Chapter 302: The Restricted Section Slip
"I'm not apologizing — not to a puny first-year!"
Peeves gave the little witch's face a sharp pinch, sending her scurrying away in tears. Sean sighed and gave his wand a small flick, causing the girl's hat to float back down into her arms.
"Th-thank you," she sobbed, looking like a literal fountain of grief.
"My apologies for the trouble," Sean said simply.
He watched her leave, feeling a slight twinge of doubt as to whether recruiting Peeves to "guard" the bathroom had been his most inspired decision.
Morning.
Sunlight bathed the castle turrets as Hogwarts roused itself for another day. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was a hive of activity as the students filed in, chattering loudly.
Ever since the "Pixie Disaster," Lockhart had strictly forbidden any live creatures in his classroom. Now, he spent the lessons reading long, dramatic passages from his own books, occasionally acting out the most thrilling segments. He had tried to cast Sean in a role once, but Sean had declined with a polite, cold stare.
Now, Harry was the designated co-star. So far, Harry had been forced to play: a simple Transylvanian villager cured of a Babbling Curse; and a vampire who, after a firm talking-to from Lockhart, had sworn off blood in favor of a diet of strictly lettuce.
In today's lesson, Harry was dragged to the front once more. This time, he was a werewolf.
As Harry began his performance, Ron's face turned a shade of red that rivaled a ripe tomato. Hermione nudged him, looking exasperated. "Ron, stop it. Harry's in enough pain as it is."
"I know, but look — he's about to howl!" Ron whispered, vibrating with suppressed laughter.
Hermione's face tightened as she tried to maintain her composure, though a faint, tell-tale twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth. On the stage, Harry looked as though he wanted to swallow his own wand. He hadn't wanted to cooperate, but Justin had pulled him aside earlier, explaining that there was a very important reason why they needed to keep Lockhart in a good mood today.
"Splendid howl, Harry! Truly authentic!" Lockhart beamed. "And then, believe it or not, I pounced — like so — and bowled him over! CRASH!
"I pinned him with one hand, wand to his throat with the other! Then, gathering my remaining strength, I performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm. He let out a piteous groan — go on, Harry, higher! — and the fur vanished! Excellent!"
Hermione finally lost the battle against her composure and let out a small giggle. Ron was openly grinning. Neville, meanwhile, was still buried in his copy of The Standard Book of Spells, with Sean's study notes tucked neatly into the margin.
Harry's ordeal finally ended as the bell rang. Lockhart straightened his robes.
"Homework!" he shouted over the noise of packing bags. "Write a poem about my victory over the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! The best entry will receive a signed copy of my autobiography, Magical Me!"
Sean knew the moment had come. He prepared to approach the desk, but he found someone had beaten him to it.
"Professor Lockhart," Justin said smoothly, sounding every bit the adoring fan. "I was wondering if I might have your permission to borrow a certain book from the library? Your writing is so dense with knowledge, I feel I need to do some background research to fully appreciate your genius."
"My dear Mr. Finch-Fletchley! A seeker of truth!" Lockhart beamed, snatching the slip of paper from Justin's hand. "Of course! You, Mr. Green, and Miss Granger are clearly my most gifted pupils. I'll give you a little something extra — here!"
He scrawled a flamboyant, loopy signature across the slip, then pulled a copy of Gadding with Ghouls from a pile and signed that as well.
As Justin closed the book, Sean caught a glimpse of a second slip of paper that had been hidden by a Disillusionment Charm. It shimmered into view just as they stepped out of the room. Sean shared a knowing look with Justin, and the group hurried away.
"I can't believe it," Harry panted as they reached a safe distance. "You actually got a permission slip for the Restricted Section?"
Justin nodded with a modest smile and pressed the slip into Sean's hand.
"He didn't even look at the title," Harry marveled.
"Because he's a hollow-headed dunderhead," Ron muttered. He finally understood why Sean had bothered to get a perfect score on that ridiculous test.
The group split up shortly after. Harry headed for Quidditch practice, and Neville vanished toward the library to practice his charms. Hermione, however, followed Sean and Justin.
The idea of a Restricted Section pass wasn't a shock to the group. If the Restricted Section ever needed a student-curator, Sean would be the only candidate. He was already there nearly every day, often helping Madam Pince open the library doors in the morning.
"I happened to see the form on his desk... happy to be of service," Justin said, clutching his copy of Gadding with Ghouls.
"You've been a massive help," Sean replied.
Justin looked momentarily taken aback by the sincere praise. Hermione watched the slip with longing, but she felt that whatever research Sean was doing was likely far more important than her own reading list.
To her surprise, Justin opened the book again. Inside was a piece of magical tracing parchment, beneath which lay a stack of identical, blank slips.
"Just peel one off and press it onto the signed one," Justin explained, handing a blank to Hermione. "With this, we have unrestricted access to the library's secrets whenever we like."
Hermione stared at the parchment in a daze, her eyes widening at the possibilities.
Golden sunlight poured through the corridor windows. After a week of rain, the clear weather felt like a rare gift. The Quidditch team, who had been training in literal mud pits for days, finally had a chance to dry out. Harry was particularly relieved; every time he entered the locker room, the magical mirror would shriek, "You look like a drowned rat, Potter!"
Sean bypassed the Quidditch pitch, heading toward Hagrid's hut. He wasn't in a rush to hit the library yet; his Transfiguration breakthrough was within reach.
With the aid of his system panel, his growth was compounding. Having mastered the core principles, his progress in [Adept] level Material Transfiguration was moving twice as fast as he had projected.
A warm breeze blew across the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Snowy had already snatched a biscuit and flown off to play a game of tag with Fang. Tila, less rambunctious, remained tucked in Sean's pocket, occasionally poking its leafy head out to watch the world go by.
Sean was calculating his timeline, thinking about the "opportune moment" the Sorting Hat had mentioned, when he spotted a group of young witches. They were gathered by the Black Lake, surrounding someone. Sean could hear a dreamy, musical voice:
"The earth is a living thing. It rises and falls every day because it's sneezing."
A round of giggles followed. Sean watched as the group eventually drifted away, leaving only Luna Lovegood sitting alone on the bank.
The sky and the lake were the same shade of pale, luminous blue that followed a heavy storm. Luna was barefoot, her shoes and socks discarded on the grass, swinging her legs over the water. The ground wasn't entirely dry yet, and there were patches of mud near the shore.
Luna turned her head as she heard the sound of footsteps crushing the damp grass.
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