Chapter 131: The Fireplace

"Mudblood... what does that mean?"

In the corridor, the figures of three young wizards cast three fleeting shadows beneath the burning torches.

Outside the glass windows, a pale pink and indigo sky was veiled by a thin mist; whenever the sunset glow rose, the bird songs outside would always be exceptionally loud.

"I don't know."

Justin answered honestly.

Hermione glanced at him helplessly:

"I wasn't asking you. Wizard Sean, do you know?"

"It's a highly discriminatory term used in the magical world against Muggle-born wizards."

Wizard Sean said.

"How strong is the discrimination?"

Justin suddenly asked.

"It doesn't get any stronger than this."

Wizard Sean added.

"I understand, Wizard Sean."

Justin suddenly paused, then spun around sharply.

Wizard Sean heard him muttering: "Attending Eton College next year wouldn't be bad either; Mother will surely be proud of me."

Then Wizard Sean silently joined Hermione in holding him back.

"There's no need to go anymore."

Wizard Sean said softly.

His words were always effective; Justin stopped immediately and asked thoughtfully:

"Is it because of Professor Snape?"

It seemed that mentioning Professor Snape caused his voice to drop slightly.

"Mm."

For those Slytherins who had violated every one of Professor Snape's untouchable rules, Wizard Sean found it hard to imagine the near-mad fury Professor Snape would unleash.

So he quickly pulled Hermione and Justin away.

After all, compared to the petty squabbles among the six of them, Professor Snape's private handling of matters was clearly far more terrifying.

Hogwarts had rules, but if an incident went unrecorded, those rules appeared empty and useless.

If they remained at the scene, they would not only hinder Professor Snape's actions but also end up being held accountable themselves.

But if they left, the matter would be forcibly turned by a certain Potions Master into a private affair of Slytherin House.

Heavy rain began to fall outside; the sky had turned as black as ink, yet inside the room it was relaxed and bright. Magical lanterns illuminated the classroom, and three cups of hot milk sat on the small wooden table.

Hermione's mood was clearly low; she was writing a letter with a "scratch-scratch" sound.

Out of a certain sense of boundaries, Justin kept some distance from her and instead moved close to Wizard Sean.

At this moment, Wizard Sean was still organizing his plan:

"Whether I can earn the scholarship depends entirely on this final week or so.

First, grind the Levitation Charm to expert level, then sequentially learn the Smoke-Making Spell, the Knockback Jinx, and finish the three spells that should be covered in the first-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class...

That should secure an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the massive amount of Jin Jin Jialong will be enough to last me several years."

After writing this passage, Wizard Sean continued below:

"I must realize that Hogwarts is not always safe.

The prejudice and discrimination of pure-blood wizards always exist; if not for this, the two generations of Dark Lords would not have had so many followers. I need to master some stronger magic."

Speaking of powerful magic, Wizard Sean's first thought was Transfiguration.

Why not the Dark Arts?

Just think about it: an orphan, fond of the Dark Arts, possessing a certain ability to rally others...

Alright, Wizard Sean dared not think further.

[Transfiguration].

Wizard Sean wrote these characters at the very top of his plan.

There are many powerful magics in the magical world, among which the most destructive is universally acknowledged to be the Dark Arts.

Apart from that, there is the elegant and profound art of Transfiguration; during the Battle of the Ministry of Magic, Headmaster Dumbledore almost defeated Tang Mu head-on using Transfiguration.

In the original story, Headmaster Dumbledore animated a golden wizard statue, which both protected Harry and knocked down Bellatrix, while some other golden statues even rushed to surround Voldemort and blocked an Avada Kedavra curse.

Wizard Sean believed that truly formidable Transfiguration could, during combat, transform various objects into powerful aids capable of helping one defeat opponents—in other words, endowing them with life.

At the same time, it could perfectly align with Wizard Sean's own talents.

The Quick-Quotes Quill scratched rapidly across the notes, recording Wizard Sean's schedule; he had allocated all his time to grinding Transfiguration and Charms.

Even the time spent brewing potions and visiting the greenhouses had decreased slightly.

"Oh—"

Wizard Sean heard a suppressed laugh; turning around, he saw Justin grinning foolishly at a slip of paper.

His laughter made Hermione blush so deeply she wished she could bury her head in her letter.

"Oh, Wizard Sean, we must be careful not to get discovered... This is for you."

Justin seemed to come to his senses, cast a cautious glance at Hermione, and placed the slip of paper into Wizard Sean's hand.

[I want to say, thank you for your help, Wizard Sean]

"Must not get discovered."

Before Justin could finish speaking, he saw Hermione leave the classroom with a flushed face, the door slamming shut with a "bang."

"We got discovered."

Wizard Sean delivered the finishing blow.

"So, using this method, how exactly do you plan to apologize?"

Wizard Sean looked at Justin and said.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you,"

Justin said with an air of confidence,

"Don't worry, my father taught me a hundred methods; they all work very well..."

Then he gently pushed open the door, confirming that the young witch had walked far away.

"Remember? Hogwarts has many doors; if you do not politely ask them to open, or more precisely, poke the right spot, they will not open for you;

and some doors are not real doors at all, but merely solid walls that appear to be doors."

He walked to a certain spot and said:

"Lard."

Moments later, a door shaped like burning flames suddenly appeared, then vanished, revealing a fireplace with flames burning within.

The firelight from the fireplace illuminated seven soft armchairs, with Justin standing proudly before them.

A room within a room?

Wizard Sean looked at the suddenly appearing room, as if recalling something,

but time had already dampened the letter paper of memory, dissolving the handwriting Wizard Sean once knew well, leaving only blurred and mottled watermarks.