Joseph whispered something into Tonks's ear, then stepped forward and walked up to Sean.
"First-year Sean," he said kindly. "We won't ask why you were out after curfew. Anyone who can enter the Room of Requirement clearly has some kind of connection with it."
"Tonks cast a spell on you earlier. I apologize on her behalf."
Sean looked at the tall, broad-shouldered senior with short blond hair and a sunny expression.
This guy seems pretty decent, Sean thought. Much more reasonable than Tonks.
"We're both sixth-years from Hufflepuff," Joseph continued. "I'm Joseph Omero, and she's Nymphadora Tonks. If you ever run into trouble at Hogwarts, you can come find us."
Sean already knew Tonks was a Hufflepuff, but he hadn't expected that she had such a handsome boyfriend back when she was a student.
I wonder how they eventually broke up, Sean wondered briefly.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Sixth-year students… They must be top students in Hufflepuff.
Maybe they know about potions or spells that can hide magical power.
Sean asked, "Joseph, do you know any magic or potion that can conceal magical power?"
Joseph thought for a moment.
Before he could answer, Tonks spoke bluntly.
"Sean Grylls—you want to get into the Restricted Section, don't you?"
Sean felt as if he had just been hit with a hundred Petrificus charm spells.
His intentions had been seen through instantly.
Was she incredibly perceptive—or just frighteningly sharp?
"I was just curious," Sean said awkwardly. "Why Filch can enter the Restricted Section while we get blocked outside."
"You don't have to explain," Tonks replied calmly. "When I was your age, I was curious about the Restricted Section too."
"The recipe for a potion called Muggle Experience Potion is actually in the public library area. I found it by accident once."
"Muggle Experience Potion?" Sean asked, puzzled. He had never heard of it.
"It's a high-level potion," Tonks explained. "It temporarily removes a wizard's magical ability so they can experience what it feels like to be a Muggle."
"But honestly, it's pretty useless. No wizard really wants to know what it's like to be a Muggle."
"How long does it last?" Sean asked.
"About two hours," Tonks said. "It's a boring potion. If you're planning to brew it, I suggest you give up now."
"Even though it's useless, the difficulty is still at the N.E.W.T level. Only sixth-year students usually attempt it."
"If you want access to the Restricted Section, you don't have to use such a complicated method," Tonks added.
"You can apply to your Head of House for a library permission slip."
Joseph nodded.
"It's a privilege granted to excellent students. You can enter the Restricted Section once per month."
"But only starting in third year."
Tonks smiled mischievously.
She clearly knew Sean was only a first-year.
Sean kept smiling politely.
Inside, however, he was already cursing her.
What kind of joke is this? That explanation is completely useless.
Even if Sean asked Snape for a permission slip, Snape would definitely refuse.
Snape already believed Sean was overly confident.
Although he acknowledged Sean's talent, he still thought Sean was somewhat arrogant.
A first-year requesting access to the Restricted Section?
There was no chance Snape would agree.
Looks like the Muggle Experience Potion is my only option, Sean thought.
Sean left the Room of Requirement quickly.
Although he hadn't found Ravenclaw's diadem, he had at least gained valuable information about the potion.
That alone made the trip worthwhile.
Using the Marauder's Map, Sean carefully made his way back toward the Slytherin common room.
Before he reached it, he noticed two names appearing on the map.
Nymphadora Tonks
Joseph Omero
It seemed their date had ended, and they were heading back to the Hufflepuff dormitory.
Tonks had told him which section of the library contained the potion recipe.
Sean planned to find the formula after class the next day and then brew it in the second-floor bathroom.
For the time being, he decided not to return to the Room of Requirement.
If Tonks could enter it, other students might be able to as well.
Secrets weren't truly safe there.
Even Voldemort's Horcrux, hidden so carefully, had eventually been discovered by Harry.
The next day was Friday, the final day of the week.
Once the weekend arrived, Sean would have plenty of free time.
According to the Slytherin schedule, Friday morning consisted of two consecutive Potions classes, and there were no classes in the afternoon.
Once the morning classes ended, students would officially enter their first weekend at Hogwarts.
Cassius invited Sean to watch the Quidditch tryouts, but Sean declined.
Cassius assumed Sean was still embarrassed about falling off his broom, so he went with Graham instead.
Chris passed by Sean and turned to him.
"Sean, don't forget."
"Seven o'clock tonight. The Prefects' Bathroom on the sixth floor."
"The Ouroboros Wizard Society is waiting for your answer."
"I'll be there," Sean replied.
Sean went to the library's Potions section and searched through the shelves.
"Muggle Experience Potion… Muggle Experience Potion…"
Finally—
"Found it."
He began reading the list of ingredients.
"Licorice stems… lizard tails… oak shavings…"
There were about twelve ingredients in total.
Most of the early ingredients were common materials.
Some could even be found in Professor Sprout's greenhouse or in Snape's storage.
But the final ingredient made Sean frown.
Thestral saliva.
That was much harder to obtain.
There were Thestrals at Hogwarts, but they were raised by Hagrid.
Sean had no idea where Hagrid kept them.
"What a pain," Sean sighed. "Now I have to trick Hagrid into telling me."
Still—
the thought of learning Occlumency from the Restricted Section motivated him.
Sean checked the time.
It was already four o'clock.
He decided to visit Hagrid first to gather information.
Then he still had to attend the Ouroboros meeting at seven.
Sean ran out of the castle and headed toward Hagrid's hut near the Forbidden Forest.
He knocked on the door.
No response.
He's not here? Did I come all this way for nothing?
"Sean!"
A booming voice suddenly came from the direction of the castle.
Sean turned around.
The towering figure could only be Hagrid.
Several slabs of raw beef hung from his belt.
He looked like he was about to feed some kind of animal.
As Hagrid approached, Sean suddenly felt as if the sun had been blocked.
"Sean, what are you doing here?" Hagrid asked.
"I have some questions about magical creatures," Sean said.
"First-years don't take that class yet," Hagrid replied.
"That's true," Sean said calmly. "It's a third-year course."
"But Professor Dumbledore didn't tell you? I've already self-studied the third-year curriculum."
Hagrid ducked his head and entered his small hut.
Sean followed behind him.
The hut looked ridiculously cramped for someone of Hagrid's enormous size.
Hagrid poured Sean a cup of strong tea and sat down.
"Professor Kettleburn teaches Care of Magical Creatures," Hagrid said. "Why not ask him?"
Sean had expected that question.
He replied smoothly.
"Well… compared to Professor Kettleburn, you're the one who actually takes care of the creatures in the Forbidden Forest."
"So I figured you'd know them better than anyone."
The flattery worked perfectly.
Hagrid loved magical creatures more than anything.
Later, after Professor Kettleburn retired, Dumbledore would even appoint Hagrid as the Care of Magical Creatures professor.
Hagrid took a satisfied sip of tea.
"So," he said cheerfully, "what do you want to know?"
Sean asked casually:
"I wanted to ask… is it true that Thestrals can only be seen by people who have witnessed death?"
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