Sean pretended to be confused and asked,
"Who is Aragog?"
"You didn't see it yesterday?" Hagrid asked in surprise.
"You mean that huge monster?"
"It's an Acromantula. How did you end up on its territory?"
Sean had already prepared an explanation.
"Jovic disguised himself as you and told me Buckbeak had gone missing. He said we should search the Forbidden Forest. Somehow we wandered into that place. Maybe he planned to kill me there—but a swarm of spiders suddenly appeared."
"He got surrounded by the spiders, and I escaped while everything was in chaos."
At that moment, the hospital wing door opened.
Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape walked in.
Dumbledore said gently,
"I'm very sorry, Sean. That you were injured at Hogwarts is a failure on my part as headmaster."
"Professor, it's not your fault," Sean replied. "No one could have guessed Jovic was hiding his identity so well."
"That damned Borisov," Snape said coldly. "I should put him under the Cruciatus Curse."
Professor McGonagall looked at Sean with lingering fear.
"I never imagined Borisov would be one of the accomplices who murdered your parents. The thought that he stayed by your side for over three months is terrifying."
"Professor," Sean asked, "Jovic said he was one of the three Death Eaters who followed Bella that night. Can the other two be identified?"
That was what worried Sean the most.
Even one Jovic had nearly killed him.
What about the other two?
And Bella?
This failure would probably make her even more unstable. Her mind was already dangerously unbalanced.
"Jovic has already been taken to the Ministry of Magic for interrogation," Dumbledore said calmly. "I believe the names of the other two will soon come out."
"The Ministry still has plenty of Veritaserum in storage."
Sean's situation was actually more dangerous than Harry's.
Voldemort wanted Harry dead—but he insisted on killing Harry himself.
Bella, on the other hand, wanted Sean dead by any means possible.
Fortunately, Voldemort had not yet returned.
Otherwise, the Death Eaters hiding in the shadows would emerge again—and Sean wouldn't even dare return to the Leaky Cauldron.
"I didn't expect that I'd personally send this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor away," Sean thought while lying in bed. "I wonder what kind of professor we'll get next year."
"Let's all leave," Dumbledore said softly. "Sean needs some rest."
The group began to leave the hospital wing.
Before exiting, Snape tossed a small box onto Sean's blanket.
Sean looked at him in confusion.
"Professor, what's this?"
"It's Christmas," Snape snapped. "Do you plan to spend it lying in the hospital wing? Drink it and get out of bed. Don't make Madam Pomfrey busier than she already is."
Watching Snape walk away, Sean opened the small box.
Inside was a glass ampoule filled with blue potion.
"A Magic Recovery Potion?"
Sean stared at the hospital wing door in surprise.
The potion inside was darker blue than the ones he had brewed himself. It was probably even more effective.
Holding the vial, Sean felt a little touched.
"Snape actually cares about students after all…"
His magic had already mostly recovered.
But after last night's tension, his mind still felt exhausted.
Although the battle had nearly cost Sean his life, it wasn't without gains.
When Jovic tried to kill him, he had used two powerful Dark spells:
Shadow of BoneAvada Kedavra
Sean had already recorded both magical frameworks using his Magic vision.
Once he learned them properly, they would become additional tools to keep himself alive in future battles.
As long as Sean survived—
he would only grow stronger.
The phrase "growing stronger through battle" suited him perfectly.
After Jovic was taken away to the Ministry, there was no one left at Hogwarts capable of threatening Sean.
If nothing unexpected happened, the second semester of his first year would pass peacefully in ordinary study.
On the third day of the holiday, Dumbledore summoned Sean again.
This was the second time Sean stood inside the headmaster's office.
He glanced at Dumbledore's phoenix and muttered inwardly,
"When will my Fawkes grow that big?"
"The Ministry has sent news," Dumbledore said.
Sean looked up, hoping for good news.
"The other two Death Eaters were betrayed by Jovic after the Dark Lord fell and were sent to Azkaban."
Hearing this ironically satisfying news, Sean finally relaxed.
He no longer had to worry about those accomplices coming after him.
Ironically, it was Jovic himself who had sent them to prison.
Now Jovic had lost a leg and would soon join his old companions in Azkaban.
"Sean," Dumbledore continued, "your quick thinking saved your life. But I still hope you won't enter the Forbidden Forest again. Its dangers are beyond what a student should face."
"It was fortunate that the spiders did not attack you."
"Maybe they thought Jovic tasted better," Sean muttered.
"You are a remarkably gifted child," Dumbledore said kindly. "I believe none of the students can match your talent."
Then he added thoughtfully,
"Did you know there is another boy who survived an Unforgivable Curse, just like you?"
"Professor… you mean Harry Potter?" Sean asked.
"Harry is two years younger than you," Dumbledore said. "In two years he will come to Hogwarts to study magic. When that time comes, I hope you can set a good example for him."
"After all, you share a similar fate."
Sean thought about it.
Was Dumbledore worried that he might corrupt Harry?
Aside from skipping classes a bit creatively, Sean believed he was actually quite well-behaved.
"Professor," Sean protested, "sneaking into the Forbidden Forest wasn't my idea. I was the victim. If Jovic hadn't disguised himself as Hagrid, I would never have followed him in."
"I'm not blaming you," Dumbledore said gently. "But perhaps someday you and Harry should meet."
"After all… you don't live very far from each other."
"Babysitting Harry?" Sean groaned internally. "I don't have time for that."
He still had countless spells to research.
Thinking about it, Harry lived on Privet Drive in Surrey, which wasn't that far from London's Leaky Cauldron—only about a forty- or fifty-minute drive.
"Professor," Sean asked casually, pretending ignorance, "Harry defeated the Dark Lord. Does that mean the Dark Lord is truly dead?"
"Sean," Dumbledore said quietly, "it is best not to speak of the Dark Lord."
"Why? Isn't he dead?" Sean continued acting. "Or… is he still alive?"
"I believe he is," Dumbledore replied gravely. "Somewhere in the shadows, waiting for a chance to rise again."
At that moment, Sean felt a sudden urge.
He almost told Dumbledore everything—
about Voldemort hiding in Albania
and about the Horcruxes.
But in the end—
he kept his mouth shut.
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