Everything about magic was fresh and interesting to Sean.
Even the History of Magic, which made the young wizards groan, was no exception.
Sean was very happy to delve into the past of vampire hunters, to explore the wrongdoings committed by this group of wizards who specialized in hunting vampires, and to investigate why Article 12 of the "Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Semi-Humans" had declared this profession illegal.
The intrigue of history kept Sean immersed, a focus that lasted until nightfall.
Sean lay flat on his four-poster bed, the story of Gifford Ollerton flashing through his mind. He was a famous giant-slayer, a local hero for killing Hengist of Upper Barnton, and one of the figures on Chocolate Frog cards.
Compared to the present, the 15th century—the era he lived in—had a much larger giant population, which necessitated people like Ollerton to limit their numbers and protect the wizarding world.
Werewolves, vampires, goblins, hags, trolls...
Sean couldn't help but let his imagination run wild with the epics of wizardry, picturing wizards holding wands and chanting spells, embarking on magnificent adventures across this land that belonged to magic.
His breathing gradually steadied. The breeze of Hogwarts, like an invisible hand, flipped the copy of *A History of Magic* to a page covered in Sean’s notes
【Miranda was a witch who studied at Hogwarts. Not only could she not understand the outdated textbooks of the time, but as the youngest in her family, her older sisters loved to tease her. Finding that her words were rarely listened to by others, the angry young witch invented the Bat-Bogey Hex. She once used this spell on her sisters and vowed to write an accurate, easy-to-understand book.】
【Bathilda Bagshot’s annotation: Magic always embraces the wizard’s conviction. It is so generous to those who meet its conditions; any wizard can create such miracles.】
Sean’s own notes had been crossed out and rewritten, leaving only three powerful words
Magic, Infinite Possibilities.
...
Sean had also fantasized about how he would cherish such an opportunity when the miracle of magic arrived. In the end, his answer was—well, I have to learn the hell out of it.
Emerging from the library once again, the weekend had slipped away quietly. Sean carried a large stack of books, the moonlight as beautiful as it had been the night he received his acceptance letter.
He could always understand why Hermione was often carrying so many books—because there was still so much to learn.
Yet his own available time only allowed for a small weekend, which was barely enough for him to roughly comb through the history of magic.
As for the brilliant field of astronomy, he had only glimpsed a hidden corner through the history of magic: Divination and prophecy.
This led him to read through all thirteen astronomy books, eventually finding a few clues in a book so old that Madam Pince had handed it to him with great solemnity.
"Wizards use astronomy to connect the universe with themselves, finding inspiration in magic. The magic that wizards most desire to explore always returns to the vastness of the universe in the end. Prophecy, fate, space-time... all will eventually sink into the brilliant galaxy."
Sean’s enthusiasm flowed from the inside out. As he recited the words from the book, his thoughts surged like the flames in a fireplace
In the Forbidden Forest, a centaur colony hid, predicting the future by observing the stars; in distant Azkaban, Sirius Black lingered in remorse. His name, Sirius, also known as the "Dog Star," corresponded to his Animagus form while simultaneously revealing his reliability and loyalty.
Sean harbored a vague suspicion: that the power of magic did not exist solely in bursting spells, swirling cauldrons, or magical creatures... It had existed for so long that it even transcended the history of wizards.
And astronomy was one of the deepest parts of magic, deep enough to be linked to words like fate.
In Sean’s bag, the old book was carefully stored. In all his available time, he almost exclusively traveled back and forth between the practice room and the library, and the book he read most often was this old one.
The only regret was that he couldn't fully understand it. Sometimes waiting for the centaur professor to hold class was agonizing; Sean even wondered if he could approach him in advance.
And Professor Snape had stayed in the dungeons all weekend, leaving Sean with no way to brew potions.
But there were losses and gains; his spell proficiency had reached a brand-new stage
【Levitation Charm: Novice (21/900)】 【Lumos: Novice (19/900)】 【Cleaning Charm: Apprentice (297/300)】 【Advancement: Three Novice-level spells can unlock the Novice title in the field of Charms】 【Spell Talent: Green】
Sean took his wand out of his bag. His energy had mostly recovered by now. With a little time left before curfew, he arrived at the door of the secret room.
The moment the owl portrait appeared, a noisy voice rang out
"Little wizard! Clever little wizard! Answer my question!"
Sean waited quietly for the prompt. Although Justin’s attempt had failed, the owl portrait had already begun to turn a blind eye to their comings and goings; even if he didn't answer, Sean could still get in.
"From the quiet riverside walked the wise and beautiful Ravenclaw. May I ask, where does this lakeside exist?"
The pure white owl placed the parchment under its claw, looking at Sean quite confidently.
"The Highland glens of Scotland."
Sean recalled for a few seconds and stated the answer calmly.
"How did you—"
The small pince-nez glasses worn by Mr. Owl slowly slid down. Its flapping motion froze, and the sky-blue door gradually revealed itself.
"Thank you."
Before the owl portrait disappeared, Sean whispered a word of thanks.
What Lady Ravenclaw left behind was likely more than just that diadem. In fact, the location of Hogwarts, the name of Hogwarts, and even the rotating staircases of Hogwarts were all related to this beautiful and wise lady. Her wisdom and philosophy were integrated into this castle, so much so that the wonderful owl portrait she left behind did not feel out of place to Sean.
"We heard it, Sean."
As soon as he entered the practice room, Justin and Hermione came over carrying magic lanterns. Sean was a bit surprised that they had studied so late today, then saw the expectant looks in their eyes.
"Alright, this is a story about the four founders..."
Sean’s voice rang out steadily.
Justin said "Cool," then lit his wand and sat down around Sean. Hermione also lit her wand, and the two sat up straight in their chairs, their breathing slowing down.
"Godric Gryffindor—regarding him, people believe he was born over a thousand years ago on a moor in the western region of England. This moor was later named after him—Godric’s Hollow. As for Rowena Ravenclaw... wait, as for Helga Hufflepuff, the generally accepted explanation is that she came from the open valleys of Wales, a place famous for its proficiency in food-related charms. As for Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw..."