Snape's Q&A

Ted got up half an hour earlier the next morning. The system was right: wizards not only had to master magic and possess broad knowledge, but also needed strong bodies.

At critical moments, they had to be like Gandalf, wielding a sword-wand against their enemies—casually breaking a Witcher's leg. So Ted had told Hermione yesterday to meet him at the Great Hall the next morning. He was getting up early to go running.

Originally, Ted had planned to run a lap around the Black Lake.

But after standing by the Black Lake, he silently gave up on that idea.

Damn, having Anzu fly around it would be about right. If he ran a full lap himself, it would probably be lunchtime by the time he finished.

One lap had to be over ten kilometers! It might even be a half marathon!

After running for twenty minutes, Ted panted as he cast "Scourgify" on himself. An eleven-year-old body was still too weak. He really needed to exercise more.

Still, he had gained something. Running had earned him 3 experience points—better than nothing.

More importantly, he had discovered a new Mind Power—Mental Stimulation.

Anyone who ran regularly knew that many times, the body had not actually reached its limit, but the brain thought it had.

But if you gritted your teeth and pushed through for a while longer, you would enter the next stage. Your brain would enter a blank state where its restrictions loosened. Ted had found a way to use Mind Power to stimulate his brain and break through its invisible limits on the body.

Of course, this ability was dangerous too, and could not be used recklessly.

Excessive Mental Stimulation could cause the body's feedback to be ignored. If the body had truly reached its limit and the brain's restrictions were gone, it might just collapse outright.

The next day brought Charms Class, A History of Magic, and Herbology.

Aside from A History of Magic, Ted answered another three questions and earned 10 points.

He got nothing from A History of Magic.

The main reason was that the ghost teacher, Professor Binns, was simply too lazy. Sigh, he was just coasting!

He floated through the wall, did not even call attendance, and immediately began reciting from the textbook.

There were no questions at all, so naturally there were no points. There was no way to fleece him for anything.

If Ted had been in university back then, he would have been overjoyed to have a teacher like this. But now he was genuinely miserable! As expected, lying flat and giving up countered every method of exploitation. Even a transmigrator with a system had no answer for it.

On the afternoon of the third day, it was finally time for Snape's Potions Class. There was only one long class a week, with all four Houses attending together.

The Potions classroom was in the basement. Ted did not know whether that was because the cold basement was good for storing potion ingredients, or because Snape's office was underground too.

Either way, the environment here was not great.

Even though Hogwarts was a magical school, covered by magic that had maintained the academy for a thousand years, it could not change the basement's naturally cold and dim nature.

On top of that, half the classroom walls were lined with large glass jars containing magical creature parts. The place felt like the underground specimen room of a medical research institute!

Ted had been lucky enough to visit one in his previous life. It happened to be during renovations, and all sorts of cabinets, jars, bags, and dried corpses had been left lying around casually—they really were not afraid anyone would steal anything. It had felt as horrifying as walking into a mad scientist's human experimentation lab.

That was the impression the Potions classroom gave the first-years. Even the little snakes of Slytherin, attending their own Head of House's lesson, turned pale and avoided those glass jars.

And with Snape's gloomy old face added to the mix, along with his black robes and greasy black hair—it was no longer merely a mad scientist's human experimentation lab. They were the test subjects!

Before class, Hermione had complained to Ted, "I heard Professor Snape never gives points to students from other Houses!"

Ted sneered inwardly. Doesn't give points? That's because he hasn't met me. Even if his heart is forged from iron, my ancestors were blacksmiths! For the mission, I'm doing this!

Before class, Ted used Ravenclaw's Wisdom (Blue) and gave himself a buff.

Ever since Snape had silently glided in from outside like a giant black bat, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped several degrees.

He swept his gaze over the students, his eyes seeming to pause ever so slightly on Harriett.

He parted his lips slightly, his voice carrying a trace of disdain. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making..." He spoke softly and slowly. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic."

"I do not expect you will really understand the beauty of a softly simmering cauldron, white steam rising from it and waves of fragrance drifting out. You will not truly understand the marvelous magic of liquids flowing into people's veins, making hearts race and wills grow hazy..."

"I can teach you how to increase your reputation, brew glory, and even stop death—but there is one condition: you must not be the kind of blundering fool I so often encounter."

Ted thought, Listen to that, listen to that! What orthodox words! I hereby declare, Snape, that your "bloodline is pure"! Next comes Snape's questioning segment. Like Professor McGonagall, he loved giving new students a show of force.

As for who would serve as the teaching aid, let them randomly draw an unlucky victim~ Well, actually, it was not random. It mainly depended on who Snape disliked.

This time, Harriett was certainly no longer Snape's target.

And Neville, the Boy Who Lived by sheer luck, held no interest for Snape at all.

So Ted, who had worn a "silly grin" ever since Snape began speaking, became his target.

His attitude toward Hermione in the original story made it clear that he greatly disliked students who were flamboyant and liked showing off. Perhaps James Potter and the others had influenced him too deeply.

"Epiphany! Stand up!"

"Answer me: what would you get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Snape suddenly turned his head—a sneak attack.

"A Draught of Living Death, Professor." Ted's smile vanished, replaced by an utterly calm expression. It was as though he had foreseen Snape's sneak attack and had been waiting in full readiness.

"If I asked you to find me a bezoar, where would you look?"

"In a cow's stomach."

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"There is no difference. They are collectively called aconite."

Snape opened with a three-hit combo, but Ted casually parried every strike.

Armor not broken~ But how could Snape give up so easily? He immediately raised the difficulty. The questions were no longer limited to the first-year textbook.

"Why must Slugs have their mucus removed and be air-dried before use?"

Ted knew this question all too well. The Slugs that had died by his hand could circle Diagon Alley three and a half times!

"Because Slug mucus is itself a cheap ingredient, and stripping it off increases profits. Also, if the mucus is not removed and the Slugs are not washed before being air-dried for use, it will have a slight effect on many potions."

Snape was stunned for a moment. He truly had not expected Ted to answer that—this was not in the textbook, but knowledge one could only learn through practice. At the very least, the textbook would never mention increasing profits.

"Then what should you pay attention to when gathering Gurdyroot?"

"Do not collect the stalks. Gurdyroot stalks are highly toxic and have powerful hallucinogenic effects. If mixed into a potion, they can cause the drinker's death in serious cases."

As the saying went, red cap, white stem—eat it, and you'll lie down together.

This potion ingredient was an herb Ted had only been permitted to handle by Mr. Slughorn during his final week working in Diagon Alley.

"Where can Lacewing Flies generally be found?"

"In dark bushes with abundant Magic Power."

After another five or six questions, the other students had been left dumbfounded by this "high-speed offensive and defensive battle."

Then Ted finally failed to answer one.

Snape narrowed his eyes and raised his chin, wearing a disdainful expression. "I thought you knew everything and had no need to attend this class!"

Then he roared at the other students, "What are you waiting for? Why have you not written this knowledge down? Do you all know everything too?!" Helplessly raging~ Snape screamed inwardly, What is going on? I nearly crashed and burned?!

He still had his own pride. Otherwise, if he had simply asked for the recipe for Felix Felicis, Ted definitely would not have been able to answer.

The questions had to be both fundamental and obscure.

Even Snape himself had not been mentally prepared. Just coming up with questions had stumped him a little.

The students thought, What the hell is going on? We didn't do anything and still got scolded! Getting hit by a spell while lying down?!

The first ten minutes of their first Potions Class passed in Snape's grandstanding and questioning.

Snape had asked a whole pile of questions, yet he did not award any points!

Ted thought, Damn, Snape's heart isn't just forged from iron—it's forged from black iron. His heart is completely black!

Snape thought, Because I was once drenched by rain, I have to break everyone else's umbrella no matter what.

Next, he began explaining the content of the first lesson.

Besides basic theory and the use of equipment, this lesson also taught them how to brew Cure for Boils.

This potion could treat many skin problems.

Potions Class obviously required hands-on practice! So after Snape explained the procedure and precautions, he gave everyone nearly an hour to get to work. Cauldrons, stirring rods, mortars, scales, silver knives... all were laid out neatly.

For some people, this looked as dangerous as preparing to dissect themselves!

Ding~ Mission triggered:

A Young Wizard's First Potion (Green)

Although Snape's character was not much to speak of, his skill was real. He has now taught you the method and key precautions for brewing Cure for Boils, so try it yourself!

Objective: Complete the first potion of your life.

Reward: 200 experience, card Neville's Failed Cure for Boils (Green).

If the friendship runs deep, down it in one gulp. Finish this cup, and there are still three more!

Fortunately, although black-hearted Snape refused to award points, this was not a complete loss.

Chop the ingredients, weigh them out, heat the pot with oil, pour them into plenty of oil, fry until golden on both sides, and that little aroma hit all at once. Malfoy at the next table was practically drooling...