Just as Sean was staring at the sweets that had suddenly appeared in his bag and Justin was despairing, the owl huffed and snapped:
"Little wizard—hmph! Lucky little wizard! Get in, quickly! Don't let Lady Ravenclaw catch you!"
With a flap of its wings, a crack split the wall, revealing a sky-blue door. Hermione's eyes flew wide.
"Thanks," Justin said at once, face brightening as he offered a sincere thank-you.
Sean, meanwhile, picked up the lollipop quill, thoughtful.
Inside the hidden room.
A trace of puzzlement still lingered on Hermione's focused face. Sean took out his notebook, and heard Justin murmur:
"Portraits get lonely too, right? Mr. Owl is always stuck inside the wall. I bet he can't wander around like the others—otherwise his glasses wouldn't always be falling off."
"Mm," Sean said.
"Oh, Sean—if I had no one to talk to, I think I'd go mad," Justin added, his light-grey eyes suddenly deepening.
"What are you planning to do?" Sean asked, as if he already knew.
"What if we moved him?" Justin whispered.
"Worth a try," Sean nodded—though he didn't really think it would work. One of the charms of Hogwarts is its myriad secrets. Even Dumbledore wouldn't claim to know them all. The owl portrait, Sean suspected, was one of those secrets—like the Fat Lady in her floor-length gown guarding Gryffindor Tower. Some duties can't simply be erased—or the professors wouldn't have let this classroom lie unattended.
Still… he kept a little hope. As he'd said, no harm in trying.
…
[The Cure for Boils is among the simplest potions and one of the most commonly used by North American wizards.
I have altered its rite to greatly increase the chance of success while markedly raising the potion's quality.
Before you attempt it, be sure you have mastered the revised rite—and that you're prepared to go three days without sleep.]
Greatly increased success? Higher quality?
Sean felt his breathing quicken.
[I understand the thrill any potioneer feels reading this,
but I must warn you again:
while brewing, make sure you do not misstep in the rite—otherwise pray to Merlin,
for you will not open your eyes to see me again.]
Wizardly gallows humor… Sean thought.
Then he set about studying and learning the revised rite, while Justin and Hermione went back to practicing the Levitation Charm.
Outside, owls winged from Hogwarts with bundles of letters. Weekends are their busiest time—carrying words steeped in longing, then returning with even stronger longing in reply. Twilight slowly draped itself over the castle.
Lanterns bloomed to life, lighting Justin's anxious face.
"Oh—Professor Flitwick says the feather has to make a full turn before you've truly 'reached' Lumos level for Levitation," he said, weary. The feather didn't turn—not even though he was following Sean's instructions to the letter. Hermione, too, looked frustrated. They were outstanding for brand-new first-years, but next to the boy who used Lumos like an ocular flare, the pressure was real.
Across the room, Sean finished familiarizing himself with the rite and flipped to the last page of his notes:
[When a wizard feels strong emotion toward a brewing potion—joy, worry, sorrow—
it profoundly affects the potion.
This is why apothecaries need focus and calm.
But magic always has two faces; the right emotions can unleash unimaginable power.
That is what the revised rite seeks to harness.]
Libatius Borage had left more than tweaks. Perhaps, as he said, this truly was a great frontier. Sean decided: during the rite he would be even more focused—and lace it with a strong emotion, like those he used for Transfiguration and Lumos, yet distinct.
"So—what emotion does Levitation need?" he murmured, circling back to the unanswered question from Charms. He looked at the feather. Why a feather, anyway? Just because it's light?
"It's because a feather already symbolizes letting go—shedding weight, breaking free—
Win—gar—dium—Le—viosa!"
[You practiced the Levitation Charm once at Expert standard. Proficiency +50]
Light flashed at his wand tip. The feather lifted, drifting in lazy circles—and then, like a bird beating its wings, began to dance in the air with rhythm.
Justin could only stare. "He just muttered a few words I didn't even catch—and he's there already?"
"Sometimes Sean is exactly what I imagined a wizard to be—murmurs a line, and my fledgling 'magical common sense' breaks," he said, dazed.
Hermione watched the dancing feather without blinking, frowned at her own wand, and sighed. Then she looked at Sean's intent profile; resolve returned to her face.
The feather settled. Sean raised his wand again.
"Win—gar—dium—Le—viosa!"
[You practiced the Levitation Charm once at Expert standard. Proficiency +50]
At the chime, a wave of fatigue washed over him. He let the feather drift into his palm—and saw Justin's face alight with excitement, and Hermione's cheeks pink with shy pride.
…
"As Professor Flitwick said with Lumos, a spell infused with a wizard's emotion is stronger. Lumos wants a longing for light. Levitation wants release—release from gravity. I think that's why we always train with feathers," Sean said.
Justin's expression went a bit blank. Is that… how to think about it? Why couldn't I see it at all? He and Hermione hurried to jot down every word.
Sean, meanwhile, drew out his History notes. Tomorrow he'd have the whole day to complete his timeline and build a "Sean-special" thread through magical history. Astronomy, too—though deep as magic can be, standards for first-years aren't high. All he needed to do was chart the planetary paths like he charted history.
Which meant another fragment toward the scholarship would fall into place tomorrow—bringing him to four:
Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and History of Magic.