“Ethan, how did you do that?”
Fred and George watched Ethan rubbing the dog’s head, their eyes wide with amazement.
Just moments ago, the three-headed dog had lunged at them, and their Obstacles Charm and Banishing Charm had done absolutely nothing to deter it. As they braced for the worst, they discovered that the dog wasn’t quite as ferocious as they thought.
Instead, the dog transformed into a giant slobbering puppy, attempting to lick Ethan with its tongue, almost as large as a human. Ethan, however, promptly rejected the advances.
It was simply too smelly, and Ethan had no desire to be covered in dog drool.
“Animals have always been drawn to me. I guess I’m still a magnet for magical creatures in the wizarding world.”
He continued to rub the dog’s head, earning a contented purr from the three-headed beast.
“That's incredible. If we didn't know Hagrid was the one who kept it, we'd think you raised it.”
“Exactly. Imagine if Hagrid finds out you've "borrowed" his dog. He’d probably cry his eyes out. He cherishes this three-headed dog.”
Seeing the three-headed dog subdued by Ethan, Fred and George relaxed, even venturing into playful banter.
“I couldn't possibly afford to keep this big guy.”
Ethan scratched Fluffy’s chin as he replied.
Just looking at its size, it was obvious this dog was a bottomless pit. This was Hogwarts, not the Muggle world. In the Muggle world, Ethan could handle it with ease, but here, it was a whole different story. He'd need to hunt in the Forbidden Forest for food, or resort to eating Kneazles and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. They were more economical, a single meal could last quite a while.
“Did the Sorting Hat say that you could also have been in Hufflepuff? Maybe you’ll become the next Newt Scamander, the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,' a legendary wizard.”
The twins had heard many tales about Newt Scamander.
He was a legend, wherever rare magical creatures were found, there he was. He had a knack for handling them, no creature was beyond his control. A single suitcase, capable of holding enough creatures to destroy a city, was a testament to his skills. He was banned from entering many countries by the Ministry of Magic. …
Ethan had managed to subdue the three-headed dog, just like Scamander. Maybe he was even better at it.
“Hufflepuff? I like them, heh heh...”
Ethan chuckled, trying to dodge the question. He was destined for all three houses except Hufflepuff.
“What's this?”
George, exploring his surroundings, discovered a moving panel where the dog had been lying and immediately moved to investigate.
“Roar!”
The previously docile dog suddenly lifted its head and let out a fierce roar towards George.
Even though Fluffy seemed to like Ethan, he was still loyal to his duty.
His old master had been pretty rough with him, and he had been through a tough two weeks, any sign of defiance led to a good thrashing. It was a real dog's life. He was barely an adult.
He’d quickly established a few rules for himself: small wizards were allowed to be scared, but not harmed; big wizards needed to be bitten; no one could enter the door below.
He was determined to follow those rules.
George froze in his tracks. As he slowly turned back to look at Fluffy, relieved that the dog hadn’t attacked him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’m not going in. I’m coming back!”
George held up his hands, backing away slowly.
“Fluffy is probably guarding something down there, as ordered by Dumbledore. If we try to go down, he’ll probably get angry,”
Ethan looked at them seriously. He hoped they would stop there.
If they persisted and tried to explore, they might attract Voldemort’s attention, and that wasn't a good thing.
“We won’t go down. We aren’t curious about what’s down there, really!”
Fred chuckled nervously.
They had already learned how dangerous a XXXXX-rated magical creature could be. Their own magic was completely ineffective against Fluffy. If they angered him, they might be dog food.
Ethan shook his head in resignation. They were Gryffindors after all.
“Ethan, with no results from our exploration, shall we head out?”
They felt too much pressure with Fluffy around. They wanted out.
“Okay, let’s go!”
“Fluffy, see you later!”
After saying goodbye to Fluffy, the three turned and left. Ethan could hear Fred and George sigh in relief as they closed the door.
“Ethan, thank you. We’d be in trouble if it weren’t for you,”
As they walked down the long corridor, Fred recalled what had just happened. They had truly walked on the edge of death.
If they had listened to Ethan from the beginning, checked the situation before going in, things wouldn’t have been so bad.
“Courage is not recklessness. Don't put yourself in danger,”
Ethan looked at Fred, speaking earnestly. The twins didn’t end up well. Fred lost his ear, and George lost his life. Many fans were heartbroken over their fate.
He hoped today’s incident would serve as a wake-up call for them, to be more cautious in the future.
“We understand. If Fred acts recklessly again, I’ll kick his backside.”
George put an arm around Fred, smiling at Ethan, but he seemed to have forgotten that he was the first one to rush in.
“That’s the spirit!”
Ethan chuckled.
“Ethan, this is for you.”
Fred pulled a sheet of parchment from his pocket, the Marauder’s Map.
“This will be your night-time guardian.”
Ethan didn’t accept it immediately. He was curious.
This object held immense power in Hogwarts.
Fred was confident. “We’d say we know Hogwarts better than anyone, all the secret passages and hidden paths. Even without this, Filch couldn’t catch us. You need to go to the eighth floor, right? You’ll need this. The password is ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good’ and it’s in that abandoned classroom you saw us use it.”
With that, Ethan accepted the Marauder’s Map.