Sheen was taking notes, best he could.
[Shake your wrists.
It is also very important to chant the mantra accurately, do not eelongate or shorten the pronunciation un necessarily
It should be 'Wingardium Leviosa', the 'O' need to be long and clear]
Sheen looked at the notes he had taken and put the quill back in with satisfaction. Sadly he just had to accept his best wasn't too good.
"I practiced it fifteen times already, Hermione." The poor boys voice was cracking as he looked up at Hermione with teary eyes, "I'm not the dumbest little wizard to ever wizard, am I? "
Justin's voice was tinged with concern, and even the newly optimistic Justin was a little melancholic when faced with this unfamiliar field.
Sheen kept notes thankfully and in his opinion: Not really. From what Sheen had gathered from the conversations so far, it seems Justin had been unable to get the feather to float again after the last time. That was nothing to be ashamed off, he still needed practice, scoring a goal in football once didn't mean you were the god of football now.
"I don't know yet, I can't judge with just one reference standard..."
Hermione frowned and shook her head. Her eyes turned to Sheen who was cringing on the inside. Wouldn't "No no, you just need more practice" be the normal response?! Suddenly, her eyes lit up
"Sheen, you can probably do the spell, right?" Sheen nodded, and at the same time, his wrist shook in the gesture that must Harry Potter book lovers were way to familiar with. A Swish and a flick!
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
[You practiced the Floating Spell once at the beginner level, proficiency +3]
As Sheen's spell rang out, the feather slowly floated again.
"Cool! " Justin said looking up with wide eyes.
it didn't take a genius to realise that Sheen was better at the charm than Justin.
"You must have learned it pretty quickly, right? I mean, for a wizard like you who obviously comes from a wizarding family."
Sheen tilted his head in question again. Confusion written all over it.
Justin's eyes widened in surprise, his lower lip quivered a bit as he realised.
"Aren't you...aren't from a wizarding family? Are you a Muggle wizard?" Sheen nodded
"wait...that means that you only started learning magic this summer... In two months, you learned a magic this difficult like Transfiguration?"
Sheen didn't have the heart to tell the man this was his first time. He just nodded.
Justing opened his mout ready to speak something but it died in his throat as he slowly closed it before looking at Hermione with a questioning look "What's the thing they say instead of Jesus Christ?Berlin something?"
"Merlin's beard."
Hermione laughed the words out, as he looked away with a blush on his face.
"yeah! That, Merlin's beard..."
Justin repeated in a low voice, his eyes seemed to soften as he looked at Sheen simingly with a new light. He pointed at Hermione.
"Hermione and I, we're both... Muggle wizards as well"
Oh, that means all three people in this box are Muggle wizards.
"It's amazing... I hear there are a lot more pure-blooded wizards in the magical world." Sheen simply nodded with a sigh, ah yes, wizard racism, he forgot how much he may have to go through now thanks to being born as a muggle...
Just as he was sighing though, he heard a sound outside, the vague sounds of clink and clang. He looked up towards the door.
Strangely enough, instead of disappearing as quickly like the other noisy sounds, the sound only grew even louder and louder till finally it was right outside their door.
A polite knock later, the box door was slowly opened revealing a short chubby witch in an apron who invited herself in. The cart in front of her was quick to attract the attention of all three of them.
"Good evening Honeys, do any of you want to buy something from the cart?"
The chubby witch has dimples, a smile, and even a friendly voice. The classic weapons of saleswoman
Sheen glanced at the dazzling array of shelves he gulped, his gut was begging for it but then his eyes fell back on the lady with the cart. Her shrewd eyes were clearly bent on getting sweet kids like him into candy debt. He wouldn't let that happen, he was smarter than than, he clenched his mouth and forced his eyes away. Adieu oh sweet treat, may we be together in a life where I am rich.
He sighed It's been a long time now, and Sheen is very hungry.
He knew the Hogwarts Express would run for a long time, from early morning to night.
But he had no way to carry food, and Caregiver Anna wouldn't allow him to take even a slice of toast. 'Ypu aren't my problem now! Just go!" She said evilly like the evil cunt she was. Sheen grumbled, he hoped she would be fired as soon as she was happy in life and everything would slip away.
'It will be fine when we get to Hogwarts'
Sheen thought. A single imaginary tear drop seemingly running down his cheek. 'rest now oh hungry stomach, we shall feast soon-'
"two copies of each. "
Justine's word made the vending witch's smile brighter, where as Sheen gained a shine of life to his eyes as he looked towards Justin as though he was a saviour of some kind.
"Ofcourse Honey! Here are some Every flavor beans, some sugar quills , a few chocolate Frogs, some of my homemade Pumpkin Pie, a cauldron Cake, Licorice Wands... A couple of fleezing whizbees, acid pops...."
Her mood also seemed to improve as she introduced the foods to Justin.
Hermione, who also heard the prices along with the names waved her hands in front of the dazed Justin who kept staring at the candy. She startled and just as she was about to dissuade the young man, her eyes flashed at the jingling pouch of gold in Justin's hand.
Justin paid quickly, not wanting to be stopped by the other two most probably then explained with a flushed face:
"I've got some money, my parents were thinking of sending me to Eton, but then the next day I received an admission letter from Hogwarts.
Although my mother thought Hogwarts was not as good as Eton I managed to convince them.
I mean think about it, who in their right minds would want to learning about lawyers, business elites and High society when Learning magic was on the table!"
After he finished speaking, he put his pouch back in his pocket "Gist of it is, we had some left over money thanks to the savings so mum and dad decided it would be best if I got some pocket money."
At this point, Sheen finaly remembered who he was:
Justin Finch Fletchley.
A genuine, kind, true Hufflepuff.
He participated in the duelling Club and also joined Dumbledore's Army.
It is worth mentioning that when he learned that he had misunderstood Harry as the heir to the Chamber of Secrets, he also took the initiative to shake Harry's hand and apologize, More brave and sincere than other little wizards who pretend nothing had happened.
He is even more remembered for turning down Eton and enrolling at Hogwarts.
In the UK, if you can't get into Eton College with good grades, the only other way is if you are an aristocrat.
"My aunt's, son's, classmate's, and uncle's nephew went to Eton College! Ha, weep you little poor sacks of meat! Wild species like you, shouldn't even think about it."
This is what Anna's carers often say sarcastically, and it also reflects the status of Eton College from the side.
In other words,
Justin is the secret richy rich at Hogwarts.
'Not pure bloodline' Sheen thought 'but rather a man from old money'.
By then the trolley witch had already moved on, her voice fading down the corridor — "two most generous young wizards" — and the compartment was quiet again.
Justin had arranged every sweet from the trolley across the tabletop. The pile was almost towering.
"Could you guys umm...Help me eat some of this?" His voice came from somewhere behind the mountain of confectionery. "I'll never manage it all on my own. Please."
"You're being terribly obvious with it," Hermione told him, not unkindly though, helping herself to a pumpkin pastry. Then she leaned in and dropped her voice.
"Shh—"
Justin pressed a finger to his lips. Almost like a small warning. The two of them exchanged a look, then both sneaked a glance at a certain young wizard from their mountain of possible future cavaties.
His robes were worn at the hems, pilled at the elbows, the seams along one arm beginning to come apart. If you managed to look past the pale, rather handsome face, it was very clear he was from somewhere stricken with poverty. Maybe an unclaimed child from an orphanage even...
"Try a Chocolate Frog?" Justin held one out, his voice was the picture of idle suggestion. "I've heard wizarding children are terribly fond of them."
Sheen took it without hesitation.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
No hardship had ever defeated him but...
But temptation is a different matter.
He had fallen, completely and without resistance, to the sugared snares of capitalism.
"My Chocolate Frog!"
Justin had barely unwrapped his own sweet — quite pleased with himself at the good deed he had done— when his Chocolate Frog made a tremendous leap straight for the open window.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Calm. Unhurried. Sheen had already raised his wand, as though he'd been waiting for it. The Frog dropped neatly into Justin's hands.
"They jump once," Sheen said simply.
Then he looked down at One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, taking small, careful bites of his Chocolate Frog as the sky outside deepened slowly into night.
(End of Chapter)