Chapter 90: Will I Be Silenced? Urgent!
"Children, examinations are a way to test your abilities, and you need to prepare yourselves for them."
Professor Binns, unusually, spoke some personal words after class.
"But, during the exam, if you so much as glance at someone else's paper, you will be hit with the most vicious of hexes."
"The history of magic is tedious—just like my life. However, I must remind you, if you cannot remember some of the more complex historical details, then stretch your necks a little."
"If an answer happens to fall into your line of sight, that is Merlin's affirmation and blessing of your character."
Professor Binns' voice was as flat as ever. After saying these words, he turned and floated away.
However, his warning caused an uproar among the young wizards at their desks below.
"What? What does Professor Binns mean by that?"
"It sounds like he wants us to... copy from others?"
"Impossible, right? How could a professor allow us to do such a thing?"
"Maybe it's only allowed for the History of Magic course?"
Amidst the clamor, Dylan couldn't help but blink.
"That's a really familiar feeling. It's exactly what my history teacher said in class before the college entrance exam."
Harry and Ron also began discussing it animatedly with Hermione.
—Hermione was refuting Professor Binns' words, or rather, she didn't believe Professor Binns was telling them to copy from others during the exam.
"He definitely meant it! This is great, my History of Magic is saved!" Ron declared firmly.
"Me too, who can pay attention in that class?" Harry nodded. "Even Dylan can't fully concentrate on it!"
Dylan: "You guys can chat all you want, but don't drag me into it. Even if I don't look at anyone else's answers, my score won't be too bad."
"He's telling the truth," Ron muttered, rolling his eyes.
The time after class always flew by.
Another weekend arrived.
Dylan also arrived at the door of Professor Snape's office.
"Professor, I'm here."
Dylan pushed open the door to Professor Snape's office and said loudly.
As soon as the door opened, the unique aroma, a mixture of herbs and mysterious potions, immediately filled the air.
Dim yellow light flickered among the shelves holding various oddly shaped glass vessels, casting mottled shadows.
Hearing Dylan's voice.
Professor Snape looked up from his thick potions textbook, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, and merely grunted, gesturing for Dylan to come and sit down.
In the corner behind him were the cauldron and various instruments that Dylan usually used. Every weekend, when Dylan came, he could directly use the ready-made equipment.
Dylan moved his cauldron over, but instead of directly starting to brew potions, he temporarily moved these things aside and then looked at Professor Snape.
Hmm, his hair is getting more and more clean and flowing, not bad.
Dylan's gaze flickered over Professor Snape's black hair, and he naturally began, "Professor, today we..."
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed a piece of white paper on Professor Snape's desk, sticking out somewhat awkwardly from under several books.
He didn't pay it much mind and continued, "What potion are we going to brew?"
"Draught of Living Death. Do you still remember the detailed brewing steps?"
The topic immediately turned to potion knowledge.
Dylan paused, recalling the recipe for this potion.
"Uh..."
He wondered if it was because he had secretly sneaked into the Forbidden Forest last night to feed Arno, and Hagrid had held onto Arno tightly, not letting go until very late, which was why he had gone back to sleep so late.
Dylan suddenly heard the name of this potion and felt a bit dazed for a moment.
Before he could speak, seeing his expression, Professor Snape immediately sneered. "You can't even remember such a basic potion? Have you been spending all your time observing how Harry Potter makes a fool of himself every day?"
"Uh..." Dylan didn't quite know how to answer for a moment.
He swore to Voldemort that he had absolutely not been observing how Harry usually made a fool of himself.
—In fact, what foolish things had Harry even done?
It didn't seem like there were any major problems, compared to other little lions.
Harry had already been performing quite well.
Of course, when it came to Professor Snape's standards, perhaps Gryffindor couldn't find many who could catch his eye at all.
"Listen carefully." Despite his harsh words, Professor Snape still explained everything to Dylan in detail.
From the method of handling venomous tentacles to the precise dosage of aconite, he didn't miss a single detail.
Next was the potion brewing stage.
The potion Dylan had to brew in front of Professor Snape today was an "Invigoration Draught."
This potion could enhance the drinker's physical strength and endurance in a short period, making it very useful for magical tasks that required prolonged physical exertion.
—Like tracking?
Running around would definitely consume a lot of energy.
—Originally, Professor Snape had intended to teach him the Draught of Living Death.
However, if he couldn't even remember the details of how to proceed before brewing the potion, it would be impossible to concoct a perfect potion.
With a swish of his black robes, he took out a lot of ingredients.
Dylan carefully placed the ingredients that Professor Snape had prepared for him one by one on the table.
First was powdered moonstone. The fine powder shimmered with a faint blue light, twinkling with a mysterious luster under the lamplight, like stardust fallen from the night sky.
Dylan used a measuring spoon to scoop some up and slowly poured it into the preheated cauldron. Professor Snape watched closely, his gaze so sharp it seemed to be able to see through the weight of every grain of powder.
"Faster, don't let the cauldron dry out," Professor Snape urged coldly.
—Professor, I'm already very fast!
Dylan complained inwardly, then picked up a fresh lionfish spine.
This herb had slender leaves covered in tiny hairs, looking somewhat like a lion's mane.
He followed the steps in his memory, cutting the lionfish spine into small sections, striving for evenness with each cut.
But—
"Too coarse! Do you think you're dealing with vegetables in the kitchen?" Professor Snape's low voice suddenly boomed, startling Dylan so much that his hand trembled.
—He still couldn't get used to the strange sensation of Professor Snape's voice suddenly and smoothly sounding in his ear.
The professor walked over, picked up the knife, stood in front of Dylan, and skillfully demonstrated for him.
It had to be said that Professor Snape was indeed a potions master. His handling of ingredients was clean and efficient, and every leaf was cut perfectly, with uniform thickness.
"Did you see clearly? If there's a next time, I'll cut you up and put you in the cauldron," Professor Snape glanced at Dylan, his gaze indifferent, his tone flat.
Dylan, however, wasn't afraid. He chuckled. "I saw clearly, Professor, but I believe you wouldn't do that."
Professor Snape's eyes narrowed. "If you saw clearly, then quickly stir your cauldron. Do I have to hold your hand and teach you?"
"If you're willing, Professor..." Dylan mumbled.
Professor Snape's eyes instantly narrowed dangerously.
Dylan immediately stood at attention, appropriately adding the ingredients to the cauldron and beginning to stir carefully and rhythmically.
As the potion slowly brewed in the cauldron, the liquid gradually developed a faint purple foam, and a peculiar aroma filled the air, carrying a hint of mint's freshness and lavender's fragrance.
The aroma was pleasant, indicating that the potion brewing was going smoothly.
This time, perhaps he could brew a batch of good quality potion.
Dylan watched the cauldron with slight tension, his hand unconsciously gripping the stirring rod, ready to stir at any moment. "Don't rush to move it again, the heat isn't right yet. Do you want this potion to turn into a useless paste?" Professor Snape's voice sounded again. "I won't give you another specially prepared set of ingredients!"
Dylan wasn't disturbed by Professor Snape's words. He focused all his attention on the gradually boiling potion in the cauldron.
Finally, it was time to add the crucial ingredient—dragon blood.
Dylan more cautiously opened the small vial containing the dragon blood.
The dragon blood was a deep crimson, like solidified flame, exuding an ancient and powerful aura.
He carefully dripped in three drops of dragon blood, as the professor had instructed earlier.
With each drop, the liquid in the cauldron seemed like a beast awakened, churning violently. The purple foam instantly expanded, almost overflowing the cauldron.
"Stir quickly, counter-clockwise, faster!"
Professor Snape commanded loudly, and Dylan moved instantly.
His hand was steady—after all, he had been personally trained by Professor Snape for so long.
Dylan quickly stirred as the professor instructed.
As he continued to stir, the color of the potion gradually stabilized, turning into a deep and mesmerizing purplish-red, with a faint golden sheen shimmering on the surface, like a lake dyed by the sunset.
A batch of Invigoration Draught was finally complete.
"Not bad, barely passable." Professor Snape glanced down at it, his nostrils twitching slightly as he sniffed the air.
Although his tone was still cold, a hint of almost imperceptible approval seemed to flash in his eyes.
Dylan, having concentrated his mental energy for so long, was also very tired. Hearing Professor Snape's praise, he immediately let out a long breath, feeling somewhat pleased.
Under Professor Snape's strict guidance, Dylan found that his brewing and understanding of potions had deepened another step.
"Move aside, I'm going to put this potion away," Professor Snape said.
Dylan was taken aback. Usually, Professor Snape would let him put away and take away the potions he brewed. Why was the professor doing it himself this time?
However, he still obediently made way.
After all, the ingredients for the potion were prepared by the professor, so the brewed potion theoretically belonged to Professor Snape.
He took two steps back and stood in front of the desk, watching Professor Snape gracefully collect the potion from the cauldron bit by bit.
Having nothing to do, Dylan waited aside, his gaze wandering around.
"What's this under here?" Dylan's gaze fell once again on the piece of paper pressed under several books.
Although there were many things in the office, they didn't look cluttered at all, but rather very neat and orderly.
A piece of paper casually placed under a pile of books, with several corners sticking out, looked quite out of place.
Like a drop of oil on a white shirt.
Dylan couldn't help but gently nudge the books twice, revealing most of the paper.
"Uh? A timetable?"
Dylan looked at the table, which seemed to be a schedule, and couldn't help but be stunned.
He looked at the first line.
(3:00-4:00) Self-study Potions
"Uh? Professor Snape starts getting up at three to study potions? When does he sleep?" Dylan was even more surprised.
He realized that he seemed to have seen something rather unusual.
He continued to look down.
(4:00-5:00) Self-study Potions
(5:00-7:00) Prepare how to punish the lovely lions Here, Dylan saw that it had been crossed out, replaced by—Think of Lily.
"..."
Dylan: ?
(7:00-8:00) Eat in the Great Hall
(8:00-9:00) Teach a group of even dumber children (9:00-10:00) Teach a group of even dumber children (10:00-11:00) Annoy the old white beard (11:00-12:00) Eat in the Great Hall
(15:00-16:00) Teach until vomiting
(18:00-19:00) Give Gryffindor detention (...)
Before Dylan could finish reading, a chill ran down his spine.
Professor Snape's voice suddenly sounded in his ear again.
"What are you looking at?"
Dylan subconsciously tensed up and immediately replied, "No, nothing, Professor."
He quickly turned around and saw Professor Snape staring grimly at the spot he had just been looking at.
Feeling the cold aura emanating from Professor Snape, Dylan couldn't help but swallow hard.
"What did you see?" Professor Snape's low, magnetic voice asked.
"Nothing, I was just about to look, Professor," Dylan seemed to realize that he had answered too quickly and hastily added, "If you're referring to this piece of paper."
Professor Snape reached out and took the paper.
Without even using his wand, the paper instantly burst into flames, burning until it was ashes, leaving no residue.
"Look at me." Professor Snape stared intently at Dylan.
Dylan was a little flustered but still raised his head.
Legilimens! Legilimens!
Quickly, block my own mind!
He had accidentally discovered Professor Snape's little secret.
If he couldn't get through this, Professor Snape might really kill him!!
Dylan's magic flowed invisibly in his mind, interfering with his own soul.
Professor Snape stared at Dylan for a moment, not sensing any emotions of lying on the boy, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Was what this brat saying actually true?
He was somewhat surprised.
After a moment of silence, Professor Snape broke the stillness first. "Ahem, that was something a foolish Gryffindor student scribbled randomly in my class. I confiscated it."
Dylan blinked. "Professor, you don't need to explain to me."
Uh...
Snape was stunned.
It seemed that was indeed the case.
This brat hadn't actually seen what was written on that piece of paper!
Thinking of this, the last trace of embarrassment in Professor Snape's expression instantly faded, replaced by his usual stern and cold demeanor.
"Alright, you don't need to clean the cauldron. Go."
"Yes, sir!"
Dylan wanted to run away immediately, but he couldn't make it too obvious, so he had to start packing his things.
"Wait."
Just as he was about to say goodbye to Professor Snape, the other man suddenly spoke.
Dylan's movements stiffened. He turned back, forcing a smile. "Professor, is there something wrong? Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, you can't help me with anything." Professor Snape glanced at him. "Next week, I will begin teaching you truly advanced potion-making knowledge. Also, take this booklet back and read it."
Professor Snape pulled a small booklet from a pile of books and handed it to him.
Dylan reached out and took it, thinking it was handwritten potion knowledge from Professor Snape. He quickly and carefully opened it, only to find that the content had nothing to do with potions at all, but instead...
"Occlumency??"
(End of chapter)
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