Sean spent much of his time planning for one thing: the upcoming Halloween.
Early in the morning, the sweet, tempting aroma of roasted pumpkin wafted through the corridors.
Peering out a stained-glass window, Sean saw the Quidditch pitch looking unusually empty under the gray, misty sky.
A massive figure trudged across the yellowed lawn, like a moving hill. It was Hagrid, cradling a gigantic pumpkin so large its orange skin, carved into a grinning jack-o'-lantern face, showed the furry moleskin coat behind its hollow eyes.
Few knew that Hogwarts' Halloween jack-o'-lanterns came from Hagrid's pumpkins, each one big enough to rival a small shed.
At the Shrieking Shack, bat decorations already hung around. Justin was busy making candies, the table giving off a faint milky scent.
The door creaked open, but no one was there. Then it shut again.
Hermione was practicing her silent Levitation Charm, but the moment she had to stay quiet, she kept getting distracted.
Her distraction quickly shifted to Neville, who was trembling and staring at the door, his lips quivering as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.
"Sean!"
"Sean?"
Hermione and Justin spoke at the same time. Sean appeared in his seat, as if shedding an invisibility cloak.
His curious gaze flicked between them, waiting.
"The smell, Sean. Your scent's easy to pick out," Justin said with a grin, shaping soft candy dough.
"The light, Sean. I wouldn't have noticed you at night," Hermione added, frowning in disbelief. "Is that… the Disillusionment Charm?"
Sean nodded.
"Seriously? I thought it was some magical gadget! That's a spell for advanced students! I've only read about it in Standard Book of Spells: Grade 6…" Hermione said, awestruck. Then, glancing at the feather she still couldn't levitate silently and back at Sean, she looked frustrated.
She hadn't even finished Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1, let alone tackled Grade 6—two whole books ahead!
Neville, who'd been shaking, relaxed the moment he saw Sean. "Oh, it's just Sean…"
The little moment passed quickly.
Sean stared at the Venomous Tentacula on the table, its constant "squeak" keeping him company as he practiced his Silencing Charm.
Today, his Silencing Charm was about to level up.
[You practiced the Silencing Charm at an expert level. Proficiency +50]
[A new charm mastery title has been unlocked]
Sean opened his panel eagerly:
[Title: Charm Adept]
[Greatly enhances charm perception and significantly boosts charm talent]
Heightened perception?
In that afternoon's Disillusionment Charm practice, Sean felt the difference. With sharper perception, he could better sense the intensity of his spellcasting, adjusting his pronunciation and wand movements accordingly.
It didn't take long to reach [Beginner] level.
Opening his panel again, the progress was clear:
[Name: Sean Green]
[Status: Wizard]
[Title: Charm Adept]
[Proficiency]
[Levitation Charm: Expert (600/9000)]
[Finite Incantatem: Expert (120/9000)]
[Silencing Charm: Expert (10/9000)]
[Disillusionment Charm: Beginner (6/300)]
…
[Advancement: Master 12 Expert-level charms or 5 Master-level charms to unlock the Charm Master title]
How many?
Sean thought he'd misread it.
He closed the panel and reopened it, half-convinced he'd done something wrong.
[Advancement: Master 12 Expert-level charms or 5 Master-level charms to unlock the Charm Master title]
Now he saw it clearly and accepted it calmly.
He was reminded of Miranda Goshawk's words in A Theory of Magic:
"One truth of learning magic is to master as many spells as possible, including ancient ones. The more spells you know, the more you can achieve. Another truth is that after learning a spell, constant practice is key. The difference between proficient and rusty spellcasting is vast."
In short:
The more spells you know, the stronger the wizard.
The more proficient your spells, the stronger the wizard.
The panel's charm progression tied these truths together.
But becoming a Charm Master was no easy feat.
From what he'd figured out:
[Adept] was the level of some advanced students and adult wizards.
[Expert] likely matched Auror-level skill.
So, [Master] was probably professor-level.
As for what came after Master, Sean had no clue.
---
In front of the Venomous Tentacula, Sean sipped hot pumpkin juice, his Quick-Quotes Quill scribbling away.
Halloween was almost here.
For young wizards, the festive holiday meant a chance to go wild. For Sean, it signaled change.
On Halloween, Professor Quirrell would release a troll to cover his attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione would face grave danger in the girls' bathroom.
The troll's arrival would also kick off Harry's second major clash with Voldemort.
The Chosen One, the greatest white wizard, the Dark Lord, the two-faced man… they'd all be swept uncontrollably into this drama.
As the prophecy foretold: One must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.
For Sean, a stable storyline was ideal. It meant he could learn magic in relative safety.
In the original story, the troll's arrival, Harry and his friends defeating it, and passing the tests in the fourth-floor room were the first-year arc's core. Everything should be under Dumbledore's control.
But Sean couldn't shake the thought: the books never mentioned a wizard named Sean Green. What if his presence added new variables?
Would Hermione really be in danger? What about the others?
So, Sean made a new plan: control as much as possible.
If he could avoid Voldemort and discreetly monitor the troll, he'd know if anything went off-script.
In this plan, the Disillusionment Charm and his own combat skills were key.