The last week of summer vacation.
A light rain had fallen over Hogwarts, but by the time Sean stepped out of the dungeon, it had already stopped.
The sky was a clear, pale gray. The grass underfoot was damp and springy, soft beneath each step.
A breeze drifted through the corridors of Hogwarts as Sean walked along, with a book floating at his side.
If one looked closely, the cover was purple with gold-edged trim, and six large green patterned characters were written across it:
The Wizarding Chronicle of Magic.
Even more eye-catching was the small line at the bottom of the cover:
A volume from the Green Series.
There was not a single British wizard who did not recognize that series.
It was as famous as the Chudley Cannons in the Quidditch world, or the Weird Sisters in entertainment.
And there was not a single British wizard who did not want to own a Green Notebook.
After all, it was the most comprehensive and most useful magical reference guide in the wizarding world.
If you didn't have a Green Notebook—
Merlin, then you were already starting behind everyone else!
Your children, your grandchildren, all of them would fall behind in class just because they did not have a Green Notebook!
Professor Flitwick, Hogwarts' Charms professor, had publicly called it the finest introductory spellbook he had ever seen.
Ilvermorny in America and Uagadou in Africa both placed large seasonal orders for books from the Green Series…
According to incomplete statistics from the Daily Prophet, the average wizard owned one Green Notebook. It was practically the bestselling book of recent years.
It had even surpassed The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the bedside classic of every young wizard.
And so this newest title, The Wizarding Chronicle of Magic, the latest book now on preorder from Green Bookshop, had become the hottest new release of the year. Countless witches and wizards were waiting eagerly for it to appear.
But unfortunately, the mysterious Mr. Green had still not announced a release date, so all anyone could do was wait and hope.
Rumor had it that the owner of Flourish and Blotts, worn down by endless questioning and pressure, had once considered going straight to Hogwarts to snatch the manuscript himself.
In the end, though, he abandoned the idea for one reason everyone understood:
—Hogwarts was not merely Hogwarts. It was Dumbledore's Hogwarts.
And now the manuscript of that very book floated before the young wizard's eyes as he read through it, frowning now and then as he added new lines to the text.
In the distance, the rain had just stopped.
Bai Yi came flying in from afar with a letter in its beak, the parchment slightly damp from the rain. It landed on Sean's shoulder, proudly dropped the letter into his hand, then shook itself and transformed into a tiny lizard crackling with sparks of fire. It scampered in a circle on the ground, and the raindrops on its feathers vanished at once.
"Thanks for the hard work."
Sean placed Bai Yi into the Wizard's Book. Even through the wooden door, one could still glimpse the blazing fireplace inside, as well as the food spread out across the table.
He lowered his head and looked at the letter in his hand.
It had been sent from not-too-distant Hogsmeade, and the sender was exactly who Sean had expected.
[Dear Mr. Green,
I cannot begin to express my gratitude for the trust and help you've shown me.
The days I spent in the bookshop were the easiest and brightest I've had in decades.
If you are still willing to take in a furry wizard, then I can find no reason to refuse.
I am writing to express my intentions, and to ask for your thoughts.
Yours faithfully,
Remus Lupin]
It was Lupin's letter.
Sean had expected as much.
Still, the fact that Mr. Lupin wished to remain at the bookshop rather than come to Hogwarts as a professor caught Sean a little off guard.
He knew Lupin did not truly want to spend his days selling books and arranging shelves. More than anything, he simply wanted to repay the kindness that had once been shown to him.
So Sean called Bai Yi back out and wrote a reply:
[To Mr. Lupin,
Time slips away like running water.
I believe Hogwarts has greater need of a professor than Green Bookshop has of a manager.
Compared to the shop, the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would better allow you to realize your worth and give your life purpose.
I hope you will follow your heart.
Sean Green]
The letter departed, and before Bai Yi flew off, it affectionately pecked at Sean's wrist.
Sean watched the green outline of distant mountains, saw owl messengers rising and falling among the clouds, and then disappearing from sight.
Lupin's letter had also given Sean a new reminder.
Once third year began, Hogwarts would have even more guards around it. If he did not want to risk a Dementor's Kiss, he had better master a proper Patronus Charm in advance.
At present, Sean still could not summon a corporeal Patronus consistently. His Patronus Charm remained stuck at [Beginner].
At the very least, he thought, he needed to raise it to a stable [Skilled] level. Only at that stage would a corporeal Patronus appear reliably.
And there was also a particular saying about corporeal Patronuses:
For a very long time, the Patronus Charm had been associated with witches and wizards who fought for noble causes. Those capable of summoning a corporeal Patronus were often elevated to senior positions in the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic.
Perhaps it was because dark wizards found it nearly impossible to cast a Patronus, or perhaps because powerful light wizards all studied corporeal Patronuses—whatever the reason, that saying had never really proved false.
Sean's Patronus Charm had been taught by Professor McGonagall, and he was currently on his way to the Transfiguration office.
Luckily, his Shrinking Solution had just reached [Expert], so Professor Snape had given him half a day off. Otherwise, he probably would not have had any time at all to improve his Patronus Charm proficiency.
That was what Sean was thinking when the sound of an argument suddenly reached his ears.
He stopped at once and quietly moved closer to the suit of armor at the corner of the corridor.
At present, he was the only student left at Hogwarts. So if there was an argument going on, it could only be between professors.
Who could it be?
"…You should let him go."
It was Professor McGonagall's voice, stern and forceful.
"Sorry. He's not going anywhere."
That low male voice was easy enough to identify—Professor Snape.
"They'll all be going."
McGonagall pressed her lips together, her eyes sharp.
"Heh. Those fools. A hundred of them disappearing… a thousand of them disappearing… makes no difference to me…"
Snape said lazily.
"Mind your position, Severus. You are a professor at Hogwarts."
McGonagall sounded furious.
"Sorry. Before that, I also seem to be the person who signed that adoption order."
Snape refused to yield an inch.
"…There will be no danger. We'll all be there, and Dumbledore will handle everything."
McGonagall said.
"Dumbledore…"
Things had been bad enough already, but the moment Headmaster Dumbledore's name came up, Snape's face darkened at once.
The wizard under his care—the one who had never stumbled, not even in danger—had, after being talked into it by that damned Dumbledore, ended up in the hospital wing for the first time, suffering under the curse of the most dangerous wizard in the world.
"You'd better—not mention him again—"
Snape snapped.
~~~
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