Whoosh!
The brilliance of the mirror swallowed everyone whole.
Underfoot, the ground suddenly vanished, as if they had tumbled down a rabbit hole.
Looking up, they saw the severed hands of the mannequins floating in the air above, rapidly drifting away.
The mannequin models, clad in blood-red dresses, remained rigid. Above their empty, severed necks, they gazed down at the several figures reflected in the shattered mirror.
Within the shards of glass, the reflection showed the ceiling—specifically, the painting of the magnificent banquet table!
At this moment, it was as if these people had fallen through the mirror and straight into the painting itself!
[Name: "The March Hare's Mad Tea Party"]
[Rank: Tier 3 · Golden Epic]
[Type: Scene Painting]
[Description: A product created by blending the maddened will of a Dark Wizard. Careful, it doesn't just eat vegetables.]
[Effect: Through the Mirror of Division, one can enter the painting immersively and enjoy a never-ending afternoon tea with the friendly March Hare... though strangely, no one has ever been able to leave the table.]
[Evaluation: "Oh! You brought your own ingredients! That's wonderful... What? You say you didn't bring any?"]
"Well done, this will suffice."
A voice as rich and mellow as red wine appeared behind the stiff mannequin models.
Click, clack. They rotated their bodies mechanically.
Stepping out from the shadows was a tall, slender figure.
He wore a dark red suit and a top hat. In a hand clad in a white glove, he loosely gripped a walking cane.
He was like a synonym for terror and darkness; as he approached, the light retreated inch by inch.
"This is merely an amusing appetizer. The real main course is just about to begin."
Ethan Vincent—currently in the guise of Professor Norn—gazed at the shattered mirror with that featureless, swirling vortex of a face.
The corners of his mouth curled up.
"A healthy body bears a bright soul. Only in this way can one utilize the most miraculous magic without straying onto a crooked path."
Like those "excellent" Ravenclaw graduates, Quirrell and Lockhart.
"I imagine this little puzzle solving game will leave a deep impression on them."
Ethan nodded with satisfaction.
He believed that he not only focused on the little wizards' power development but also on their spiritual growth.
He really was just wonderful.
He deserved to reward himself with another painting!
However, teaching the little wizards was only one aspect of this.
The other reason for going to such lengths to set this up was Ethan's true objective!
To capture the Auror, his nocturnal supervisor at Azkaban, Connie Rosier!
Ethan cast an imperceptible glance backward. Although, with his current appearance, one couldn't see his eyeballs anyway.
He turned his head and snapped his fingers.
Speaking to his employees, he said, "Alright, you may go back now."
"All that remains is to wait for the little wizards to pass the next highly amusing little challenge."
Click, clack.
Receiving the command, the headless mannequins jerked their way back toward their frames. They crawled in with difficulty.
During the process, because they were hung a bit too high, they fell with a splat several times.
Ethan: "..."
Next time, I'll hang the frames lower.
They were only Tier 1 portraits. They had basically no combat power; their only function was being relatively durable and setting the atmosphere.
"Everything is ready. Then—"
"Let the feast begin."
As his voice fell, Ethan also leapt into the mirror, his figure vanishing from sight.
Two seconds later.
In the silent corridor, the air rippled.
Connie Rosier, who had tracked him all the way here, lifted her Disillusionment Charm and revealed herself.
Her brow was furrowed tight as she stared gravely at the broken mirror. Under her eyes hung two massive dark circles, making it look as if she were wearing heavy smoky makeup.
"What bizarre magic..." Connie murmured, pressing her red lips together tightly. "Except for [Mr. Lamp] and Ethan, I've truly never seen anyone else possess this kind of power..."
Magic, to a certain extent, is a reflection of the soul.
Those with pure hearts find it easier to cast healing spells. Conversely, for those with evil hearts, like Voldemort and his Death Eaters, magic is vicious and cruel.
But the magic of Ethan, [Mr. Lamp], and Professor Norn... it was far removed from anything human.
Their souls were probably shaped like octopuses.
"Ethan, just what are you? Is your bright exterior just a disguise, making you no different from You-Know-Who in reality? No..."
"I should say, no different from the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald."
At the thought of that white-haired wizard who had stirred up storms outside of Britain, Connie couldn't help but shiver.
It wasn't just that man's powerful and terrifying strength, but also... the persecution of her family.
Cold, dark memories floated to the surface of her mind. Isolation and bullying during her childhood, her parents hurriedly taking her away from France, the strange looks people gave her when they heard her surname...
"...No, I must not dwell on the past."
Connie shook her head violently, gritted her teeth, and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with determination once more.
If Ethan was still that heroic existence like a beacon of light, she would continue to follow him secretly.
But if Ethan... had turned into a great villain...
Then she would arrest him with her own hands!
Carrying this steely will, Connie followed close behind, leaping into the shattered mirror.
Inside the Mirror World.
"Ahhhhh~~~~"
A scream, twisting and turning like a mountain road, drifted through mid-air.
Ron's face was blown out of shape by the wind; he couldn't open his eyes at all as he screamed in despair:
"I confess! It was me who poked the pig's butt when I was a kid and then went to knead the dough—"
Weasley Twins: ???
Ginny: "..."
Just moments before impact, Hermione quickly waved her wand and shouted, "Arresto Momentum!"
Whoosh!
The group came to a sudden halt in mid-air.
Then, with a plop, they fell into an assortment of pastries.
"Pfft, ptui!"
Ron crawled out of a rich, creamy strawberry cake. He licked a bit of cream, his eyes lighting up, and he chuckled, "It's actually pretty good."
But when he looked up, he was met with two faces that looked ready to commit murder.
The Weasley twins cracked their knuckles. "Heh heh heh... Little brother, you have chosen death!"
"So it was you, you brat! I was wondering why the dog enjoyed that bread so much back then!!"
"Starting today, we are the youngest sons of the family—prepare to die!"
The twins shoved Ron's head down, wrestling him into a ball within the cream, showing absolutely no sense of tension given their situation.
"Where is this?"
Hermione looked around.
Beneath their feet was an endless white long table.
Assorted pastries, puddings, and ornate ceramic tableware were dazzling to the eye, crowded together atop the surface.
Sunny skies and white clouds hung above.
However, everything had a bizarre oil-painting texture to it.
Hermione: "We seem to be... on a dining table? And our size has shrunk dozens of times over."
A single silver soup spoon was larger than any of them.
Luna, wrapped in a silver glow, descended slowly from the air. Hearing this, she turned her head and said softly, "We are on the dining table. Through the mirror, we entered the painting on the ceiling."
Hermione's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, so it's the reflected painting..."
At this moment, Hermione couldn't help but marvel at the designer's intellect.
First, three meaningful little tests. Then, using the reflection of a mirror, they were transported into another magical world within the painting!
This is magic!
Hermione was deeply moved. It was as if a traveler who had only walked through textbooks had suddenly stepped outside the pages, only to discover with surprise that the outside world was so colorful.
Just as the group was playing, exploring, or resting, a shrill voice suddenly rang out:
[Wah-haha!! Look who's here! You must have come to have afternoon tea with me, right?]
Bang!
A massive figure slammed onto the chair in front of the long table!
It was a rabbit, standing upright like a human, wearing disorderly clothes. Its vintage vest and shirt were stained with cream and tea.
It leaned deeply over the table, propping itself up with two paws, staring unblinkingly at them with a pair of blood-red pupils.
It radiated an undisguised excitement and madness.
The Weasley twins stopped their beating.
Ron took the opportunity to crawl away, scrambling on hands and knees. He looked up, stunned. "W-what is that thing... It's huge!"
One paw could flatten them all!
Just as the group stood at a loss, an ethereal and calm voice spoke up.
"Excuse me."
Luna pinched the hem of her skirt and curtsied elegantly. "Do you know how to leave this place, Mr. Rabbit?"
Hearing this, the Mad Hare rolled its eyes and extended a paw, pointing to the other end of the long table.
[You just have to keep running forward~]
Everyone's eyes lit up!
However, before they could celebrate, the rabbit spoke again:
[But... you have to accompany me and finish this tea party first!]
As the voice fell, a sound like cracking bones—click, click, click—echoed.
The group watched in horror as fluffy arms extended out from the Mad Hare's chest, one after another!
Its entire body twisted, arching backward dramatically, its head lolling to the side.
The next second—
Bang!
Several arms slammed onto the long table at once!
Its body flipped over like a spinning top. Torso facing upward, resembling a giant fluffy spider, the arms on both sides knocked over teapots and cakes.
[Hee, hee hee...]
A raspy, gloomy laugh escaped the rabbit's highly upturned mouth:
[Tell me, why is a raven like a writing desk?]
It emitted a palpable aura of darkness!
"Ah... Aaaah..."
Ron's eyes bulged, and he fell back onto his butt in the cream. Between his fear of spiders and this, he looked like he was about to faint from fright.
...W-why did things turn out like this?
They just wanted to come to the Room of Requirement for training; how did they step into hell with one foot?!
Who did they offend?!
Immediately following this, the appearance of a figure answered Ron's doubts.
A figure they hadn't seen for days walked out slowly from behind the Spider-Rabbit, as if performing a magic trick.
When they saw that iconic swirling vortex face, all the students stared with wide, shocked eyes!
—Their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the demon from the subspace, Professor Ann Norn!!
"T-This... how is this possible?!"
Hermione screamed, looking at the leisurely strolling figure in disbelief.
If the trap was set up to look like this, preparations must have been made in advance.
This meant that their actions, which they thought were secretive, had actually been discovered long ago.
While they were smugly congratulating themselves, thinking no one had noticed, they had actually been under Professor Norn's watch the entire time.
In an instant, a chill shot up Hermione's spine!
She stared at Professor Norn's figure with uncertainty, her heart pounding wildly.
...Regarding the fact that they viewed him as [Mr. Lamp] and were wary of him—how much did Professor Norn know?
And with what kind of mindset had he been silently watching their every move?
It was simply... terrifying!!
"I am very disappointed."
Professor Norn—Ethan—spoke slowly.
The gaze shooting from the vortex face slowly swept over everyone present.
Like treating a cute little pet, he leisurely patted the body of the giant rabbit beside him.
"In such a long time, not a single one of you discovered my existence."
"You actually naively thought that if you didn't see me, I couldn't monitor you."
"Sigh!"
Ethan suddenly sighed heavily, clenching his fist, speaking as if he hated that iron could not become steel:
"My students lack such vigilance! How heartbreaking!"
"How will you weather the storms of the future?"
Everyone: "..."
Right now, the biggest "storm" in the Wizarding World is you!
Can't you have a little self-awareness?!
Ethan: "However, you don't need to blame yourselves too much."
Clearly, if Ethan had any self-awareness, he wouldn't be an art student who failed the entrance exams twice.
He suddenly spread his arms wide, and with a magnificent tone, as if saving the common people, he boomed:
"This is my dereliction of duty as a professor! Starting today, I will properly torture—ah, no, I mean 'properly train' you all!"
"First, we must start with basic reaction skills!"
"Go! March Hare!!"
Ethan shouted. His tone and expression were even more unhinged than the Mad Hare itself.
Immediately after.
Click, click...
The giant rabbit's inverted head was forcibly snapped back into place, bit by bit.
It emitted a bone-shattering sound that made one's scalp tingle!
Blood-red, greedy eyes stared dead at them, and strings of saliva flowed from its machete-like front teeth:
[My afternoon tea... my little snacks! Get in my mouth!!]
The arms on both sides lowered, and it lunged forward violently!
In an instant, it tackled several students!!
The remaining students finally reacted!
They turned their heads and ran for their lives!!
Ron's miserable scream echoed among the teapots:
"Bloody hell!! You called us for a tea party, but it turns out we're the food—!!"
"Is there no justice left in this world?!!"
Ethan watched the students, who were wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves as they were chased, with delight.
He sighed faintly, filled with pride:
"Another day of helping little wizards grow. Sigh, how many people in this world are as selflessly dedicated as I am?"
He deserved a Order of Merlin, First Class.
[Congratulations! Your tireless absorption and creation have greatly increased your reserve of knowledge!]
[Knowledge Skill Upgraded!]
[Learned Scholar Lv3 → Deep Thinking Lv4]
["Your mind is like glass, your memory like light."]
[Your mind will become sharper, and your understanding of curses will reach a higher level.]
[When you cast magic, different phenomena will occur.]
"Oh? An upgrade."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
He felt as if a clear spring was pouring over his brain; the light of the Lamp illuminated his mind with incomparable clarity.
No thought could hide.
"...Now, I fear that even if old Mr. Nicolas Flamel stood before me, my understanding of knowledge would not be shallower than his."
Ethan curled the corners of his mouth, looking at his hands.
Brilliant magic transformed into flying birds, winding around his palms.
Moving as he wished.
"Then next—it is time to deal with my true purpose for coming here!"
Ethan clenched his fist, his gaze darkening!
He suddenly flashed sideways to dodge. A sharp spell grazed his body and struck the ground where he had just been standing!
"Mr. Ann Norn!"
The stubborn Auror, Miss Connie Rosier, raised her wand.
Her eyes were burning as she shouted:
"I am now arresting you on charges of illegal use of Dark Magic!"
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