"Sean… oh, this might be a bit forward, but… are you planning to practice potion brewing on your own?"
Justin placed a parchment and a light blue notebook into Sean's hands, his tone gentle, carrying a subtle note of concern.
"Yes."
Sean nodded. If he couldn't increase his skill through practice, with his potion talent, just passing would be difficult.
As for achieving excellence, the possibility was so low that Sean wouldn't even gamble on it.
"Are you looking for ingredients? I mean, the four components for the scab potion?"
Seeing Sean nod again, Justin seemed to let out a small sigh of relief, his face radiating a warm, perfectly balanced smile.
"Maybe I can help a little… come on, I'll take you somewhere."
With that, he led the curious Sean across the Great Hall.
They walked beneath Hogwarts' main hall, descending the stairs toward the Hufflepuff basement.
The stone-walled underground corridor was brightly lit.
Sean glanced around with curiosity, sensing something unusual.
"Oh, we'll be passing the Hogwarts kitchens. I need to secretly tell you this little secret…"
Justin smiled as he approached the wall.
He stopped in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit and gently tapped one of the pears in the painting.
Sean watched in surprise as the pear giggled and transformed into a green doorknob,
revealing the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchens.
Triggered the culinary side quest, Sean thought.
"As long as you ask politely, the house-elves will generously give you food. Just one thing: don't bring Peeves with you…"
Justin reminded him solemnly.
"However, that's not our destination today. Look, we're almost there—the Hufflepuff common room."
They arrived at a corner to the right of the kitchen corridor, where a stack of large barrels stood.
Justin tapped the bottoms of the middle two barrels in the second row with a distinct rhythm.
The lids rotated open automatically, revealing an upward-sloping passage lined with magical lanterns.
It led to a cozy, warm, circular room, reminiscent of a badger's den.
The entire room was decorated in lively, bee-like black-and-yellow colors, with polished honey-colored wooden tables and round wooden doors.
Various cacti were placed on circular wooden racks; many of the pots waved and swayed toward the students.
Copper-bottomed hanging pots held curled ferns and vines, and as Sean passed beneath them, they lightly brushed his hair.
At the end, a wooden fireplace was carved with dancing badgers, above which hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, one of Hogwarts' four founders, holding a golden cup with handles on both sides, toasting her students.
Around Lady Hufflepuff, small, round windows were level with the castle's ground outside, showing grasses and dandelions swaying in the wind, and occasionally, passing footsteps.
Though these windows were quite low, the room remained bathed in sunlight year-round.
"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room!"
Sean heard Justin's greeting, and then saw him smoothly retrieve a rather expensive-looking suitcase from beside a thick, cushioned sofa.
As soon as it opened, Sean was dazzled.
At the forefront was a pile of glittering Galleons, followed by scattered letters and postcards.
Beside them were jars and crystal bottles of all kinds.
Sean immediately recognized ingredients like venomous snake fangs and dry nettles.
His suspicions were confirmed, yet he was still a bit surprised—
Young wizards really bought these ridiculously expensive potion ingredients themselves?
"These ingredients, I have no use for, but I thought maybe you could use them."
Justin's warm smile overflowed.
"I… I can buy some of these?"
Justin had indeed given him an unexpected gift, but Sean would need the funds to afford it.
'A bundle of nettles cost one Galleon, enough for more than thirty practice sessions;
A jar of tentacled slugs was also one Galleon, good for over forty practice sessions;
A bottle of venomous snake fangs and a bundle of porcupine quills had similar usage, but each cost two Galleons.
A total of six Galleons, a necessary expense…'
Sean thought.
If he could brew a passable potion to sell, maybe he could earn the money back?
"Sean, what are you thinking about?"
Justin looked surprised.
"If you want to brew potions, consider this my support.
It's hard to believe I can actually offer you any help. I've always meant to say this—asking for your help all the time often makes me a bit embarrassed…"
Sean was a little stunned, then saw Justin placing the crystal bottles and jars into his bag.
"But—"
Before Sean could speak, Justin whispered,
"I believe you'll succeed. If you fail, I still have a backup here."
…
As they left the Hufflepuff common room,
Justin's steps were noticeably lighter. Sean almost heard his mother's words echo in his mind:
"My dear Fletchley, remember? Everyone has different strengths, and the children of the Fletchley family are always good at combining everyone's advantages."
Sean ultimately did not refuse the help. Gentle Justin could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes.
"If you can only help me with Herbology or completing History of Magic homework, but I can't offer you even a tiny bit of support, then what kind of friends are we?"
Alright, Sean told himself,
It's really nice to have a Hufflepuff friend.
At noon, in the Great Hall,
Sean continued his whirlwind pace.
The most troublesome problem was solved. Next, he just needed to secretly brew potions and master the control of heat and stirring.
Justin, sitting beside him, had several notebooks in hand—Sean's notes from Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and other classes.
His progress was far ahead of the lessons, so these notes were basically cheat-level tools for Justin.
Hermione, sitting nearby, keenly noticed the unusually lively atmosphere today.
Strangely, Justin was eating faster and more than usual.
Hermione suspected it was a trend started by Sean.
As they parted in the Great Hall, Sean heard Justin whisper:
"Sean, no matter what, I just want you to know, if you ever run into trouble, you can come to me. Remember? We're friends."
Justin's sincere light gray eyes reflected the firelight from the fireplace. Sean nodded.
Hogwarts' fireplace was even warmer than he imagined, and so was Hufflepuff.
I want to be Hufflepuff too!
Damn Sorting Hat!
In the afternoon Herbology class,
inside the greenhouse, Sean skillfully handled the dry nettles.
They were ordinary plants, but after soaking in a special blue potion,
they could become magical ingredients for swelling potions and scab-curing potions.
Oh, Professor Sprout also added:
Nettle essence can be used to make sleeping potions or sedatives, but the method wizards use to handle them changes.
Compared to the young witches and wizards' clumsy attempts—
wrong potion doses, incorrectly cut nettles, improper soaking times…
Sean's handling looked far more professional. Some frustrated Ravenclaws and Slytherins, under Professor Sprout's guidance, even gathered around him to learn.
Meanwhile, the panel kept giving continuous notifications.