In the chilly courtyard, Ron asked nervously, "Are you sure about this?"
Harry's eyes shone with determination. "If there's a teacher nearby, he won't say no. Everyone knows that rule was made up on the spot."
What he didn't say was that he and Ron were wrestling with how to ask Sean to let them join that mysterious place. And to make matters worse, Harry had just lost Hermione's book, which was driving him up the wall.
He headed downstairs to the staff room and knocked on the door.
No answer. He knocked again. Still nothing.
Maybe Snape left the book inside? It was worth a shot.
Harry pushed the door open a crack and peeked in—and froze at the horrifying sight.
The room held only Snape and Filch. Snape had hiked his robes above his knees, revealing a leg mangled and bloody. Filch was handing him something.
"Blasted thing," Snape growled. "How do you keep an eye on three heads at once?"
"Here, try this," Filch said, offering a potion and some bandages, which seemed to catch Snape off guard.
"I don't think—"
Before Snape could finish, Filch muttered a name that made his face darken instantly: "Ah, uh, this… Green…"
Harry clapped a hand over his mouth, spotting Sean slip past the corridor's corner.
Sean was holding a book with a green cover.
Catching sight of sneaky Harry, Sean nodded, signaling that Hermione's confiscated book had been retrieved from the caretaker's office.
"Merlin's beard… Sean…" Harry muttered, piecing it together. He'd just been scheming to get the book back, and Sean had already done it?
---
Meanwhile, Ron and Harry's newfound alliance stemmed from Neville's performance in Charms class.
"Excellent, Mr. Longbottom! Remarkable progress!" Professor Flitwick's voice nearly shook the classroom as he hurried to Neville's side, watching him levitate a small wooden board, making it float back and forth before deftly spinning it twice.
The surrounding students gaped, whispering among themselves.
Some said Sean knew a special kind of magic, and Neville's secretive disappearances were to meet Sean for spell-casting sessions that made you smarter. How else could you explain Neville's rapid improvement?
His Levitation Charm had surpassed many of his peers.
Ron and Harry were more curious about Sean than ever, wondering if he'd let them in on his secrets.
And Sean? He was swamped with studying Dark Arts and Transfiguration.
Since Thursday, Snape had been glaring at his Dark Arts progress like a hawk. It reminded Sean of the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Wood, who demanded every second of his team's time for training. Snape was the same, but with Dark Arts.
His exact words were: "Well, well, our arrogant Mr. Green thinks he's gifted. Let me tell you, Green, I've seen plenty of so-called 'geniuses'…" His tone was venomous. "And they're all dead—because they foolishly wasted time on pointless things!"
So, Sean's Dark Arts skills had seen a major boost:
[You practiced Sectumsempra at an expert level, +50 proficiency]
[You practiced Sectumsempra at an expert level, +50 proficiency]
…
[Repelling Charm: Expert Level (10/9000)]
[Sectumsempra: Skilled Level (10/3000)]
[Advanced: Learning three beginner-level Dark Arts spells unlocks the Beginner Dark Arts Title]
Sean's Dark Arts title was still at the apprentice level, but his two mastered spells were highly proficient. He'd even started practicing silent Sectumsempra.
Unfortunately, Dark Arts and Charms seemed to share similar principles—power and versatility went hand in hand. So, Sean was especially eager for tomorrow's third Dark Arts lesson.
Snape had said, "Attacking is crucial, Green, but if you can't master control spells, do you really think you can defeat everyone?"
Sean began guessing what the spell might be: Impedimenta? Petrificus Totalus? Maybe Incarcerous?
Hogwarts had limited books on Dark Arts, and accurate information was even scarcer. Truthfully, Sean wasn't overly keen on them either.
Dark Arts were powerful, no doubt, but Transfiguration was just as potent and far more versatile. Plus, Sean was wary of diving too deep—Dark Arts could corrupt a wizard, and Hogwarts had a headmaster who cracked down hard on them.
So, naturally, Sean poured most of his time into Transfiguration.
He'd mastered mid-level Transfiguration: switching between inanimate and animate objects. He was also tackling advanced techniques, like turning objects into magical entities and casting multiple Transfiguration spells at once.
The day before the Quidditch match, Sean could transform snow into a snowman that threw snowballs on its own—though it didn't last long, as it kept hollowing itself out and collapsing into a soft heap.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Sean frowned. His salamander was getting bigger—sometimes as large as a soccer ball.
But it was disobedient.
It would dart into the air, spinning wildly, sparking and crackling with loud pops.
Thanks to Sean's Muffliato charm, it went unnoticed by Hermione until it scurried onto her book and set it ablaze with a sizzle.
It was like the opposite of Sean, doing things he'd never dream of.
Justin joked it was Sean's "inner devil" let loose, but Sean didn't quite agree. Even a devil wouldn't burn a book full of knowledge.
When Sean tried to control it, the salamander shrank into a tiny lizard.
He knew a soccer-ball size wasn't its limit. If he poured all his magic into it without restraint, he had no idea what kind of monster he'd create.
No wonder Transfiguration required caution—Sean was learning that lesson the hard way.