In an atmosphere buzzing with anticipation bordering on prayer, Halloween arrived.
Laughter and chatter filled the air as young wizards eagerly awaited the castle's fantastical decorations. They swapped gifts and shared candies with joy, and the Hope Hut was no exception.
"Wow, Sean, you can actually carry all that?" Justin teased, a rare playful edge to his voice. When Sean pushed open the door, everyone saw him practically buried under a pile of floating candies.
Sean calmly set the candies on the wooden cabinet near the fireplace. The six-slot cabinet was already half full—three slots packed with his haul, plus the others' contributions of all sorts of weird snacks.
Justin was using the Levitation Charm to shift some of the candies out.
"Try this one?" he said, holding up a blue gummy shaped like a mouse.
Soon, they heard Neville's teeth chattering and a crunching sound.
"It's in my mouth!" Neville yelped, sticking out his tongue to scrape off the "nonexistent" mouse.
"Neville, we told you before you ate it—it's just a candy," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow but with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
"Here, try this—" Justin popped a red candy into his mouth. "They say Pepper Imps let you breathe fire… duck!"
"Whoa!" Black smoke puffed from Justin's mouth, flames shooting from his nose and ears. Hermione's grin widened.
Her slot in the wooden cabinet was stuffed with candies, mostly gifts from the Hope Hut crew. And honestly, that was more than enough for her.
On the wooden desk, the snapping vine seemed startled by the flames, its tendrils curling back and flipping over a letter Sean had placed there. Next to it sat a small silver cat figurine—nothing special at first glance, but it was crafted with complex Transfiguration: multiple layered charms.
This advanced technique involved applying several transformations to an object, making it so a simple Reversal Charm couldn't undo it right away. It was like solving an equation with one variable versus one with many—the difficulty spiked.
But Sean's gifts for today weren't limited to just this, so he worked quickly.
In the distance, a hooting sound echoed. A pure white owl perched at Sean's window, its feathers ruffled, clutching a stray feather from some unlucky bird in its beak. It stood proud, chest puffed out.
After all, it had just outflown ten other owls to reach this window.
"Una, thanks for helping out," Sean said, looking up. He tucked a few letters and a small package under its claws, then set out a small plate of meat, toast, and salad to treat the eager messenger.
He remembered every owl's name.
"Coo-coo!" Una nuzzled Sean's fingers, grabbed the letters, and soared off.
At another colorful window, Minerva McGonagall received the owl's delivery. She gazed at the silver cat figurine, her eyes like a deep lake, rippling softly with warmth.
Her desk was already piled with countless letters, all postmarked from Croydon. Many weren't replies—they were originals brought back by owls.
Today, though, the letters weren't addressed to Minerva McGonagall but to a woman named Roland—a lady who'd volunteered many times at Holyhead.
In the Charms classroom, Professor Flitwick was as lively as ever, standing on a stack of books, his high-pitched voice ringing out: "Now, don't forget that delicate wrist movement we've been practicing! A swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And enunciate the incantation clearly!"
It had been about two weeks since their last Levitation Charm practice, and the young wizards were still struggling to master it.
But today, something in the classroom stunned Flitwick.
Last time, Harry and Seamus had swished and flicked over and over, but their feathers stayed stubbornly on the floor. Seamus, frustrated, had jabbed his wand at his feather—and set it on fire.
Today, though, a good chunk of the students moved like they'd been drilled together. Their pronunciations were crisp, their wand movements precise.
Unsurprisingly, their feathers reacted. Some even floated for a good while.
"Remarkable progress, ladies and gentlemen!" Flitwick squeaked.
"I never thought Charms could be this easy—just follow the notes!" Harry overheard Ron muttering excitedly, nodding in agreement.
"But you're still saying it wrong," Hermione cut in sharply. "It's Wingardium Leviosa—the 'gar' needs to be long and clear."
"You think you're better than Sean?!" Ron's face flushed.
Sean, standing beside Hermione: "?"
"Those are old notes. Sean's Levitation Charm has improved more than you've evolved from a troll to a wizard!" Hermione rolled up her sleeves, waved her wand, and said, "Win-GAR-dium Levi-O-sa!"
"Well done!" Flitwick clapped. "Look, everyone, Miss Granger's Levitation Charm is splendid!"
Near the end of class, Flitwick kept Sean behind, holding a sky-blue notebook with a curious look. "A very intuitive approach, quite interesting. For wizards new to Charms, this could be significant. But, dear Mr. Green, the true mysteries of Charms lie far beyond these basics…"
Flitwick praised him, then offered some earnest advice.
Sean nodded lightly, understanding what the professor meant.
Following the sweet scent of pumpkins, Sean spotted Hermione strutting off confidently and Ron, brimming with curiosity.
With Ron eager to hunt down the updated notes, he probably wouldn't have time to badmouth Hermione. Which meant she was less likely to run into a troll in the girls' bathroom.
Sean smiled to himself.
In the corridor, Ron wasn't in a bad mood. Compared to the mildly annoying Hermione, he was more focused on Sean's notes.
He sidled up to a group of Gryffindor girls. "Green's notes… any updates?"
One girl, who shared a dorm with Hermione, snapped irritably, "Who'd know? She says we can't see them unless we practice with her seriously… ugh, know-it-all!"
"Poor Mr. Green. She must've slipped him some love potion…" another girl added.
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