HPS 112

Chapter 112: The List

Bruce had given Sean seven small pieces of parchment, on the back of which was written: [Green's friends are our friends, we're happy to help.]

Even in the classroom, Justin and Neville were still holding the letters and discussing what they wanted to buy, their excitement having yet to fade.

“Oh, Hermione, guess what Sean got in the greenhouse…?” Justin smiled as he spoke to Hermione, who was practicing the Floating Charm.

Hermione was currently flipping through Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, trying to unravel the mystery of Non-Verbal Spells. She raised an eyebrow:

“Hmm, Angelica seeds?”

“A hundred times better than that!”

Right after Justin spoke, Sean placed the small piece of parchment on Hermione’s desk. Its yellow-and-black edge had a soft color, and Hermione couldn't take her eyes off it after just one glance.

“This is…”

And so, Hermione naturally joined the eager discussion.

Sean quietly settled onto the soft, sky-blue cotton cushion beside the fireplace. Because the fireplace was in this location, Justin had also placed a round table there, on which three steaming mugs of milk currently sat.

Sean took a sip of milk and began to seriously read Ancient Runes Made Easy. Not far away, Justin and the others were gathered around another wooden table, excitedly discussing their plans.

“I have to go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop to buy some decorations. They say the trees in Hogsmeade village are covered with enchanted candles every holiday. I wonder if Madam Puddifoot’s sells them? It would be great if we could use them for lighting in the classroom. Also, Dervish and Banges, I’m very interested in the Sneakoscopes and things they sell. What’s the difference between them and a magnifying glass? Just thinking about it is exciting.”

Justin rapidly wrote down his requests, then asked Sean pleadingly, “Sean, can the upperclassmen carry all this?”

Sean recalled Pister's neck, but Bruce had actually told him in the letter not to worry—they were wizards, the kind who use spells.

“Yes,” Sean nodded.

“Fantastic! Hermione, what about you?” Justin let out a low cheer.

“Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop has so many things I want… the black and gold pheasant feather quill, rainbow ink, the extra-large quill…” Hermione carefully reviewed the list and was momentarily faced with difficulty choosing.

“Alright, Neville, what about you?” Seeing Hermione’s furrowed brow in thought, Justin turned to Neville, who had been staring at the list.

“Gloves, flowerpots…”

'Hmm…' Justin thought he shouldn't have bothered asking.

The minds of the three people in this room were particularly easy to guess. Justin thought that if they really went to Hogsmeade village, Hermione and Sean would rush straight to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, while Neville would be rooted to the spot, gazing at the flowerpots in Dervish and Banges.

As for himself, though he had talked about a lot, the place he most wanted to go was Honeydukes—the enchanted delicacies there must be very interesting.

The fire crackled in the hearth for a while. Sean emerged from his sea of books and looked at the three remaining pieces of parchment in his hand, momentarily unsure of who to give them to.

Hogsmeade village, or simply Hogsmeade, is the only all-wizard village in Britain. It was founded by Hengist of Woodcroft. Hogwarts students can travel there on weekends, as the village is close enough for an easy round trip down a small path.

The path starts at the Hogsmeade station and ends at the Hogwarts gate, and there is a fork in the road that leads to Hogsmeade village.

Although it’s just a village, it’s full of interesting shops, such as Zonko's Joke Shop, which sells all sorts of prank items—like 'Hiccough Sweets', 'Dungbombs', and 'Nose Biting Teacups'.

There's also the Owl Post Office, Gladrags Wizardwear, Dervish and Banges Magical Equipment Shop, and so on.

The discussions in the classroom lasted until the evening curfew. The few friends reluctantly said goodbye, handing Sean the parchments that weren't overly full but were carefully chosen.

Sean quickly scanned them and could see various peculiar candies, such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Ice Mice, Fudge Flies, and Devils Fire Candy that makes you breathe fire.

“Oh, right, Sean, please thank the upperclassmen for us.” Justin said.

Sean nodded.

On his way back, Sean didn't see Sir Cadogan. He guessed the Knight might still be in the portrait, trying to pull the sword embedded in the ground.

He looked at the three small pieces of parchment still in his bag and began to form some subtle ideas in his mind.

The Ravenclaw Common Room

It was the last day before the weekend, and the older wizards were excitedly discussing what they would do in Hogsmeade village, while the younger wizards could only watch longingly.

“Merlin—I heard there's a Hufflepuff upperclassman willing to buy things back for the lower-year students. Why doesn’t Ravenclaw have such a wonderful tradition?” Michael slumped his head, burying his entire face in a book.

“It'd be troublesome. No one wants to bring you stuff when they're having fun, unless you give them enough Galleons,” Anthony said while flipping through a book. “Someone in Slytherin offered one Galleon and was immediately taken up on it.”

One Galleon… that was hardly worth it, just for some candy and things.

Although he thought so, Michael couldn't help but sigh.

Until—

“What’s this, Sean? Is this your Quidditch Technique Guide? Then I’ll have a good look.” Michael looked at Sean with anticipation. Ever since Sean passed the Flying Test, Michael had wanted to fly up to the Ravenclaw Tower like him. Climbing the stairs was painful, and seeing a peer fly up while he was climbing was even more so.

Although he had been happy for Sean not having to climb the stairs from the start, he still underestimated his own envy when it actually happened.

“Hogsmeade village shopping list…” After a moment of stunned silence, Michael gasped, “Merlin’s Fizzing Whizzbees!”

In the end, Sean distributed the lists. The narrow, small, but substantial lists carried a lot of expectations.

Justin had always wanted to buy things to decorate the classroom—a point everyone agreed on, as the classroom was always bare. Although clean and tidy, it was a far cry from the Great Hall and the common rooms.

Hermione, at Justin’s urging, bought many candies with various miraculous effects.

Neville bought mostly all sorts of flowerpots. He didn't have much money, so he spent it all on his plants.

As for Sean, he could always manage a slight smile when he thought of Justin and the others' expectant faces.