Chapter 75: Hogwarts Learning Panel Chapter 36

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

Scotland, Wales, England, and Ireland!"

"That's right."

Wizard Sean confirmed it,

"Remember? The Sorting Hat's song—'Fair Ravenclaw, from glen.'"

Wizard Sean recited that line,

"Here, 'glen' is defined as 'the Scottish term for a highland valley.'"

"Wizard Sean, you must be a walking storybook!"

Jia Jia Siting exclaimed in a low voice, while Hermione lifted her chin and nodded.

Wizard Sean hummed in response, then picked up his wand and walked to the very back of the classroom,

where a scattering of books with brittle, yellowed pages lay on the floor.

"S—cour—g—ify—"

Wizard Sean waved his wand, tracing a smooth S-shape, and even the dust-covered books were instantly cleaned.

[You practiced the Cleaning Charm once at the Entry-Level standard; Proficiency +3]

[Entry-Level Cleaning Charm unlocked]

[A new Charm domain title has been unlocked; please check]

Wizard Sean did not rush to inspect it immediately; instead, he picked up the books and returned them to the shelves,

then swept his gaze around the classroom—

The desks and chairs, once draped in spiderwebs, were now clean again,

neatly arranged by Jia Jia Siting and Hermione;

although the massive bookshelves remained crooked, all the books had been returned and thoroughly cleaned by Wizard Sean from inside out;

those oddly shaped instruments piled in another corner

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

Overall, this place now truly resembled a classroom in active use, rather than an ancient relic from centuries past.

Thus, Wizard Sean opened his panel:

[Title: Charm Entry-Level]

[Slightly increases perception of charms; greatly enhances charm talent]

Greatly?

Wizard Sean, filled with anticipation, continued reading downward,

[Wizard Wizard Sean, Charm Talent: Blue (boosted by the Charm Entry-Level title; original talent was White). Note: Average wizards are Green]

Am I... now barely qualifying as half a charm genius?

Wizard Sean thought.

The effect of talent was significant;

the difference between White talent and Blue talent was like that between an ordinary snake and a Basilisk.

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

but achieved little results; "Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1" contained no description,

while "Dark Forces: A Making Guide to Self-Protection" remained equally vague,

appearing to require instruction from a professor,

but relying on Professor Quirrell was less hopeful than expecting Professor Snape to fling open the doors of his dungeon to him.

So Wizard Sean attempted to teach himself.

Unexpectedly, within such a short time,

guided by some profound intuition, he unlocked both Red Sparks and Green Sparks.

Merely ten repetitions,

only ten repetitions.

It made a certain young wizard even doubt

whether his former self, with White talent, could be considered somewhat defective in the magical world.

As for those two charms—Red Sparks and Green Sparks.

They might look pathetic, but in actual combat they serve two purposes:

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

and second, as a low-tier offensive spell in battle:

When Harry was in his first year, Ron said:

"After only a few days of lessons, Harry and Malfoy can at best shoot sparks at each other with their wands."

The "sparks" mentioned here refer precisely to Red Sparks and Green Sparks.

As Wizard Sean exited the classroom, he could occasionally still hear Mrs. Norris's cries echoing in the corridors,

and also—

"Sir Cadogan, a bet is a bet; you must fetch me a bottle of fine spirits from the Drunken Monk group portrait—"

Indeed, a woman's voice came from the wall beside him; Wizard Sean looked up

to see a plump witch portrait dressed in a long white gown, smiling brightly as she spoke to the portrait beside her,

which depicted a short, stout knight carrying an overly long sword, his knees stained with grass marks from falling,

who let out a long sigh:

"Merlin's beard—my dear Green, how can you care so little about Quidditch?

Hiding yourself solely in the library,

returning so late!

Look now, the situation is perfect: another bottle is missing from my share of wine!"

One glance told Wizard Sean that Sir Cadogan and Lady Violet had made another bet;

such occurrences were extremely common,

given that hanging on walls with nothing to do for eternity naturally led portraits to seek amusement from their surroundings—

such as secretly placing bets on Hogwarts students.

Just as wizards, when bored, might guess which raindrop on a window falls faster,

these portraits would quietly hold competitions among students,

commonly seeing who could reach their destination via those moving staircases first.

(Of course, neutral portraits would follow along to serve as arbiters).

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

Revealing his name to him last time had already been enough to annoy Wizard Sean;

the man could actually concoct five or six jokes from a single name:

"Wizard Sean Green decided to become a painter, but he failed because he had only ever seen one color; do you know why?

Because he only—

Seen Green! Hahahaha—"

Wizard Sean Green found this not funny in the least,

so he casually moved the Drunken Monk group portrait to a hidden location temporarily.

The night passed quickly;

Hogwarts was about to welcome a new week,

and the very first day, Monday, was the only one capable of stirring significant emotional fluctuations in Wizard Sean.

Perhaps it was also the most nerve-wracking day for all first-year Ravenclaws.

Because this very morning, they were to attend their second Potions class.

Wizard Sean had already rehearsed the ritual three times last night and repeatedly reviewed his notes on the Cure for Boils potion;

in fact, for today's brewing session,

he had only completed his Potions essay yesterday,

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

In a silence so deep it felt absolute,

the dungeon door burst open with a "Bang—",

Professor Snape's voluminous black robes billowing, making his sallow face appear even more gloomy;

although his movements were sufficiently elegant, the young wizards still felt the overwhelming pressure of his aura.

"—An alliance of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, hmm—"

His voice was gloomy and forceful,

"A week has passed; if I notice that certain individuals still stubbornly maintain—a startling deficit in both intelligence and practical ability—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the young wizards below were already trembling, some with faces turned pale.