Could a small earthquake count as a kind of magic?
The thought suddenly crossed Sean's mind.
In ancient times, wizards who used old runic magic were capable of incredible feats. For example, Sean found a record of the 1379 Dueling Tournament, where a wizard used a "weather-type spell" in battle — the earliest known origin of the famous Mountain-Moving Charm.
The competitors in that tournament had been praised as having "unprecedented skill and dueling mastery."
The record described how the second duelist, facing the third, conjured a massive storm cloud overhead, drenching his opponent with freezing rain and forcing him to dodge bolt after bolt of lightning.
The third wizard countered by whipping up a powerful whirlwind, which not only blew away the storm but also sent the judges, most of the audience, and several trees flying.
Magic like that had truly world-shaking force — very much like the material-transfiguration magic Sean was currently studying.
Sean needed long hours of preparation with Professor McGonagall and a solid grasp of ancient runes before he could cast anything close to such a transformation.
Though Professor McGonagall had dismissed this kind of flashy magic as "beautiful but impractical," Sean knew it would give him a massive advantage when facing the basilisk.
If he could literally drop a mountain on the basilisk's head, then one of the biggest obstacles in developing basilisk biscuits would be solved.
And just like that, summer quietly slipped away.
During that time, Fairy Tales Workshop officially announced the new release in the "Three-Headed Dog" line, igniting wizards' excitement all over again. Shop No. 77 in Diagon Alley — which only a handful of people had ever entered — was starting to become a legend.
Reporters from The Daily Prophet staked out the storefront day after day, hoping for some earth-shattering scoop, but they always went away empty-handed. Aside from its official opening day, the shop might as well have been "dead."
September 1st.
Young witches and wizards were headed to King's Cross Station, ready to board the Hogwarts Express.
Leaving home was always a bit scary, but the moment they thought about seeing their friends on the train, their spirits lifted right up.
It should have been the same as every other September 1st — but today, something unexpected happened.
"Do I have to go too, Hagrid?"
Sean followed behind Hagrid as they left the castle, one after the other.
He'd recently been researching the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. His memory of it was a bit hazy — he only remembered Moaning Myrtle and the girls' bathroom.
He had a guess about where the real entrance was, and finding it was at the top of his to-do list once term started.
"Why wouldn't yeh go? Yeh've never ridden a Thestral carriage before — trust me, it's a right magical experience—"
Hagrid boomed cheerfully as he and Sean walked down the slope outside the castle, heading toward the Forbidden Forest — more precisely, toward the Thestrals.
They needed to bring the Thestrals to Hogsmeade Station to fetch the returning students.
After all, first-years took boats… but second-years and up couldn't exactly swim back to Hogwarts.
…
The sky was getting dark, the sun hanging on the treetops like an orange.
Hogsmeade Station was bustling. Not far away, the train was slowing down. Justin, Hermione, and Neville heard the growing noise as everyone hurried to gather their trunks and pets, preparing to disembark.
Dragging stiff legs, they stepped out of their compartment and merged with the river of students in the corridor. They felt the sharp sting of the cool night air on their cheeks as they pushed toward the exit. The path toward the lake carried the clean scent of pine trees.
Once they reached the platform, they glanced around, listening for the familiar call:
"Firs' years, this way… firs' years…"
The voice was familiar — but strangely off. When they focused on it, they realized it was a small wizard trying to gather the first-years.
"Sean?"
Hermione froze. Did Hogwarts actually give Hagrid's job to Sean?
He was only a… second-year!
While Hermione stood stunned, Justin and Neville had already started helping herd the confused first-years.
Once they finally got them gathered together, Hermione managed to speak:
"Hagrid, Sean? Why are you here?"
She frowned.
"Lost a Thestral. Hagrid's gone after it — he'll be back soon."
Sean answered calmly. Anytime Hagrid worked with him, the half-giant tended to get… unreliable. He'd even suggested Sean lead ten Thestrals by himself, completely forgetting that Sean was still just a kid.
"A Thestral — is that— never mind, now's not the time. Have you seen Harry and Ron? We couldn't find them on the train. Did they go back early?"
At this, Justin and Neville looked up, waiting for Sean's answer.
Sean had a good idea what was coming. He murmured, "They'll be fine," and Hermione immediately sighed in relief.
"Oh — then how are we supposed to get back to the castle?"
Hermione looked around at the row of about a hundred horseless carriages.
"Don't worry."
Before Sean could continue, a completely unfamiliar voice cut in — a lilting, sing-song voice.
"You're using Thestrals to pull the carriages?"
Before they could process that, the voice came closer.
It belonged to a very peculiar witch.
Her hair was long, tangled, and dirty, a pale golden curtain trailing all the way to her waist. Her eyebrows were so light they almost disappeared, and her eyes bulged outward, giving her a permanently startled look.
Everything about her gave off a slightly loopy vibe. Maybe it was the fact that she'd tucked her wand behind her left ear "for safekeeping," or the necklace she wore made entirely of butterbeer corks, or the fact that she was holding her magazine upside-down while reading it.
"Lovely to meet you. You can see Thestrals too? Actually… it looks like only you and I can."
Luna looked up from her upside-down magazine — The Quibbler. She didn't blink the way normal people did; she simply stared at Sean as if she could look straight through him.
"Mm-hmm."
Sean nodded.
"She's a bit odd," Hermione muttered, staring at Luna's eyes.
"Maybe?" Justin offered politely, clearly unbothered.
"Just like Thestrals — people used to think things like Blibbering Humdingers and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks didn't exist, you know?"
Luna's thoughts bounced around like a Golden Snitch. She must have heard Hermione, because she raised her voice.
"There really aren't any Blibbering Humdingers or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
Hermione was already irritated — even more so when she saw Sean standing there, seriously pondering Luna's words like a complete idiot.