Chapter 41: New Charm Title

Slytherin is rumored to have come from the marshes of eastern Ireland, though this has never been fully confirmed.

Now, if you think carefully, you can deduce where Ravenclaw came from.

Wizard Sean paused, waiting a moment.

“England, Wales, Ireland…”

While Justin strained in thought, Hermione’s eyes grew brighter with each word.

“It’s Scotland!”

The four founders of Hogwarts each came from one of the four parts of the British Isles:

Scotland, Wales, England, and Ireland!

“Exactly.”

Wizard Sean affirmed,

“Remember the Sorting Hat’s song—Fair Ravenclaw, from glen (the serene Ravenclaw, from the beautiful glen).”

Wizard Sean recited the line,

“Here, ‘glen’ is defined as ‘the Scottish term for a highland valley.’”

“Wizard Sean, you must be a walking anthology of stories!”

Justin gasped, and Hermione lifted her chin in agreement.

Wizard Sean hummed, picked up his wand, and walked to the back of the classroom,

where scattered books lay on the floor, their pages brittle and yellowed.

“S—cour—g—ify—”

Wizard Sean swished his wand, tracing a smooth S-shape, and the dusty books were instantly cleaned.

【You practiced the Cleaning Charm at an introductory level. Proficiency +3】

【Introductory Cleaning Charm unlocked】

【New Charm Title unlocked. Please check.】

Wizard Sean didn’t rush to check the panel; instead, he picked up the books and returned them to the shelves,

then scanned the classroom—

the desks and chairs, once webbed with spider silk, were now spotless,

neatly arranged by Justin and Hermione;

the massive bookshelves still leaned crookedly, but all books had been returned, thoroughly cleaned by Wizard Sean from within to without;

the odd-shaped instruments piled in the corner

had also been stacked and sorted by the three of them.

Overall, the room now truly resembled an active classroom, not an ancient relic from centuries past.

Wizard Sean opened his panel:

【Title: Charm Beginner】

【Slightly increases perception of charms, greatly enhances charm talent】

Greatly?

Wizard Sean, filled with anticipation, continued reading:

【Wizard Wizard Sean, Charm Talent: Blue (boosted by Charm Beginner title; original talent: White) Note: Average wizards are Green】

I… am I now at least half a charm prodigy?

Wizard Sean thought.

Talent made a clear difference,

the gap between White and Blue talent was like that between an ordinary snake and a Basilisk,

Wizard Sean had long wanted to learn the four charms taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts,

but made little progress—the textbook “Standard Spells: Level One” offered no details,

while “Dark Forces: A Making Guide to Self-Protection” remained vague and unclear,

suggesting he needed a professor’s guidance,

but hoping for help from Professor Quirrell was as likely as expecting Professor Snape to throw open the doors to his dungeon.

So Wizard Sean tried self-study.

To his surprise, in just a short time,

he unlocked Red Spark and Green Spark, guided by some obscure intuition.

Only ten times,

just ten times.

It made the young wizard wonder,

whether his former White talent had been some kind of deficiency in the magical world.

And these two charms—Red Spark and Green Spark—

seemed pitifully weak, yet in practice served two purposes:

First, as an emergency distress signal. Wizard Sean remembered using one during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Second, as a low-level offensive charm in combat:

In Harry’s first year, Ron said:

Harry and Malfoy, after only a few lessons, could at best shoot sparks at each other with their wands.

The “sparks” referred to here were Red Spark and Green Spark.

As Wizard Sean left the classroom, he occasionally heard Mrs. Norris’s cries down the corridors,

and—

“Sir Cadogan, you lost the bet—you must fetch me a fine bottle of spirits from the Drunken Monks painting!”

A woman’s voice indeed came from the wall beside him; Wizard Sean looked up

to see a plump witch in a white gown, smiling at the portrait beside her,

which depicted a short, stout knight with an overly long sword and grass stains all over his knees,

who sighed deeply:

“Merlin’s beard—my dear Green, how can you not care about Quidditch?

You hide in the library all day,

coming back this late!

See? Now my share of fine wine is one bottle short!”

Wizard Sean immediately recognized that Sir Cadogan and Lady Violet had made another bet.

This happened frequently,

given that portraits hung on walls with nothing to do but eternity—they naturally found amusement in their surroundings—

such as betting on Hogwarts students.

Just as wizards might guess which raindrop on a window would fall faster,

these portraits quietly held contests among students,

commonly betting on who could reach their destination first by navigating the moving staircases.

(Of course, neutral portraits followed along to serve as judges.)

Wizard Sean did not respond to Sir Cadogan; otherwise, the knight would chatter all the way to the common room.

Last time he revealed his name, it was enough to make Wizard Sean regret it—

the knight had spun half a dozen jokes from just one name:

“Wizard Sean Green decided to become a painter, but failed, because he’d only ever seen one color. Do you know why?

Because he’d only—

Seen Green! Ha ha ha ha!”

Wizard Sean Green found this utterly unfunny,

so he casually shifted the Drunken Monks painting to a hidden spot.

…

Night passed quickly,

and Hogwarts would welcome a new week,

and Monday, the first day, was the only day that stirred strong emotion in Wizard Sean.

Perhaps it was also the most nerve-wracking day for all Ravenclaw first-years.

For today, in the morning, they would have their second Potions class.

Wizard Sean had reviewed the ritual three times last night and repeatedly checked his notes on the Boil-Cure Potion,

in fact, to prepare for today’s brewing,

he had only finished his Potions essay yesterday,

all to ensure his understanding of potions reached an excellent level.

In complete silence,

the dungeon door slammed open—

Professor Snape’s wide black robes billowed, accentuating his sallow, grim face,

and though his movements were elegant, the young wizards still felt the overwhelming pressure of his presence.

“—Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff in alliance, hmm—”

His voice was dark and forceful,

“A week has passed, and if I notice certain individuals still stubbornly maintaining—an astonishing deficit in intellect and operational ability—”

Before he finished speaking, the young wizards below were trembling, some even pale-faced.