"Sean—this might be a bit forward, but… are you planning to practice brewing on your own?"
Justin set the parchment and the light-blue notebook in Sean's hands; his tone was gentle, carrying a hint of concern.
"Mm." Sean nodded. If he couldn't raise proficiency through practice, with his Potions talent he'd be lucky to pass. As for an Outstanding—so unlikely he wouldn't bet on it.
"You're looking for ingredients? I mean the four for the Cure for Boils?"
When Sean nodded again, Justin seemed to relax. A warm, just-right smile spread across his face.
"Maybe I can help… Come on, I need to take you somewhere."
He led a puzzled Sean out of the Hall. They passed beneath the main staircase and headed down toward the Hufflepuff basement. Torches lit the stone corridors bright as day.
Sean looked around, a suspicion dawning.
"Oh, we'll pass the Hogwarts kitchens. I should let you in on a secret…" Justin stopped before a painting of a fruit bowl and scratched the pear. To Sean's surprise, the pear giggled and turned into a green doorknob—the entrance to the kitchens.
Side quest: food unlocked, Sean thought.
"As long as you ask politely, the house-elves will give you food without stint. Just one thing—don't bring Peeves in here…" Justin warned solemnly. "But that's not our destination today. Look—Hufflepuff common room."
At a stack of barrels in the right-hand corner of the kitchen corridor, Justin tapped the bottoms of the middle two on the second row in a distinctive rhythm. The lid swung aside, revealing an upward sloping passage hung with lanterns. It opened into a cozy, warm, badger-den of a room: cheerful black-and-yellow like a beehive, honey-polished wood tables and round doors, circular racks of cacti waving their little arms at students, and copper-bottomed hanging pots trailing curled ferns and vines that lightly combed Sean's hair as he passed beneath.
At the far end, a carved wooden fireplace showed dancing badgers, and above it hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff—one of the four founders—raising a two-handled golden cup in a toast to her students. Small round windows at ground level looked out on grass and dandelions swaying in the breeze; sometimes a pair of feet strode past. Low as the windows were, the room was sunny year-round.
"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room!" Justin said, then smoothly pulled a very nice-looking trunk from beside a thickly cushioned sofa.
He opened it—and the shine nearly blinded Sean. A heap of Galleons at the top, scattered letters and postcards—and beside them rows of jars and crystal vials. Sean recognized venomous fangs, dried nettles, and more at a glance. His guess was right, but he was still surprised—did first-years really buy these frighteningly expensive ingredients on their own?
"These aren't much use to me, but I figured you could use them," Justin said, smiling warmly.
"I… could I buy some of them?" Justin had given him a real surprise, but he still had to afford it. A bundle of nettles was one Galleon—good for thirty-plus practices; a jar of horned slugs, also one Galleon—forty-plus practices; a vial of venomous fangs and a bundle of porcupine quills ran two Galleons each, with similar counts. Six Galleons total—necessary spend, Sean thought. If he could brew sale-worthy potions, maybe he could earn it back?
"Sean, what are you talking about?" Justin looked genuinely surprised. "If you want to brew, then this is my support. Hard to believe I can finally support you a bit—I've wanted to say, always asking for your help makes me feel a little awkward…"
Sean blinked—then Justin was already tucking vials and jars into his bag.
"But—"
Before he could finish, Justin said softly, "I believe you'll succeed. And if you don't, I've got a spare set."
…
Leaving the Hufflepuff common room, Justin's step was lighter, his mother's words echoing:
"My dear Finch-Fletchley, remember—everyone has different strengths, and Finch-Fletchleys excel at gathering the best of others' strengths together."
In the end, Sean didn't refuse the help—gentle Justin could be more mule-stubborn than a mule. "If I'm only allowed to help you with Herbology and History, but can't offer even a little support, what kind of friends would we be?"
All right, Sean told himself—having a Hufflepuff friend is wonderful.
Noon, in the Great Hall. Sean ate like a whirlwind. With his biggest problem solved, all that remained was to sneak off to brew, and master heat and stirring.
Beside him, Justin had picked up several of Sean's notebooks—DADA, Transfiguration, and more. Sean was far ahead of the class; for Justin, those notes were essentially cheat codes.
Hermione, nearby, sensed something was different today. Odd—Justin was eating faster and more. She suspected Sean was a bad influence.
As they split up, Sean heard Justin murmur, "Hey, Sean—whatever happens, I just want you to know: if you run into trouble, come find me, okay? We're friends."
Sincere light grey eyes reflected the hearth's fire. Sean nodded. Hogwarts' fireplaces were even warmer than he'd imagined. So was Hufflepuff.
I want to be a Hufflepuff too! Curse that Sorting Hat!
Afternoon Herbology—inside the greenhouse. Sean deftly processed dried nettles. Ordinary plants, yes, but after a soak in special blue solution they become ingredients for Swelling Solution and the Cure for Boils. Oh, and Professor Sprout added: nettle essence can be used for sleeping drafts or sedatives—but wizards handle it differently in that case.
Compared with the other first-years' fluster—wrong doses, bad nettle cuts, timing off on the soak—Sean's work was much more professional. A few frazzled Ravenclaws and Slytherins, at Sprout's suggestion, even clustered around him to watch and learn.
Meanwhile, the panel chimes kept popping.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 50 Chapters Ahead of Others!