Chapter 39: 39: Spiritual Will and Magic

Just as Sheen was staring at the candy that had suddenly appeared in his bag, and while Justin was feeling a sense of despair,

The owl suddenly spoke up huffily

"Little wizard, hmph! Lucky little wizard! Hurry up and get inside! Don't let Lady Ravenclaw find you!"

With a flap of its wings, a crack opened in the wall, revealing a sky-blue door.

Hermione's eyes widened instantly.

"Thank you."

Justin's dejected expression vanished in an instant as he offered a sincere thanks.

Meanwhile, Sheen picked up his quill and lollipop, looking thoughtful.

Inside the hidden room.

A trace of confusion still lingered on Hermione's focused face.

Sheen took out his notebook, and then he heard Justin say softly

"Actually, portraits get lonely too, don't they? Mr. Owl has always been hidden inside the wall. I guess he can't wander around freely like other portraits, otherwise his glasses wouldn't keep falling off."

"Mhm," Sheen replied.

"Oh, Sheen, if I never had anyone to talk to, I think I'd go mad."

Justin seemed to be thinking of something, his light gray eyes growing deeper.

"What do you plan to do?"

Sheen seemed to have expected this.

"How about we move him?" Justin whispered.

"We can try," Sheen nodded, though he didn't actually believe they would succeed.

One of the most enchanting things about Hogwarts Castle was the multitude of secrets it held. Even Headmaster Dumbledore could not claim to know every secret of Hogwarts.

And the owl portrait was one of those secrets.

Sheen had reason to suspect that, much like the Fat Lady in her floor-length gown, the owl bore a responsibility similar to guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room—a responsibility that clearly could not be erased at will. Otherwise, the professors wouldn't have left this classroom unattended.

But...

He still held onto a sliver of hope.

As he said, there was no harm in trying.

...

【Scabworm Potion is one of the simplest potions in Potions class, and is also one frequently used by North American wizards. I have modified its ritual, greatly increasing the success rate while significantly enhancing the quality of the potion. Before using it, please ensure you have mastered the improved ritual and are prepared with a mental state capable of going three days without sleep.】

A greatly increased success rate?

Enhanced quality?

Sheen felt his breathing quicken.

【I can understand the excitement of every potion researcher upon seeing this, but I must remind you once more: during the brewing process, ensure you do not make a single mistake in the ritual. Otherwise, you can only pray to Merlin that you won't open your eyes to see me again.】

*The typical dark humor of wizards...* Sheen thought silently.

Immediately after, he began the process of learning and mastering the improved ritual.

Beside him, Justin and Hermione resumed their practice of the Levitation Charm.

Outside the window, owls flew out of Hogwarts Castle carrying letters. Every weekend was the owls' busiest time; they carried words of longing to their destinations, and returned carrying even heavier sentiments.

Gradually, twilight descended upon Hogwarts Castle.

Magical lanterns slowly lit up, revealing Justin's anxious face.

"Oh, Professor Flitwick said the feather has to spin a full circle for a wizard to have mastered the Levitation Charm," he said, his face etched with fatigue, yet the feather wouldn't budge—even though he had followed Sheen's instructions perfectly.

Even Hermione looked distressed. Although they were already quite outstanding for newly enrolled students, they both felt immense pressure from the student who used the Wand-Lighting Charm as if it were a charm for eye ailments.

On the other side of the classroom, Sheen had finished familiarizing himself with the ritual. He turned to the last page of his notes

【When a wizard experiences intense emotions while brewing a potion—whether it be joy, worry, or sadness—it will have a profound impact on the potion. This is why a potioneer requires focus and tranquility. However, magic always has two sides; appropriate emotions can also generate unimaginable power. This is what the improved ritual achieves.】

What the Potions Master Libatius Borage left behind was more than just mere improvements; perhaps, just as he said, it was a grand pioneering work.

Sheen thought that when performing the ritual, he would become more focused, but it would also be infused with a powerful emotion, similar to yet distinct from the emotions used in Transfiguration or the Wand-Lighting Charm.

"Then, what is the emotion required for the Levitation Charm?" Sheen murmured to himself, naturally connecting it to the question from the previous Charms lesson that remained unanswered.

He looked at the feather and suddenly wondered: why must the object of practice always be a feather? Was it simply because it was light?

"Is it because a feather symbolizes letting go—letting go of gravity, breaking free from constraints—Win—gar—dium—Le—vi—o—sa!"

【You have practiced the Levitation Charm to an expert standard. Proficiency +50.】

A flash of light flickered from the tip of Sheen's wand. The feather wobbled and rose, spinning a few times in the air before dancing rhythmically, like a bird spreading its wings.

Justin, sitting nearby, was stunned.

"He just muttered a few things—things I couldn't even hear clearly—and he can reach this level?" Justin said blankly. "Sometimes I feel like Sheen is exactly the wizard I imagined; he can just mumble a few words and defy the magical common sense I haven't even stabilized yet."

Hermione stared unblinkingly at the dancing feather, then glanced at her own wand with a frown, letting out a somewhat helpless sigh. Looking at Sheen's focused profile, her small face gradually regained its determination.

As the feather slowly descended, Sheen waved his wand again.

"Win—gar—dium—Le—vi—o—sa!"

【You have practiced the Levitation Charm to an expert standard. Proficiency +50.】

The moment the panel notification sounded, Sheen felt a wave of fatigue. He let the feather drift slowly into his palm, only to see an excited Justin and a blushing, embarrassed Hermione.

...

"Just as Professor Flitwick said when explaining the Wand-Lighting Charm, charms infused with a wizard's emotions are more powerful. The Wand-Lighting Charm requires the wizard to long for light, while the emotion required for the Levitation Charm is 'letting go'—letting go of gravity... I think that is why wizards have always used feathers for practice."

By the time Sheen finished speaking, Justin's expression was somewhat dazed.

*Is that how you understand it? Why couldn't I think of that at all?*

Then, he and Hermione quickly grabbed their pens to record every single word Sheen said.

Sheen slowly took out his History of Magic notes from his bag.

Tomorrow, he would have a full day to complete the timeline of History of Magic and organize a "Sheen-exclusive" framework of magical history.

The same applied to Astronomy. Although it was a profound part of magic, the standards for young students were not high. Sheen only needed to record the celestial trajectories, much like he did with History of Magic.

This meant that by tomorrow, his scholarship fragments would reach four

Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and History of Magic.