan look sideways.
Coming into view.
Was the perpetually bustling Diagon Alley.
Along the cobblestone road stretching forward, various shops were lined up row upon row on both sides.
One could hear shouts like, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, are you mad?!"
Ethan took the lead.
When the passing wizards saw him.
They all revealed expressions of surprise and awe.
Unanimously, those "monumental achievements" Ethan had performed surfaced in their minds.
Their feet instinctively retreated.
Like Moses parting the Red Sea, they cleared a path for Ethan.
Ethan couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The people here are so nice, their characters are so modest. It seems my art has gradually touched people's hearts."
This caused Harry and Ron to wear expressions like they wanted to speak but stopped, stopped but wanted to speak.
Like watching Lord Voldemort breakdance.
Under Ethan's leadership.
The group, knowing the way well, quickly bought all the supplies required by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Including Introductory High-Level Magic: Gesture Casting, and From Beginner to Buried: Encyclopedia of Wandless Casting.
Along with blank scrolls, various spiritual ores, plant essential oils, and so on.
The variety was extensive.
Yet Ethan didn't even look at the school supply list.
This earned him a reverent gaze from Hermione:
"He actually knows the required supplies 'backwards and forwards'! It's as familiar as if he wrote it himself!"
"Ethan must have previewed the material in advance! How diligent; I cannot lose to him!"
Saying this.
Hermione began staring at the school list, murmuring and memorizing it.
Harry: You really don't need to compete to this extent.
He looked at the complex high-level magic books.
He frowned and said:
"How is anyone supposed to learn this... Sigh, I have a feeling this time, it's another weirdo."
Wandless casting.
Only wizards as powerful as Dumbledore could master that, right!
They were only fifth years; how could they possibly learn it?
Ron grinned and said, "What does it matter?"
"Anyway, we've never had a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Who cares what kind of riffraff the professor is!"
"They'll be gone in a year~"
Harry nodded, blurting out that "taboo" name:
"Haha, true. Might as well let Ethan teach—"
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze