Chocolate Frog

Sean, taking notes beside them: Actually, that wasn't right.

You had to flick and swish your wrist.

Pronouncing the incantation correctly was also very important—don't say "s" instead of "f."

It should be "Wingardium Leviosa," and that "ga" had to be drawn out clearly.

Sean looked over the notes he had written down and satisfactorily put his Quill away.

As long as he put it away quickly enough, the ink would not dry, letting him write for a little longer.

"I practiced fifteen whole times, Hermione. I'm not the stupidest Young Wizard, am I?"

There was a trace of worry in Justin's voice. Faced with an unfamiliar field, even he, who had been optimistic all along, seemed a little lost.

Sean, putting away his notes: Actually, that wasn't right.

"I don't know either. With only myself as a reference, I can't really judge..."

Hermione shook her head with a frown. Then suddenly, her eyes lit up.

"Sean, you... know the Levitation Charm too, right?"

Suddenly being called on, Sean nodded. At the same time, he flicked and swished his wrist.

"Wingar-dium-Leviosa!"

You practiced the Levitation Charm once at a beginner's standard. Proficiency +3

As Sean's incantation rang out, the feather floated up again, wobbling unsteadily.

"Cool!"

Justin exclaimed in admiration. Compared with his Levitation Charm, which had only lifted the feather for a second, Sean's was clearly more proficient.

"You must have learned it really quickly, right? I mean, for a Young Wizard born into a wizarding family like you."

Justin's words made Sean tilt his head slightly in confusion.

Seeing the questioning look in his wide eyes, Justin's own eyes widened in surprise.

"You're not from a wizarding family? You're a Muggle-born wizard?

"That means you only started learning magic this summer... In two months, you learned difficult magic like Transfiguration?"

Sean nodded calmly.

"How did that saying go? Mer... Mer?"

Justin seemed to want to say something, but the words caught in his throat.

"Merlin's beard," Hermione quietly prompted.

"Merlin's beard..."

Justin repeated softly. The way he looked at Sean suddenly became warmer.

"Hermione and I, we're both... Muggle-born wizards. The kind whose parents aren't wizards.

"Oh, which means all three people in this compartment are Muggle-born wizards.

"How strange... I heard there were more pure-blood wizards in the Magical World."

Just as he was musing over it, the noise outside grew louder. There was even a faint clunking sound.

Strangely, rather than fading away like other noisy sounds, it only grew louder and louder.

Before long, the compartment door opened. A plump witch in an apron came in, and the trolley in front of her immediately caught all three of their attention.

"Dears, would you like to buy some food?"

The plump witch had dimples and a beaming smile, and even her voice was warm and friendly.

Sean glanced at the dazzling array of goods on the shelves, then forcibly looked away.

By now, quite a while had passed, and Sean was very hungry.

He knew the Hogwarts Express would be traveling for a long time, from early morning until night.

But he had no way to bring food with him. Nurse Anna would not have allowed him to take even a slice of toast.

It would be better once he got to Hogwarts.

That was what Sean thought.

"One... two of each."

The moment Justin finished the first word, the witch's smile brightened even further.

"Certainly, dear. Here are Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chewable Super Bubble Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands... That'll be one Gold Galleon and five Sickles."

She seemed to be in a better mood as well, and began introducing the snacks to Justin.

Hermione was startled by the price. Just as she was about to stop him, the Gold Galleon Justin pulled out flashed before her eyes.

Justin paid quickly, then explained with a faint blush.

"This money was originally prepared for me to attend Eton College, but the very next day, I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter.

"Although my mother thinks Hogwarts isn't as good as the Eton College I had originally planned to attend,

"Just think about it—learning magic is far more tempting than becoming a lawyer or a business elite..."

After saying that, he put a pile of Gold Galleons into his trunk.

Only then did Sean remember who he was.

Justin Finch-Fletchley.

A sincere and kind Hufflepuff.

He had taken part in the Dueling Club and joined Dumbledore's Army.

Worth mentioning was that when he learned he had misunderstood Harry as the Heir of Slytherin, he had taken the initiative to shake Harry's hand and apologize.

Compared to the other Young Wizards who pretended nothing had happened, he was braver and more sincere.

What made him even more memorable was that he had turned down Eton College to attend Hogwarts.

In Britain, good grades alone were not enough to get into Eton College. Everyone admitted came from the nobility.

"My aunt's son's classmate's uncle-in-law's nephew got into Eton College! Ha, jealous, aren't you, you bunch of country bumpkins? Bastards like you shouldn't even dream about it."

Nurse Anna often used those words to mock them, which also reflected Eton College's status from another angle.

In other words,

Justin was Hogwarts' hidden rich kid.

Verdict: pureblood.

That was what Sean thought.

The plump witch had already pushed her trolley away. Muttering about having met two generous Young Wizards, she disappeared outside the compartment.

Inside the compartment,

Justin placed all the snacks on the table.

"Help yourselves to some?"

The snacks were piled into a small mountain, and Justin's voice came from behind it.

"I definitely can't finish all this. Please."

"You're being too obvious."

Hermione unceremoniously took a Fizzy Orange Juice, then lowered her voice and spoke to Justin.

"Shh—"

Justin made a quiet gesture, and then the two of them secretly glanced at a certain Young Wizard.

His clothes were worn and pilled, with even a slight tear at the arm.

If not for his somewhat pale but handsome face, he looked just like one of those unwanted children from an orphanage.

"Want to try this Chocolate Frog? I heard Young Wizards in the Magical World all love them."

Faced with Justin's devilish whisper and the Chocolate Frog he held out,

Sean swiftly took it.

"Thank you."

His voice was very soft.

No difficulty can defeat me, but temptation can.

Sean had fallen beneath capital's sugar-coated shell.

"My Chocolate Frog!"

Just as Justin happily unwrapped his own candy after successfully sharing, his Chocolate Frog suddenly jumped up, looking as though it was about to leap out the window.

"Wingar-dium-Leviosa!"

A calm voice rang out. As though he had expected it, Sean waved his wand, and the Chocolate Frog fell into Justin's hand.

"Chocolate Frogs jump once."

Sean explained slowly. Then, while taking small bites of his Chocolate Frog, he read One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.

The sky gradually darkened.