"Mudblood… what does that mean?"
In the corridor, the shadows of three young wizards flickered briefly under the glow of burning torches.
Outside the glass windows, a pale pink and indigo sky was draped in a thin layer of mist. The birdsong outside always grew louder at sunset, when the sky blazed with color.
"No idea," Justin answered honestly.
Hermione shot him a look. "I wasn't asking you, Justin. Sean, do you know?"
"It's a really offensive term in the wizarding world for Muggle-born witches and wizards," Sean said.
"How bad is it?" Justin asked suddenly.
"The worst there is," Sean added.
"Got it," Justin said, pausing for a moment before spinning around abruptly.
Sean overheard him muttering something about, "Maybe going to Eton next year wouldn't be so bad. Mother would be proud."
Sean and Hermione quietly grabbed him to stop him from walking off.
"You don't need to go anywhere," Sean said softly.
His words always had a way of calming people down. Justin stopped in his tracks, looking thoughtful. "Is this about Professor Snape?" he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper at the mention of the name.
"Yeah," Sean nodded.
For any Slytherin who broke every one of Professor Snape's unspoken rules, Sean could only imagine the kind of terrifying wrath they'd face.
So, he quickly pulled Hermione and Justin away from the scene. Compared to the petty squabbles among the six young wizards, whatever Snape had in store for them was far scarier.
Hogwarts had rules, sure, but if an incident went undocumented, those rules might as well not exist. Staying at the scene would only get in the way of Snape's "handling" of the situation—and probably land them in trouble too. But if they left, the whole thing would conveniently become a private Slytherin matter, courtesy of a certain Potions Master.
Outside, a torrential rain poured down, the sky as dark as ink. Inside, though, the classroom was warm and bright, lit by magical lanterns. Three mugs of steaming hot milk sat on a small wooden table.
Hermione was clearly in a low mood, scribbling a letter with a soft scratching sound. Out of respect for her space, Justin kept his distance and sidled up to Sean instead.
Sean was busy jotting down his plans:
"Whether I can earn that scholarship depends on this last week. First, I'll master the Levitation Charm to expert level. Then, I'll work on the Smokescreen Spell, the Repelling Charm, and finish learning the three Defense Against the Dark Arts spells we're supposed to cover in first year. That should be enough to get an Outstanding in Defense. The Galleons from the scholarship will keep me set for years."
After finishing that section, Sean added:
"I need to remember that Hogwarts isn't always safe. Prejudice and discrimination from pure-blood wizards are real. If it weren't for that, neither of the two Dark Lords would've had so many followers. I need to learn stronger magic."
When it came to powerful magic, Sean's first thought was Transfiguration.
Why not Dark Magic? Well, being an orphan, drawn to Dark Magic, with a knack for rallying others… yeah, that sounded like a dangerous path.
[Transfiguration]
Sean wrote the word at the top of his plan.
The wizarding world had plenty of powerful magic. Dark Magic was widely considered the most destructive, but Transfiguration was elegant and profound. In the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore had used Transfiguration to take on Tom Riddle head-on. In the books, he'd brought golden wizard statues to life, shielding Harry, knocking out Bellatrix, and even sending some to hold off Voldemort—blocking a Killing Curse in the process.
Sean believed that truly skilled Transfiguration could turn ordinary objects into powerful allies in a fight, essentially giving them life. It also meshed perfectly with his own talents.
His quill scratched across the parchment, filling out a detailed schedule. He allocated nearly all his time to practicing Transfiguration and Charms, cutting back on potion-brewing and greenhouse visits.
"Oh—"
A stifled laugh broke Sean's focus. He turned to see Justin grinning at a piece of parchment.
Justin's laughter made Hermione blush so hard she looked like she wanted to bury her face in her letter.
"Sean, we've gotta be careful not to get caught," Justin whispered, glancing at Hermione before slipping a note into Sean's hand. "This is yours."
[I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out, Sean.]
"Don't let her see it," Justin added.
Too late. Hermione, face still red, stormed out of the classroom, slamming the door behind her with a loud bang.
"Caught," Sean said dryly.
"So, how are you gonna apologize for this one?" Sean asked, glancing at Justin.
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you," Justin said with a confident grin. "Don't worry, my dad taught me a hundred ways to smooth things over. They always work."
He eased the door open, checking to make sure Hermione was gone.
"Remember how Hogwarts has all those tricky doors?" Justin said. "Some won't open unless you ask politely or hit just the right spot. Others aren't even doors—just solid walls disguised as them."
He walked over to a spot and said, "Lard."
A moment later, a door shaped like flickering flames appeared, then vanished, revealing a fireplace with a roaring fire.
The firelight illuminated seven cozy armchairs. Justin stood in front of them, looking proud.
A room within a room?
Sean stared at the sudden appearance of the hidden space, a vague sense of familiarity tugging at him. But time had blurred his memories, like ink smudged on wet parchment, leaving only faint, mottled traces.
"Mr. Owl told me about this," Justin said, his tired eyes brightening. "A fireplace doesn't seem like much, but what if it's connected to the Floo Network?"
Floo Powder was a common way for wizards to travel. Beyond that, you could stick just part of yourself—like your head—into the flames to talk to someone far away without fully traveling there.
"What's better than seeing your family on your birthday, even from far away?" Justin said, his excitement growing. "And what's even better than that? Having your friends there too!"
"You… worked hard on this, didn't you?" Sean said after a pause, his voice carrying a hint of emotion.
"Not really," Justin said, brushing it off. "It was mostly my mom's wizard friends and the owl post. I just reached out to Hermione's parents and—"
"You did great, Justin," Sean interrupted. "Hermione's gonna love it."
The firelight danced in Sean's green eyes. "You should get some rest. I'll take it from here."
"…Alright," Justin said, falling quiet but nodding sincerely.
He knew what Sean meant. Contacting people far away wasn't easy, and someone needed to be by the fireplace on Thursday to make sure the surprise didn't turn into an awkward flop. Looking at Justin's exhausted face, Sean figured he deserved a good night's sleep.
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