Quirrell was not the sort of person who replied with:
"What a coincidence."
Even while fleeing through the forest, he still drew his wand beneath his robes, clearly intending to cast a Killing Curse directly at Ethan.
"Ava—"
"Stop, you idiot!"
Voldemort's furious voice exploded so loudly from beneath Quirrell's turban that Ethan heard it perfectly clearly despite the pounding footsteps and crashing branches around them.
"He's useful," Voldemort hissed coldly. "Remember him."
Ethan personally felt absolutely nothing toward the Killing Curse itself.
After all, the curse functioned by ripping the soul from the body.
Unfortunately for the curse—
Ethan's soul already entered and exited his body whenever it pleased.
The moment danger appeared, he could simply abandon the body entirely.
And technically speaking—
"You cannot kill a corpse."
Therefore:
Killing Curse.
Ineffective.
More importantly—
What exactly did Voldemort mean by "useful"?
Did the Dark Lord actually want Ethan, a naturally evil half-Dementor, to work for him?
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Ethan already worried he wasn't earning Sin Points efficiently enough through littering and stealing sweets from children.
But infiltrating Voldemort's side before betraying him dramatically at the perfect moment?
Now that sounded profitable.
Imagine it.
Standing over Quirrell dramatically while announcing:
"Voldemort, stop struggling. There are Dumbledores outside."
Then stealing the Philosopher's Stone personally before dragging Quirrell home by the ankles.
Peak cinema.
Suddenly, a sharp gust of magical wind ripped Ethan's hood backward.
Quirrell had clearly cast something while running.
Unfortunately, Ethan's face was now completely exposed.
Since classes had barely started, Quirrell couldn't yet place Ethan's identity immediately.
Still, a Hogwarts professor only needed one face to identify a student later.
Apparently satisfied after memorising Ethan's appearance, Quirrell accelerated toward another path leading out of the forest.
He probably intended to cast a Disillusionment Charm before sneaking back into the castle to continue teaching like a normal person.
Honestly, Quirrell's schedule sounded exhausting.
Teaching classes.
Serving Voldemort.
Hunting unicorns.
Maintaining a bald head permanently hidden beneath a turban.
Ethan almost pitied him.
Almost.
"Well," Ethan muttered thoughtfully while watching Quirrell disappear, "I suppose I'll help put him out of his misery eventually."
After all, despite appearing cold and distant, Ethan's stomach remained warm and soft.
"Ethan?"
Harry's voice suddenly echoed nearby.
Ethan blinked.
Wait.
Was it already three o'clock?
The castle bells rang loudly in the distance, announcing the next set of afternoon classes.
Fortunately, Gryffindor first-years only had Herbology before dinner, so there was no rush.
"Harry?" Ethan emerged from the edge of the forest casually. "Why are you outside?"
Ron immediately poked his head out from Hagrid's back door.
"Ethan's here!"
Inside the hut, Hagrid's booming voice answered happily.
"Yer friend arrived?"
Ethan instantly detoured toward Hagrid's vegetable patch, pretending he'd simply been admiring the pumpkins instead of fleeing from centaurs and Voldemort simultaneously.
"Hagrid," Ethan said seriously while examining the enormous pumpkins, "your gardening skills are incredible."
Several compliments later, Hagrid completely forgot any suspicion about Ethan wandering inside the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid truly was a simple and wonderful man.
After Harry introduced Ethan properly as "his only friend before Hogwarts," Hagrid became even more emotional.
Within minutes, Ethan acquired:
Several additional rock cakes.
Enough toffee to glue furniture together.
And—
Most importantly—
A leather shoulder bag.
Ethan immediately recognised the material.
"Hagrid," he asked carefully, "is this horned serpent hide?"
Hagrid looked slightly sad.
"Yeah… belonged ter an old beast called Grove. Lived up in the mountains before he got too old."
Then Hagrid scratched his beard awkwardly.
"If yeh don't like it, I got deer hide somewhere instead—"
"No."
Ethan immediately clutched the bag protectively.
Horned serpent hide possessed incredible magical resistance. Properly crafted, it could become lightweight magical armour superior to many standard protections.
Ethan already knew exactly what he wanted.
A vest.
He would bribe the house-elves into tailoring it later.
Perfect.
Afternoon tea with Hagrid passed surprisingly quickly.
Eventually, the boys reluctantly left the warm little hut and headed toward Herbology.
Their first lesson consisted mostly of theory inside the greenhouse while Professor Sprout enthusiastically introduced dangerous magical plants.
"Keep your wands away from the dry nettles, Mr Finnigan!" she shouted suddenly. "They're highly flammable!"
Ethan barely listened.
Not because Herbology bored him.
Because the plants deeply offended him personally.
Some of them moved.
Some squealed.
Some even snapped aggressively from inside their pots.
Yet none displayed any soul strength whatsoever.
Why did animals possess souls while magical plants apparently did not?
Ethan immediately became emotionally invested in defending plant rights.
Were plants not alive too?
This was discrimination.
After class, the students returned toward the castle covered in dirt and plant residue. To avoid Filch using their filthy appearance as an excuse for detention, they showered and changed clothes first.
By the time Ethan, Harry, and Ron finally arrived at dinner, the feast was nearly over.
After eating quickly, the three boys prepared to head back toward Gryffindor Tower for a peaceful evening.
Then someone blocked their path.
"Y-Yes… Mr Norton…"
Professor Quirrell stood awkwardly before them while wringing his hands nervously.
His eyes lingered on Harry briefly.
But far longer on Ethan.
Harry and Ron immediately misunderstood the situation completely.
They assumed Ethan had been caught sneaking into the Forbidden Forest earlier.
Both boys instantly stepped a full foot away from him.
"You're distancing yourselves remarkably quickly," Ethan muttered darkly.
"I-I heard from Professor McGonagall," Quirrell stammered nervously, "that y-you performed exceptionally well during Transfiguration…"
He looked exactly like an office worker apologising to management after accidentally deleting company files.
"I h-have several books on advanced Transfiguration," Quirrell continued weakly. "I thought perhaps… y-you might enjoy reading them…"
Ethan instantly felt second-hand embarrassment so overwhelming he nearly excavated another Hogwarts Castle beneath his feet.
....
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