Far away, Dumbledore's smile hadn't faded once, not even when he bit into a bogey-flavored Every Flavor Bean.
Watching the two boys handle things so differently, he could already picture the stunned look on that kid's face when he opened the letter.
Nothing in the world was more entertaining than that.
His eyes twink with interest, traveling across distant rooftops and miles of snow, finally settling on Hogwarts Castle.
Right then, Sean was hunched by the fire, nose-deep in an alchemy book.
Senior Bruce wasn't getting out anytime soon. The guy was wrapped up like a mummy. And somehow, through Piste's translations, he was still arguing with Leon.
It probably went something like this:
Leon: "I've never seen an idiot like you."
Bruce: "Mmph."
Piste: "He says now you've seen one."
Leon: "…"
Luckily, Leon spotted Sean and immediately agreed to his request.
That lifted a weight off Sean's chest as he headed back to Hope Cottage.
Of course, the biggest worry was still Bruce.
The good news? Bruce would be out in three days. You had to hand it to Madam Pomfrey—she was scary efficient.
Sean figured it was because the hospital wing was always short on beds, and little wizards were always up to no good.
So the second a kid looked halfway healed, Pomfrey kicked them out.
Back in Hope Cottage, the second animal biscuit was quickly decided. Yup—Mrs. Norris biscuits.
Hogwarts had tons of creatures, mostly in the Forbidden Forest, but Sean wasn't going in there. Rumor had it the Dark Lord occasionally spawned inside.
Bad luck, and you could eat a Killing Curse in the "safest" castle in the world.
So, no Forbidden Forest. That left slim pickings.
Most animals in the castle were pets or staff helpers.
Toads, rats, spiders… cats just felt way friendlier.
So once Sean finished the book and prepped the materials and runes, he'd go feed Mrs. Norris a ton. Surely she'd let him study her in exchange for dried fish, right?
Soon enough, Sean was back from the hospital wing. Everyone crowded around, hesitant and worried.
"Is he okay?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah," Sean nodded, then added, "He'll be out in three days."
"Merlin's beard—three days for injuries that bad?" Ron gaped. Last time they'd visited, Bruce had looked like dragon bait.
"St. Mungo's has amazing healers…" Neville spoke up quietly.
He was shaking, but his eyes shone with total faith in those healers.
"Okay then," Ron nodded.
As everyone started to drift off, Sean and Justin both locked eyes on Neville.
Hope Cottage went quiet and still, like time had frozen in warm amber.
After sorting the index of the first book, an owl appeared at the window—covered in snow, flapping wildly, but the glass wouldn't budge.
The owl, silver-white and furious, stomped on the portrait frame. With a flick of its wing, the open window slid from the left wall to the right.
"Fine! Just come find me, why don't you!"
It squawked.
The owl crashed head-first into the glass. Sean bolted out of the cottage.
The owl kept screeching behind him. Sean figured he'd be locked out again next time.
Finally, the silver owl landed on Sean's shoulder. A flick of his wand sent flames dancing from the tip, melting the snow on its wings.
This owl was Sean's first Christmas gift ever—from Mrs. Roland Taylor.
Another wave of the wand, and a book transfigured into a tiny cushioned pad on his shoulder. The owl snuggled in, nuzzling Sean's cheek.
Only when it stopped shivering did Sean pull the letter free:
[Dear Mr. Green:
I believe I've agreed to help Longbottom…]
Sean nodded at the words.
Five days until Christmas.
And with Christmas came an avalanche of homework.
Everyone buckled down. Even Ron and Harry, once they found a fast, easy method, threw themselves into it with wild energy.
Though they still couldn't figure out how Justin had time to bake biscuits after finishing homework—or how Sean had time to feed cats.
Mrs. Norris, the terror who chased them all over the castle, turned into a total sweetheart around Sean.
[You practiced making Mrs. Norris biscuits to apprentice standards. Proficiency +1]
Thanks to close observation, Sean nailed the Mrs. Norris biscuit. The animal biscuit lineup grew by one.
Justin and Hermione had been dying for this one.
But weirdly, they didn't seem eager to try it themselves.
"Go on, Sean?" Justin said, practically bouncing. Hermione set her book down, eyes bright with anticipation.
Harry and Ron were off at the library.
Sean, wearing oven mitts, held out the biscuit. Both shook their heads.
Then stared at him.
"Oh come on, Sean, it can't always be you testing them," Justin laughed.
Fair. They couldn't see the system prompts—had no idea if it was safe.
So Sean took a bite.
The change was instant.
A small black cat.
All ink-black, like a walking shadow. In seconds, it leaped lightly onto the windowsill, tilting its head at the crumbs, emerald eyes glinting with life.
"Justin… don't wizards lose consciousness when they transform?" Hermione asked without blinking.
"Oh—yeah, totally."
They leaned in.
The black cat purred, sprang into the air—and turned back into a very confused wizard.
Sean hadn't snapped out of his shock yet—he still had his mind!
Then the two leaning in broke the moment.
"Ahem…" Hermione turned away, cheeks pink.
"Whoa! Sean, that was awesome—another one?"
Sean ignored Justin, left a few biscuits, and headed out.
The feeling was unreal. A cat's world was nothing like a wizard's.
But what Sean really wanted to test: why did he keep his consciousness?
And… could he still cast spells?