Chapter 392: The Sprouting of Dark Magic Talent

Tonight, the stars above Ravenclaw Tower were unusually clear.

Wizard Sean held a book, seated on a small sofa by the window, while the miniature fireplace nearby burned quietly, its flames flickering gently.

His thoughts drifted involuntarily to the words Headmaster Dumbledore had spoken in the Great Hall.

Wizard Sean naturally realized one thing: Headmaster Dumbledore seemed increasingly… kinder, more approachable.

A breeze turned another page in his book; Wizard Sean unexpectedly thought that this was already enough.

In the distant headmaster’s office, the portraits had grown more talkative.

“Yes, Albus, choosing to believe is never easy—especially when it comes to those who have made mistakes…”

Headmistress Daisy Devont smiled joyfully.

Albus Dumbledore, rarely silent, said nothing; he merely gazed out the window, toward some distant place.

The blackened treetops of the Forbidden Forest swayed like a sea of ink, while the sky wore a faint lavender-pink hue streaked with stars.

He directed his quill to write a large “Approved” on the application form for the Care of Magical Creatures teaching assistant position.

Long ago, someone else had applied for a teaching post.

He had rejected that application without hesitation;

now, he could not be more pleased to approve it.

“One does not step into the same river twice…”

Dumbledore’s voice sounded like a sigh, or perhaps a reflection.

…

After the bustling final day of the Christmas holiday, young witches and wizards were forced to return to their studies.

Amid the intense study atmosphere of the Hope House, its members soon noticed Wizard Sean’s absence.

Even in the Great Hall, they could only catch a fleeting glimpse of his retreating back.

The reason for Wizard Sean’s erratic whereabouts was simple: after Professor Flitwick thanked Snape for the third time, Wizard Sean was essentially confined to the dungeons and couldn’t leave.

His Cat-Leopard Biscuits had reached their final stage, so he devoted every remaining moment to constructing the magical ritual.

These days, winter’s warm sun always shone upon Hogwarts.

Inside the castle, people’s moods improved steadily.

One afternoon, while helping in the greenhouses, Professor Sprout happily told them that Mandrakes had become moody and silent—that meant they were rapidly outgrowing childhood.

“Once their acne clears, they can be replanted.”

Wizard Sean and the others listened carefully to the professor’s patient instructions,

“Then, before long, we can harvest them, place them over fire, and simmer.

This is how Mandrake Restorative Potion is made.

We can use it to restore appearances altered by curses or transfiguration—its powerful effect returns the drinker to their original form.”

This was no simple potion—at least not for Wizard Sean, whose potion talent was blue; its difficulty surpassed even facing a Basilisk alone.

Yet the task of brewing it naturally fell to Wizard Sean.

Professor Snape announced coldly:

“Impressive, ‘hero’ Green—let’s hope brewing this potion is simpler than defeating the Basilisk.”

So Wizard Sean studied Professor Sprout’s methods with utmost seriousness, planning to construct the Mandrake Restorative Potion’s will-guiding technique within three days—thus completing his detention ahead of schedule.

Though his detention was officially for potion brewing, in truth, Wizard Sean spent most of his time studying Dark Magic and how to counter it.

Professor Lockhart’s Dueling Club became Wizard Sean’s arena for practical training.

Every weekend, upper-year Slytherin witches and wizards would “volunteer” to face him, trying to land even a single blow.

Unfortunately, aside from that first time, none could ever achieve it.

Defeating Mr. Green had become a firm ambition among some upper-year Slytherins.

After all, they used only Dark Magic curses, minor hexes, and defensive spells—and still could not defeat him; clearly, the gap lay in technique.

Admitting defeat to a second-year wizard in technique was difficult.

Whenever Slytherins proudly sought to defeat Wizard Sean, Snape’s lips curled into an uncontainable sneer.

Perhaps only he truly understood: trying to defeat him in Dark Magic was as futile as hoping to crush him in Transfiguration.

Even illusions have degrees of difficulty.

Through this constant cycle of study and combat, Wizard Sean’s Sectumsempra reached the [Master] level.

Only two more [Master]-level Dark Spells remained—he would then enter the ranks of Dark Magic Master.

Though not a flattering title, having more cards in hand was always better.

Now, Wizard Sean was finalizing the final magical ritual for the Cat-Leopard Biscuits.

…

January slipped unnoticed into February; the biting cold showed no sign of change.

Soon after February began, Hufflepuff faced Slytherin in a match.

Slytherin won—narrowly.

According to Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, this was good news for Gryffindor: if they also defeated Hufflepuff, they would rise to second place.

So Wood increased team practices to five times a week—meaning Harry had only two evenings per week to complete all his homework.

He now had to admit he no longer devoted all his focus to Quidditch as he once had.

He grew increasingly precious of his time studying magic; sometimes he even considered skipping Quidditch practice.

But whenever he thought this, Wizard Sean vanished again, leaving Harry unable to assess his own progress in spellcraft.

He could only challenge Wizard Sean at the Dueling Club—and be effortlessly knocked down by a single, effortless spell.

Yet despite Wizard Sean’s constant busyness, he never appeared as frantic as Hermione.

Hermione’s self-imposed, overwhelming workload had finally begun to overwhelm her.

Every night, she sat in Wizard Sean’s house, textbooks spread across multiple tables: a Runes dictionary, diagrams of Muggle methods for moving heavy objects, and page after page of dense notes.

She barely spoke to anyone, snapped angrily when disturbed, and even berated herself:

“Do you know why Wizard Sean faced the Basilisk alone? Because you couldn’t help!”

She even said this to herself.

Compared to the changes among the Hope House members, Wizard Sean remained in his familiar state of constant busyness.

He completed the Mandrake Restorative Potion—though after taking a sip, Professor Snape dismissed it as: “Even a fool wouldn’t drink this.”

Then, he made the Cat-Leopard Biscuits.