Chapter 442: Easter Eggs and the Locket

Wizard Sean Green took something from the deepest part of the Book of Wizards.

A locket.

He turned the locket over.

Compared to the one he had seen in the Pensieve, this one was smaller, lacked ornate markings, and bore no distinctive “S” emblem of Slytherin.

Inside, apart from a tightly folded piece of parchment stuffed where the portrait should be, there was nothing else.

Wizard Sean looked up; the corridor was empty except for him.

Moonlight made the place cold; spring nights rarely brought rain like this.

Drops of water struck the windows, pattering, splashing white flecks.

Wizard Sean pulled out the parchment and, with the light from his wand, unfolded it:

“To the Dark Lord:

I know that when you read this, I am dead. But I want you to know: I discovered your secret. I have taken the true Horcrux, and I will destroy it as soon as I can.

I am willing to die in the hope that, when you face your opponent,

you will be killed.

——R.A.B.”

He may have been the first wizard to discover the existence of Voldemort’s Horcruxes—and also the first to intend to destroy them.

Wizard Sean, bathed in moonlight, placed the locket casually on the desk of the Book of Wizards, then carefully preserved the note and the ancient coffin.

Soon, Sirius would escape from Azkaban, and the magical hand mirror in Harry’s possession would help Wizard Sean locate him at once.

Before that, he had many things to do.

For instance, dealing with a rat.

The sky darkened; outside the window, a black mass loomed, and night stretched endlessly.

Wizard Sean heard his own footsteps in the corridor, and the hoots of owls atop Hogwarts’ towers.

He was not the first wizard to hear these sounds, nor would he be the last.

……

“Wizard Sean, are you there?”

In the quiet Ravenclaw Tower, a faint voice sounded.

The voice had been enchanted so only the wizard holding the other magical hand mirror could hear it.

“Harry?”

Wizard Sean did not sound puzzled.

“Merlin—this is real, you made a telephone, a magical telephone—”

Harry’s voice crackled through the other end, forcibly lowered.

“Yes, Harry. If anything happens, you can notify me immediately.”

Wizard Sean answered patiently.

“Special matters… I understand, Wizard Sean. But…”

Harry whispered,

“Are Justin and Professor McGonagall real?”

Wizard Sean looked down; in the magical hand mirror, a miniature Professor McGonagall appeared.

Her face was stern, but reduced to cartoon size, she looked oddly cute and amusing.

“Not real.”

Wizard Sean was flustered.

When he made the first magical hand mirror, he casually designed Hermione’s image—Little McGonagall—and had forgotten to remove it.

Beside Little McGonagall were a friendly badger, a chubby Neville with two drumsticks in his mouth, a miniature Ron, and a smaller Harry.

But these would not appear on Harry’s mirror surface; they would only show after Wizard Sean had delivered all his Easter gifts.

Now, only Wizard Sean, Hermione, Justin, and Harry were included.

“I thought…”

Harry felt embarrassed,

“Then who is she?”

Harry asked again.

“Hermione.”

Wizard Sean did not hide it.

“Her, Her… hahaha…”

Muffled laughter came from the other end of the mirror.

By the time Harry had laughed until tears streamed down his face, Wizard Sean had already ended the “call.”

“Oh!”

Harry muttered in frustration.

After waiting a long while, he cheerfully called Little McGonagall.

“Wizard Sean?”

Hermione’s voice sounded delighted.

“It’s me, Harry.”

Harry said.

“Harry, don’t disturb me now—I’m busy.”

Hermione hung up abruptly.

Soon after, Hermione called again:

“Harry, did you get yours too?”

Hermione asked, delighted.

“Of course, but I’m not busy… you can call me dozens of times…”

Harry said.

“Harry—”

Harry guessed Hermione was stomping her foot.

That night, Harry’s thoughts were Laolao held by the magical hand mirror.

Their long-held dream had come true! For some time now, their biggest problem had been finding Wizard Sean; now, they could exchange information instantly.

Harry felt Hogwarts’ safety had improved again, and that night he slept more soundly than ever.

He didn’t even notice the noise from Ron’s rat.

……

Easter had finally arrived.

Exchanging Easter eggs was the most common activity among young wizards.

Wizard Sean prepared an Easter egg for everyone in the cottage, mostly containing a magical hand mirror and instructions from Professor Tera’s workshop.

Occasionally, special items—like the books Ancient Herbs and Magical Liquids for Professor Snape—were found by Wizard Sean in the Ravenclaw office.

Relying on memory, Wizard Sean selected the practical sections, obtained Raven’s permission, and compiled them into a booklet.

Finally, he applied a Shrinking Charm; these books, when opened and touched, would expand to fill an entire room.

Professor Snape was an undisputed master of potion-making; Wizard Sean’s gap with him was roughly ninety-nine Seans. These books would be far more useful in his possession than in Wizard Sean’s.

In Professor McGonagall’s egg, Wizard Sean placed his own handwritten notes on Transfiguration, such as “Dragon’s Wingbeat” and “Vine Stone Guardian.”

Though these Transfiguration spells carried Wizard Sean’s entirely personal knowledge system—Raven even judged only he could perform them—they still offered new directions for the magical branch of Transfiguration.

On this very Easter day, Snape was once again invited into the Headmaster’s office.

—At this time, Dumbledore always liked to invite others in for tea.

Inside the Headmaster’s office, gifts piled up, nearly touching the ceiling.

Dumbledore sipped his tea leisurely, unwrapping presents.

With a flick of his finger, the Easter eggs shattered open, revealing their contents.

Snape tossed his own egg into the pile; Dumbledore pretended to be surprised and exchanged it with him.

Snape’s lips curled into a sneer; he coldly turned and walked away with the egg.

He didn’t care about the gifts—he was merely irritated by the obnoxious, boastful faces around him.

In the dungeons.

A few Easter eggs sat on the Potions classroom desk.

The door slammed open; Snape swept in like a dark cloud.

He glanced instinctively at the desk, waved his wand, and seized a particular egg.

The miniature book inside, barely touching his fingers, suddenly expanded to fill the entire office.

Snape’s face was poked by a book; he gritted his teeth and growled helplessly:

“Wizard Sean Green!”