Lupin, who had just accepted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, found himself wondering, Are students these days really this strong? If they were this powerful, what was there left for him to teach? Was accepting this job even the right decision?
But when he looked down and saw Harry and Ron, and remembered how they had reacted to the Dementors... that was how normal third-year students were supposed to react. Perhaps the boy who had suddenly appeared and cast a Patronus was an exception. To be honest, Lupin wasn't even sure the spell that student had cast was the same Patronus Charm he knew. Had someone modified the charm?
"Are you alright?"
Leah and Rin were not ordinary children. Rin had even experienced many things from a young age, allowing her to face danger calmly.
At the very least, compared to the panicked and terrified Ron and Harry beside them, these two girls behaved as though nothing had happened.
As for Hermione, she was still overwhelmed by the gap in strength between her and Ethan. She had completely forgotten the fear brought on by the Dementors.
After confirming that the Dementors hadn't harmed anyone, Ethan finally greeted Harry and Ron again.
His relationship with the two had improved considerably. If it weren't for the fact that he was in Slytherin, they probably would've already considered him a friend.
"Wait, student."
Seeing that Ethan was about to leave, Lupin called out to stop him.
"May I have your name...?"
"Ethan."
Ethan already knew what Lupin wanted to ask. He was probably hoping to inquire about his background with Dumbledore. After all, for someone his age to be able to cast such a powerful Patronus Charm was not something a normal student could do.
First, in terms of talent, he was certainly a genius among wizards. Second, Lupin had already noticed that Ethan was wearing a Slytherin uniform. That made it highly likely he was the heir of a wizarding family.
But since Ethan didn't give his surname, Lupin couldn't immediately identify which family he belonged to.
Would that be considered impolite? Lupin didn't mind. He had seen the arrogance of many wizarding family heirs, who often looked down on others. Compared to them, Ethan had the power to back up his pride, so Lupin didn't find it hard to accept.
The only disruption during the train ride was caused by the Dementors. Other than Harry's compartment being targeted, nothing else happened elsewhere.
Should one say that Harry was just too unlucky? Or perhaps, as the protagonist, this was another trial he had to experience?
Afterward, the return to school proceeded without incident. The Sorting Ceremony and the welcome feast for new and returning students went smoothly.
However, once the feast ended and the students headed back to their dormitories, Ethan was asked by Dumbledore to stay behind.
"Come to my office."
Along with Ethan, Dumbledore also summoned Snape and the newly appointed Lupin. From these two alone, Ethan could already guess that Dumbledore wanted to discuss the Dementors.
As expected, once they arrived at the headmaster's office, Dumbledore motioned for Ethan to sit, then asked Lupin to explain in detail what had occurred on the train.
Lupin had been in the compartment at the time, so he knew more than Ethan did, including how the Dementor suddenly entered and attempted to attack the students.
"What do you think?"
After Lupin finished recounting the event, he was surprised to see that Dumbledore turned to Ethan and politely asked for his opinion, as if he weren't talking to a third-year student, but to a wizard of equal standing.
Looking at Snape beside him, Lupin noticed that he seemed completely unfazed by any of this and simply stood there calmly. What shocked Lupin even more was that Snape was preparing tea for Ethan.
Was this the other way around? Wasn't Snape the head of Slytherin? Why was he serving tea to a student from his own house?
"The Dementor attacking the students was indeed an accident."
Ethan accepted the hot tea Snape handed him. It contained specially prepared magical herbs, known to calm a wizard's mind.
Though it had little effect on Ethan, for him, it was just pleasantly flavored hot water. Still, he accepted the gesture in good faith.
"Why Potter?"
Dumbledore was concerned that this was part of some conspiracy, intending to use the Dementors to kill Harry. As for the Ministry of Magic, he was well aware of the chaos within.
"Compared to the other carefree students, Harry carries more pain in his heart. Maybe that makes him more prone to attracting Dementors."
Although the Dementor had appeared to attack Leah, she had only been standing in front of Harry. From Lupin's description, Dumbledore had already determined that the Dementor's real target was Harry, not Leah.
As for the reason Ethan provided, Dumbledore wasn't sure if it was correct. After all, the magical world didn't have a deep understanding of Dementors. They were creatures of negative energy that fed on human happiness and could suck out a person's soul.
They could be driven away with the Patronus Charm, which contained strong positive energy, but there was no known way to kill them. Ethan killing a Dementor with his Patronus seemed to be the first known case in the magical world.
Although the Ministry claimed it could control Dementors, this incident proved that their so-called control was unreliable.
"No matter what, these things were sent by the Ministry... shouldn't someone be held accountable?"
"..."
Ethan's words plunged the room into silence. Dumbledore finally sighed and shook his head. "The Ministry sent them to protect Hogwarts, after all."
"Because of Sirius?"
Lupin's expression shifted slightly, though he remained silent. He still didn't fully understand Ethan's position or background, so he didn't plan to speak out until the situation became clearer.
"Yes, we are worried he might harm Harry."
"Harm Harry?" Ethan shook his head. "He won't harm Harry."
He was absolutely certain. After all, he knew the story that would unfold later. But this statement wouldn't be easy for Lupin to accept.
"Why are you so sure? What do you know?"
"I don't know everything, but I know what matters."
Sirius Black was Harry's godfather. The reason he was sent to Azkaban was for supposedly causing the deaths of Harry's parents, the Potters.
Everyone believed he had been a servant of Voldemort, the one who betrayed the Potters' location and led them to their deaths. After that, Sirius had been imprisoned in Azkaban without a trial, universally condemned as guilty.
Even Lupin, one of his closest friends, had believed that to be true.
"You don't think so?"
"No. Because the one who betrayed them wasn't him."
"That's impossible."
There were many magical spells in this world, and the Fidelius Charm was one of them. Everyone believed Sirius had betrayed James and Lily because of this charm.
With such a spell in place, their location could only be discovered if the Secret-Keeper told someone. No one had any reason to suspect otherwise because Sirius was the designated Secret-Keeper.
What people didn't know was that the Potters had changed their Secret-Keeper at the last moment after a discussion with Sirius. And the new person was the one who had betrayed them.
Unlike Lupin, Dumbledore didn't immediately deny what Ethan said. He had a feeling Ethan wasn't lying. It even seemed as if Ethan was telling him this in return for what had happened last school year.
"Do you know who truly betrayed the Potters?"
Ethan took a sip of tea and muttered to himself, Here we go again, another plot getting derailed... But without hesitation, he said, "I also know that this person is currently hiding in Hogwarts."
"What?"
Lupin wasn't the only one startled. Even Snape and Dumbledore were shocked.
Whoever had betrayed the Potters had to have been a follower of Voldemort, and that kind of person hiding inside Hogwarts now was an alarming thought. Had a Death Eater infiltrated the school?
But who?
Dumbledore thought it over again and again but couldn't figure out which of the current professors could be a Death Eater. Unless, like Quirrell from two years ago, they had joined Voldemort's side more recently, there should have been signs.
"No. Even if James and Lily secretly changed their Secret-Keeper, that person would still have to be someone they trusted. How many people would fit that description?"
"Not many."
Lupin's expression changed drastically. If Dumbledore weren't right next to him, someone he deeply trusted, he might have suspected this was a trap set against him.
Because aside from Sirius, James and Lily had only two close friends: himself and Peter Pettigrew. And Peter was already dead...
"You think I betrayed them?"
"I wasn't talking about you."
Ethan was speechless at the way their minds jumped to conclusions. He sighed, then raised his hand and made a chopping motion.
"If I chop off a finger and throw it in front of you, does that mean I'm completely dead?" He spread his hands. "Did no one ever doubt him? Or was it just that with a scapegoat like Sirius ready and waiting, everyone assumed the case was closed?"
(To be continued.)
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