Just as Sean looked at the suddenly appearing candy in his bag, with Justin in despair, the owl suddenly snorted angrily:
"Young wizard, hmph! Lucky young wizard! Hurry inside! Don't let Miss Ravenclaw see you!"
With the flap of its wings, a crack appeared in the wall, revealing a sky-blue door.
Hermione's eyes widened immediately.
"Thank you."
Justin instantly wiped the look of despair off his face and thanked sincerely.
Sean picked up the feather-quill lollipop, deep in thought.
Inside the hidden room.
A faint trace of confusion remained on Hermione's focused face.
Sean pulled out his notebook, and then heard Justin speak softly:
"Actually, portraits get lonely too, right? Mr. Owl has been hiding inside the wall. I guess it can't roam freely like other portraits, otherwise its glasses wouldn't always be falling off."
"Mm."
Sean replied.
"Oh, Sean, if I had no one to talk to, I think I'd go crazy."
Justin seemed to realize something, his pale gray eyes growing more contemplative.
"What do you plan to do?"
Sean seemed to have anticipated it.
"How about we move it?"
Justin said quietly.
"Worth a try."
Sean nodded, though he didn't really expect it to succeed.
One of the most enchanting things about Hogwarts Castle was the countless secrets it held.
Even Headmaster Dumbledore couldn't be certain he knew all of them.
And the owl portrait was part of that secret.
Sean had reason to suspect that, like the Gryffindor Fat Lady in her long gown, it bore a responsibility similar to guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
And such a responsibility obviously couldn't be removed at will.
Otherwise, the professors wouldn't have neglected this classroom.
But…
He still held onto a sliver of hope.
As he said, there was no harm in trying.
…
[The scabious potion is one of the simplest potions, and is commonly used by North American witches and wizards. I have modified its ritual, greatly increasing the chance of success while significantly improving the potion's quality. Before use, ensure you have mastered the improved ritual and prepared your mental stamina for three days without sleep.]
Greatly increased success rate?
Quality improvement?
Sean felt his breathing quicken.
[I understand the excitement any potion researcher feels upon reading this, but I must remind you once again: During potion brewing, ensure no step of the ritual is done incorrectly, otherwise all you can do is pray to Merlin. You will not see me open my eyes.]
Typical wizarding dark humor…
Sean thought silently.
Then,
he began studying and mastering the improved ritual.
Beside him, Justin and Hermione resumed their practice of the levitation spell.
Outside, owls carried letters flying out of Hogwarts Castle.
Every weekend was their busiest time, delivering words of longing, and returning with an even heavier sense of missing loved ones.
Gradually, Hogwarts Castle became shrouded in the twilight.
The magical lanterns slowly lit up, revealing Justin's anxious face.
"Oh, Professor Flitwick said that the feather must make a full spin—that's how you know a wizard has mastered the levitation spell," his face showing fatigue, yet the feather wouldn't move—even though he had followed Sean's instructions perfectly.
Even Hermione looked troubled. Although they were already outstanding for first-year witches and wizards, the small wizard who treated the Lumos charm like a spell for eye ailments still intimidated them.
On the other side of the classroom, Sean had already familiarized himself with the ritual. He flipped to the last page of his notes:
[When a wizard feels strong emotions toward the potion they are brewing—whether joy, worry, or sadness—it greatly affects the potion. This is why a potion master needs focus and calm. But magic always has two sides; certain emotions can produce unimaginable power. This is the goal of the improved ritual.]
Master Libatius Borage left more than just improvements; perhaps, as he said, this was a truly groundbreaking advancement.
Sean thought that, while performing the ritual, he would become more focused and would channel a strong emotion, similar to the emotions used in Transfiguration and the Lumos charm, yet different.
"So… what emotion does the levitation spell require?"
He murmured to himself, naturally recalling the unresolved question from the previous charms class.
He looked at the feather, suddenly wondering why the practice object had to be a feather.
Was it just because it was light?
"Because a feather symbolizes—freedom—freedom from gravity, breaking free from restraint—
Win—gar—dium—Le—viosa!"
[You have practiced the levitation spell with Expert Level Skill. Proficiency +50]
The tip of Sean's wand flashed, and the feather wobbled and floated into the air, spinning a few times,
then flapped rhythmically like a bird, dancing gracefully in the air.
Justin was dumbstruck.
"He just muttered a few words, saying something I couldn't even hear clearly, and he reached this level?" Justin said in awe, "Sometimes I feel Sean is exactly like the wizard I imagined—just a few words spoken casually, and he defies the magic knowledge I haven't even mastered yet."
Hermione stared intently at the dancing feather, then frowned at her own wand, and sighed in resignation.
Watching Sean's focused profile, her expression gradually hardened.
The feather slowly descended, and Sean waved his wand again.
"Win—gar—dium—Le—viosa!"
You have practiced the levitation spell with Expert Level Skill. Proficiency +50
At the moment the proficiency panel chimed, Sean felt a wave of fatigue. He let the feather gently land in his palm,
and then saw Justin's excited face and Hermione's slightly embarrassed, blushing expression.
…
"As Professor Flitwick explained during Lumos class, spells imbued with a wizard's emotions are stronger. Lumos requires a desire, a longing, for light, and Levitation requires the emotion of release—release from gravity… I think this is why wizards always practice with feathers."
After Sean finished speaking, Justin looked slightly dazed.
Is that how it works? Why didn't I think of that?
He and Hermione quickly grabbed their pens, noting down every word Sean said.
Sean slowly took out his magic history notes from his bag.
Tomorrow, he would have a full day to complete the magical history timeline and organize a "Sean's personal" magic history framework.
Astronomy class was the same. Although it was a profound branch of magic, the standard for first-year witches and wizards was low.
Sean only needed to record the celestial trajectories, just like organizing magic history.
This meant his scholarship fragments would reach four tomorrow, covering: Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and Magical History.