Sean pulled something out from the deepest part of the Book of Wizards.
A locket.
He turned it over.
Compared to the one he had seen in the Pensieve, this one wasn't as big, it lacked the ornate markings, and it didn't have Slytherin's signature fancy "S" on it.
Also, inside, there was nothing but a folded piece of parchment stuffed tightly into the space where a portrait would usually go.
Sean looked up; he was the only one left in the corridor.
The moonlight made the place feel chilly. It rarely rained on a spring night like this.
Raindrops hit the window, pattering and splashing into little white flowers.
Sean took out the parchment and read it by the light of his wand:
> To the Dark Lord:
> I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.
> I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,
> you will be mortal once more.
> —R.A.B.
He was perhaps the first wizard to discover the existence of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and perhaps the first to prepare to destroy one.
Bathed in moonlight, Sean casually placed the locket on the desk of the Book of Wizards and carefully stored the note and the ancient coffin.
Soon, Sirius would break out of prison, and the Magic Hand Mirror in Harry's hand would help Sean find Sirius immediately.
Before that, he still had many things to do.
Like dealing with a rat.
The sky grew dark, a black mass outside the window; the night felt elongated in this moment.
Sean heard his own footsteps in the corridor and the hooting of owls from the Hogwarts towers.
He wasn't the first wizard to hear this sound, nor would he be the last.
...
"Sean, are you there?"
A faint voice sounded in the quiet Ravenclaw Tower.
The voice was processed by special magic so only the wizard holding the other Magic Hand Mirror could hear it.
"Harry?"
Sean didn't sound puzzled.
"Merlin's beard—it's true! You made a phone, a magic phone—"
Harry's voice came through intermittently from the other side, forcibly lowered to a whisper.
"Yes, Harry. If you run into any trouble, you can notify me immediately," Sean replied patiently.
"Special trouble... I get it, Sean. But..."
Harry whispered,
"Are Justin and Professor McGonagall on there real?"
Sean looked down. In the Magic Hand Mirror, there was an extra-small Professor McGonagall.
She had a stern face, but being cartoon-sized, she looked quite cute and funny.
"Not real."
Sean was a bit flustered.
When he made the prototype Magic Hand Mirror, he had casually designed an avatar for Hermione—which was Mini-McGonagall—and it seemed he forgot to clear it.
Next to Mini-McGonagall was a friendly, kind badger, a chubby Neville, a Ron with two chicken legs stuffed in his mouth, and a smaller Harry.
However, these wouldn't show up on Harry's mirror screen; they would only appear after Sean sent out the Easter gifts.
Right now, it only included Sean, Hermione, Justin, and Harry.
"I thought..."
Harry was a bit embarrassed.
"Then who is she?" Harry asked again.
"It's Hermione."
Sean didn't hide it.
"Her-Her... Heh heh..."
Suppressed laughter came from the other end of the mirror.
By the time Harry laughed until he cried, Sean had already hung up the "phone."
"Oh!"
Harry let out a frustrated gasp.
After waiting a good while, he excitedly called Mini-McGonagall.
"Sean?"
Hermione's voice sounded pleasantly surprised.
"It's me, Harry," Harry said.
"Harry, don't disturb me right now, I'm busy."
Hermione hung up decisively.
A moment later, Hermione called back:
"Harry, you got one too?" Hermione asked with joy.
"Of course. But I'm not busy... you can call me dozens of times..." Harry said.
"Harry—"
Harry guessed Hermione was stomping her foot.
That night, Harry's mind was completely captivated by the Magic Hand Mirror.
Their long-held dream had come true! For who knows how long, their biggest problem was not being able to find Sean. Now, they could pass information quickly.
Harry felt the safety index of Hogwarts Castle had gone up. He slept exceptionally well that night.
He didn't even notice the noise Ron's rat was making.
...
Easter finally arrived.
Exchanging Easter eggs was what the young wizards did most.
Sean prepared eggs for everyone in the hut, mostly containing a Magic Hand Mirror and an instruction manual from Professor Tyra's workshop.
Occasionally, there were special items, like books for Professor Snape: Ancient Herbology, Magical Fluids, and so on, which Sean had found in Ravenclaw's office.
Sean had selected the practical parts based on memory and, after getting Ravenclaw's permission, compiled them into a booklet.
Finally, with a Shrinking Charm, these books were placed inside the Easter eggs. When opened and touched, they might expand to fill the whole room.
Professor Snape was a bona fide Potions Master. The gap between Sean and him was about ninety-nine Seans. These books would be much more useful with the Professor than with him.
In Professor McGonagall's egg, Sean put his own notes on Transfiguration magic, like "Dragon's Wing Flap" and "Vine Stone Guardian."
Although these Transfiguration spells carried Sean's distinct personal knowledge system—Ravenclaw even commented that perhaps only he could pull them off—they provided new ideas for the branch of Transfiguration magic.
It was also on Easter that Snape was invited to the Headmaster's office as usual.
—Dumbledore was always willing to invite people for tea at this time.
The Headmaster's office was filled with gifts, almost reaching the ceiling.
Dumbledore leisurely drank black tea and unwrapped gifts.
With a lift of his finger, the eggs cracked open on their own, revealing the contents inside.
Snape threw his share into the pile of gifts, and Dumbledore pretended to be surprised as he exchanged eggs with him.
Snape sneered, took the egg indifferently, and turned to leave.
He didn't care about gifts; he was more annoyed at seeing those disgusting, show-off faces.
In the dungeons.
A few Easter eggs sat in the Potions office.
The door was pushed open with a bang, and Snape swept into the office like a dark cloud.
He subconsciously glanced at the desk, waved his wand, and a special egg flew into his hand.
The miniature book inside just touched his finger before it expanded like a magic trick to fill the entire office.
Snape's face was poked by a book. He gritted his teeth and growled helplessly:
"Sean Green!"