Snape had been acting like a madman lately, making Harry's life even more difficult. That only fueled Harry's desire to figure out what was going on.
"By the way, Ethan, do you know Nicolas Flamel?" Harry suddenly asked, as if just recalling something important.
Lately, he and Ron had been haunting the library far more than usual, desperately searching for any clue about Nicolas Flamel. It had to do with the mysterious package Hagrid had taken out of Gringotts. Their Gryffindor curiosity wouldn't let the matter rest.
"Didn't you buy a lot of Chocolate Frogs from George last time?" Ethan replied. "His information is on one of the cards. If I told you now, all the effort you and Ron put in would go to waste."
If they'd just read the cards in the Dumbledore Chocolate Frogs carefully, they could have saved themselves the trouble.
"Okay, I'll look when I get back for the holidays. Ron collects those cards, so he probably has it," Harry muttered, feeling slightly frustrated.
He regretted listening to Ron's idea that no one else could know about their investigation. It had only made their search longer and more difficult.
Thanks to Ethan, they now had a clear direction. Who knows how long it would have taken them otherwise?
As they chatted, they arrived at the boarding point—a wide open area where hundreds of carriages stood in perfect rows. Older students climbed in naturally, while the new ones were guided into carriages by the prefects.
Ethan boarded a carriage with Hermione, Cassandra, and Natasha. The air inside was musty, thick with the scent of straw and mildew.
Once everyone had settled in, the carriage jerked forward. The shafts at the front seemed empty, yet the vehicle began moving—and then, suddenly, it rose into the air. The ride was quick but bumpy.
"Is this a self-driving magical flying carriage?" Hermione asked, marveling at the scene. In the Muggle world, this would be a supernatural event. But in the wizarding world, such things were everyday occurrences. At Hogwarts, even the portraits could walk out of their frames.
"The creatures pulling us are Thestrals—magical beasts rated XXXX in danger level," Ethan explained. "If you've read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, you'd know about them. Only those who've experienced death can see them."
The girls' confused expressions confirmed that none of them could see the Thestrals.
Ethan could see them because he had once used the Killing Curse to kill a wizard.
The Thestrals were eerie-looking, bony creatures with dragon-like heads and bat-like wings. Their black bodies looked like dried leather stretched over bone. Ethan even wondered if the core of his wand had come from one of these creatures.
"No one mentioned this last year. I just assumed the carriages moved by magic," Natasha said. She remembered being curious when she first rode one but had never followed up on it.
"My family once visited a farm on vacation," Hermione added. "I saw the farmer kill a sheep, but I still can't see them."
"That doesn't count," Ethan explained patiently. "It has to be a human death—either you witness someone die in front of you, or you've caused it yourself. It has to leave a deep emotional impact."
Harry, for instance, could see Thestrals after witnessing Cedric's death.
After that, Ethan described the creatures in more detail for the three girls.
Before long, the Thestrals had flown them to the station. Their speed was astonishing.
Once on the Hogwarts Express, the four of them found an empty compartment. Ethan used magic to lift their luggage into the rack.
"Ethan, want to come to my house for Christmas?" Cassandra asked with a hopeful look. "You signed the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery, so you can't use magic outside school—but you can at my house. It's big!"
She was eager to make the first move. Ethan was too exceptional to let slip by. Surely her parents wouldn't refuse?
"My dad said he's taking me to Santa Claus Village in Finland for Christmas. Want to come along?" Hermione added quickly, shooting a glance at Cassandra. She wasn't about to be outdone.
Her house might not be as large, and she couldn't offer magic use, but who could resist Christmas in a magical village?
Natasha simply smiled and said nothing.
"Is it possible I just stay at my own house?" Ethan replied, half amused and half helpless.
Fortunately, Penelope had gone to the prefect's compartment to help patrol. Otherwise, knowing her personality, she'd probably have joined the competition too.
"Natasha, where are you spending Christmas?" Hermione asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"I'm staying home as well."
"Does your family celebrate Christmas?"
"We do, but it's pretty low-key. My family is from London," Natasha replied. "We usually just exchange a few gifts and have a nice meal. Nothing extravagant."
Both of her parents worked as liaison officers—sort of like embassy workers in the Muggle world—and had settled in Britain just a few years ago.
She had chosen to attend Hogwarts partly to be closer to them.
"Have you been back to visit relatives?"
"I have. I went to my grandfather's house last summer," Natasha said.
Their conversation continued until the sky outside darkened and the train pulled into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
"Ethan, I swear I'll get you the spells you want this Christmas!" Cassandra said as they disembarked, dragging her suitcase.
After their last competition, she had written to her father asking for the cultivation methods for Fire Shield, Gubre's Immortal Fire, and the Fire God's Path. But he refused, saying the spells were too dangerous for someone her age.
Still, she was convinced their family owned at least one of those spells. If her father wouldn't give it to her, she'd search the house herself.
"Okay. I'm not pressuring you. It's great if you find them—but if not, it's fine."
"Don't worry, I'll find them…"
"Cassandra, over here!" a voice called.
It was Belinda Voray, Cassandra's mother. She had been waiting at the platform for a while, but her daughter had been too busy chatting with the boy next to her to notice.
Thankfully, it was Belinda picking her up today. If her husband had been the one to see this, he would've surely made a fuss.
"This is Ethan Yadrien," Cassandra said, cheeks flushed. "I mentioned him in my letters."
She quickly added, "These two are Hermione Granger and Natasha!"
Mrs. Voray gave Cassandra a look full of unspoken understanding.
"Mr. Yadrien, hello. Cassandra's mentioned you many times, always saying you take great care of her. When will you come visit us?"
In truth, she had only mentioned Ethan three times. But Belinda knew her daughter too well. Cassandra, who was usually dismissive of most people, wouldn't bother writing about a boy unless she liked him.
Judging by today, she clearly did.
And Ethan… he wasn't bad at all. If this was the boy who had caught Cassandra's eye, he had to be exceptional.
"Next time, definitely," Ethan replied, a little embarrassed by her enthusiastic greeting.
Cassandra and her mother looked remarkably alike—blonde hair, blue eyes, soft curls, long legs, slender waists. He wondered how long it would take Cassandra to look like that.
"Then it's settled. Definitely next time," Belinda said before turning to greet Hermione and Natasha. Then she apparated away with Cassandra.
Natasha's father arrived next—a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor. After a brief exchange, he too apparated away with his daughter.
Outside the station, Hermione introduced Ethan to her parents. Only after she got on her own train did Ethan head toward his own driver.
Meeting three sets of parents in one day had been more exhausting than a whole day of spell practice.
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