Although Horace Slughorn had made the remark sound casual, his eyes were shining as he looked at Vizet, as though he were waiting for him to say something.
Vizet said gently, "Mr. Slughorn, thank you for your help."
"It was nothing at all!" Horace Slughorn laughed happily. "We can hardly let a pearl gather dust, can we?"
Without waiting for Vizet to answer, he went on, "Besides, I'm not someone who plays favorites... Even though Garrick is my friend, I still had to verify things before deciding whether to help."
"The potions you submitted at the time—I examined every one of them very carefully... It was clear that your fundamentals were extremely solid! I remember the current Potions professor..."
"That should be Severus Snape, yes? Back when I was still teaching at Hogwarts, I noticed his talent. He was an exceptionally fine Slytherin..."
"That's right..." Vizet nodded. "I learned a great deal from Professor Snape."
Horace Slughorn studied Vizet's expression. "If I remember correctly, a potion like the Soul Soothing Potion shouldn't appear in the Potions textbooks, should it? Did he teach it to you privately?"
Vizet did not hide it and admitted truthfully, "Yes..."
"How rare!" Horace Slughorn blinked. "I know Severus's temperament. He's a rather severe man..."
"For him to give you private lessons, your talent in Potions must be outstanding..." His tone paused. "I seem to have said something pointless. I already saw that from your potions long ago."
Vizet blinked. He felt that Horace Slughorn seemed a little... overly enthusiastic.
After all, today was the first time he and Horace Slughorn had formally met, yet Horace Slughorn was acting so kindly that it instead made him somewhat uncomfortable;
Even so, he still responded politely, "Mr. Slughorn, you're far too kind!"
"How could I be?" Horace Slughorn