Chapter 236: First Prophecy Fulfilled! Broken Branch × Ancient God's Remains?
Sirius's pupils trembled.
He desperately tried to open his hand and grip the rolling wand.
Bang!
A loud explosion sounded. His entire body curved violently, spiraling through a tube-like force before he instantly disappeared.
Apparition!
The magical release scattered the garbage across the floor with a clattering sound.
"Chirp chirp!"
The golden bird flapped its wings and flew up.
A dusty, withered tree branch rolled to Ethan's feet.
"..."
Dawlish's smile froze on his face. His eyes suddenly widened, staring in shock at the empty space before him.
For a long moment, he trembled.
The fugitive Sirius Black escaped right before his eyes. It was like winning a ten-million-dollar grand prize through painstaking effort, only to have it blown away by the wind.
"No no no, no!!!!"
That piercing scream reached outside the Shrieking Shack, startling the Aurors again. They looked at each other, speaking uncertainly.
"Does this ghost have a second stage?"
Why was each scream more tragic than the last?
Inside the Shrieking Shack, Dawlish's eyes were bloodshot. His heart felt incredibly congested. Magic churned within him, nearly making him vomit blood. He whipped his head around to stare at Ethan.
Though he didn't know exactly how Sirius retrieved his wand and disapparated, he instinctively felt Ethan must have had something to do with it.
As an excellent Hogwarts graduate and as a righteous Auror, I absolutely must bring evil to justice.
Dawlish muttered, gripping his wand tightly. There was still a way to salvage this. Even if he couldn't catch Sirius Black, catching Ethan in collusion with Sirius would still be a major achievement. Surely Minister Fudge would be very happy.
"Come with me, you can't escape!"
Dawlish tensely pointed his wand at Ethan.
Ethan raised an eyebrow and looked up at this sweat-drenched Auror. Suddenly, he let out a soft laugh. "The Ministry of Magic certainly acts decisively."
Just like back when Ethan was a first-year.
"Fine, I'll go with you."
Ethan said quietly. His eyes darkened as he stroked his wand. Recalling the layout of the Shrieking Shack from the original story, he curled his lips and said slowly, "I know there's a secret passage in the Shrieking Shack that leads outside. Let's take it from there."
"A secret passage?"
Dawlish's eyes lit up. He thought to himself: The other Aurors don't know about any secret passage in the Shrieking Shack. If I found it, wouldn't that be another achievement?
Dawlish said eagerly, "Fine, you lead the way, boy!"
He never considered why Ethan would make such a suggestion.
Beside him, Hermione finally reacted. She clenched her fists angrily, shouting, "Ethan is innocent!"
Dawlish said coldly, "Innocence or guilt will be determined by the Ministry."
"What?!"
Hermione burned with rage. She felt an urge gathering in her fists. How could someone serving as a Ministry official be so unreasonable?
This made Hermione involuntarily recall the first year, when Ethan was simply brought to trial for legitimate self-defense in a competition. And when Hermione flipped through legal texts, she discovered that Sirius's trial had virtually no evidence before being convicted. The only reason was that "only Sirius was at the scene." Then the Ministry hastily announced to the public that they had captured the culprit who killed the Potter family.
If I were in charge, I could do a better job.
Such a thought popped into Hermione's mind.
Just then, a clear voice sounded. "Then please follow me."
Ethan said politely. His expression remained calm, his tone still clear as spring water, like a host showing guests around rather than a "criminal" held at wand-point.
However, when Hermione met Ethan's cobalt blue eyes, she shivered as if touched by ice. A storm was brewing inside them. It contained emotions Hermione found unfamiliar—fierce and terrible. Like a calm sea surface suddenly revealing its wild, terrifying depths.
Making Hermione's heart beat faster.
Ethan turned and walked forward. He lifted his foot but stepped on something with a crack. He casually glanced down, meeting the shrike's dark, piercing eyes.
Ethan paused. The shrike that could guide people to treasures now stood quietly on a withered branch at his feet, roughly as long as an arm. A ray of sunlight shot through a wooden plank gap in the window, perfectly falling on the bird's forehead and forming a light spot the size of a fingernail. Like a gleaming "third eye."
Ethan's mind instantly recalled Professor Trelawney's prophecy: When the three-eyed bird brings a branch, when the branch is refined into a sword...
The first half matched.
At the same time, before leaving, Luna's melodious voice had also echoed in his ear: "Be careful with what's beneath your feet, okay."
As if countless threads of fate converged at this very moment beneath Ethan's feet.
Ethan's eyes grew brighter, his lips slowly curving into a genuine arc. He bent down slowly and picked up the ordinary-looking, withered branch.
As Ethan moved, the golden bird chirped once, flapped its wings, and vanished.
[Usage Count for "The Shrike's Nest": 1/3]
[You obtained "Remnant of the Arrogant Sun"]
It truly was a treasure.
Ethan raised his eyebrows, delight surging within him. Remnants of the arrogant sun... what was it? Did it relate to the "sun brand" in my palm somehow?
Just then, "Hey! What are you doing?!"
The Auror's shout came from beside him.
Ethan glanced sideways at the nervous Auror. First, handle this noisy fellow. Then examine it slowly in an undisturbed chamber. Besides, the treasure's already in hand.
"Nothing, let's go."
Ethan smiled. He pocketed the branch and walked forward with light steps.
Truly a madman. Getting excited over random garbage like finding treasure.
Dawlish pursed his lips, not caring.
Under Ethan's guidance, they descended through the trapdoor on the first floor of the Shrieking Shack and entered a tunnel. The group looked around in surprise.
Dawlish muttered, "There really is a secret passage. How did that brat know about it? It's like he knows everything about this place inside out. How strange."
Harry walked silently, still stewing over letting Sirius escape. Suddenly, his mind flashed with realization. He stopped, furrowing his brow thoughtfully.
Wait, this morning the Weasley twins mentioned something about the tunnel under the Shrieking Shack when they gave me the Marauder's Map. The reason we couldn't use it was...
Gradually, Harry's eyes widened. He jerked his head up, staring at Ethan in shock.
Could Ethan be trying to lead this crude Auror toward...
Noticing Harry's gaze, Ethan curved his lips. He raised a finger to his lips, mischievously saying, "Shh." Saying it out loud ruins all the fun.
Harry stared speechlessly. After a moment, he closed his mouth. Behind his glasses, he watched the unknowing Auror. Internally, he gave him a moment of silence.
They walked for a very, very long time. Finally, light appeared ahead.
Dawlish's eyes lit up, as if seeing a major achievement beckoning to him. Impatiently, he poked Ethan's back, urging, "Walk faster!"
Ethan obediently quickened his pace, docile as a harmless sheep.
Indeed. No matter how wicked, faced with forceful Ministry Aurors, everyone obeys.
Dawlish smirked proudly and contentedly, even harboring the thought that "Ethan isn't scary at all."
Finally, several figures emerged from the cave entrance, breathing in fresh air. They saw Hogwarts' majestic castle standing before them beneath the gray sky.
Dawlish said in awe, "Unbelievable. To bypass the guards from Hogsmeade and reach school in one step."
"This must be Sirius's escape route!"
Indeed, Ethan and Sirius were in collusion!
Dawlish whipped his head around to look at Ethan. But he saw the latter's face bore a pitiful, faint smile. Like a deity looking upon mortals about to suffer.
The next second, Ethan said simply, "Portal."
Whoosh.
A door opened beneath Ethan and Harry's feet. With a startled cry, several figures instantly appeared more than ten meters away.
Dawlish said desperately, "Don't, don't run—"
Before finishing, a clattering sound came from overhead. Very familiar. Making Dawlish suddenly freeze.
It couldn't be. Could it really be that coincidental?
He couldn't believe it, gradually looking up piece by piece. He saw a thick tree trunk hurtling toward him.
The Whomping Willow.
The secret passage entrance was literally the Whomping Willow.
Dawlish panicked, "No—"
BANG!!!
A heavy, dull sound. Dawlish, like a kite with a broken string, traced a beautiful arc through the air, crashing into the snow. He rolled several times, his limbs going limp against the ground. Motionless.
Three students stood frozen: (?)
In the deathly silence, Ethan's clear voice rang out, "A kind and brave Auror, acting alone against fugitive Sirius Black, heroically escorted four students away from danger, but unfortunately sustained severe injuries."
Ethan tilted his head, smiling at the three with sunshine-bright warmth, "What a touching story, don't you think?"
Three students: "..."
This is a truly newsworthy moment with significant media appeal.
"Ah."
Harry suddenly paused. Looking toward the Auror's direction, he said quietly, "It's Chinese Chomping Cabbage"