Snape's Warning

"If you really remember bringing your poor brains to the Potions class, then brewing this Underwater Visual Potion should be a piece of cake. Turn on the fire and brew it."

"From the podium, "Snape said coldly.

The students all sprang into action, except for Sean, who remained standing there dumbfounded.

Unfortunately, we're missing one key ingredient...

Snape gave him a dark look, then moved closer to Harry.

"What a tragedy..." Sean sighed inwardly.

After what happened last night, Daisy and Hermione completely ignored him. The flustered Sean didn't even notice that a petty thief was wasting his Potions's main ingredient.

The fresh eyes of the Rhinoceros Horn Flounder were eaten as a snack by the Aero-Wing Bird...

"Waaah..." A low chirping sound came from inside Sean's clothes.

Hermione glared at him warningly, but also turned slightly to block Snape's view from her right.

"Don't make things worse for the little guy..." Sean secretly reached in and pinched the Aero-Wing Bird's bottom hard.

The Aero-Wing Bird trembled inside Sean's clothes for a moment, then quickly settled down in the bag, feeling tingly and numb.

After experimenting, it turned out that the Aero-Wing Bird's rear end seemed to be its Achilles' heel; a pinch would make it go limp for a while. There was no other way; this little guy was newly born, and although he was close to Sean, he couldn't understand what Sean meant. Plus, he was a bit dim-witted, so Sean could only use this method to calm him down for a while.

Potions continued, and while Snape mocked Harry's stirring technique, Sean quietly moved closer to Hermione.

"Hermione..." Sean called out softly.

Hermione's expression didn't change; she simply moved a little further to the right.

"Professor Snape told me to cast the vote..." That was the explanation Sean was originally going to give.

However, he swallowed the words back down as they were about to come out.

Wait a minute, why should I explain?

An idea popped into my head.

I didn't do anything wrong...

No! You can't think like that! Sean, use the same skills you had when you were charming the neighbor's little girl!

After much deliberation, Sean still couldn't figure out what to say.

I used to be able to talk to other girls with ease... so why am I suddenly having trouble thinking straight now?

Sean suddenly missed the days before he entered Hogwarts, when he could freely roam among girls of all ages, but now he felt restricted.

"Wallerup— " A cold voice followed, and a book was smashed on Sean's head.

When he came to his senses, Snape was looking down at him.

"Is the meaning of the word 'bystander' difficult for you to understand?"

Sean and Harry, who was also patting his head, exchanged a glance. Harry stuck out his tongue at Snape's back and then raised an eyebrow at Sean, indicating that the old bat seemed to be in a bad mood today.

It's probably because Daisy grabbed my hand yesterday...

Sean sighed inwardly and obediently accepted the scolding.

After Snape turned and left, Sean glanced at Hermione, who was diligently brewing Potions, and finally decided to remain silent.

Just pretend nothing happened. The more you explain these things, the more complicated they become, and the harder it is to untangle the knot later on.

Let nature take its course...

Sean ignored Hermione's disdainful look and shamelessly moved closer, then watched as she brewed the Potions.

Hermione still didn't look at him directly, and even deliberately stepped on his foot when Sean got close.

Sean remained unmoved and shamelessly stayed to the side.

Despite her complaints, Hermione has one thing that makes her particularly likable—she doesn't let her personal emotions affect what she considers important.

Not only did she not block Sean's view, she also slightly moved the material shelf so that Sean could see more clearly the steps she took while brewing the Potions and the contents of the Cauldron.

Of course, she didn't say another word to Sean until the end of class.

After class, Sean was about to stick close to Hermione and try his hand at charming girls, but Snape stopped him.

"Demonstrate the potion, come with me." Snape made no attempt to hide his dislike for Sean.

Payment received...

Following Snape down to the basement level, Sean almost thought he had come to the wrong place as soon as he entered Snape's office.

The large glass jars that had been soaking strange limbs and terrifying animals seemed to have all been removed, replaced by a variety of Potions that could be preserved for a long time.

The Potions in the glass and crystal bottles looked incredibly magical; some were boiling on their own, some were leaping around, and some were emitting rainbow-colored light. Coupled with the brand-new bookshelves, the comfortable-looking velvet chairs, and the bright, blazing campfire, Snape's office no longer looked gloomy or terrifying.

As Sean walked in, he felt the profound Potions -Potions skills, the wide range of knowledge, and the warmth that one only finds in personal space.

When was it changed? I haven't been in solitary confinement in so long, I didn't even know this was there... Sean looked around the room with considerable amazement.

Of course, Snape is still the same Snape, he hasn't changed.

He walked to the Potions shelf, took down two bottles of potions, and handed them to Sean, saying expressionlessly, "Underwater Visual Potion. Go back and study its properties. If your weekend confinement doesn't satisfy me, then prepare to lose your days off forever."

"Uh, of course, Professor," Sean replied, then looked at the potion in his eyes.

One of the bottles was dark blue, and it seemed as if a light was constantly flashing inside; the bottle was cool to the touch. Hermione had also brewed a similar potion in the previous class, but Hermione's bottle was much lighter in color, and the tiny flashes were barely visible.

The other bottle was dark green, with bubbles rising very slowly from the bottom.

"What is this?" Sean asked, puzzled.

Snape flicked his sleeve impatiently. "Looks like you haven't even looked at the table of contents of the Potion Book. This is Underwater Breathing Potion, a perfect complement to the Underwater Visual Potion."

"You gave it to me?" Sean asked, quite surprised.

Underwater Breathing Potion are far more valuable than Underwater Visual Potion. The cheapest kind in Diagon Alley costs fifteen Galleon, and that's the base price. Potions made by Potion Master like Snape are often worth double that.

Snape turned to Sean with the back of his head and said, "It's about to expire, get rid of it for me."

"Oh, no problem, no problem, I'd be happy to help." Sean quickly put the two bottles of potion away.

Seeing that Snape had stopped talking, Sean walked to the door. "Then I'll be going now, Professor?"

Just as Sean was about to close the door, Snape suddenly spoke from inside, his voice carrying a warning and seriousness. Sean even heard the tone of an elder admonishing a younger generation.

"Wallerup, the key to brewing Potions is to concentrate, to focus entirely—" Snape concluded, almost enunciating each word clearly, "Do you understand?"

Sean: "... Yes, I understand, Professor."

"If you understand, then carry it out diligently; otherwise, a perfectly good Potions might turn into poison—"

The admonition was gone; it was all threats.

Sean gave an awkward laugh, "Okay, Professor."

Then he quickly left the underground office.

Once the footsteps faded away, Snape turned around and slowly sat down in the velvet armchair. However, he seemed to maintain his previous habit of keeping his back straight and not leaning against the soft backrest.

"Hmph." A moment later, Snape slammed his hand on the table, clearly displeased.

Snape was like a protective mother hen... While eating, Sean was still thinking about what Snape had told him earlier.

He wasn't stupid; of course he could understand what the other person meant.

The problem is, he himself doesn't even understand himself...

Thinking about it, he glanced at the other side of the long table, where Daisy and Hermione were having a meal and chatting happily. However, he would usually be there too.

Neither of these two girls waited for me to eat today.

"Sigh, women's hearts..." Sean sighed, then secretly stuffed a piece of fish fillet into his clothes when no one was looking, and soon the sound of the Aero-Wing Bird swallowing could be heard from inside.

Although this little guy is newborn, he has a very healthy stomach. Except when he's stuffed, his tummy never hurts.

After lunch and a rest, Sean headed out of the castle. There was Care of Magical Creatures in the afternoon, and Professor Scamander should already be there preparing. He could take the Aero-Wing Bird to see him and ask for his opinion.

Although Sean didn't see Newt eating at the long table in the classroom during lunch, he didn't mind; for Newt, this was normal.

Sean didn't see Newt until he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and saw Hagrid busy at work.

"Hey, Hagrid, how are you doing?" he called out from afar.

Hagrid looked up and gave him a fluffy smile, "Of course it's good. Come here, young men, and see the little guy you're going to learn from today."

Hippogriff was standing next to Hagrid, eating bloody chicken bones.

"Oh, Hippogriff? Cool." Sean walked over.

"Haha, you do know him! What a wonderful little fellow—" Hagrid laughed heartily. "By the way, this guy's Buckbeak. I think you must know how to deal with Hippogriff. Want to give it a try?"

"Of course." Sean nodded readily.

He walked up to Buckbeak, smiled and met its dark, bright eyes, then sincerely bowed.

"Yes, that's it, very well done," Hagrid encouraged from the side. "Of course, if it approves of you, it will bow in return. If it doesn't, remember to back away slowly... Oh, okay..."

Before Hagrid could finish speaking, Buckbeak quickly bowed his head in return and then warmly moved closer to Sean.

"Huh? Hagrid, what did you just say? Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly," Sean asked while stroking Buckbeak's fur.

Hagrid shrugged helplessly. "It's nothing."

"By the way, where's Professor Scamander? I thought he'd already come to prepare." Sean nimbly flipped onto Buckbeak and asked curiously.

"Oh, didn't you know? Professor Scamander took leave and left Hogwarts yesterday." Hagrid then proudly straightened his disheveled coat, his beetle-like eyes narrowing with smugness. "Ha, he trusts me a lot, so I'll be filling in for him for a week."

"Oh, that's great, Hagrid. Congratulations! Everyone will welcome you," Sean said sincerely.

"Oh, oh, I hope so," Hagrid's earlier pride vanished, and he rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly. "I'm a little worried, after all, you know, Professor Scamander is so great."

"You're very kind, Hagrid. Of course, if you need any help, just let me know," Sean said with a smile.

Hagrid is kind-hearted, but his perception of the danger level of Magical Creatures is indeed different from that of normal wizards. If possible, he's willing to help out in class. If there's no danger, Hagrid's classes are quite interesting.

Hagrid patted Sean on the shoulder gratefully, almost causing the Hippogriff he was riding to lose its footing.

"Great, Sean!"

"You're welcome, Hagrid ..." Sean replied with a wry smile.

While rubbing his shoulders, Sean looked into the distance with a puzzled expression. It was rare for Professor Scamander to take leave; he wondered if it was related to Grindelwald...

When the Care of Magical Creatures began, Hagrid informed everyone that Professor Scamander was taking a temporary leave of absence and would be filling in for him for a week, while also inviting Sean to be his assistant.

Sean was quite popular, and Malfoy and his Slytherin gang wouldn't openly oppose him, so Hagrid's first lesson went quite smoothly.

After Sean demonstrated it once, the students were quickly captivated by the handsome Hippogriff and soon, in an orderly fashion, they took turns bowing and petting it.

Even Malfoy, who had always disliked Hagrid, behaved himself out of respect for Sean.

"Alright, next one," Sean called out, standing next to Buckbeak.

The girl, still excited, stroked Buckbeak again, then ran off, followed by another girl.

It's Hermione.

Hermione maintained the same expression as before, as if Sean didn't exist.

Instead, Sean's eyes lit up. He gently stroked Buckbeak and whispered a few words in his ear.

Having been using the [Beast Speaker], Buckbeak quickly understood Sean's meaning. Although it didn't understand why it had to take the girl in front of it on a flight and go to a small garden on the side of Black Lake, it would do its duty since Sean had given the order.

He even promised to send me two whole chickens.

Hermione looked suspicious, but some impatient students behind her were already urging her on, so she had no choice but to quickly step forward and bow.

Buckbeak bowed slowly in return, Sean smiled and said, "It likes you very much. You can try riding it."

Hermione glanced at him, but in the end she went around to Buckbeak's side. She refused Sean's offer to help her up and flipped herself onto his back.

"Screech—" Buckbeak let out a long cry, and then, amidst the students' exclamations, it took off with all four hooves and spread its wings.

It took Hermione and flew away.