As Sean stared at the unexpected candy in his bag, Justin's face fell with despair. Suddenly, the owl painting huffed indignantly:
"Young wizard, hmph! Lucky young wizard! Hurry up and get inside before Lady Ravenclaw notices!"
With a flap of its wings, a crack appeared in the wall, revealing a sky-blue door. Hermione's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Thanks," Justin said, his gloomy expression instantly replaced with genuine gratitude.
Sean, meanwhile, picked up a quill-shaped lollipop, lost in thought.
Inside the hidden room, Hermione's focused face still held a trace of confusion. Sean pulled out his notebook as Justin whispered, "You know, portraits get lonely too, don't they? That owl's been stuck in the wall. I bet it can't pop around to visit other paintings like the rest. No wonder its glasses are always slipping."
"Hm," Sean replied.
"Oh, Sean, if I had no one to talk to, I'd go mad," Justin said, his pale gray eyes deepening with thought.
"What are you planning?" Sean asked, as if he'd already guessed.
"What if we moved it?" Justin suggested softly.
"Worth a try," Sean nodded, though he wasn't optimistic.
One of Hogwarts' greatest charms was its countless secrets—mysteries even Headmaster Dumbledore couldn't claim to fully know. The owl portrait was likely one of those secrets, perhaps like the Fat Lady guarding Gryffindor's common room. Such duties weren't easily undone, or the professors wouldn't have left this room unattended.
Still, Sean held a flicker of hope.
As he'd said, trying wouldn't hurt.
…
[The Boil-Cure Potion is one of the simplest potions, frequently used by North American wizards. I've modified its ritual to greatly increase success rates and significantly improve the potion's quality. Before attempting, ensure you've mastered the improved ritual and are prepared for three sleepless nights of mental focus.]
Greatly increased success rates? Improved quality?
Sean's breath quickened.
[I understand the excitement any potion researcher feels reading this, but I must warn you again: during the ritual, a single mistake could mean disaster. You'd better pray to Merlin you don't wake up staring at me.]
Typical wizarding dark humor, Sean thought wryly.
He dove into studying and mastering the improved ritual. Meanwhile, Justin and Hermione practiced their Levitation Charms nearby.
Outside, owls soared from Hogwarts, carrying letters. Weekends were their busiest time, delivering words of longing and returning with even heavier sentiments. As twilight settled over the castle, magical lanterns flickered to life, illuminating Justin's anxious face.
"Professor Flitwick said the feather needs to spin once to show you've mastered the Levitation Charm," Justin said, exhaustion clear on his face. His feather, however, refused to budge despite following Sean's guidance to the letter.
Even Hermione looked frustrated. Though they were exceptional for first-years, the pressure of keeping up with a wizard who used a Lumos Charm like a Blasting Curse was immense.
Across the room, Sean finished memorizing the ritual. He flipped to the final page of his notes:
[When a wizard feels strong emotions toward a potion—be it joy, worry, or sorrow—it profoundly affects the outcome. This is why potioneers must remain focused and calm. Yet magic always has two sides: certain emotions, when channeled properly, can unleash unimaginable power. This is the essence of the improved ritual.]
Libatius Borage wasn't just offering improvements—he was pioneering a revolution.
Sean realized that during the ritual, he'd need to be more focused than ever, infusing it with a powerful emotion, similar yet distinct from those used in Transfiguration or Lumos.
"So what's the emotion needed for the Levitation Charm?" Sean muttered, circling back to an unanswered question from their last Charms lesson.
His eyes fell on the feather. Why was it always a feather for practice? Just because it was light?
Then it hit him.
"It's because a feather symbolizes freedom—freedom from gravity, from constraints. Wingardium Leviosa!"
[You have practiced the Levitation Charm to expert standards. Proficiency +50]
A spark flashed from Sean's wand tip. The feather wobbled upward, spinning lazily in the air before dancing rhythmically, like a bird flapping its wings.
Justin stared, dumbfounded.
"He just mumbled a few words I couldn't even hear, and he's already at this level?" Justin said, dazed. "Sometimes Sean feels like the exact kind of wizard I imagined—muttering a few words and breaking every magical rule I'm still trying to wrap my head around."
Hermione stared at the dancing feather, then frowned at her own wand, sighing in frustration. But as she watched Sean's focused profile, her expression hardened with determination.
The feather floated back down. Sean raised his wand again.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
[You have practiced the Levitation Charm to expert standards. Proficiency +50]
As the panel chimed, a wave of fatigue hit Sean. He let the feather drift into his palm, noticing Justin's excited grin and Hermione's slightly embarrassed blush.
…
"As Professor Flitwick said about the Lumos Charm, spells infused with a wizard's emotions are more powerful. Lumos requires a desire for light. The Levitation Charm needs a sense of freedom—freedom from gravity. That's why we practice with feathers," Sean explained.
Justin's face froze in shock. That's how it works? Why didn't I think of that?
He and Hermione scrambled to jot down every word Sean said.
Sean, meanwhile, pulled out his History of Magic notes. Tomorrow, he had a full day to complete his timeline and create a "Sean-exclusive" outline of magical history.
Astronomy was similar. Though it was a complex branch of magic, the expectations for first-years were low. Sean just needed to memorize celestial orbits, much like his history notes.
By tomorrow, he'd have four "scholarship fragments" under his belt: Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and History of Magic.
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