Chapter 241: Summer Vacation Plans

The most important thing is staying at school over the summer.

Think about it—Hogwarts Castle holds so many books that a wizard could spend a lifetime reading only a fraction of them;

After the students depart on the Hogwarts Express, the professors become completely free, offering nearly daily, one-on-one guidance at any time.

Just thinking about it stirs the heart.

As before, the application to stay requires three recommendation letters and some special contribution.

Wizard Sean believed he had already fulfilled the requirements.

Next came the opening of Weasley & Green Magical Prank Shop.

Weasley & Green Magical Prank Shop would open in the second week of summer vacation, with a full array of products waiting for wizards to buy.

Wizards across Britain had all heard of this rapidly rising prank shop, and many of its products were bestsellers.

If you haven’t heard the shop’s name—never mind, because it had only recently been revealed; before that, wizards referred to it as Shop No. 93—but you’ve certainly heard of its products:

The wildly popular Weird Wizard Chess, the magical Animal Party Cookies, Anti-Curse Helmets, Instant Truancy Tools…

Each of these items alone was a bestseller; now they were all gathered in one shop.

British wizards’ enthusiasm nearly overturned Shopkeeper Gert; she had complained to Wizard Sean more than once, demanding more staff.

Wizard Sean had no intention of missing the opening of Weasley & Green Magical Prank Shop, nor of refusing Mrs. Weasley’s invitation.

In fact, he was deeply curious about the Burrow—a house entirely built by magic.

No alchemist would refuse to go see it.

Finally, he would spend half a month at McGonagall Villa.

Wizard Sean easily planned his summer studies—study alchemy at the Burrow, practice Transfiguration at McGonagall Villa, then return to his familiar Hogwarts.

But now, he had to find Professor Snape.

The dungeon was as dark and damp as ever; Professor Snape gave Wizard Sean a cold glance:

“Weasley… a bunch of fools…”

He ultimately didn’t finish his sentence, then stared at Wizard Sean with a sinister gaze,

“If I say… no…”

Wizard Sean nodded, indicating he understood.

It seemed he could finally grind out the last ten thousand points of Transfiguration proficiency at Hogwarts.

“Not… no…”

Professor Snape spoke again, gloomily.

Time slipped away.

The final Quidditch match arrived.

Oliver Wood stood in the chilly locker room beside the Quidditch pitch, where the light was gradually brightening; he addressed his six teammates in a tone heavy with grim resolve.

"To win the Quidditch Cup, this is our best chance—we must consider whether this might be our only opportunity in a lifetime!"

He paced before his team, speaking to them,

“We’re only one hundred and forty points behind Ravenclaw, and just one hundred behind Slytherin—win the Quidditch Cup, and we’ll reclaim the House Cup!

Gryffindor hasn’t won in five years… there will never be another chance this good.”

Wood swallowed hard, as if the memory still choked him,

“But we also know—we are the best, the greatest team in the entire school!

Go on, lads and lasses!”

The Gryffindors marched out with grim determination.

On the other side.

“Fight to the end, everyone!”

Roger, acting captain, was giving a speech.

“Ravenclaw’s lead is unchallengeable; we will end Slytherin’s winning streak and crush Gryffindor’s ambition!

With our honed skills, with our painstakingly crafted tactics!

We’ve prepared ten thousand ways to counter them—and ten thousand ways to win!

We—the greatest team Ravenclaw has ever had!”

Thus, the Ravenclaws marched out with unmatched resolve.

Cheers echoed everywhere; shouts of encouragement filled the air.

Members of the Hope Hut found themselves in an awkward position—whom should they support?

On the pitch, Harry’s anxiety peaked; his palms sweated with tension, when he saw a familiar paper airplane drift over:

【Give your all—that is the greatest respect】

Wizard Sean nodded at him.

The stands were already packed; Lee Jordan was passionately commentating:

“Ravenclaw and Gryffindor have entered! We can see both newly formed teams possess exceptional strength—match begins!

Harry Potter! He’s closing in on the Golden Snitch—oh no—Wizard Sean Green is catching up! The match is intense; in just three minutes, both have shown the ability to end it instantly—my goodness—”

A crowd in the stands stared in disbelief; another burst into cheers.

Harry Potter trailed Wizard Sean Green by only half a body’s length—failed to catch the Golden Snitch—Gryffindor lost in heartbreak.

“Well done—”

Professor McGonagall beamed, standing to applaud.

“Professor—what are you saying?”

Lee Jordan widened his eyes, glanced again at the scoreboard—weren’t they the losers?

Professor McGonagall froze for a second, her emotions complicated.

“Heh—”

Professor Snape, however, began clapping—elegant, composed, deliberately loud—causing Minerva McGonagall to turn and glare at him.

Professor Snape quietly stopped clapping.

Yet he suddenly thought, Wizard Sean participating in such a Quidditch match wasn’t so bad after all.

Thus, this highly anticipated match ended amid stunned silence.

Almost everyone was replaying that thrilling moment in their minds.

Amid the festive atmosphere, the End-of-Year Banquet approached.

Before the banquet, a mysterious organization—the Castle Cat Club—had gone mad, turning Hogwarts upside down; in the days between exams and the start of vacation, they poured all their energy into this.

No one knew who came up with the idea of night-time searches; for a while, the caretaker’s office regularly held four or five small wizards at once.

Mr. Filch flew into a rage—these vile little brats had pushed him too far; he’d already given in so much, yet they kept provoking him!

It seemed their actions angered the Night’s Messenger; the black cat, symbol of good fortune, never appeared again.

The frustrated Minister claimed they started searching too late; the Deputy Minister insisted the opposite.

For these past few days, the Weasleys had nearly become Wizard Sean’s shadows, popping up from every corner around him.

Sometimes from flowerpots, their heads caked in dirt; sometimes behind windows, riding brooms; they even knocked on Wizard Sean’s window outside Ravenclaw Tower.