After Professor Snape took over as the temporary substitute for Defense Against the Dark Arts, the young wizards' lives were no longer so leisurely.
They had to prepare for their final exams while also dealing with the complicated coursework Snape left behind.
Fortunately, Easter was just around the corner, and the students could finally catch their breath.
The Great Hall was decorated with various ribbons as usual. The giant pumpkins Hagrid grew had been carved into lanterns large enough for three people to sit inside.
Sean was nowhere to be found all day; even Hermione and Justin couldn't locate him.
He was naturally busy.
The Magic Hand Mirror was about to hit the market this Easter, and he had to provide some "high-end products" for the Fairy Tale Shop.
For example, a multi-faceted Magic Hand Mirror that allowed multiple wizards to speak at the same time;
A Magic Hand Mirror that could store voice messages;
And then...
"This is necessary, my dear apprentice. Alchemists disdain to participate in conflicts, but when conflict arrives, they should have the ability to control their own creations."
A sharp glint flashed in Professor Tyra's eyes.
"I... understand, Professor."
Sean gazed at the modified Magic Hand Mirror.
Its materials and crafting techniques hadn't changed a bit—this was an alchemy ritual Sean had pioneered. Even Professor Tyra would need a lot of time to fully understand it, let alone the wizards working in the workshop.
So, what exactly had been modified?
Just a small, harmless self-destruct program, of course.
The accurate transmission of information was crucial, and both Professor Tyra and Sean understood this.
Therefore, when necessary, Sean could use this small magical circuit to cut off the future communication system.
He didn't know what this circuit would bring, but Professor Tyra's words made him thoughtful.
Sure enough, phones—even magic phones—couldn't escape the fate of having information stolen or the network destroyed?
"The world has never been fair, my dear apprentice. But magic is fair. If a wizard gives their talent, sweat, and soul, they can get everything they want. This is especially prominent in alchemy."
Professor Tyra was pleased that Sean didn't insist on some pointless things.
"Professor, is there any magic in here to steal information?"
Sean asked cautiously.
"Oh? That's a good idea. I'll notify the workshop to add it right away."
Professor Tyra looked interested.
"I think that won't be necessary, Professor."
Sean shook his head in refusal.
Perhaps it was rare to see him shake his head so vigorously, or perhaps her teasing had received the perfect feedback, but Olivia was in a good mood.
Her apprentice was a blank sheet of paper.
So much so that when it was time to add ink, she had to be the one to do it.
With Professor Tyra's approval, Sean's time was evenly distributed between studying and alchemy.
Of course, there was also a small investigation—the investigation into Malfoy, which Sean and Headmaster Dumbledore had been working on.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was the last day before Easter.
A special event happened early that morning. Justin had bought a Pensieve from somewhere, and the silvery-white strands inside made Harry very curious.
Justin was always generous, so he shared the Pensieve with Harry, which led to something no one had expected.
"It was Malfoy!"
Harry suddenly roared, startling everyone.
"What Malfoy?"
Ron asked, covering his ears.
"Lucius Malfoy! He put the diary in Ginny's pocket. He wanted to kill Ginny!"
Harry looked at Ron, clenching his fists.
"What? I knew there was something wrong with him! Think about it, who would want to harm Ginny? That diary couldn't have just appeared out of thin air!"
Ron was so angry his eyes turned red. He shouted, "He's a Death Eater! His whole family is! My dad knew he was bad news and always wanted to catch him. Now he's getting revenge—that damn bastard, he dared to target Ginny! My dad will kill him, I promise!"
In their rage, Harry and Ron didn't forget to glance at Sean's usual spot. He wasn't there, which made the atmosphere freeze for a moment.
"What did you say? Harry, you have to be responsible for your words, do you understand?"
Hermione asked urgently.
"See for yourself, Hermione!"
Harry was too angry to speak.
Justin, Hermione, Neville, and Ron approached the Pensieve. It took them a while to figure out how to use it.
When they withdrew from the memory strands, they were speechless for a long time.
"He needs to be punished," Justin said.
"Let's find Sean," Hermione said.
Ron and Harry calmed down too. They always had amazing synergy when it came to finding Sean.
Unfortunately, since Sean's whereabouts had been erratic lately, and none of them were Ravenclaws, they couldn't find a trace of the young wizard.
Just as Justin decided to use the Magic Hand Mirror to find Sean, the second-to-last match of the season—the fifth Quidditch match—was about to begin.
Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.
I don't know what protest the Slytherins made to the school, but the school actually agreed to a rematch because there was a clear problem with the Bludgers in the last game.
"It must be Malfoy. His dad is a school governor!"
Ron said furiously.
Harry nodded in agreement.
Their behavior made Hermione and Justin worry even more.
This year, apart from their first loss, the Slytherin team, thanks to the Nimbus 2001s sponsored by Malfoy, was leading the league by a full two hundred points. This meant Harry and his team needed to win by more than two hundred points to take the Cup.
This also meant most of the pressure to win fell on Harry's head, because catching the Golden Snitch would earn one hundred and fifty points.
"So, you can only catch it when we're leading by more than fifty points," Wood kept telling Harry before the match. "Only when we're leading by more than fifty, Harry, or we'll win the match but lose the Cup. Do you understand? You must catch the Snitch, but only when we—"
"I got it, Oliver!"
Harry shouted.
His attitude surprised everyone, but it made Wood even happier: "That's it, Harry! Like a fighter!"
The entire Gryffindor House was focused on this upcoming match.
Since the era when the legendary Charlie Weasley (Ron's second brother) was Seeker, Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup.
However, Harry suspected that no one (including Wood) wanted to win as much as he did right now.
The hostility between him and Malfoy had reached its peak.
Harry hadn't forgotten the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, the young wizards walking on the edge of danger, and Ginny who had almost lost her life.
He had a score to settle with Malfoy.
In everyone's memory, no match had ever arrived in such an atmosphere filled with the smell of gunpowder.