The gravity of the moment was interrupted by a loud growl from Herbert's stomach. We stopped abruptly in the middle of the main hall.
"What? I'm hungry. Let's go quickly."
"Of course, but Hector will take the broom to his place."
"Cedric, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes, go ahead," he nodded in response and turned to the others. "Go, I'll go to the living room with Hector."
We headed to the main tower to go down one level—that's where our living room is. Although, there is at least one secret passage, which Justin showed me, and Ernie showed him.
"What did you want to know?"
"How can I order ingredients for potion-making?"
"Something special?"
"No. Sets for first, second, and third years."
"Oh, nothing could be simpler. Just write to Mullpepper's Apothecary and ask for as much as you need. One set each for first, second, and third year… about fifteen Galleons. There are some pretty expensive ingredients in the second year."
"And the money?"
"Upon receipt. The status of a Hogwarts student gives a certain amount of credit. If you don't pay, expect a scolding and sanctions from the dean, and you'll still have to pay anyway."
"Hm, I see. Thank you."
Returning to the living room, where the students of different ages who had just woken up were slowly starting to wander back and forth, I quickly returned to the room and put the broom in my nook. After taking a shower, I returned and wrote a letter to the apothecary, listing everything that was needed, and almost ran to the owlery—I was in a good mood.
At breakfast, the mood remained as good as before, and even the illusion of a cloudy sky on the ceiling did not spoil it at all. It was not spoiled by Malfoy's whining, like: "How unhappy I am," and he whined all day—no matter what he saw, he whined in class, during breaks, and even at lunch and dinner in the Great Hall. It seemed to me that his whining was coming from the other end of the hall, where the Slytherin table was. It is clear that he is pretending, but it is so disgusting, it is infuriating. It would be better if he pretended to stoically endure unbearable pain but proudly walked forward—he would have scored more "points" in the eyes of others, honestly.
In the evening, in my free time after dinner, I took care of finishing off the remaining number of pendants, with the calculation "one student—one pendant." Well, like last time, I handed everything over to Cedric.
As I lay down to sleep after my evening shower, I consoled myself with the hope that the package from the apothecary would arrive in the morning.
---
Saturday breakfast is a time for variety.
This is true, but unfortunately not in food. The absence of classes allowed students to wear casual clothes instead of the dress code uniform, although some neglected this opportunity, continuing to wear the uniform. But here's what's important—the uniform fit such students perfectly and was always neat and clean.
"…tor. Hector!"
"Huh? Yes, Justin, my name is Hector, I know, thank you."
"Tch…" He shook his head, thoughtfully twirling his fork with the sausage. "Why are you so excited and thoughtful? Are you waiting for a package?"
"Yes."
"It's clear why you keep looking towards the owl windows."
It was at that moment that about a dozen owls flew into the Great Hall, carrying various letters and packages in their paws. One of the owls headed towards our table, and a moment later landed neatly in front of me.
"Well, I waited," Justin nodded in her direction.
The owl extended a paw with a letter, and on the other paw, I noticed a small bag. Having checked the letter and found no traces of either magic or any more trivial harmful substances, I took the letter in my hands and opened it. From the apothecary. The parcel in a bag with invisible extension, reduced by charms. The amount is thirty-something Galleons plus shipping—thirty-one Galleons.
Taking the backpack off my shoulder, I opened it and put the required amount on the table. Only at the sight of the money did the owl extend its paw with a bag, allowing me to pull out a small, matchbox-sized bundle, instead of which I should have put the money there—that's what I did.
"Woo-hoo…" the owl hooted.
The bird brazenly and quickly stole a sausage from the common plate and waddled sideways to the most open space. Flapping its wings, it easily took off and quickly left the Great Hall through the window.
"The impudent bird," Justin watched her go. "They don't have enough sausages themselves."
Looking at the bundle, which had been reduced in size by magic, I didn't quite understand what to do with it.
"Finite," said Susan, sitting next to me, and I looked at her. "The spell must be broken by Finite."
"And I had an idea to use Engorgio."
"No, Hector," the red-haired girl shook her head. "An enlarging effect may overlap with a shrinking effect. It needs to be canceled. If you doubt that only a shrinking effect has been imposed, it is advisable to use Finite Reducio, and a swing like this…"
Susan pulled out her wand and demonstrated a simple movement.
"Reducio is said on the last loop, with acceleration on the stressed syllable."
"Yeah…" I took out my wand. "So, essentially, you extend Finite by a loop, and on the loop, you add Reducio?"
"Exactly," the girl smiled. "Try it."
"Finite Reducio."
Repeating the gesture completely and following the instructions, I removed the shrinking charm from the bundle, which literally swelled to its original size, taking up a decent portion of the table in front of me.
"Hmm, it works. Thanks, Susan."
"You're welcome."
"Reducio," I returned the charm to its place, reducing the bundle to about the same size. Taking a notebook and pencil out of my backpack, I tore out a piece of paper and wrote a short note to Daphne. A wave of the wand, the formula of cascade transfiguration, and instead of a piece of paper, a bird like origami sat on the table. The bird jumped, chirped, and smoothly flew up. Having made a circle above us and attracted a little attention, it smoothly flew towards the wary Slytherins.
I watched the flight, the smooth landing, and how the bird turned into a note in Daphne's hands. Five seconds, and the note was read and understood. The girl found me with her gaze and nodded.
"How curious," Susan drawled. "What an interesting story."
"Do you want me to kill all the romance of intrigue?"
"Try."
"There are potion ingredients in the package. We have classes with Snape."
"Oh, that's right," Susan feigned enthusiasm, as did Hannah, who was sitting next to her. "Just you, her, and…"
"And Snape," I finished instead of Susan.
"It's really killed," the girls lost all their enthusiasm.
While we were talking, the same bird flew to me and turned into a note. In addition to my text, there was a new line: "After dinner, near the Potions classroom."
"Well, that's all."
"What do you plan to do until then?"
"What do you mean 'what,' Susan? Train in magic. The Patronus Charm, at least."
"That's true," Susan and Hannah exchanged glances. "We need to teach him before we go to Hogsmeade. Otherwise, he'll be completely ruined, I'm sure."
The girls showed amazing organizational skills, gathering everyone together in five minutes and reworking the boys' plans to suit them. As a result, we sat in the same abandoned classroom until lunchtime, practicing various spells, but focusing on the Patronus Charm. Of course, we had different textbooks, snacks, and juice, and the girls brought magazines that we discussed during the break. All in all, it was not bad, ordinary—the guys were waiting for the clubs and groups to finally open. It is to be expected that with the start of various clubs and groups, we will spend less time on such activities.