Sunday.
Inside the classroom.
Sean heard the Hogwarts bells chime and instinctively packed up his notes, grabbing his Nimbus 2000.
The flying test was about to begin. Though his flying skills had reached the "skilled" level, alongside his "expert" Levitation Charm and "skilled" Transfiguration, they formed his highest proficiencies in magic.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. After all, he only had one shot.
He'd been at Hogwarts for a while now and had made progress in every branch of magic.
His "skilled" Transfiguration, one "expert" charm, five "beginner" charms, and the Finite spell he was currently studying were proof of that.
To be safe, Sean planned to grind Finite all the way to "expert" level.
As for longer-term goals like the Protego charm or Apparition, he doubted Professor Flitwick would teach those anytime soon.
His Charms title was still at the "beginner" level, so he was planning to master three charms to "expert" level. With a new title boosting him, learning tougher charms would likely come easier.
Transfiguration, his specialty, wasn't far from "expert" level either.
Sean pulled up his panel:
[Name: Sean Green]
[Status: Wizard]
[Titles: Charms Beginner, Transfiguration Mastery]
[Proficiencies]
- [Levitation Charm: Expert (200/9000)]
- [Luminary Charm: Beginner (600/900)]
- [Advancement: Six Skilled Charms or Three Expert Charms to unlock Skilled Charms Title]
Three expert-level charms, huh?
Besides Finite, he needed one more charm to focus on.
After a few seconds of thought, he realized he had offensive capabilities through Transfiguration and would soon have defensive capabilities with Finite. Learning a concealment charm, like the Disillusionment Charm, might be a good next step.
It had been a while since he checked his panel, so he scrolled further:
[Transfiguration: Skilled (6100/9000)]
[Advancement: Expert Transfiguration to unlock Expert Transfiguration Title]
[Wizard Talents]
- [Potions: Green]
- [Herbology: Green]
- [Charms: Blue]
- [Transfiguration: Purple]
- [Dark Magic: Gold]
- [Flying: Gold]
Compared to before he arrived at Hogwarts, the difference was night and day.
Sunday afternoon was clear but cold.
Sean carried his Nimbus 2000 to the changing room to swap into warmer clothes—still just his school uniform, since he didn't have much else for the chill.
Meanwhile, in the changing room, Harry and the other Gryffindor Quidditch players were slipping into their scarlet team robes.
Sean caught a familiar voice:
It was Wood, clearing his throat to quiet everyone down.
"Alright, lads," he began.
"And ladies," a clear female voice chimed in.
"And ladies," Wood agreed. "It's time."
"We've got important training ahead," another voice added. Sean peeked past the wind-blown curtain and saw Fred Weasley speaking.
"Every practice is for the moment we've all been waiting for," George picked up.
"We've got Oliver's speeches memorized by now," Fred and George said in unison to a sulky Harry. "We were on the team last year."
"Shut it, you two," Wood snapped. "This is the best Gryffindor team in years. We've got to train hard for our best shot!"
He glared at everyone, as if daring them to slack off. "Or you'll regret it."
"We know," Fred muttered, leaning toward Harry while Wood looked away. "Harry, you're the best Seeker we've got."
"No wizard your age is better," George added.
"And you've got the latest Nimbus 2000. Merlin's beard, you're the only one in the whole school with one," Fred said, eyeing Harry's broom with envy, making Harry blush.
"Alright, now pay attention to the tactics. Once that young wizard's flying test is done, it's our turn!" Wood barked.
Hearing this, Sean quickened his pace.
Madam Hooch was already waiting at the Quidditch pitch, holding an iron ball. She turned to Sean and said, "The test is simple. Catch three Quaffles and dodge all the Bludgers. You've got fifteen minutes. If I have to intervene, you fail. Got it, Mr. Green? Hop on your broom and warm up with two laps!"
Sean swallowed his nerves, excitement bubbling up as he mounted his broom.
The moment his feet left the ground, he felt a rush of calm. He circled the pitch twice, then practiced a few sharp turns around the goalposts.
As he flew smoothly, two sneaky figures appeared in the stands.
"Justin, are you sure this is the right time?" Hermione asked, scanning the area. She couldn't spot any young wizards, just a few blurry figures zipping around the still-open pitch.
"I see Sean!" Justin called out.
Hermione squinted, only catching a fleeting shadow—too fast to make out.
Justin handed her a pair of binoculars, and this time, she clearly saw Sean's face.
"How'd you spot him?" she asked. "Wait, do you have another pair of binoculars—"
Before she could finish, Justin waved his pair triumphantly. "Got two, thanks to Mum's foresight."
"Alright, Mr. Green!" Madam Hooch's voice rang out, waving broadly. "Get ready—I'm releasing the Bludger. Just like we practiced, dodge it!"
Sean watched as she tossed the ball high. It shot toward him with a whoosh.
Bludgers were enchanted to chase Quidditch players indiscriminately. Back in the day, they were made of stone, but those had a major flaw: a 15th-century Beater's powerful bat could shatter them, leaving players dodging flying rubble for the rest of the match.
Agatha Chubb, an expert in ancient magical artifacts, once wrote, "They're Bludgers, not cannonballs."
Left unchecked, Bludgers would target the nearest player, which is why Beaters existed—to knock them as far from their team as possible.
Sean, of course, had no Beater to help him out.