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HP: I have a Proficiency Panel - 38
🕑 Added 2025-10-25 14:35:56 +0000 UTCChapter 38: The Owl Portrait
After three in the afternoon, Hogwarts settled into a lazy weekend mood. For the young wizards, Fridays felt even better than Saturdays or Sundays. On this day, they could forget about homework and truly enjoy some rare free time.
Walking all the way from the greenhouse, Shawn's robe hem still carried dewdrops from after the rain. He learned from Professor Sprout that Professor Snape was starting to brew a two-day potion today. Therefore, the potion brewing plan could only be temporarily shelved.
Now that he had inherited Master Libatius Borage's knowledge, it felt like sitting on a pile of gold he couldn't spend yet. Luckily, he didn't know much about Borage's improved ritual either. So, he decided to head to the hidden room to practice until he got the hang of it, and maybe work on his Charms skills too.
"I'm going to cut off your head!" "No!" The shouts from the lawn sounded playful, even if the words were dramatic. Shawn glanced over and saw a group of young wizards playing Hangman. In this game, one person thinks of a word and the others guess letters. If they can't figure it out, they pretend to lose their heads.
Shawn heard crackling explosion sounds from the other side of the lawn. Looking from afar, young wizards were playing Exploding Snap. These cards weren't very powerful but were enough to blacken two young wizards' eyebrows.
The magical world actually had many forms of entertainment, not just Quidditch, wizard chess, Gobstones, and so on. Michael had played over ten strange games in just five days. This was also why he was still stuck in the library. It would be even better if he didn't wail, "Shawn, save me," when returning to the dormitory and just quietly read Shawn's notes.
Shawn held the beautifully packaged Fizzing Whizzbees. The image of Bruce being led away by Leon like a balloon seemed still before his eyes. He observed that every time Bruce was about to land, the just-arrived Pist would stuff another candy in his mouth. The remaining candies were all given to him by the honestly smiling Pist.
"Hufflepuff's philosophy is to SHARE!" Bruce practically howled.
The afternoon sunlight poured over Hogwarts Castle's old stone walls, making them feel warm and soft. The towers stood out in gold against the blue sky. Owls hooted as they flew by, and the wind ruffled Shawn's hair. In the distance, he heard a loud call from an eagle.
Justin stumbled across the lawn. "Shawn!" he called out with excitement, making Hermione beside him puff up her cheeks in exasperation. The wind flipped open the dark green book with a dragon pattern in her hands.
"Mother says nature heals all children." Justin moved close to Shawn and whispered, "Sunshine, lakeside, breeze, grass... although Hermione doesn't think these are better than Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in her hands—she's right, that book is too interesting."
Magical creatures? Indeed, very interesting, Shawn thought. Then Shawn's gaze followed Justin's guidance to fall on one page:
[I only want to simply say one more thing: I am definitely not "the heartless man who abandoned the heartbroken Seraphina Picquery." At that time, the President clearly stated that if I didn't voluntarily and quickly leave New York, she would take severe measures to expel me]
Shawn was somewhat speechless. It seemed gossip didn't distinguish between wizards and Muggles.
"And this—" [Generations of young Australian wizards have tried to catch Billywigs and provoke them to sting, in order to experience this side effect]
"Wizards are sometimes quite crazy, aren't they?" Justin spread his hands. "What do you say, Hermione?"
"That's right. I also saw in the book that a wizard made its secretions into Fizzing Whizzbees." Hermione closed the book, her voice full of vigor.
Before she finished speaking, Shawn silently placed a Fizzing Whizzbee in each of their hands. "Delicious," Shawn said seriously.
Leaving Hermione and Justin, who had just reacted, staring at each other.
"Floating feels really nice. Remember when Hermione and I went to ask Professor Flitwick if we could use that classroom? He agreed right away, but then he said something..." Justin paused in the corridor, his eyes twinkling as Shawn watched.
"Silly boy," Hermione cut in. "It was, 'Of course, no problem, but it depends on whether that owl portrait agrees.'" As the three waited for the moving staircase, she continued her explanation.
"The professor said that in the tenth century, there was only one magical school in Europe: Hogwarts. Back then, students came from all over Europe. Later, more magical schools were built, so many families chose ones closer to home. Hogwarts, which could hold thousands, ended up with dozens of empty classrooms. Most were sealed by magic, but not ours, because..."
"There's a special owl portrait that even generations of professors haven't been able to answer," Justin added with a smile. He seemed far prouder than Shawn. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
With the rumbling of stairs and Justin's wall-knocking sounds, the yellowed, cracked canvas appeared again. The snow-white owl wearing a velvet vest and small pince-nez glasses tilted its neck. It seemed forever unable to straighten its glasses and firmly grasp the aged parchment at the same time.
"What are you looking at! Owls are raptors too!" it shouted. "No laughing! I'm going to ask you a difficult question! A difficult question even clever young wizards can't answer!"
Justin's face fell. He hesitated, then tried to appease the owl in the portrait with his quill lollipop.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's an owl feather! Even if it's just carved!" the owl screeched. "Oh!" Justin exclaimed softly. Hermione giggled.
Shawn watched as Justin pretended to fumble and shoved the quill lollipop into Shawn's arms. "Wait, do mice eat owls?" Justin pulled out squeaking sugar mice, trying to recover.
"Young wizard! Foolish young wizard! I'm a portrait!" The owl flapped its wings. The parchment swayed under its claws. The bird looked absolutely furious.
Hermione could barely contain her laughter. "What?!" Justin cried in desperation. "Where am I supposed to find a mouse portrait!"
