Slytherin's Quidditch loss made Sean lose interest in the sport. He stuck to his routine, studying in the library and sneaking to the Room of Requirement every weekend to brew potions for Andy. His potion sales had stacked up a good amount of coins.
"Andy, I need some new materials," Sean said, wiping a potion bottle clean. "Can you get them?"
Andy grabbed the fifteen mind recovery potions(Wit recovery potions) Sean handed over, their glass clinking softly. He didn't wait a second and said, "Of course! Just tell me what you need. If it's tough to find, it might take some time."
Sean nodded, impressed by Andy's quick answer. He'd thought Andy was clever, but this was even better. Andy didn't act like anything was too hard—he just needed time, which showed he could get almost any potion ingredient.
"I need scarabs, ginger root, and armadillo bile," Sean said, listing them carefully.
Andy's face lit up. "That's for an intelligence enhancer! Sean, are you making one?"
Intelligence enhancers were potions that made your mind super clear for a while. They didn't make you smarter but helped you think faster, like your brain was wide awake. At Hogwarts, older students, especially fifth- and seventh-years, bought them like crazy before exams. Even after the potion stopped working, you remembered what you learned, so kids used them to study or pass big tests.
Those potions sold for a lot of coins.
Sean kept his voice calm. "Andy, don't get too excited. I'm making this for myself. Intelligence enhancers are harder to brew than mind recovery potions. I can't make them well enough to sell yet, so I'm just getting materials for me."
"Oh," Andy said, his shoulders dropping.
But he spoke again fast. "Sean, have you gotten better at mind recovery potions? If you can make more, I need them. So many people want them, and some orders are set for next month!"
Sean shook his head. "No way. I've got to study and have my own life, right?"
"You're right," Andy said, his face worried. "I'm leaving now. I'll take fewer orders this month. Too many could mess things up."
Andy hurried off, looking stressed.
Blaise closed Sean's door after Andy left, the Slytherin common room's green glow behind him. "Sean, I looked into Andy's business," he said. "He's got other potion makers, not just you. But this term, two of his three main suppliers got taken. If he didn't have you, his business would've been in big trouble, maybe even done for."
"Do you know who took them?" Sean asked, leaning forward.
Blaise nodded. "I found out while checking. It's a fourth-year named Dorian Cook. His family's small, even smaller than Andy's. I think someone's backing Cook. I asked my family to dig deeper, and they'll have answers soon."
"Okay, I understand. Thanks," Sean said.
Blaise rolled his eyes. "You're always like this, thanking me over and over again. This matter is not difficult for me. I just need to write a letter and send it away by owl. It doesn't take much effort. You don't need to say thank you to me."
"Then consider it as a thank you to the people in your family for helping you look up this information," Sean said.
Blaise sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, I'll take it for them."
The two chatted for a while, and then Sean and Blaise went out together. Sean went to the Potions Club, while Blaise went on a date with his girlfriend. He had been having a hot relationship with a third-year senior recently, and the two had already confirmed their boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, but for some reason, the hotter they were, the more Sean felt that Blaise might cheat on the senior. There was no evidence, he was simply unsure about Blaise's character in relationships.
As Sean left the common room, two older students watched him, their eyes sharp. They started whispering in low voices.
"Look at the time and that potions book he's got," one said. "He's heading to the Potions Club."
"So, Andy's new potion maker is a first-year kid?" the other said, sounding shocked.
The first one grinned. "You don't know him, but he's not ordinary. He won two pure-blood duels. Last time, he beat the Malfoy kid so bad he landed in the hospital wing. Even when old Malfoy came to Hogwarts, he couldn't do anything. This guy's no regular first-year."
The other snorted. "Big deal. He's still a freshman, and his name's Bulstrode. So what? He's a squib's son. The Bulstrode family only keeps him around for their reputation and his tricks. A real pure-blood family wouldn't care about a squib's kid."
The first didn't argue. His friend was crazy about pure-blood ideas, like someone who'd follow Voldemort back in the day. He was risky to be around, but if they made coins together, it was fine. No need to pick a fight.
"Forget that," he said. "He's in the Potions Club, picked by our dean. We tested his mind recovery potions—they're good, and he makes tons. We swore to ruin Andy's business at Hogwarts, so we've got to stop this Sean. His fifteen potions a week are keeping Andy's trade alive!"
"Leave it to me," the other said. "I poached those two suppliers before, and I'll get this one too!"
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Snape's cold, flat voice echoed in the dungeon. "If there is nothing else, you can leave."
The five students in the Potions Club stood up fast, grabbing their books and hurrying out of the chilly room.
Sean, less scared of Snape than the others, was always the last to go.
He picked up his things, gave Snape a small nod, and turned to walk out.
But then Snape's voice stopped him. "Sean, don't get too close to the Savior, if you don't want to die young."
Sean froze, knowing Snape must have seen him at the Quidditch match, sneaking under the stands.
He turned to face Snape, who stared back with a blank look, his face hard as stone. But Sean could tell Snape cared, or he wouldn't have warned him about Harry.
"Professor, I understand," Sean said. "My interactions with Harry are limited to ordinary friendships. As for other things, Harry is a Gryffindor and it is impossible for him to communicate with a Slytherin like me, right?"
Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't mix.....
Snape's eyes flickered, lost in some thought at Sean's words.
He nodded slightly. "It's good that you understand."
Then he added, "In addition, you should have finished reading most of the books on the list I gave you last time. This is the next list. I will give you a new list in half a month. It is best to finish reading all the books on the list before then."
Sean took the new book list from Snape, his throat tight. He gulped and said, "Professor, I haven't finished the books you gave me before. I've only read half of them. I…"
Snape's sharp eyes cut him off, a sneer curling his lip. "You have time to think about those things, you have time to take risks for the Savior, but you don't have time to read books? Since when did your brain become as dumb and lazy as Gryffindor's?"
Even Dumbledore couldn't handle Snape's biting words. Sean stuffed the list into his bag, his face tight, and promised himself to wake up an hour earlier each morning to finish the books in two weeks.
He left the Potions Club classroom, the dungeon's cold air clinging to him. Sean sighed, ready to head back to the common room and start reading.
But a strange voice called out from behind. "Are you Sean Bulstrode?"
Sean's hand darted to the wand tucked behind his waist. He spun around, eyes scanning the dim corridor. "Who are you?"
"Very alert, very good, and has the qualifications to become a Slytherin," the voice said.
A young man stepped from the shadows. He was average height, pale, maybe a sixth- or seventh-year, with medium-long hair and plain looks. His eyes, though, were sharp and mean, staring at Sean like a hawk, which made Sean's skin crawl.
"Who are you?" Sean asked again, his voice steady.
The man grinned, showing teeth. "My name is Tarquin. I heard that you have been getting close to Andy recently?"
Sean's mind raced, piecing it together. This guy was probably with the people who stole Andy's potion suppliers. Now he was here for Sean, and it wasn't hard to guess why. Someone was clearly out to ruin Andy's business.
"Andy is a very interesting guy and we had a good chat," Sean said, keeping his tone even.
Tarquin's grin faded. "If I were you, I wouldn't get so close to him."
Sean's face turned cold, his eyes narrowing. If he could see himself, he might notice his expression looked a lot like Snape's—sharp and icy. Without knowing it, Sean was great at mimicking others, picking up their habits like a shadow.
Sean stood in the dim corridor. "If you don't have anything else to do, I'm going to go back and rest."
He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor.
Tarquin stepped forward, his voice low and angry. "If I were you, I wouldn't do that !"
Sean ignored him, keeping his pace steady, eyes fixed ahead.
A sudden chill hit the back of his neck. Sean didn't wait—he swung his wand, already in his hand, and shouted, "Protego!"
A blue-white shield glowed behind him, rippling as a white light struck it, sparking like a firecracker.
Sean's eyes widened. He flicked his wand again, sending a gray light shooting out. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Tarquin countered fast. "Stupefy!" he yelled, a red light bursting from his wand.
The gray and red spells crashed together, exploding in a shower of sparks that lit the dark corridor like fireworks.
Sean stared at Tarquin, his face calm but hiding a storm inside, ready to burst. Tarquin's mean grin showed he didn't care about his sneak attack, his eyes gleaming with defiance.
"Do you know that your behavior just now has violated the school rules of Hogwarts?" Sean said, his voice sharp.
Tarquin laughed coldly. "So what? What can Hogwarts do to me? Deduct points? My family's on the Hogwarts board of directors. They can't expel me! Besides, I'm in sixth year. One more year, and I'm gone. Leaving Hogwarts means nothing to me."
Sean shifted his stance, flexing his arms. His Troll Strength gave him power far beyond normal kids, and his Troll Spiked Hide made him tough against spells. He could block Tarquin's magic and hit him hard, especially with his wand ready to cast more spells.
Sean raised his wand slowly, his eyes locked on Tarquin, ready to strike.
Tarquin did the same, his wand steady, a smirk on his face. But just as their duel was about to explode, a furious voice boomed through the corridor.
"What are you two doing here?"