Chapter 60: Accio
Magic rarely cooperated with those lacking talent. Yet, even wizards possessing a modicum of aptitude weren't always the sharpest tools in the shed.
Sean silently pocketed the Sugar Quill. Hermione stood beside him, looking utterly flustered. When Sean placed a real quill on the desk, he turned to see Hermione glaring daggers at Justin, who was visibly trembling with suppressed laughter. She looked ready to transfigure him into a skunk.
"Go on, laugh if you want to," Sean sighed.
"Hahaha—Sean, Hermione, you didn't actually think that was a real quill, did you?" Justin howled, bending over with laughter. "That's the second funniest thing I've heard all day…"
"Jus—tin!" Hermione growled, puffing out her cheeks.
Justin instantly sobered up. "Oh, Hermione, teach me! I've been trying to learn the Summoning Charm too, but I just can't get it right. Do you think it's the wand movement?"
"…Your swish is too hesitant," Hermione replied, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten as she shifted into lecture mode, critiquing Justin's technique.
Sean turned his attention back to the quill on the desk. He pulled out another one from his bag – a broken one. Quills were generally durable, but Sean went through them at an alarming rate. Though he skillfully trimmed the nibs with a small knife to extend their lifespan, eventually, they wore down beyond repair.
"Accio Quill!" He spoke the incantation clearly. The broken quill vibrated intensely, then zipped neatly into his hand.
[You have practiced the Summoning Charm once to the Apprentice standard. Proficiency +1]
Just then, Sean paused. Summoning Charm? The Panel used that term. Why not 'Fetching Charm'? Coincidences were rare in the magical world. He considered the wording carefully.
"Because the strength of the charm," he murmured, realization dawning, "is determined by the wizard. The wizard's will to summon acts upon the object, creating the Accio effect."
"Accio Quill!" he declared, focusing his intent.
Every quill in the room trembled, then flew towards him.
[You have practiced the Summoning Charm once to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
But it wasn't just quills that arrived. Justin, who had been holding his own quill, stumbled forward, pulled by the spell, and landed sprawled across the desk in front of Sean.
Sean calmly observed Justin, wondering if he should offer assistance, when Hermione let out a snort of laughter. "Nice moves, Justin," she said, trying to keep a straight face. "Is that a new dance you're working on?"
Justin's face turned bright red.
Sean now had a clearer understanding of the Summoning Charm. As Hermione had explained from Flitwick's notes, a wizard didn't need to know the specific name of an unknown object, only one of its key attributes. For example, Hermione might not know the title of a particular book, but she knew it contained information about the Summoning Charm. By focusing on that attribute ("book about Accio") and defining a range ("Hogwarts library"), the relevant book would fly to her. However, summoning unknown or distant objects required significantly more magical energy.
If the charm could summon living creatures, its power would be immense. But, evidently, it couldn't. Harry had once tried to summon Hagrid, with predictable results. Sean thought it was probably for the best; the image of the half-giant hurtling through the air was rather alarming. (Though he suspected no amount of summoning would ever make Ginny Weasley fly to Harry's side.)
With this deeper understanding, his progress accelerated.
[You have practiced the Summoning Charm once to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
[You have practiced the Summoning Charm once to the Adept standard. Proficiency +10]
[Summoning Charm: Unlocked]
Utterly drained, Sean lowered his wand. He looked over to see Hermione and Justin looking equally exhausted. Justin, however, recovered quickly, miraculously producing three steaming mugs of honey-jasmine tea seemingly from thin air. To this day, Sean had no idea where Justin conjured food and drinks from. He only knew the tea was delicious.
As dusk settled over the castle, Sean headed back towards the dungeons. The setting sun cast long, fragmented shadows down the corridors. The portraits lining the walls were beginning their evening socializing. The Fat Lady had materialized beside her friend, Lady Violet. Slightly tipsy, she leaned against the frame, humming off-key.
"Look, there he is, Violet," she slurred good-naturedly. "Sir Cadogan's 'Wild Card'."
Hogwarts portraits weren't merely decorations; they had rich inner lives and a penchant for amusement. They visited each other, devised passwords, offered unsolicited advice, and occasionally challenged students to duels. They also indulged in various private wagers. The "Wild Card" wager was a popular one – betting on which student would cause the most unexpected trouble or achieve the most surprising success. It wasn't necessarily a negative term, more a mark of a student the portraits found particularly intriguing.
"By my knighthood, Fat Lady, ten centuries of observation are rarely wrong," Sir Cadogan boomed from his own frame. "Young Green, mark my words, he'll make a great name for himself in the wizarding world. I guarantee it." The knight's pronouncement made the Fat Lady regard Sean with renewed interest; knights, after all, were honour-bound not to lie.
Time seemed to stand still in the dungeons. Severus Snape hadn't moved for what felt like hours, a statue carved from the dungeon's own shadows, the rain finally having stopped outside. The air hung thick with the lingering scent of potions, and parchment lay piled high on his desk.
He stood unmoving, a small, folded note clutched in his hand. If Sean had been there, he would have recognized it as one of Libatius Borage's hidden annotations. Unlike Sean's copy, however, this one bore a faint, almost invisible number '1' in the corner.
Click—
The sound of the door opening broke the silence. Sean entered, his green eyes lighting up with undisguised relief upon seeing the Potions Master. He hurried to his usual cauldron, set down his notebook, and began retrieving ingredients from the student cupboard.
Sean felt a thrill of anticipation. Tonight, he had two exciting goals. First, to test the true impact of Borage's modified ritual on potion quality. Every increase in quality meant a significant boost in efficacy – and price. Second, he wanted to test his theory from flying class: could focused willpower subtly influence and refine the reactions within the cauldron itself?
He was so engrossed in his preparations that he failed to notice the complex, assessing gaze fixed upon him.