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The corners of Sean's lips curled into a subtle smile before he vanished into the crowd.
They had two classes that afternoon. The last one was held in the greenhouses, and after class, Professor Sprout enthusiastically praised his Mandrake Restorative Draught, calling it the best batch a student had produced in years.
She even kindly gave him some melon toffees, which kept him smiling all the way out of the greenhouse.
As he left, however, Sean ran into quite a few young witches with blushing faces. He had a pretty good guess about what was coming, so he kept his Disillusionment Charm active all the way back to the Hope Hut.
When he slipped inside, Harry's face was still a bright crimson. Ron wasn't doing much better.
Rumor had it that Lockhart had composed songs for all the young wizards involved in the operation to destroy the diary. After Harry had been serenaded, Ron—who had rushed over in a hurry—was the next victim.
Sean thought for a moment, then quietly ate a Wampus biscuit. His pupils instantly narrowed into vertical slits, gleaming with a deep, intense light.
"I could die of embarrassment..." he heard Ron wail.
Thank god for Ron... That was Harry, obviously.
---
"Sean, what are you doing?"
Who was that?
Sean blinked, and the effects of the transformation biscuit faded quickly. When he turned his head, Justin was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"A type of spiritual transfiguration," Sean explained slowly.
"Advanced Transfiguration involving self-transformation?" Justin looked thoughtful but didn't press further.
---
Valentine's Day brought plenty of entertainment.
Even though Sean kept a low profile, he couldn't help but run into some of it.
For instance, the upper-year students almost all paired off and headed to Hogsmeade. They'd sneak out of the castle separately, meet up at the gates, and eventually get caught red-handed by Professor Snape.
Then there was Bai, who perched on Sean's shoulder all day, chasing away any owls that tried to get too close.
And, of course, Harry and Malfoy got into an argument. Malfoy, flustered and angry, snapped at a girl nearby who was trying to give Harry a card:
"I don't think Potter's really interested in your Valentine's gift!"
All in all, if you ignored the enthusiastic young witches, it was a productive day much like any other.
After all, as of today, Sean could finally transform just his eyes into those of a Wampus Cat.
That was no small feat; it had taken him a full week.
The next step was to grind out his proficiency with the Wampus biscuits and adapt to using Legilimency in that form.
He hadn't slacked off on the former. His progress now read:
[Wampus Biscuit: Novice (600/900)]
The latter, however, would require constant practice. To hide the changes in his pupils, Sean had even crafted a special set of invisible, refracting contact lenses.
Perhaps, as Professor Tyra said, a true Alchemy Master is capable of changing the wizarding world. Sean understood that to an extent, but he resonated much more with another aspect: making life easier for wizards.
His lenses, the Speaking Brooch, and the Book of Wizards were excellent examples of this.
The night air was crisp and cold.
A pale, translucent moon hung high above the Forbidden Forest.
Sean walked along the edge of the woods, where he occasionally spotted upper-year students scattering in panic, having been spooked by Professor Snape.
Whenever they were running for their lives, Sean found their minds were much easier to read.
Of course, even with them being vulnerable, Sean's current abilities only allowed him to glean surface-level thoughts.
Most were filled with panic and fear.
Sometimes it was: "How is Snape out here?!"
Other times: "I am never dating in the Slytherin common room for a thrill again!"
Or even: "That was terrifying... anyway, what should I get from the kitchens tonight?"
Sean would position himself to catch their eye, mentally noting the subtle fluctuations in his Legilimency. He was starting to find patterns in the chaos.
Until—
"Sean Green!"
The voice exploded in his head like a clap of thunder.
His mind felt sluggish, and he didn't even see Professor Snape approach with a dark expression until he was right in front of him.
"Has no one ever told you that invading the minds of others is a perilous endeavor?!" Snape said with a scowl.
"I didn't know, Professor."
Sean hadn't expected to run into Snape, and to be fair, no one had told him.
Snape sneered, ready to continue his tirade, when he suddenly paused.
"Where did you learn Legilimency?"
"I haven't learned Legilimency, Professor," Sean answered honestly.
"Hah—"
Snape laughed in sheer exasperation. A moment later, he scrutinized Sean with a look that buried deep surprise.
"Foolish... Is it... your other Animagus form?"
Sean nodded.
"Your partial Transfiguration has already reached this level?" Snape fell silent for a moment, his expression looking deep and complex under the moonlight.
"I just perfected it, Professor." Sean nodded again.
"Legilimency is an art. A dangerous and rigorous art. Just in case that thick skull of yours fails to grasp the concept, your detention hours will be increased starting tomorrow."
Snape huffed coldly and walked away.
After he left, another group of students returning from Hogsmeade passed by.
Scottish wizards tend to be bold and passionate during the holidays. In other words, they spend a lot of time in a drunken stupor.
This is reflected not only in the sheer number of parties they attend but also in their somewhat lackluster magical proficiency.
Sean, however, never went to parties, and no one ever managed to invite him.
Just like now, as he slowly faded into invisibility amidst the rowdy crowd.
---
Back in the Hope Hut.
Justin had carved the giant pumpkin Hagrid gave them into a little reading nook.
There were many pumpkin mugs around the structure, baking softly with the pumpkin juice still inside them.
Once again, it was just the three of them.
Hermione, Justin, and Sean.
Hermione was brewing Veritaserum day and night, while Justin was training his dueling skills.
And Sean, amidst his own busy work, listened to the constant chiming of his system notifications:
[You practiced making Wampus Biscuits at a Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced making Wampus Biscuits at a Journeyman standard. Proficiency +10]
It wasn't until just before curfew that Sean finally let out a breath of relief.
While perfecting the previous batch, Sean had managed to produce a Wampus biscuit that met the [Journeyman] standard over the last few days.
This meant his proficiency gains were about to get a whole lot faster.