Sean, who was taking notes nearby: 'Well, that's one way to put it.'
[The wand movement must be a swish and flick.
Pronouncing the incantation correctly is also crucial—be sure not to say 'f' as 's'.
It should be 'Wingardium Leviosa', with the 'ga' drawn out and clear.]
Sean looked at the notes he had written down, satisfied, and put the quill back.
As long as you put it away quickly enough, the ink wouldn't dry, allowing you to write a bit longer.
"I practiced a whole fifteen times, Hermione. I'm not the dumbest young wizard, am I?"
Justin's voice carried a trace of worry. Facing an unfamiliar field, even his previously optimistic self felt a bit disheartened.
Sean, putting away his notes: 'Well, that's one way to put it.'
"I don't know either. With only me as a reference, it's hard to judge"
Hermione frowned and shook her head. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Sean, you must know the Levitation Charm too, right?"
Suddenly called upon, Sean nodded. Simultaneously, his wrist executed a swish and flick.
"Wingar—dium—Levi—o—sa!"
[You have practiced the Levitation Charm with Beginner Level Skill. Proficiency +3.]
As Sean's incantation rang out, the feather once again wobbled into the air.
"Coo-ool!"
Justin exclaimed in admiration. Compared to his own Levitation Charm that had only lasted a second, Sean's was clearly more proficient.
"You must have learned it really quickly, right? I mean, for a young wizard from a wizarding family like you."
The latter part of Justin's statement made Sean tilt his head slightly in confusion.
Seeing the questioning look in Sean's large eyes, Justin's own eyes widened in surprise.
"You're not from a wizarding family? You're a Muggle-born?
That means you only started learning magic this summer, and in two months, you've learned a difficult spell like Transfiguration?"
Sean nodded calmly.
"What's that saying? Merlin's?"
Justin seemed to want to say something, but the words got stuck in his mouth.
"Merlin's beard,"Hermione whispered a reminder.
"Merlin's beard" Justin repeated softly. The look he gave Sean suddenly became much more familiar.
"Hermione and I, we're both Muggle-borns. The kind where neither parent is a wizard. Oh, that means all three people in this compartment are Muggle-borns. How marvelous, I heard there are more pure-blood wizards in the wizarding world."
Just as he was marveling at this, the commotion outside grew even louder. Faintly, a 'clatter-clatter' sound could be heard.
Strangely, unlike other noises that quickly faded away, this one grew louder and louder.
Before long, the compartment door opened. A plump witch wearing an apron entered, and the trolley in front of her attracted the attention of all three.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" The plump witch, dimples showing, was amiable and smiling, her voice full of warmth.
Sean glanced at the dazzling array of treats on the shelves, then forcibly looked away.
It had been a long time by now, and Sean was very hungry.
He knew the Hogwarts Express would travel for a considerable time, from morning until night, but he hadn't been able to bring any food. Matron Anna wouldn't have allowed him to take even a slice of toast.
'It'll be fine once we get to Hogwarts,' Sean thought to himself.
"I'll have one of ev— no, two of everything." By the time Justin finished the first word, the trolley witch's smile had already grown even brighter.
"Right you are, dear. That's Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands. That'll be one Galleon and five Sickles."
Her mood seemed to have improved even more, and she even started introducing the snacks to Justin.
Hearing the price, Hermione was startled. She was about to dissuade him, but was dazzled by the gold Galleons Justin produced.
Justin quickly paid, then explained, his face slightly flushed:
"This money was originally prepared for me to go to Eton College. But the very next day, I received my Hogwarts letter.
Although my mother thinks Hogwarts isn't as good as Eton, which I was originally going to attend…
just think, learning magic, it's so much more tempting than being a lawyer or a business executive or something…"
After he finished speaking, he put a pile of gold Galleons into the witch's coin box.
It was only then that Sean remembered who he was:
Justin Finch-Fletchley.
A sincere and kind-hearted Hufflepuff.
He had participated in the Duelling Club and joined Dumbledore's Army.
It's worth mentioning that when he realized he had misunderstood Harry about being the Heir of Slytherin, he proactively shook Harry's hand and apologized.
Compared to other young wizards who pretended nothing had happened, he was braver and more genuine.
What made him even more memorable was that he refused a place at Eton College to attend Hogwarts.
In Britain, getting good grades alone isn't enough to get into Eton; every single student admitted is from an aristocratic family.
"My aunt's son's, classmate's, and uncle's nephew got all into Eton! Ha, envy me, you bunch of bumpkins! Bastards like you, don't even dream of it!"
This was a taunt Matron Anna often used against them, which also reflected the status of Eton from the side.
In other words,
Justin was a hidden tycoon at Hogwarts.
Certified pure-blooded... in terms of aristocracy.
Sean thought to himself.
The plump witch had already pushed her trolley away, muttering something about "meeting two generous young wizards," and disappeared outside the compartment.
Inside the compartment,
Justin piled all the snacks onto the table.
"Help me eat some?"
The snacks formed a small mountain. Justin's voice came from behind the pile.
"There's no way I can finish all this, please."
"You're being too obvious."
Hermione unceremoniously took a package of Fizzing Whizzbees, then said to Justin in a low voice.
"Shh—"
Justin made a quiet gesture, and the two of them peeked a certain young wizard.
His clothes were somewhat worn and pilled, even slightly frayed at the sleeves.
If you ignored his handsome, albeit pale, face, he looked just like those unwanted children from the orphanage.
"Try this Chocolate Frog? I heard young wizards in the magical world love these."
Faced with Justin's devilish whisper and the proffered Chocolate Frog,
Sean quickly took it.
"Thank you."
His voice was very soft.
'No hardship can defeat me, but temptation can.'
Sean had succumbed to the sugar-coated shell of capitalism.
"My Chocolate Frog!"
Just as Justin was happily celebrating his successful sharing and unwrapping the candy, his Chocolate Frog suddenly leapt up, threatening to jump out the window.
"Wingar—dium—Levi—o—sa!"
A calm voice rang out. Sean, who had anticipated this, waved his wand, and the Chocolate Frog dropped into Justin's hands.
"Chocolate Frogs are charmed to jump once."
Sean explained slowly. Then, while taking small bites of his Chocolate Frog, he went back to reading 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi'.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened.