[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-learning-panel":3,"chapter-hogwarts-learning-panel-hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-392":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hogwarts Learning Panel",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2250630,4210,"Chapter 392: The Sprouting of Dark Magic Talent","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-392",392,"\u003Cp>Tonight, the stars above Ravenclaw Tower were unusually clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean held a book, seated on a small sofa by the window, while the miniature fireplace nearby burned quietly, its flames flickering gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thoughts drifted involuntarily to the words Headmaster Dumbledore had spoken in the Great Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean naturally realized one thing: Headmaster Dumbledore seemed increasingly… kinder, more approachable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A breeze turned another page in his book; Wizard Sean unexpectedly thought that this was already enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distant headmaster’s office, the portraits had grown more talkative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Albus, choosing to believe is never easy—especially when it comes to those who have made mistakes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Headmistress Daisy Devont smiled joyfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Albus Dumbledore, rarely silent, said nothing; he merely gazed out the window, toward some distant place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He directed his quill to write a large “Approved” on the application form for the Care of Magical Creatures teaching assistant position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long ago, someone else had applied for a teaching post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had rejected that application without hesitation;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>now, he could not be more pleased to approve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One does not step into the same river twice…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbledore’s voice sounded like a sigh, or perhaps a reflection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the bustling final day of the Christmas holiday, young witches and wizards were forced to return to their studies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the intense study atmosphere of the Hope House, its members soon noticed Wizard Sean’s absence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the Great Hall, they could only catch a fleeting glimpse of his retreating back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Cat-Leopard Biscuits had reached their final stage, so he devoted every remaining moment to constructing the magical ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These days, winter’s warm sun always shone upon Hogwarts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the castle, people’s moods improved steadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once their acne clears, they can be replanted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean and the others listened carefully to the professor’s patient instructions,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, before long, we can harvest them, place them over fire, and simmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is how Mandrake Restorative Potion is made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We can use it to restore appearances altered by curses or transfiguration—its powerful effect returns the drinker to their original form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no simple potion—at least not for Wizard Sean, whose potion talent was blue; its difficulty surpassed even facing a Basilisk alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the task of brewing it naturally fell to Wizard Sean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Snape announced coldly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive, ‘hero’ Green—let’s hope brewing this potion is simpler than defeating the Basilisk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Lockhart’s Dueling Club became Wizard Sean’s arena for practical training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every weekend, upper-year Slytherin witches and wizards would “volunteer” to face him, trying to land even a single blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, aside from that first time, none could ever achieve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defeating Mr. Green had become a firm ambition among some upper-year Slytherins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Admitting defeat to a second-year wizard in technique was difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever Slytherins proudly sought to defeat Wizard Sean, Snape’s lips curled into an uncontainable sneer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps only he truly understood: trying to defeat him in Dark Magic was as futile as hoping to crush him in Transfiguration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even illusions have degrees of difficulty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through this constant cycle of study and combat, Wizard Sean’s Sectumsempra reached the [Master] level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only two more [Master]-level Dark Spells remained—he would then enter the ranks of Dark Magic Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though not a flattering title, having more cards in hand was always better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Wizard Sean was finalizing the final magical ritual for the Cat-Leopard Biscuits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>January slipped unnoticed into February; the biting cold showed no sign of change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after February began, Hufflepuff faced Slytherin in a match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slytherin won—narrowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wood increased team practices to five times a week—meaning Harry had only two evenings per week to complete all his homework.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now had to admit he no longer devoted all his focus to Quidditch as he once had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grew increasingly precious of his time studying magic; sometimes he even considered skipping Quidditch practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whenever he thought this, Wizard Sean vanished again, leaving Harry unable to assess his own progress in spellcraft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only challenge Wizard Sean at the Dueling Club—and be effortlessly knocked down by a single, effortless spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet despite Wizard Sean’s constant busyness, he never appeared as frantic as Hermione.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione’s self-imposed, overwhelming workload had finally begun to overwhelm her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She barely spoke to anyone, snapped angrily when disturbed, and even berated herself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know why Wizard Sean faced the Basilisk alone? Because you couldn’t help!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even said this to herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the changes among the Hope House members, Wizard Sean remained in his familiar state of constant busyness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He completed the Mandrake Restorative Potion—though after taking a sip, Professor Snape dismissed it as: “Even a fool wouldn’t drink this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he made the Cat-Leopard Biscuits.\u003C\u002Fp>",994,"2026-06-19T10:00:41.888Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2322874342873aaca7f71c685ee70ad6048e093cb008805d0ea6f33501766655","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-393","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-391",526,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-learning-panel-cover.jpg"]