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Chapter 5: Chocolate Frogs
🕑 Added 2025-10-31 01:30:19 +0000 UTCChapter 5: Chocolate Frogs
Sean, sitting to the side and taking notes, thought to himself: Actually, that's not quite right.
He reviewed his own hastily scribbled notes on the Levitation Charm.
'Swish and flick' the wrist.
Pronunciation is crucial—make sure not to confuse 'f' and 's' sounds.
It's 'Wing-GAR-dium Levi-O-sa,' make the 'gar' nice and long.
Satisfied, he put his quill away. If he capped it quickly enough, the ink wouldn't dry out, and the quill would last just that little bit longer.
"I tried fifteen times, Hermione," Justin's voice was laced with worry. "Am I going to be the thickest wizard at Hogwarts?" In this strange new world, even the cheerful boy's optimism was beginning to waver.
Not even close, Sean thought, remembering his own struggles.
"I don't know," Hermione said, frowning. "I only have myself to compare against, so it's impossible to judge…" Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Sean! You must know the Levitation Charm too, right?"
Startled at being addressed, Sean simply nodded. He gave his wrist a practiced swish and flick. "Wingar—dium—Leviosa!"
[You have practiced the Levitation Charm once to the Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
At his command, the feather once again wobbled into the air.
"Brilliant!" Justin exclaimed. Compared to his own charm, which had lasted barely a second, Sean's was clearly far more practiced. "You must have learned that ages ago, right? I mean, for someone from a wizarding family."
The assumption made Sean tilt his head in confusion. Seeing his questioning look, Justin's own eyes widened in surprise.
"You're not from a wizarding family? You're Muggle-born? That means… you only started learning magic this summer? And in just two months, you've already mastered something as difficult as Transfiguration?"
Sean gave a calm, simple nod.
"What's that saying again? Mer… Mer…?" Justin struggled for the right word.
"Merlin's beard," Hermione supplied quietly.
"Merlin's beard," Justin repeated, his gaze toward Sean suddenly becoming much friendlier. "Hermione and I… we're both Muggle-borns. Our parents aren't magical at all. Oh, that means all three of us in this compartment are. How strange… I heard the wizarding world was mostly made up of pure-bloods."
As he spoke, the noise from the corridor grew louder, punctuated by a rhythmic clattering sound. Strangely, the noise didn't fade away but grew steadily closer. A moment later, the compartment door slid open, and a plump, smiling witch in an apron appeared, pushing a trolley laden with treats that immediately captured the attention of all three children.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the witch asked, her voice as warm and sweet as her dimpled smile.
Sean glanced at the colourful array of sweets and then forced himself to look away. Hours had passed since breakfast, and he was starving. He knew the train journey would last all day, but he hadn't been able to bring any food with him. Matron Anna wouldn't have allowed him to take so much as a single slice of toast.
It'll be fine once I get to Hogwarts, he told himself.
"I'll have one… no, two of everything," Justin announced.
At the boy's words, the trolley witch's smile grew even wider. "Of course, dear. That'll be Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands… That comes to one Galleon and five Sickles."
Clearly in a good mood, she began happily pointing out the various sweets to Justin.
Hermione gasped at the price and was about to protest when Justin produced a handful of golden coins that flashed in the light. He quickly paid, then explained with a slight blush, "This was my tuition money for Eton. But then the Hogwarts letter arrived the very next day. My mother still thinks Eton would have been the better choice, but… I mean, come on. Learning magic! It's a lot more exciting than becoming a barrister or a businessman, don't you think?"
He finished by dropping a heavy pouch of Galleons back into his trunk.
It was then that Sean finally placed him.
Justin Finch-Fletchley.
A genuinely kind and sincere Hufflepuff. He had joined the Dueling Club and, later, Dumbledore's Army. Notably, when he realized he had wrongly accused Harry of being the Heir of Slytherin, he had been brave enough to seek Harry out and shake his hand in apology, a far more courageous act than the other students who simply pretended nothing had happened.
But what truly made him memorable was the fact that he had turned down Eton College for Hogwarts. Eton wasn't a school you could get into with good grades alone; it was the exclusive domain of the British aristocracy.
"My aunt's son's classmate's uncle's nephew got into Eton!" Matron Anna used to taunt the orphans. "Ha! Bet you wish you could be so lucky, you little guttersnipes. A place like that isn't for the likes of you."
Her cruel words, in their own way, spoke volumes about the school's prestige. In other words, Justin was Hogwarts's hidden millionaire. A pure-blood of a different sort.
The trolley witch had already moved on, muttering happily about her "generous young wizards," and disappeared down the corridor.
Back in the compartment, Justin piled the mountain of sweets on the table between them.
"Help yourselves," his voice came from behind the sugary peak. "There's no way I can eat all this. Please."
"You're being a bit obvious," Hermione whispered to him, though she didn't hesitate to grab a sherbet lemon.
"Shh!" Justin put a finger to his lips, and they both snuck a glance at Sean.
His robes were worn and pilling, the fabric at the elbows frayed and starting to unravel. If it weren't for his pale, handsome face, he could have been just another unwanted child from any orphanage in the country.
"Try a Chocolate Frog?" Justin offered, holding one out like a peace offering. "I hear they're a favorite among wizarding kids."
Faced with this devilish temptation, Sean gave in immediately.
"Thanks," he said, his voice quiet. He had succumbed to the sweet allure of capitalism.
"My Chocolate Frog!" Justin cried out a moment later. As he'd been happily unwrapping his own treat, the enchanted chocolate had suddenly leaped from his hand and was now hopping towards the open window.
"Wingar—dium—Leviosa!"
A calm voice cut through the panic. Sean, anticipating this exact outcome, had his wand already out. The frog stopped in mid-air and floated gently back into Justin's waiting hands.
"They only jump once," Sean explained calmly.
He took a small bite of his own Chocolate Frog and went back to his reading, this time opening One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Outside, the sky was slowly beginning to darken.
