Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 108, Section 107: Sweater

Is it difficult to buy a sweater?

When the weather turned cold, Sheehan had already asked two of Weasley's upperclassmen to find an opportunity to sneak into Hogsmeade today to buy him some clothes—including scarves, sweaters, shirts, and boots.

Unexpectedly, their mission failed miserably; they were discovered just as they were about to leave the castle.

In the corner of the corridor at that time:

"Sweater—of course—very simple!"

Fred blinked.

"Since you've come to us—"

George secretly gave Fred a look.

"Then you'd like to know our price!"

Fred understood immediately.

"Five Westcos for one piece!"

George shouted, then subtly glanced at Sheen.

"make a deal!"

Sheen's words were firm and resounding.

"Wait, no, no, no... six Xico!"

George frantically tried to salvage the situation.

"make a deal!"

Sheehan grasped Weasley's hand.

The senior student flung him away as if he'd been electrocuted.

"Seven!"

"make a deal!"

"Eight, no, nine... Merlin!"

George went limp.

"Three Galleons... a scarf, sweater, shirt, gloves, and boots—everything you could need!"

Fred, the senior student, quoted a price.

"We only made money off you, one Sikor, and definitely not one more Nat!"

"I believe you."

Sheen said.

"Two Galleons—please stop."

George said weakly.
"I've never seen a little wizard like you before, those guys..."

"They think we're going to make ten Galleons off them!"

Fred took over the conversation.

"But in reality, they only bought ten nut!"

George gave Sheehan a strange look.

"Let's go, don't let us regret this..."

Sheen nodded.

After taking only a few steps, Fred put his arm around George's shoulder and whispered:

How much did we make?

"Two Xikes."

George blinked.

The two looked at each other, smiled, and clapped their hands.

But just as they turned to leave, a sharp meow rang out.

This caused the two figures who had just entered the secret passage to take off running.

"What's Mrs. Lorice doing here at nine o'clock at night, Fred!"

George yelled.

"How should I know!"

Fred threw a ball filled with large powder, but unfortunately Mrs. Lorris had already caught up.

After waiting in the corridor for a while, Mrs. Loris's Sheen left the corridor somewhat disappointed.

In short, when Sheen saw his two senior classmates again, it was while they were in solitary confinement in the cellar.

For five whole days, they couldn't escape Professor Snape's clutches—despite promising to sneak out for an hour to buy warm clothes for Sheen. Only today did the two men, assigned by Professor Snape to clean the toilets, finally escape their confinement. According to Fred, they were released early because they had betrayed several Gryffindors.

"Oh, they, though they are our brothers—"

George said wistfully.

"But you've added enough money!"

Fred blinked.

This fits Sheen's stereotype of twins perfectly. He was worried that if someone else paid them, they might betray him.

Actually——

"Tell me—why did you sneak out?"

Professor Snape's voice was like a biting cold wind, making Fred, who was wiping windows, and George, who was sweeping the floor in the cellar, shiver.

"We're just verifying a secret passage."

Fred said, forcing himself to speak.

"A secret passage that is said to have been abandoned long ago."

George said this with an air of seriousness.

Professor Snape remained silent, only issuing a threat with a forced smile:

"If I make you clean the washrooms for two weeks..."

"Buy a sweater, Professor!"

George looked miserable.

“We need sweaters, Professor.”

Fred also put on a sincere expression.

But to their surprise, Professor Snape simply watched them silently for a moment before telling them to get out of the cellar.

Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

The enchanted ceiling was a clear, grayish-blue, with wisps of thin clouds drifting slowly overhead. The air was filled with the warm aroma of freshly baked bread, mixed with the morning mist.

Suddenly, a flapping sound came from afar, growing louder as it approached, like heavy rain pounding against a window.

Hundreds of owls poured in through the high windows like a tide, their brown, gray, and white wings intertwined, blurring the little wizards' vision until they flew back to their long table.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing roar rang out from somewhere, and the four sitting nearby—Sheen, Hermione, Neville, and Justin—covered their ears as usual.

Justin gazed out the stained-glass window. The downpour had just stopped, but the trees were not so lucky; at least half of their leaves had fallen.

A silver-grey owl swaggered up to Justin, carrying a thick, heavy bundle.

He glanced at Sheehan cautiously; the other was still relentlessly attacking the apple pie. He then breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Inside the package was a thick sweater and gloves, along with a photograph of four young wizards—the wizards in the photograph were mostly shivering from the cold, their expressions varied, but strangely, they were all looking at the young wizard in the center.

His emerald green eyes took on a slight warmth in the firelight.

There was a line of writing on the back of the photo:
[Dear Fenrir:]
I've heard many stories, and I think his eyes must be smaller than a lake;

I think eyes like that won't cry;
Perhaps standing in front of him is like standing by a lake, with fine mist stretching from the ground to the sky.

Always cherish your friends.

—Always proud of you: Liliana

Justin silently put away the letter and left the auditorium when Sheehan seemed not to notice.

At the same time, a spotted owl landed beside Hermione, and the little witch glanced at Sheehan as well, then nimbly left the Great Hall.

Sheehan silently shifted his gaze from the delicious food—he couldn't help but feel that Justin and Hermione had been acting strangely lately.
In classrooms.

The fireplace was burning fiercely as Sheen entered the classroom carrying "Standard Spells: Beginner" and a small notebook belonging to Professor Flitwick.

As he habitually approached the fireplace, a gust of cold wind launched its final attack, but Sheen took a large step forward and thwarted it.

On his usual seat, a letter with a gold border lay quietly.

Sheen walked over silently and saw the package below the letter.

He paused for a moment, then opened the envelope:
I can't believe it's already autumn.
The trees began to wither.

The advantage of autumn is that...

You can wear a warm and nice sweater.

Sheen, make it a little warmer.

—Your eternal loyalty: Justin Finley

Outside the stained-glass window, an owl flew by, taking away the last trace of autumn's chill.

　The other two chapters are consecutive; I'll save them for tomorrow morning.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)