Starting Classes

Sean looked around and, once he was certain everyone else was asleep, took out the Magical Creature Egg he had just obtained.

The egg was not particularly large, only about the size of a head. It felt smooth, and its surface was covered in bluish-green patterns. Sean placed it beneath his blanket and discovered that it actually gave off a faint glow in the darkness.

What creature had laid this egg? Sean racked his brains for quite a while but came up with no answer. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them did not seem to mention how to identify magical creature eggs.

Still, since it was gold quality, it had to be some powerful creature, right? A dragon, an Occamy, a Runespoor—any of those would do.

However, Sean still did not know how to hatch the egg, or how to house the magical creature once it hatched.

He would take things one step at a time. He could find a chance to ask Hagrid... Exhausted, Sean pulled up the velvet blanket and quickly drifted off to sleep.

When he woke the next day, Sean immediately checked the egg in his inventory. It still had not changed at all. It looked like he really would have to figure out how to hatch it himself.

But Sean did not have time for that yet. He had class that morning, with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff sharing two consecutive Potions lessons.

On his way to the Great Hall, he checked the system's weekly mission. It was Monday, so it should have refreshed.

Mission: Earn 20 points for Ravenclaw, 0/20 (Incomplete)

Point Reward: 20

It seemed that after enrolling at Hogwarts, the weekly missions had changed, and the point rewards had increased considerably.

Two draws a week was not bad.

Following the crowd into the Great Hall, he found the long tables already laden with all kinds of breakfast foods. Hermione was already seated at the table, with One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi open in front of her. She flipped through it from time to time, muttering something under her breath.

"Good morning." Sean sat down beside her and greeted her.

"...Napal aconite and wolfsbane are the same plant, collectively known as aconite." She recited a passage from the book without even looking up, then returned his greeting. "Morning, Sean."

Sean helped himself to some bacon and sausages, placing them on his plate. Curious, he asked, "Didn't you already memorize all of it?"

Hermione hurriedly bit into the sandwich that had been sitting on her plate for ages and said miserably, "I had a dream last night. The professor called on me in class, but I couldn't answer anything! Oh no, it was terrifying!"

"You're too nervous," Sean said with a smile, trying to reassure her.

"That's what a student should do!" Hermione shot him a glare, then continued worriedly, "If I can't get Outstanding, I'll never forgive myself."

"But today is the first day of school."

"That's all the more reason not to slack off! Sean, do me a favor. Pick a few questions at random and quiz me."

"Fine, fine. Let me see..."

After "enjoying" breakfast, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first-years headed toward the Potions classroom in pairs.

Hogwarts had no fewer than one hundred and forty-two staircases. Some were broad and grand; some were narrow, small, and wobbly; some led somewhere different every Friday; and on some, a step would suddenly vanish halfway up, so you had to remember where to jump. There were also countless doors. Unless you asked them politely to open or poked exactly the right spot, they would not let you through. Some were not doors at all, merely solid walls that looked like doors. Remembering where everything was was difficult, because everything seemed to be constantly moving.

And that was not all. Just when you were wondering whether the door ahead might lead somewhere it should not, ghosts would often burst out of the walls without warning. They passed through your body as though nothing had happened, dealing blows both psychological and physical.

Ravenclaw's ghost, Lady Helena, had a stern and unsmiling personality. She always looked cold and aloof, and if Bloody Baron happened to be nearby as well, you had to endure the utterly frigid atmosphere between the two ghosts.

Asking for directions? Better not.

"Lady Helena and Bloody Baron must have some history," even Hermione, who did not care for gossip, muttered quietly after they passed the two ghosts.

"But our top priority is finding the Potions classroom. Class starts in ten minutes," Sean reminded her.

"Hurry! If I'm late for the first class, I'll kill myself!"

Fortunately, the two of them eventually found the right place.

Potions was held in an underground classroom, colder and gloomier than the castle above. Glass jars lined the walls, containing all kinds of strange creature specimens that made people shudder.

More eye-catching, however, were the several cauldrons set before the podium. A faint mist hung over the classroom, and as Sean passed by them, he caught all sorts of wonderful scents.

He and Hermione chose a table closest to the podium. Even though they had arrived rather late, it was still empty.

Orange vapor rose from the cauldron in front of them, and every bubble that burst inside released the pleasant scent of orange soda.

"I don't think I've seen this in the book..." Before Hermione could finish, the underground classroom door opened. Slughorn himself had not appeared yet, but his enormous belly had already preceded him into the room.

"Good morning. Having class first thing on the first day of school meant you couldn't sleep in, so don't blame me." His walrus mustache trembled above his smiling mouth as he made a rather unfunny joke.

Though only a few students offered polite laughter, he did not mind in the slightest and picked up the roster to call attendance.

When he called certain names, such as Sean's roommate Terry Boot, Slughorn's tone was noticeably more enthusiastic.

"Now then, before your first Potions lesson begins, I think it is necessary to show you the beauty and power of potions." With his belly thrust forward, he pointed at the cauldrons still bubbling away.

"Can anyone tell me what potion this is?" He pointed at one cauldron containing a transparent liquid, where fine bubbles constantly rose and burst.

Before Sean could react, Hermione beside him immediately raised her hand high.

"Excellent, young lady."

"Babbling Beverage, a potion that makes people speak nonsense uncontrollably," Hermione answered at once.

"Correct. Then does anyone know what is in this cauldron?" Slughorn pointed to another one.

Hermione raised her hand before anyone else again. Sean tried to raise his as well, but Slughorn chose Hermione again with interest.

"Calming Draught, a potion that keeps those who have been frightened or emotionally wounded calm."

"Correct!" Slughorn looked at Hermione in surprise. "Sorry, I seem to have forgotten your name?"

He had called attendance only five minutes ago. Sean shrugged.

"Hermione Granger, Professor."