"Salazar Slytherin—there are rumors that he came from the swamps of eastern Ireland, although this has never been fully verified. Now, if you think carefully, you can deduce Madam Ravenclaw's origin."
Sean paused, waiting a moment.
"England, Wales, Ireland…"
Compared to Justin, who was still deep in thought, Hermione's eyes grew brighter as she spoke,
"It's Scotland!
The four founders of Hogwarts each came from a different part of the British Isles:
Scotland, Wales, England, and Ireland!"
"That's right."
Sean nodded in approval, "Remember the Sorting Hat's song—'Fair Ravenclaw, from glen.'"
He recited the line, "Here, 'glen' is defined as 'the Scottish term for a highland valley.'"
"Sean, you must be a walking encyclopedia of stories!"
Justin whispered, and Hermione lifted her chin in agreement.
Sean gave a small hum, then picked up his wand and walked to the back of the classroom,
where some scattered, yellowing books lay on the floor.
"S—cour—g—ify——"
Sean waved his wand in a smooth S-shape, and the dusty books were suddenly spotless.
[You have practiced a cleaning charm with Beginner Level Skill. Proficiency +3]
[Beginner Cleaning Charm unlocked]
[New Spell Domain Title unlocked. Please check]
Sean didn't rush to check it yet. He picked up the books and returned them to the shelves, then glanced around the classroom—
Desks and chairs, once covered in spiderwebs, were now clean,
neatly arranged by Justin and Hermione;
The huge bookshelves, though still slightly crooked, held all the books in order, thoroughly cleaned from inside out by Sean;
And the odd-shaped instruments piled in the corner
were now stacked and categorized by the three of them.
Overall, the classroom finally looked like a place in active use, rather than an ancient relic from centuries ago.
Sean opened the panel:
[Title: Spell Beginner]
[Slight increase in spell perception, significant boost in spell talent]
Significant?
Sean eagerly scrolled down,
[Wizard:
Sean Spell Talent: Blue (enhanced by Spell Beginner title, originally White)
Note: Ordinary wizards are Green]
I… could I now barely count as a semi-spell prodigy?
Sean thought.
The effect of talent was obvious.
The difference between White and Blue was like that between an ordinary snake and a basilisk.
A long time ago, Sean had wanted to learn the four spells from Defense Against the Dark Arts, but progress was minimal; they weren't described in Standard Spells: Beginner, and Dark Forces: Self-Defense Guide remained vague,
apparently requiring a professor's guidance.
But relying on Professor Quirrell was one thing; hoping Professor Snape would open his dungeon wide for him was another.
So Sean tried to learn on his own.
Unexpectedly, in a short time, following some mysterious intuition, he unlocked the Red Spark and Green Spark spells.
Only ten repetitions, just ten.
It made some young wizards wonder if his former White talent had been a disadvantage in the magical world.
And these two spells—Red Spark and Green Spark—seemed simple, but had two practical uses:
First, as an emergency signal. Sean remembered using it during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Second, as a low-level offensive spell in combat:
When Harry was in his first year, Ron said:
Harry and Malfoy, having only a few lessons, could at most shoot sparks at each other with their wands.
These sparks referred to the Red Spark and Green Spark.
As Sean left the classroom, he occasionally heard Mrs. Lorise calling down the corridor, and—
"Sir Cadogan, honor your bet! Bring me a bottle of the finest liquor from the Drunken Monk painting—"
Sure enough, a woman's voice came from the wall. Sean looked up
and saw a chubby witch in a white gown, smiling at the painting beside her, which depicted a short, stout knight with a ridiculously long sword, knees smudged with grass stains.
He sighed:
"Merlin's beard—my dear Green, how can you ignore Quidditch? Hiding in the library all day, coming back so late! See? Now one more bottle of my share of fine wine is gone!"
Sean knew at once that Sir Cadogan and Lady Violette had made another bet.
Such bets were very common, and given their eternal idleness on the walls, the paintings naturally took amusement from the surrounding events—
for example, betting secretly on Hogwarts students.
Just as wizards might guess which raindrop hits a window first when bored, these paintings held quiet competitions over the students, most often to see who could reach a destination on the moving stairs first.
(Of course, neutral paintings would follow along to judge.)
Sean ignored Sir Cadogan; otherwise, the knight would chatter all the way to the common room.
Last time, simply giving him his name had been enough to frustrate Sean, as the knight could make five or six jokes from a single name:
"Sean Green decided to become a painter, but he failed. Do you know why? Because he's only ever seen one color, you see… Seen Green! Hahaha—"
Sean Green found it not funny at all, so he quietly moved the Drunken Monk painting to a more hidden spot.
Night passed quickly.
Hogwarts was about to start a new week, and Monday was the only day Sean felt strong emotional tension.
Perhaps it was the most nerve-wracking day for all Ravenclaw first-years.
Because this morning, they had their second Potions lesson.
Sean had reviewed the ritual three times last night and repeatedly checked his notes on the scabies potion.
In fact, for today's brewing, he had only finished his Potions essay yesterday, all to ensure his understanding of the potion was excellent.
In complete silence, the dungeon door "bang—" opened, Professor Snape's wide black robes swirling, accentuating his waxy, pale face with an even more menacing expression.
Though his movements were graceful, the young wizard still felt the oppressive aura.
"—The alliance of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, hm—"
His voice was dark and strong, "One week has passed. If I notice that certain students still stubbornly maintain—an astonishing deficit in intelligence and operational ability—"
Before he finished, the young wizards were already trembling, some pale.