Hufflepuff

The study of magic always relied more on talent than effort.

Wizards often explained the Levitation Charm as saying the incantation, then giving the wrist a swish and a flick.

As for any further explanation, it was as vague as the bubbling sounds of a Cauldron.

Even Professor Flitwick, when teaching Young Wizards, always emphasized clear pronunciation, followed by the same old swish and flick.

After memorizing Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1, Sean still had not found a more detailed explanation.

He had reason to suspect that spells were simply like this—knowledge governed by ancient rules, much like experience.

And since it was experiential knowledge, it was somewhat removed from precision:

For instance, how far should the wand be swished? How large should the flick be?

These things were difficult to explain and could only be resolved by Young Wizards through "talent."

Of course, Sean also had reason to suspect that sufficiently talented Wizards did not have such problems at all.

They most likely succeeded right away.

That was where the problem arose:

Talented Wizards did not have this concern, while untalented Wizards could not solve it—

They spent enormous amounts of time simply relying on luck while practicing spells.

In the end, these problems were left unresolved, just like the ones Sean faced while brewing potions.

Sean did not think magic had much to do with science, but the increase in proficiency told him this:

At the very least, there was a way to cast magic more easily.

"Yes, when you swish, your arm should move a little wider.

"And the pronunciation of the incantation—the stress falls on the g.

"There's a small detail here. The di afterward is still stressed..."

Inside the classroom, a Magic Lantern illuminated a modest area.

Sean earnestly guided Justin through his practice, drawing on all his understanding of the Levitation Charm.

And so, when Justin completed the Levitation Charm strictly according to his standards,

The feather that had never floated for more than five seconds actually bobbed unsteadily in the air for ten seconds.

"Oh my God! Sean, we did it!"

Justin cried out excitedly, then stared without blinking as the feather slowly drifted down.

"Sean, it was all because of you. Thank you for helping me."

Justin thanked him with genuine enthusiasm.

Sean nodded to show that he understood.

"I think an even wider swish would work better... but... after stressing the flick, is the Le after the di still stressed?"

Hermione, who had been holding a book up to cover her face, had actually been watching for quite some time. She suddenly spoke, her tone still unavoidably arrogant,

But the other two automatically ignored it.

"Mm, I think it should be stressed more heavily. As for the swishing range... we can try it, but..."

Sean glanced at the feather. He was about to say that his magic had not yet recovered,

But before he could finish, Justin had already cast the spell.

Were all Hufflepuffs this attentive?

Sean froze for a few seconds.

The three people in the hidden room all watched the feather as it wobbled in the air for fifteen seconds.

The moment it fell, Justin let out a cry:

"Wow! Hermione, your guess was completely right!"

Hermione raised her slightly flushed little face, clearly pleased by the praise.

For the rest of the time, the three of them eagerly conducted all sorts of experiments,

Until Sean's magic recovered, he practiced the Levitation Charm to the Proficient level, and then depleted his magic once more.

Time slipped through their fingers like fine sand.

The Magic Lantern swayed as it followed the three of them out of the hidden room.

Sean was very satisfied. He had gained 45 proficiency points;

Hermione was also very satisfied. Her wild ideas had found a partner on the same wavelength, one even "smarter" than herself—Sean,

As well as an experimenter—Justin—who was pale with exhaustion yet still wanted to cast spells;

Justin was satisfied too. It felt as though he had discovered a new continent.

Evening Hogwarts Castle had already sunk into Dream.

At the end of the third-floor corridor,

A section of wall changed slightly, revealing a yellowed, cracked Oil Painting.

The painting depicted a snow-white Owl in a velvet vest and tiny pince-nez glasses.

At that moment, it was using one fluffy paw to laboriously straighten its precariously sliding glasses with an absurdly human expression—even a hint of irritation.

"Young Wizards! Dreadful Young Wizards!"

After Justin and Hermione left the room, it was the first to shriek noisily,

But when Sean passed by, it abruptly stopped shouting

And muttered softly:

"Young Wizard, clever Young Wizard..."

As they waited for the staircase to settle into place, Hermione's voice came amid the rumbling of the rotating stairs:

"I think we'll probably be using this room for a long time... so we need to tell a professor.

"Professor Flitwick will definitely agree to let us practice spells here."

Justin praised her:

"How thoughtful. Just what I'd expect from you, Hermione!"

Hermione's face flushed slightly. She looked at Sean, and after he nodded,

She hurriedly said goodbye to them and vanished around the end of the corridor, leaving only Sean and Justin to walk through the hallway lit by warm firelight.

"Um, Sean, I wanted to say... you didn't even eat Yorkshire Pudding today...

"Did your potion brewing not go very well?"

Justin's sudden quiet question caught Sean off guard.

Could those two things really be connected so quickly?

Then he nodded faintly.

"Was it Professor Snape? I heard he never allows first-year Young Wizards to brew potions on their own,

"But he's quite lenient with some upper-year Slytherins...

"I don't think you failed at brewing, so... do you need help?

"Professor Snape is scary, but I still have the courage to go take a look at his office."

Justin's words made Sean fall increasingly silent. He raised his head.

A steadfast yet gentle light shone in the Little Badger's eyes.

"Remember? We're friends. If you're in trouble and I don't lend a hand, then what kind of friends are we?"

At night, the pale blue bed curtains swayed gently. The sound of wind blowing past the window always made Sean feel especially at ease.

The fireplace crackled as it burned.

Sean recalled what Justin had said before leaving:

"Even if I'm scared, I can still grit my teeth and do it... The Prefect said Hogwarts has no school rule forbidding Young Wizards from brewing potions."

Ravenclaw only had one Herbology class on Friday. Sean had all of Friday to wait for Professor Snape to leave the Dungeon.

He looked at the picturesque moonlight outside the window, his thoughts churning:

Hogwarts, this school of magic that had stood for a thousand years,

Hufflepuff, this warm and wonderful House,

The Wizards they had nurtured together were full of life.

They might not be outstanding, nor were they always easily remembered,

But just as Helga Hufflepuff had said:

Hard work, loyalty, kindness, and tolerance were equally great qualities.

A faint, complicated feeling lingered in Sean's heart. Advanced Potion-Making lay open on the windowsill,

And the rustling of its pages made Sean seem to see Justin's notes spread out in the Library once again:

The Prefect said Hufflepuffs are loyal and trustworthy. We may never argue with others, but that does not mean we are easy to bully.

Like the Badger on our House Emblem, we will protect ourselves from anyone who means us harm, and help our friends and family. Nothing can make us afraid.