Chapter 236: Rumors Abound
Sean's progress in Astronomy was as slow as his early days learning Charms, but he didn't mind.
On the contrary, he was intensely curious about the effects of unlocking the Divination magic title.
This was prophecy, after all—one of the most profound and mysterious branches of magic. Its mystery and depth were enough to be linked with words like "Fate."
On another night of high visibility, just as Sean was about to leave the castle, he saw Mr. Filch passing by, clutching the Cleaning Broom.
Sean noticed that the Cleaning Broom didn't seem entirely obedient in Filch's hands. Although it could clean the floor, it inevitably left behind some small debris.
Filch would then have to clean up these scraps himself.
This issue became particularly evident when a group of Hogwarts students returned from the muddy grounds.
The Cleaning Broom could remove most of the mud, but it seemed to ignore individual, tiny specks of dirt.
In front of Sean, the group of students carelessly scattered mud across the corridor while chatting excitedly:
"Have you heard? Lavender, oh my gosh—that shop at 93 Diagon Alley is finally opening! This summer—"
This was a Gryffindor girl with large, bright eyes, long black hair, and delicate features.
"Of course, Parvati! I can't wait to buy some Kneazle Biscuits. Do you think they'll help us find the Castle Kneazle? Oh—the messenger of Christmas Eve, the Castle Kneazle who governs good fortune... the towering castle is his ears, the moving staircases are his breath..."
Lavender, a slender witch, was whispering something almost reverently.
It sounded almost like religious scripture.
They walked past...
Only then did Sean remember that the Weasley twins had been wailing a few days ago, begging him to speed up production because time was running out.
So that was the reason?
Putting that aside for the moment, Sean turned his gaze to the caretaker, who looked much more relaxed than usual.
"Mr. Filch, may I take a look at the Cleaning Broom?" Sean asked.
"Green—so, so glad to see you here—of course, take a look—"
Without hesitation, Filch handed over the object he now valued most.
Sean pressed his wand against the broom, and before long, he understood where the problem lay.
Creations made for wizards and those made for people without magic were fundamentally different.
If a wizard used it, their will could easily control the entire Cleaning Broom, making it perfectly obedient.
But for Filch, it was different. Since he lacked the magic within him to master the broom entirely, he could only use it in a rudimentary fashion.
Sean also began to understand why his proficiency with the Cleaning Broom had been stuck at the Adept level—the combination of rune arrays wasn't refined enough.
As he frowned in thought, a loud voice rang in his ear.
"The Great Green—Weasley & Green's Wizard Wheezes is opening!" Fred shouted.
"This summer!" George added, full of anticipation.
"We all need to be there, the three of us—not one less!" Fred announced loudly.
"You are the true major shareholder of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. How could you not be there?" George winked.
Before Sean could answer, they hoisted him up, broom and all, and carried him off.
The bewildered Sean only reacted once he was in the air.
"Do you know how much money we made? Merlin's beard—it's a number big enough to make you swallow your own tongue!" Fred practically cheered.
"You have to come with us, Great Green. Even if you have a mission to save the world, you can't escape—" George twirled his hand, striking a superhero pose.
"Ah—what is this?"
Fred yelped in pain as the broom in Sean's hand poked him in the waist. He then looked at the broom.
"Not bad, actually quite good, but too rough..."
George joined in the inspection and said:
"Strange, too strange... It looks like a super genius made it directly using powerful rituals and excellent materials, but I bet he hasn't studied runes for more than three years..."
The two of them were completely absorbed in the Cleaning Broom.
"An amazing manufacturing technique—but why is the foundation so crude?" Fred asked George.
"Almost zero manipulation of refined magic—a problem only geniuses who move too fast would have," George said, turning to Sean. "Great Green, where did you get this weird thing? The Alchemical Symposium?"
Sean had so much he wanted to say that he fell silent for a moment.
"Fred, George, just call me Sean. I made it."
Fred let out an "Aha!" and extended his left hand. "I knew it!"
"Great minds think alike!"
George and Fred high-fived.
"We'll help you improve it—but you have to come to The Burrow with us!"
Fred ran off in a flash.
"Trust me, you'll learn some great tricks from Mum. Refinement has always been the essence of household magic!" George shouted over his shoulder as he ran.
The Burrow?
Sean thought about it, then headed out of the castle.
Time slipped by, and several days passed in a flash.
Perhaps due to the anxious atmosphere of exams, rumors were flying around Hogwarts again.
First, Professor Quirrell was absent from Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. After he left, everyone realized that having no professor at all seemed about the same.
Except that sales of Green's Notes for Defense Against the Dark Arts skyrocketed—until Professor Snape took over the class.
Young wizards who originally had zero curiosity about what happened to Professor Quirrell now wished they could dig three feet into the ground to unearth him from wherever he was hiding in Hogwarts.
Students were worried all day long, asking everywhere about Professor Quirrell. After learning from a loose-lipped Ron that the professor was in the Hospital Wing, Sean constantly saw all sorts of well-wishes piled on Professor Quirrell's bedside table.
Without exception, they all hoped the professor would get well soon—they didn't want four high-pressure classes a week.
Meanwhile, Professor Snape looked visibly more haggard, yet his spirits seemed to improve day by day.
This even led to more rumors among the students.
For example, that Professor Snape had secretly attacked Professor Quirrell because he coveted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position.
No one knew who started it, but the rumor-monger lost ten points the next day for "accidentally" stirring their potion with their left hand.
At the same time, another rumor was gaining traction at Hogwarts.
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