The Quidditch match was thrilling, but Sean simply couldn't get interested—especially since he already knew the outcome.
Slytherin clearly had the upper hand over Gryffindor. Captain Kurt looked down at Gryffindor's captain and Seeker, Charlie Weasley, with open disdain.
"Just surrender already," Kurt sneered. "Do you really want to lose by two hundred points?"
At the moment, the score stood at 200 to 120. The Golden Snitch had not yet been caught, and the match continued.
Although Fred and George shouted themselves hoarse cheering for their older brother, Slytherin had more than just Kurt. Players like Blanco and Theo were also extremely skilled.
Gryffindor, on the other hand, had only Charlie carrying the team.
In the end, Gryffindor lost the match.
Cassius and Graham hugged each other in celebration, shouting triumphantly. Sean was dragged into their celebration as well, with Cassius pulling him into a tight embrace.
The next day's match was Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff won by a large margin.
On the day of the finals, Sean ran into Cedric in the Great Hall. They chatted for a while.
"What have you been doing these past two months without classes?" Cedric asked.
Sean replied lazily,
"Nothing much. Just going to the library and teaching myself a few spells."
"I go to the library often too," Cedric said. "But Madam Pince never mentioned seeing you there."
"Really?" Sean scratched his head awkwardly. "Maybe she's just too busy to notice me."
"Maybe," Cedric said, then added,
"Anyway, today's the final—Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. It should be an exciting match."
"You're that interested in Quidditch?" Sean asked.
"I want to become a Seeker someday," Cedric said with shining eyes.
"You will," Sean replied encouragingly. "Good luck."
Sean remembered that Cedric eventually became Hufflepuff's captain and Seeker.
Sean hadn't actually planned to watch the finals.
He had already told Cassius that Slytherin would win the championship.
Cassius, however, was thrilled.
"Of course Slytherin will win!" he said excitedly. "That's exactly why we need to see it happen in person!"
And so Sean was once again dragged to the stadium.
This time, he even spotted Jovic sitting beside Snape. The man looked unusually restrained.
The match ended amid thunderous cheers from the Slytherins.
Kurt caught the Golden Snitch, securing a decisive victory over Hufflepuff.
Over the next month, Sean devoted himself entirely to practicing three spells:
SectumsempraOcclumencyThe Purification Spell
These were the three major spells he was currently trying to master.
For Sectumsempra, Sean had already built eleven of the twelve magical frameworks. Only the final one remained.
His progress with Occlumency had improved slightly as well. He had reached the second stage, where he could suppress certain emotional memories deep within his mind.
However, creating a completely false memory structure was still far beyond him.
As for the Purification Spell…
Sean hadn't even fully understood the theoretical framework yet, let alone begun practicing it.
Soon it was Christmas Eve.
Hogwarts would close for ten days during the holiday.
Many students returned home to celebrate Christmas with their families.
Sean chose to stay.
Although Hearn had written to invite him back to the Leaky Cauldron, Sean preferred staying at school.
"See you in ten days, Sean," Cassius said.
"See you then," Chris added, carrying her luggage as she left with him.
"Bye," Sean waved.
The four Weasley brothers also left Hogwarts together, along with Cedric.
It seemed that almost everyone Sean knew had gone home.
Sean sighed.
"Well… it's quiet now."
"Perfect time to practice magic."
"But since it's a holiday… maybe I should treat myself to something good."
The cold weather suddenly made him crave hot pot.
But where could he find a pot?
The cauldrons in the Potions classroom?
On second thought… those had probably brewed some horrifying ingredients before.
"Better not."
"I'll borrow one from the kitchen instead."
Sean left the Slytherin common room and headed toward the kitchens.
Along the way, he ran into Hagrid, who seemed to be in a hurry.
"Hagrid! What's the rush?" Sean called out.
"Oh—nothing much," Hagrid replied. "I heard you're staying at school for the holidays. I thought you might like to come to my hut for Christmas Eve."
Sean thought about it.
Hagrid's hut had plenty of cookware—and even ingredients.
That saved him the trouble of gathering everything himself.
"Sounds great," Sean said cheerfully. "But I might cook something unusual."
"What kind of dish?" Hagrid asked.
"Have you ever heard of Chinese hot pot?"
Hagrid shook his head blankly.
"That's fine," Sean laughed. "You'll taste it tonight."
"By the way… can you handle spicy food?"
They stopped by the kitchens to gather vegetables and meat before heading to Hagrid's hut.
At Hogwarts, meat was practically unlimited.
Sean took ten kilograms of beef from the house-elves.
Nearby, Fang stared at the beef with drool dripping from his mouth.
"Hagrid," Sean said, noticing something, "you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"
Hagrid sat on a tiny chair, looking absent-minded.
"Well… Buckbeak disappeared this morning," he admitted. "I think he might've wandered into the Forbidden Forest."
"Wasn't Buckbeak usually near the woods by the lake?" Sean asked. "Why would he go into the Forbidden Forest? That place is dangerous."
Hagrid shook his head.
"When I went to check on him this morning, he was gone."
"I'm planning to search the forest."
Sean thought about it.
He and Buckbeak had once shared a ride, after all.
The Forbidden Forest was dangerous, but if he went with Hagrid, it should be safe.
Earlier, Sean had sworn never to enter the forest without the ability to protect himself.
But Hagrid was the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds, a regular visitor to the forest.
Even the terrifying Acromantulas were technically his acquaintances.
With Hagrid around, things should be fine.
After all, Hagrid had once taken Harry and Draco into the forest during the unicorn investigation.
"Alright," Sean said.
"After dinner, I'll go help you look for Buckbeak."
"Sean, you're a good lad," Hagrid said emotionally.
Their dinner turned out to be quite enjoyable.
But the moment the meal ended, Hagrid stood up impatiently, eager to start searching for Buckbeak.
Sean sighed and followed him outside.
He understood Hagrid's anxiety—Buckbeak wasn't just a creature to him, but a companion.
Sean held Fang's leash and followed Hagrid into the dark, eerie Forbidden Forest.
Fang, despite his massive size, trembled like a coward.
Deep down, the dog probably still believed he was just a little puppy.
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