Learning magic always relied more on talent than effort. Wizards often explained the Levitation Charm as reciting an incantation with a flick and swish of the wrist. As for more explanation, that became as vague as the gurgling sound of cauldrons.
Even Professor Flitwick focused on clear pronunciation, then repeated the usual flick and swish. After memorizing The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, Shawn still couldn't find more detailed explanations. He started to think that charms worked this way, following old patterns and relying on experience.
Because this knowledge came from experience, it wasn't very precise. For example, with the flick and swish, how far should the wand move? How big should the swish be? These details were hard to explain and could only be solved by young wizards with enough talent. Shawn also thought that talented wizards probably never faced this problem and just succeeded right away.
So the problem was clear. Talented wizards didn't struggle, but those without talent spent a lot of time just hoping for success as they practiced spells. In the end, these problems, like the ones Shawn faced with potions, remained unsolved.
Shawn didn't think magic could relate to science, but whether proficiency increased told him: at least there existed a method to cast magic more easily.
"Yes, the arm amplitude when waving should be larger. Also, the incantation pronunciation—the stress is on 'gar.' Here's a small detail: the 'di' afterward is still stressed..." In the classroom, a magical lantern illuminated a small area. Shawn seriously guided Justin's practice, using all his understanding of the Levitation Charm.
So when Justin strictly completed the Levitation Charm according to his standards, that feather that had never floated for five seconds actually wavered and floated for ten seconds.
"Goodness! Shawn, we succeeded!" Justin excitedly exclaimed softly, then stared intently as the feather slowly fell. "Shawn, this is all because of you. Thank you for your help." Justin thanked him sincerely and earnestly.
Shawn nodded to show he understood.
"I think making the waving amplitude even larger would be better... but... after the stress on 'di,' is 'Le' still stressed?" Hermione, beside them, holding a book covering her face, had actually been observing for a long time. She suddenly spoke, her tone still somewhat haughty, but both people present automatically ignored it.
"Yes, I think it should be heavier. As for the waving amplitude... we can try, but..." Shawn glanced at the feather. He was about to say his magic hadn't recovered, but before he finished speaking, Justin's spell had already been cast.
Were all Hufflepuffs this considerate? Shawn was stunned for a few seconds.
All three in the hidden room stared at the feather, watching it waver and float for fifteen seconds. As soon as it fell, Justin let out a soft exclamation. "Wow! Hermione, your conjecture is completely correct!"
Hermione lifted her slightly reddened face, very receptive to such praise. The rest of the time, the three conducted many experiments, until Shawn's magic recovered, he practiced the Levitation Charm to Proficient level, then depleted his magic again.
Time flowed like fine sand through fingers. The magical lantern swayed as it followed the three all the way out of the hidden room. Shawn was very satisfied—he gained forty-five proficiency points. Hermione was also satisfied—her wild ideas had a like-minded, even "smarter" partner in Shawn, plus an experimenter willing to cast spells until his face went white—Justin. Justin was also satisfied—he seemed to have discovered a new continent.
Evening had fallen, and Hogwarts Castle was quiet. At the end of the third-floor corridor, a wall shifted, revealing a yellowed and cracked oil painting. The painting showed a snow-white owl in a velvet vest and small pince-nez glasses. Right now, the owl looked almost human as it struggled with one fluffy claw to straighten its crooked glasses, its expression comically irritated.
"Young wizards! Wretched young wizards!" After Justin and Hermione left the room, it first shrilly complained, but when Shawn passed by, it suddenly stopped complaining and muttered quietly, "Young wizard, clever young wizard..."
While waiting for the stairs to settle, Hermione's voice mingled with the rumbling of the rotating stairs. "I think we'll probably have to use this room continuously... so we should inform a professor. Professor Flitwick will definitely allow us to practice charms here."
Justin praised, "Very thoughtful. That's so like you, Hermione!"
Hermione's face reddened slightly. She looked at Shawn, and after Shawn nodded, Hermione hurriedly said goodbye to the two and disappeared at the corridor's end, leaving only Shawn and Justin walking through the corridor illuminated by warm firelight.
"Um, Shawn, I want to say, you didn't even eat Yorkshire pudding today... Is potion brewing not going well?" Justin's sudden soft words caught Shawn off guard. Could these two things be connected so quickly? Then he nodded slightly.
"Is it Professor Snape? I heard he never allows first-year students to brew potions on their own, but he's quite lenient with some older Slytherins... I don't think you'd fail at brewing —do you need help? Although Professor Snape is scary, I still have the courage to visit his office." Justin's words made Shawn increasingly silent. He looked up. The little badger's eyes shone with firm yet gentle light.
"Remember? We're friends. If you're in trouble and I don't lend a hand, what kind of friends are we?"
Night. Light blue curtains swayed slightly. The sound of the wind blowing past the window always made Shawn feel very comfortable. The fireplace crackled and burned.
Shawn recalled Justin's words before leaving: "Even if I'm afraid, I can steel myself... The prefect said Hogwarts has no school rule forbidding young wizards from brewing potions."
Ravenclaw only had one Herbology class on Friday. Shawn had an entire Friday to wait for Professor Snape to leave the dungeons. He looked at the picturesque moonlight outside the window, thoughts churning.
Hogwarts, the magical school founded a thousand years ago, and Hufflepuff, its warm and welcoming house, raised wizards full of life. They might not always stand out or be easily remembered, but as Lady Helga Hufflepuff said, hard work, loyalty, and broad tolerance are just as important.
A complex emotion faintly existed in Shawn's heart. Advanced Potion-Making lay open and scattered on the windowsill. The rustling sound of pages made Shawn seem to see again Justin's notes spread open in the library:
[Like our house badger, we will protect ourselves from all who are against us and help our friends and family. Nothing can make us afraid]