Sean, who was taking notes nearby, thought: Not really.
"Flick and swish your wand.
Pronouncing the incantation correctly is also very important—never say's' instead of 'f'.
It should be 'Wingardium Leviosa', and the 'ga' should be said long and clear."
Sean looked at his notes, satisfied, and put his quill back.
If he put it back fast enough, the ink wouldn't dry, allowing him to write a bit longer.
"I've practiced fifteen times, Hermione. Am I not the dumbest Young Wizard?"
Justin's voice carried a hint of worry. Facing an unfamiliar field, even he, who had been optimistic, felt a bit disheartened.
Sean, who was putting away his notes, thought: Not really.
"I don't know either. With only myself as a reference, I can't judge..."
Hermione frowned and shook her head. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Sean, you... surely know the Levitation Charm too, right?"
Suddenly called upon, Sean nodded, and at the same time, flicked and swished his wand.
"Wingar—dium—Leviosa!"
[You have practiced the Levitation Charm to an introductory standard. Proficiency +3]
As Sean's incantation rang out, the feather once again floated up, swaying gently.
"Cool!"
Justin exclaimed in admiration. Compared to his Levitation Charm, which only flew for one second, Sean's was clearly more skilled.
"You must have learned it very quickly, right? I mean, for a Young Wizard from a Wizarding family like you."
Justin's later words made Sean tilt his head slightly in confusion.
Looking at his wide, questioning eyes, Justin also widened his eyes in surprise:
"You're not from a Wizarding family? Are you a Muggle-born Wizard?
That means you only started learning magic this summer... In two months, you learned difficult magic like Transfiguration?"
Sean nodded calmly.
"How does that saying go? Mer... Mer...?"
Justin seemed to want to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.
"Merlin's beard."
Hermione whispered a reminder.
"Merlin's beard..."
Justin repeated in a low voice, and his gaze towards Sean suddenly became friendly.
"Hermione and I, we are both... Muggle-born Wizards, meaning our parents aren't Wizards.
Oh, that also means all three people in this compartment are Muggle-born Wizards.
How wonderful... I heard there are more pure-blood Wizards in the magical world."
As he was sighing, the noise outside grew louder, and a faint "clunking" sound could be heard.
Strangely, this sound, unlike other noises, did not quickly disappear; instead, it grew louder and louder.
Soon, the compartment door opened, and a plump Witch wearing an apron entered. The trolley in front of her attracted the attention of the three.
"Dears, would you like to buy some food?"
The plump Witch had dimples and a friendly smile, and even her voice was amiable.
Sean glanced at the dazzling array of shelves, then forced his gaze away.
A long time had passed, and Sean was also very hungry.
He knew the Hogwarts Express would travel for a considerable amount of time, from early morning until night.
But he had no way to carry food; Caregiver Anna wouldn't allow him to take even a slice of toast.
It would be fine once he reached Hogwarts,
Sean thought.
"One... two of everything."
Justin had barely finished the first word when the sales Witch's smile became even brighter.
"Alright, dears, here are Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice wands... That will be one Galleon and five Sickles."
Her mood seemed to have improved, and she even introduced the food to Justin.
Hermione was startled by the price. She was about to dissuade him when her eyes were dazzled by the Galleons Justin took out.
Justin quickly paid, then explained with a slight blush:
"This money was originally for me to go to Eton College, but the very next day, I received my admission letter to Hogwarts.
Although my mother thought Hogwarts wasn't as good as Eton College, which I originally intended to attend,
But just think, learning magic, that's much more tempting than being a lawyer or a business elite..."
After he finished speaking, he put a pile of Galleons into his trunk.
It was then that Sean remembered who he was:
Justin Finch-Fletchley,
a sincere and kind Hufflepuff.
He had participated in the Duelling Club and joined Dumbledore's Army.
It's worth mentioning that when he realized he had misunderstood Harry as the Heir of the Chamber of Secrets, he even took the initiative to shake Harry's hand and apologize.
He was more courageous and earnest than other Young Wizards who pretended nothing had happened.
What made him even more memorable was that he refused Eton College and enrolled in Hogwarts.
In Britain, not just anyone with good grades could enter Eton College; those admitted were invariably children of nobility.
"My aunt's, son's, classmate's, uncle's nephew got into Eton College! Ha, aren't you bumpkins envious! Wildlings like you shouldn't even dream of it."
These were words Caregiver Anna often used to mock them, which also reflected Eton College's status.
In other words,
Justin was Hogwarts' hidden rich kid.
Identified as pure-blood.
Sean thought so.
The plump Witch had already pushed her trolley away, muttering, "Met two generous Young Wizards," and disappeared outside the compartment.
Inside the compartment,
Justin placed all the snacks on the table.
"Help yourselves to some?"
The snacks piled up into a small mountain, and Justin's voice came from behind the pile.
"I definitely can't finish it all, please."
"You're being too obvious."
Hermione unceremoniously took a sherbet lemon, then whispered to Justin.
"Shhh—"
Justin made a shushing gesture, then the two of them secretly peeked at a certain Young Wizard.
His clothes were somewhat worn and pilled, and even slightly frayed at the arms.
If one ignored his slightly pale, handsome face, he looked like one of those unwanted children from an orphanage.
"Try this Chocolate Frog? I heard Young Wizards in the magical world really like it."
Facing Justin's devilish whisper and the Chocolate Frog he held up,
Sean quickly took it.
"Thank you."
His voice was very soft.
No difficulty can defeat me, but temptation can't be resisted.
Sean succumbed to the sugar-coated capital.
"My Chocolate Frog!"
Just as Justin successfully shared and was happily unwrapping his candy, his Chocolate Frog suddenly jumped, about to bounce out the window.
"Wingar—dium—Leviosa!"
A calm voice rang out. Sean, having anticipated this, waved his wand, and the Chocolate Frog fell into Justin's hand.
"Chocolate Frogs jump once."
Sean slowly explained, then took small bites of his Chocolate Frog while reading "one thousand magical herbs and fungi."
The sky was also slowly darkening.