Chapter 34: Hufflepuff

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

Wizards often explain the Levitation Charm as simply speaking the incantation and flicking the wrist.

Any further explanation becomes as vague as the bubbling of a cauldron.

Even Professor Flitwick, who teaches young wizards, always enunciates clearly, then repeats the old mantra of a flick and a twist.

After memorizing *Standard Spellwork: Level One*, Wizard Sean found no more detailed explanation.

He had reason to suspect that spells operated by ancient rules, akin to empirical knowledge.

Since it was empirical knowledge, it had some distance from precision:

For instance, how far should the flick extend? How large should the twist be?

These questions were hard to answer, left for young wizards to solve with “talent.”

Of course, Wizard Sean also suspected that wizards with sufficient talent never faced this problem at all.

They likely succeeded outright.

Then the question arose:

Talented wizards had no such trouble; untalented wizards could not solve it—

They wasted enormous time practicing spells by pure luck.

In the end, these problems remained, just like those Wizard Sean faced while brewing potions.

Wizard Sean did not believe magic had much to do with science, yet the increase or lack of proficiency told him:

At least one way existed to cast magic more easily.

“Yes, the arm movement should be broader,

and the incantation’s emphasis falls on the ‘g,’

there’s a small detail—the ‘di’ after it is still stressed…”

In the classroom, a magical lantern illuminated only a small area,

Wizard Sean carefully guided Jia Jia Siting’s practice, applying all his understanding of the Levitation Charm.

So when Jia Jia Siting completed the charm exactly to his standard,

the feather, which had never floated for five seconds, drifted lazily for ten.

“Oh my goodness! Wizard Sean, we did it!”

Jia Jia Siting whispered in excitement, staring fixedly as the feather drifted slowly down.

“Wizard Sean, this is all because of you—thank you for your help.”

Jia Jia Siting thanked him sincerely and eagerly.

Wizard Sean nodded to acknowledge him.

“I think the movement should be even broader… but… after the emphasis on the flick, is the ‘Le’ still stressed?”

Hermione, sitting nearby with a book covering her face, had been observing for a long time; she suddenly spoke, her tone still tinged with arrogance,

yet both men in the room automatically ignored her.

“Hmm, I think the stress should be heavier. As for the movement… you could try, but…”

Wizard Sean glanced at the feather; he was about to say his magic hadn’t recovered yet,

but before he finished speaking, Jia Jia Siting had already cast the spell.

Are Hufflepuffs this meticulous?

Wizard Sean froze for several seconds.

The three in the hidden room watched as the feather floated for fifteen seconds.

As soon as it landed, Jia Jia Siting let out a low exclamation:

“Whoa! Hermione, your guess was completely right!”

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

For the rest of the time, the three eagerly conducted many experiments,

until Wizard Sean’s magic recovered, he practiced the Levitation Charm to a skilled level, then depleted his magic again.

Time slipped through their fingers like fine sand,

the magical lantern swayed as it followed them out of the hidden room.

Wizard Sean was satisfied—he gained 45 proficiency points;

Hermione was satisfied too—her wild ideas now had a companion who matched, even surpassed, her intellect—Wizard Sean,

and an experimenter exhausted to the point of pallor yet still eager to cast spells—Jia Jia Siting;

Jia Jia Siting was satisfied too—he felt as if he’d discovered a new continent.

Hogwarts Castle had already sunk into dreams by evening,

at the end of the third-floor corridor,

a wall subtly shifted, revealing a faded, cracked oil painting.

The painting depicted a snowy-white owl wearing a velvet waistcoat and tiny pince-nez glasses.

At this moment, it was acting with startling humanity—almost comically annoyed—as it struggled to steady its wobbling glasses with a fluffy paw.

“Little wizards! Rude little wizards!”

After Jia Jia Siting and Hermione left the room, it first shrieked shrilly,

but when Wizard Sean passed by, it fell silent at once,

muttering softly:

“Little wizard… clever little wizard…”

As they waited for the staircase to settle, Hermione’s voice rose through the rumbling of turning stairs:

“I think we’ll need to use this room consistently… so we should inform the professor,

Professor Flitwick will surely allow us to practice here.”

Jia Jia Siting exclaimed:

“How thoughtful of you—no wonder it’s you, Hermione!”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed slightly; she looked at Wizard Sean, and after he nodded,

she hurriedly bid them farewell and vanished at the corridor’s end, leaving only Wizard Sean and Jia Jia Siting walking down the corridor lit by warm firelight.

“Hmm, Wizard Sean, I just realized—you didn’t even eat Yorkshire pudding today…

Was the potion brewing going badly?”

Jia Jia Siting’s sudden whisper caught Wizard Sean off guard;

Could these two things be linked so quickly?

He gave a slight nod.

“Is it Professor Snape? I heard he never allows first-years to brew potions on their own,

but he’s very lenient with some upper-year Slytherins…

I don’t think you’d fail, so… need help?

Professor Snape may be terrifying, but I still have the courage to visit his office.”

Jia Jia Siting’s words made Wizard Sean grow quieter; he looked up,

and in the Hufflepuff’s eyes shone a steady, gentle light.

“Remember? We’re friends—if you’re in trouble and I don’t lend a hand, what kind of friends are we?”

…

At night, the pale blue curtains stirred slightly; the wind whispering past the window always brought Wizard Sean comfort.

The fireplace crackled merrily.

Wizard Sean remembered Jia Jia Siting’s words before leaving:

“Even if I’m afraid, I can still force myself to do it… the prefect said Hogwarts has no rule forbidding first-years from brewing potions.”

Ravenclaw had only one Herbology class on Friday; Wizard Sean had the entire day to wait for Snape to leave his dungeon.

He gazed at the painterly moon outside, his thoughts swirling:

Hogwarts, this magical school founded a thousand years ago,

Hufflepuff, this warm and wonderful house,

had nurtured wizards with vitality,

wizards who might not stand out, who weren’t always remembered,

but as Helga Hufflepuff herself had said:

Diligence, loyalty, and broad-minded tolerance were equally great qualities.

A quiet, complex emotion lingered in Wizard Sean’s heart; *Advanced Potion-Making* lay open on the windowsill,

the rustling pages made Wizard Sean feel as if he saw Jia Jia Siting’s notes spread out in the library:

[The prefect said Hufflepuffs are loyal and trustworthy—we never argue with others, but we’re not to be trifled with,

like our house emblem, the badger, we protect ourselves from anyone who threatens us and help our friends and family—nothing can make us afraid]