Snape's Invitation

"Notes, come here!"

Vizet left the office, drew his Wand, and cast the spell, summoning the hand-drawn copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from the dormitory.

Without a doubt, the Summoning Charm was an extremely useful spell.

Especially once it was mastered, the spell could even be used to find lost items, summon textbooks left in the dormitory...

"Magic... really is too convenient!" Vizet exclaimed, then headed for the Transfiguration class classroom.

"Vizet!" Professor Snape stepped out of the shadows with a cold face.

"Professor Snape?" Vizet was slightly surprised. "Good afternoon!"

"Mm!" Snape answered, then said faintly, "Come with me."

The two of them walked through the corridors to a secluded corner. Only then did he turn to face Vizet. "Why did you go to Quirrell's office?"

Vizet told him honestly, "I'm interested in Compound Magic. Professor Quirrell wanted to recommend a few books to me, so I went over."

For some reason, when he met Snape's eyes, he felt as if his thoughts were being seen through. It was very uncomfortable.

Instinctively, he used Guardian Meditation, and his senses instantly became clear. Only then was that uncomfortable feeling dispelled.

"Oh?" Snape murmured, narrowing his eyes slightly. "So that's how it is... It seems you have indeed gotten started, though it's very easy to see through."

Vizet asked in confusion, "Professor Snape... may I ask what was seen through?"

Snape did not answer his question and continued asking, "You stayed in his office for an entire noon. What did you learn?"

"The basic theoretical knowledge of Compound Magic. I learned about a few hexes and Poison Curses." Vizet spread out the signature Quirrell had given him. "Professor Quirrell asked me to look for the original copies of these books."

"Besides that? What do you think..." Snape's expression was somewhat unnatural, as if he was very unwilling to say such words. "What do you think of Quirrell as a person?"

"He's a decent professor. As long as I listen patiently, I can still learn quite a lot of useful knowledge."

"Besides that? Is there anything unusual about him? Or anything that makes you feel he's odd?"

Vizet calmly took a step back. "Making reckless comments about a professor shouldn't be something a student ought to do, right?"

"Heh heh..." Snape sneered twice. "Gryffindor would never think that. Two points from Gryffindor!"

Vizet inwardly smiled wryly, not knowing what to say for a moment, and observed three seconds of silence for Gryffindor in his heart.

School had started less than a month ago, and Gryffindor's house points had already dropped by a lot. At the moment, they were in last place.

Ravenclaw and Slytherin's house points were fairly close. If one only looked at the house-point hourglasses, it was hard to tell who was first and who was second.

"What if I insist that you say it?" Snape repeated his earlier question. "Is there anything unusual about Quirrell? Or anything that makes you feel he's odd?"

Vizet had no choice but to say, "Professor Quirrell... his room has a strange fishy smell. Even though the sun was bright outside the window, I felt a chill."

"Only that?" Snape seemed a little disappointed, yet also as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes!"

"Then... what Compound Magic did he teach you?"

"The Affliction Curse. It's the complete version of the Snot Curse, with the power and effect a curse ought to have."

"You... are interested in Dark Magic too?" Snape narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone much colder than before.

Vizet shook his head. "I haven't come into contact with that much Dark Magic, so I can't really say I'm interested in it, nor can I say I reject it."

"As long as it's knowledge about magic, I actually want to understand it. And I think... magic is like a small knife."

"It can become a weapon that pierces an innocent person's heart, or it can become a scalpel that saves someone on the brink of death."

"What it is doesn't matter that much. What matters is what the person holding it wants to do."

"Ravenclaw..." Snape said without the slightest emotion. "You certainly make pretty speeches. Your theories come in one set after another too."

"In that case, show me this magic. Let me see just how much you've mastered, and whether you can give it the power it should have."

"Should I have learned it that quickly?" Vizet froze for a moment. "He's still teaching me the theory... taking me through those hexes and Poison Curses."

"The reason Professor Quirrell gave me his signature was so I could consolidate my knowledge... He also had me work out the pronunciation and try to construct a suitable incantation."

"That's how he taught you?" Snape's brows knitted tightly, and a hint of suspicion appeared in his eyes. "He didn't directly teach you how to chant and cast the spell?"

"No!" Vizet immediately shook his head. "Professor Quirrell also taught me about the Counter-Curse. He said that in order to deal with Counter-Curses, Wizards created Compound Magic."

"That is as far as he can go." Snape let out a mocking laugh. "Using magic to deal with magic is only one unstable solution among many."

Vizet immediately reacted. "Professor Snape, potions can also be used? Right?"

"You're a little smarter than he is." Snape tugged at the corner of his mouth and gave a soft snort, which counted as approval. "When did Quirrell tell you to go see him again?"

Vizet answered, "Saturday at two in the afternoon. That way there'll be more time, and we should be able to do some magical practice too."

"Then come to my office at two in the afternoon on Sunday!"

"Ah?" Hearing Snape's words, Vizet was a little slow to react.

Snape frowned. "If you're unwilling, you can refuse."

Vizet waved his hands repeatedly. "Of course not... I'd be very happy to learn a little more!"

Snape immediately threw cold water on him. "Then prepare for the worst. I may throw you out at any time!"

"I'll do my best!" Vizet said with a smile, raising the copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration in his hand. "Professor Snape, I should go to class."

After sending Vizet away, Snape went straight to the Headmaster's Office.

Dumbledore said in a low voice, "Is he all right?"

Expressionless, Snape said, "Vizet is far too well-liked. Even Quirrell is willing to teach him everything he knows."

"Truly?" Dumbledore's eyes lit up. "What did he teach him?"

"The Affliction Curse. A sufficiently evil curse."

"So... Quirrell didn't crudely force Vizet to cast spells and chant incantations, but instead took the simplest method, teaching him step by step?"

"Correct. Your worries were unnecessary."

"Quirrell not being too bad is a good thing." Dumbledore clearly breathed a sigh of relief. "And what about you? Are you willing to..."

Snape said reluctantly, "I sacrificed my precious time and told him to come to me on Sunday afternoon."

"I won't treat him like some treasure the way you do. The time I lose, I'll make him pay back!"

"I understand!" Dumbledore's tone was much lighter than before. "That you can do this already makes me very happy!"

Snape curled his lip. "As long as you understand!"