Chapter 157: Secrets

It seemed Gryffindor wasn't the only house conducting flying practice; from far away, Wizard Sean spotted a group of Hufflepuffs chatting and laughing as they entered the Quidditch pitch.

As Wizard Sean passed them, he could still see the brooms and books they held in their hands—

The Hufflepuff on the far left, whose smile radiated simple honesty, was holding "The Beater's Bible"—"Take out the Seeker" being the first rule in that book.

The gentle senior student in the center, carrying a broom, casually flipped open "He Flies Like a Madman," pointing to a specific passage:

Scoring using the blagging maneuver—this move involves two Chasers entering the scoring zone, knocking the Keeper aside, leaving one hoop completely exposed to a third Chaser.

This provoked a burst of laughter from the group.

Wizard Sean couldn't tell whether Quidditch made all Hufflepuffs turn savage, or if wizards simply possessed some inherent barbaric trait;

he could only silently increase his distance from the Quidditch players before departing the area.

The morning Quidditch pitch was shrouded in a thin, pearlescent mist.

The stands were empty, save for a few early-rising owls preening their feathers on high perches; dewdrops clung to the goal posts, occasionally dripping down to splash into mushroom shapes on the soft grass.

Wrapped in a thick Ravenclaw scarf, Wizard Sean tucked his copy of Intermediate Transfiguration into his bag, while the glossy mahogany handle of his Nimbus 2000 was stained by sunlight into a blurred gold-red hue.

Wizard Sean listened to the wind blowing across the pitch, a sound imbued with an almost hypnotic tranquility; from afar, a few hoots came from the direction of the Owlery, and a letter flapped its wings lazily toward the castle.

Thus, Wizard Sean had already drawn near to Hogwarts Castle.

In a room where a fireplace burned fiercely, the sternness in Minerva McGonagall's eyes shattered into deep tenderness.

...Indeed, he deserved to rest; it was what he had earned.

"Young wizard! Let me ask you a question!"

Mr. Owl fluttered his wings, gazing at Wizard Sean who was approaching from the Great Hall; although Wizard Sean knew that whether he answered or not, Mr. Owl would let him in, he always answered Mr. Owl's questions seriously.

However...

Glancing at Neville shivering violently beside him in the cold wind, he sighed softly.

"Wizard Sean... it's too hard... I can't answer it at all..."

Neville seemed unaware of the matter concerning Mr. Owl and was now on the verge of tears.

"Here."

Wizard Sean silently handed over the steaming pumpkin juice he had just fetched,

"I assume Justin has already told you about this, so, Neville, why don't you go inside?"

After drinking the steaming pumpkin juice, Neville's trembling body calmed considerably.

"It's... too rude... I can't... cause trouble..."

Neville stammered.

He will get used to it eventually, just like Justin did.

Wizard Sean thought.

"A difficult question! A mysterious question! Young wizard! Clever young wizard! Why do you think both Hogwarts and the nearby village contain 'Hogs' in their names?"

Although Mr. Owl had never stumped Wizard Sean, it never tired of trying.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure! If you forget this, the doors of Ravenclaw will run away on their own!"

Mr. Owl had once said this.

"Hogwarts was founded around the tenth century, when wild boars were still sacred animals, favored by the nobility and great figures of Western kingdoms throughout hunting history. Hmm, they also symbolized spiritual power and Druid priests."

Wizard Sean replied.

This time, Mr. Owl made no noise, but instead bowed skillfully, after which the sky-blue doors materialized.

Neville stared wide-eyed at Mr. Owl bowing; he remembered that this gentleman should be fluttering his wings, baring his talons, and angrily trying to grab people, shouldn't he?

"Good morning—Wizard Sean."

Justin was watering a Dirigible Plum plant.

Ever since Neville joined and brought many potted plants, Justin had also collected some plants from Professor Sprout.

Such as the Dirigible Plum, a fruit that looks like a small orange-red radish, hanging upside down on the growing bush.

Wizard Sean recalled that Xenophilius Lovegood and a few others believed that Dirigible Plums could enhance a person's ability to accept unusual things.

The fireplace crackled as it burned, dispelling the chill permeating the corridor; Neville shuffled over and sat in a soft wooden chair beside the hearth, the flames slowly warming his body.

"What is this, Wizard Sean?"

Justin spotted the long package at a glance, with several neat, straight twigs protruding slightly from it.

"Obviously, it's a broom."

Hermione, who had been burying her head in a book, suddenly looked up and said.

"Cool—"

Justin exclaimed with admiration, then naturally turned his head away.

It was not until Wizard Sean sank into the world of "The Origins of Transfiguration" that Justin began peeking curiously at the broom.

"Would you like some treacle tart?"

Justin produced a pastry from somewhere, made of shortcrust pastry and golden syrup.

In the Great Hall, such tarts were usually served hot with a dollop of clotted cream, though sometimes ordinary cream, custard, or yogurt was used instead.

"Oh, oh, thank you."

Neville stammered as he accepted it, fiddling with that large old wooden table crowded with pots and jars of various sizes and shapes.

At the corner of the table, a pot of Black Root lazily curled its tender white new leaves, while in the flowerpot beside it, several young Dittany seedlings restlessly shook their leaves under a magical glass cover.

"You're also curious about Wizard Sean's broom, right?"

Justin whispered, as if discussing a secret mission.

"Y-yes..."

Neville didn't have the heart to say no.

So when Wizard Sean came to his senses, he saw Neville and Justin secretly lifting a corner of the wrapping, with Hermione standing at the very back looking on helplessly; upon meeting his green eyes, she immediately displayed a look of startled panic.

Wizard Sean silently shifted his gaze away.

"Oh—it's a Nimbus 2000! Merlin!"

Justin and Neville drew their hands back, and gazing at the golden characters stamped on the top of the broom handle, Justin exclaimed,

"Very good, Neville."

A hint of confidence seemed to appear on Neville's shy face.

Wonderful; at least this time, he hadn't messed up.

"Nimbus 2000—?"

Hermione, who hadn't yet had a chance to speak, was startled once again by this news.

"And a flying test—! The notice is written inside the package, for tomorrow afternoon..."

Justin murmured to himself,

"Wizard Sean actually never told us... By the way, Hermione, would you like some treacle tart?"

"You were... no, where did you get that from?"

There was too much to say, and Hermione didn't know which point to address first.

"Oh, this?"

Justin said with a smile,

"This is exactly what I planned to tell you all today: some... magical existences."