Ever since Sean forced Lockhart into several duels and humiliated him, Lockhart stopped teaching practical lessons. Now, every class involved reading from his books or acting out "famous" scenes from them—famous, of course, only in Lockhart's mind.
During these performances, Lockhart loved dragging Harry into the spotlight.
Say it what you will, Lockhart had a natural knack for riding on someone else's fame. The attention-grabbing tricks Sean knew from his past life's internet culture? Lockhart seemed to have mastered them all.
But perhaps because of what Sean had said to Harry earlier, Harry had recently refused Lockhart's invitations multiple times. This forced Lockhart to reluctantly pair up with a Gryffindor boy who was a die-hard fan. Unfortunately for Lockhart, this fan overacted every time, stealing the spotlight and leaving Lockhart visibly frustrated.
Lockhart had planned to coast through today's lesson by reading from his book. To his surprise, Harry Potter—the Boy Who Lived, a walking source of fame—volunteered to act out a scene from Lockhart's Wanderings with Werewolves. Lockhart was thrilled.
It must be his charm winning over the Savior, Harry Potter!
That's what Lockhart thought.
Watching Harry play along with Lockhart's theatrics, Blaise burst out laughing. He nudged Sean's leg and whispered, "Sean, what's gotten into the Savior? Why's he suddenly playing along with that fraud Lockhart? Has the great Harry Potter become a fan?"
"It's probably because Harry and his friends want something from Lockhart. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother humoring him."
"Sean, you're always defending the Savior."
"I'm just stating facts. You, on the other hand, always seem biased against Harry and his friends."
"Well, I just don't like Gryffindors."
Sean shook his head with a chuckle, flipping through his book and changing the subject. "How's things with your girlfriend? I've noticed you haven't been hitting the library as much lately."
Scratching his head awkwardly, Blaise said, "The library's not really my scene. At first, being there with her felt new and exciting, but then I realized she doesn't talk to me there. She doesn't want me disturbing her either. So, I stopped going with her. But we're still dating, so it hasn't affected our relationship much. Everyone's got their own life, you know? I think it's fine."
Sean looked at Blaise, sensing this relationship was different from his past ones. Blaise seemed more settled this time. Smiling, Sean thought it was a good change—otherwise, Blaise might have worked his way through half the girls at Hogwarts.
Lowering his head, Sean went back to his book.
Lately, the Potions Club had been keeping him busy with research and study. Sean was already planning his second academic paper. Once he'd sorted out the theoretical side, he'd start practical experiments, summarize his findings, and aim to finish the paper before the term ended.
Meanwhile, at the Firwood Club, Professor McGonagall seemed keen on pushing Sean to dive deeper into Transfiguration. Having already published a paper in The Golden Crucible, Sean was a prime candidate in her eyes to aim for Animagus, the top British Transfiguration journal.
McGonagall always seemed fair, showing no bias toward any house. But when it came to rivaling Snape, she was fiercely competitive. Even though Sean was a Slytherin, his talent in Transfiguration meant she wouldn't pass up the chance to have him publish in Animagus and one-up Snape.
Transfiguration and Potions were different, though. To write a meaningful Transfiguration paper, Sean needed to reach the third stage of the subject. Only then would he understand it on both a macro and micro level, grasping its essence rather than just waving his wand and casting spells without knowing why.
The Defence Against the Dark Arts class, which felt more like a study hall, ended. Sean and Blaise left the classroom together. As they did, Sean noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione crowding around Lockhart, asking for something. He faintly overheard them requesting a note to access the Restricted Section of the library.
It clicked for Sean—that's how they were playing it.
Even if Sean could get into the Restricted Section, he didn't have any books there he wanted to read. Between the reading lists from the Potions Club and Firwood Club, plus his other commitments, he was already swamped. The forbidden allure of the Restricted Section wasn't enough to tempt him to spend his limited time there.
After class, Sean didn't head straight back to his room to rest. Instead, he parted ways with Blaise, who went off to find his girlfriend. Sean, meanwhile, headed to the Room of Requirement, accessing the room defined as "a place only Sean Bulstrode can enter when alone."
This room was restricted not just to someone named Sean Bulstrode, but to a single person at a time.
While there could be another Sean Bulstrode in the world, the condition was tied to a wizard's true name, making it nearly impossible for another to exist in the magical world. Even if there were, they'd unlikely come to Hogwarts, know about the Room of Requirement, and discover this specific room.
So, the room was incredibly secure.
Pushing open the door, Sean stepped into a cozy, modestly sized study. The diary sat on the desk.
Sean sat down, pulled out his books and notes, and wrote in the diary, "Let's continue our last discussion on Transfiguration."
"Good."
"The third stage of Transfiguration focuses on understanding matter at both a micro and macro level. You need to grasp…"
Sean read the lines appearing on the diary's pages, diligently taking notes. He cross-referenced the information with his Transfiguration notes, carefully studying and verifying the diary's knowledge. The Room of Requirement fell silent, filled only with the soft scratching of Sean's quill.