Chapter 396: Confusion Charm

Wizard Sean’s lips subtly curved upward, then he vanished into the crowd.

They had two classes that afternoon.

The last class was held in the greenhouse; after class, Professor Sprout enthusiastically praised his Mandrake Restorative Draught, calling it the best ever made by a student in recent years.

She even kindly gave him some melon toffees.

That smile stayed on Wizard Sean’s face all the way outside the greenhouse.

As he left the greenhouse, Wizard Sean encountered many young witches with flushed faces.

He guessed roughly what was about to happen, so on his way back to Hope Cottage, he never lifted the Disillusionment Charm.

When he slipped into the cottage, Harry’s face was still crimson, as if about to bleed.

Ron wasn’t much better off.

It was said that Lockhart had composed songs for all the young witches and wizards who took part in destroying the diary.

The last time Harry had been sung to, the next victim was Ron, rushing over in a panic.

Wizard Sean considered for a moment, then quietly ate a Cat-Leopard Cookie; his pupils instantly narrowed, gleaming with deep luster.

“This is so embarrassing…”

He heard Ron wailing.

“Thank goodness for Ron…”

Without saying it, this was Harry.

“What are you doing, Wizard Sean?”

Who was that?

Wizard Sean blinked; the effect of the Transfiguration Cookie faded quickly. When he turned his head again, Jia Jia Siting was watching him with mild confusion.

“A soul transfiguration spell.”

Wizard Sean explained slowly.

“An advanced transfiguration involving self-transformation?”

Jia Jia Siting pondered, then asked no further questions.

…

Many interesting things happened on Valentine’s Day.

Even though Wizard Sean had stayed secluded, he couldn’t avoid running into some of them.

For instance, nearly all the upperclassmen had paired off and headed to Hogsmeade.

They slipped out of the castle alone, met at the gates, and were caught red-handed by Professor Snape;

for instance, Bai Yi spent the entire day perched on Wizard Sean’s shoulder, driving away any owl that dared approach;

and for instance, Harry and Malfoy got into an argument, and Malfoy, furious, shouted at a girl who had tried to give Harry a Valentine card:

“I think Potter doesn’t like your Valentine’s gift!”

In short, ignoring the overly enthusiastic young witches, it was an ordinary yet still fulfilling day.

After all, on this day, Wizard Sean had already learned to independently transfigure Cat-Leopard eyes.

It was no easy feat—it had taken Wizard Sean a full week.

The next step was to master the Cat-Leopard Cookie and adapt to the Cat-Leopard’s Legilimency.

Wizard Sean had never neglected the former; he had now reached:

【Cat-Leopard Cookie: Beginner (600/900)】;

the latter required continuous, uninterrupted practice.

To conceal his pupil changes, Wizard Sean had also crafted a discreet refractive lens.

Perhaps, as Professor Professor Tela had said, true alchemists were capable of changing the magical world.

Wizard Sean had a slight understanding of this, but in another aspect—making wizards’ lives more convenient—he had deep personal experience.

His lens, the Speaking Brooch, and the Wizard’s Book were excellent examples.

That night was cold and crisp.

A pale, translucent moon hung high above the Forbidden Forest.

Wizard Sean walked near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where he occasionally spotted upperclassmen scattering in panic from Professor Snape.

Whenever they fled in disarray, Wizard Sean found their thoughts easier to read.

Of course, even when easier, Wizard Sean’s ability could only grasp surface thoughts.

These thoughts were mostly laced with panic and fear.

Sometimes: “How did Professor Snape get here?!”

Sometimes: “I’ll never date in the Slytherin common room again for thrills!”

Sometimes even: “So scary… oh, what should I eat in the kitchen today?”

Wizard Sean chose spots where he could make eye contact with them, recording the subtle shifts in his Legilimency.

He always found patterns in these changes.

Until—

“Wizard Sean Green!”

The voice exploded in his skull like thunder.

His mind grew sluggish; he barely registered Professor Snape approaching with a dark expression.

“Didn’t anyone tell you that invading someone’s thoughts is extremely dangerous?!”

Professor Snape growled.

“I didn’t know, Professor.”

Wizard Sean hadn’t expected to meet Snape, and no one had warned him.

Snape gave a cold smirk, then paused suddenly:

“Where did you learn Legilimency?!”

“I haven’t learned Legilimency, Professor.”

Wizard Sean answered honestly.

“Hah—”

Snape nearly laughed in disbelief, then studied Wizard Sean with a gaze veiled in astonishment:

“Fool… your… other Animagus form?”

Wizard Sean nodded.

“Your partial Animagus transformation has reached this level?”

Professor Snape fell silent. His expression, under the moonlight, was deep and complex.

“Just perfected, Professor.”

Wizard Sean nodded again.

“Legilimency is an art—a dangerous, precise art. In case your foolish mind can’t grasp it, your detention hours are doubled, starting tomorrow.”

Snape snorted and walked away.

After he left, another group of wizards returned from Hogsmeade.

Scottish wizards are bold and enthusiastic during holidays.

In other words, they are often lost in drunken revelry.

This shows not only in their frequent parties and gatherings, but also in their mediocre magical skill.

Wizard Sean never attended parties or gatherings; no one could ever invite him.

Just like now, amid the noisy crowd, he quietly vanished from sight.

…

In Hope Cottage.

Hagrid’s giant pumpkin had been carved by Jia Jia Siting into a bookhouse.

Around it lay countless pumpkin cups, their inner pulp gently roasted with the juice still inside.

Once again, only three young wizards remained.

Hermione, Jia Jia Siting, and Wizard Sean.

Hermione was tirelessly brewing Truth Serum; Jia Jia Siting trained his dueling skills.

Wizard Sean, meanwhile, listened to his panel chime constantly:

【You practiced making a Cat-Leopard Cookie at Beginner level. Proficiency +3】

【You practiced making a Cat-Leopard Cookie at Skilled level. Proficiency +10】

Only when curfew approached did Wizard Sean finally exhale in relief.

While perfecting his previous Cat-Leopard Cookie, Wizard Sean had also produced Cat-Leopard Cookies meeting the “Skilled” practice standard over these days.

This meant his rate of proficiency gain would now accelerate.