Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 34: Hufflepuff

Learning magic always depends more on talent than on hard work.
Wizards often explain the levitation spell as chanting the incantation and flicking the wrist.
As for further explanation, it's as vague as the gurgling sound of a crucible.

Even Professor Flitwick, when teaching the young wizards, always used clear pronunciation followed by the same old wave and shake.

After memorizing "Standard Spells: Beginner", Sheen still couldn't find a more detailed explanation.
He had reason to suspect that the curse was like that, following ancient rules, a kind of knowledge akin to experience.

Since it is a subject of experience, it is somewhat distant from precision:

For example, when swinging and shaking, how far should the swing be? How large should the shaking be?
These are all difficult to explain and can only be solved by the young wizards using their "talent".

Of course, Sheen also had reason to suspect that truly talented wizards simply didn't have this problem.
They might succeed right away.

So the problem arises:

Talented wizards don't have this problem, while untalented wizards can't solve it.

They spent a lot of time just trying their luck practicing spells.

Ultimately, these problems, the same ones Sheen faced when brewing potions, remained unresolved.

Sheen didn't think magic had much to do with science, but the increase in proficiency told him:

There is at least one way to cast magic more easily.

Yes, the arm swing should be more pronounced.
Also, the pronunciation of the spell, the stress is on the 'g'.

Here's a small detail: the "di" that follows is still stressed...

Inside the classroom, a magic lantern illuminated the not-so-large area.

Sheen carefully guided Justin's practice, using all his understanding of the Levitation Charm.

So, after Justin performed the levitation charm strictly according to his standards,
That feather, which had never floated for more than five seconds, actually drifted leisurely for ten seconds.

"Oh my god! Sheen, we did it!"

Justin let out a soft exclamation of excitement, then watched intently as the feather slowly drifted down.

"Sheen, it's all because of you. Thank you for your help."

Justin expressed his sincere and heartfelt gratitude.

Sheen nodded to indicate that he understood.

"I think it would be better if the swing was a little bigger... But... after the accented beat, is the Le after the Di still an accented beat?"

Hermione, who was holding a book and hiding her face, had actually been observing for a long time. She suddenly spoke, her tone still unmistakably arrogant.
But the two people present completely ignored it.

"Hmm, I think it should be heavier. As for the swing range... we can try it, but..."

Sheen glanced at the feather; he was about to say that his magic hadn't recovered yet...

But before he could finish speaking, Justin's curse had already been cast.

Are all Hufflepuffs this meticulous?

Sheen paused for a few seconds.

The three people hidden in the room stared at the feather, watching it sway and float for fifteen seconds.

As soon as it landed, Justin let out a low cry:
"Wow! Hermione, your guess was absolutely right!"

Hermione raised her slightly flushed face, clearly pleased with the compliment.

In the following time, the three enthusiastically conducted many experiments.

Until Shin's magic power recovered and he mastered the levitation spell, he was once again depleted of magic power.

Time slips through your fingers like fine sand.
The magic lantern swayed as it followed the three of them out of the hidden room.

Sheen was very satisfied; he had gained 45 points of proficiency.

Hermione was also very satisfied; her whimsical ideas now had a like-minded, even "smarter" partner—Sheehan.
There was also the experimenter, Justin, who was so tired his face was pale but still wanted to cast a spell; Justin was also very satisfied, as if he had discovered a new continent.

As evening fell, Hogwarts Castle had already drifted into a dreamlike state.
At the end of the corridor on the third floor,
One wall had changed slightly, revealing a yellowed and cracked oil painting.

The oil painting depicts a snow-white owl wearing a velvet vest and small pince-nez glasses.

At this moment, it is in a very human-like way—even with a comical expression of annoyance—struggling to straighten the wobbly glasses with a hairy paw.

"Little wizard! That wretched little wizard!"

After Justin and Hermione left the room, it let out a high-pitched squeal.
When Sheen passed by, it immediately stopped making noise.

He muttered something under his breath:
"Little wizard, clever little wizard..."

As they waited for the stairs to descend, Hermione's voice mingled with the rumbling sound of the spiraling stairs:
"I think we'll probably have to use this room indefinitely... so we need to inform the professor,"
Professor Flitwick will surely agree to let us practice spells here.

Justin exclaimed in admiration:
"That's so thoughtful of you, Hermione!"

Hermione blushed slightly. She looked at Sheehan, and after Sheehan nodded,

Hermione quickly said goodbye to the two and disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving only Sheen and Justin walking through the warm, fire-lit corridor.

“Well, Sheehan, I was just saying, you didn’t even have Yorkshire pudding today…”

Is there something wrong with brewing the potion?

Justin suddenly spoke in a low voice, catching Sheehan off guard.

Can these two things be connected so quickly?
He then nodded slightly.

"Is that Professor Snape? I heard he never allows first-year wizards to brew potions on their own."
But some older Slytherins are quite lenient...

I don't think you'll fail at cooking it, so do you need my help?

Professor Snape may be terrifying, but I still have the courage to go to his office.

Justin's words made Sheehan increasingly silent. He looked up.
A firm yet gentle light shone in the little badger's eyes.

"Remember? We're friends. If I don't lend a helping hand when you're in trouble, what kind of friends are we?"

……

At night, the light blue curtains swayed gently, and the sound of the wind blowing through the window always made Sheen feel very comfortable.

The fireplace was crackling and burning.

Sheehan remembered Justin's words before he left:
“Even if I’m scared, I can grit my teeth and go for it… The prefect said that Hogwarts doesn’t have a rule that forbids young wizards from brewing potions.”

Ravenclaw only has one Herbs class on Fridays, giving Sheen the entire Friday to wait for Professor Snape to leave the cellars.

He gazed at the picturesque moonlight outside the window, his thoughts churning:

Hogwarts, a magic school with a history of over a thousand years,

Hufflepuff, this warm and wonderful school,

The wizards they nurtured together possess vitality.
They may not be outstanding, and they are not always easy to remember.

But as Helga Hufflepuff said:

Diligence, loyalty, and tolerance are equally great qualities.

A complex emotion lingered in Sheen's heart as he lay there, hands open, amidst the scattered pages of "Advanced Potion Making" on the windowsill.

The rustling of the pages reminded Sheehan of Justin's notebook spread out in the library:
The prefect said that Hufflepuffs are loyal and trustworthy. Although we never argue with others, we are not easy to bully.

Like the badger on our emblem, we will protect ourselves from all those who are against us and help our friends and families. Nothing can frighten us.

(End of this chapter)