Talking Back? I Was Just Telling the Truth

Half an hour later, Harry groggily opened his eyes.

"You're finally awake," Ron asked worriedly. "Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

"No, it feels pretty easy," Harry said with a sheepish chuckle, then looked at Aaron and couldn't help but complain, "Couldn't you have told me beforehand? I wasn't prepared at all."

"I'll definitely do it next time."

"Next time? There's going to be a next time?"

"That can't be guaranteed."

In your extremely agitated state just now, you wouldn't listen to anything I said.

This was the only way I could calm you down, and it seems to be working quite well.

Harry subconsciously touched the scar on his forehead and found that it no longer hurt so much, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, but I was really in a hurry."

"That's Voldemort, after all. If he comes back to life, I'll be the first one to suffer." Harry looked at the three of them. "Can you even understand how I feel?"

Hermione and Ron shook their heads slightly; Voldemort's words to them were rather abstract.

Although it's terrifying, surely they wouldn't harm these young Warlock for no reason!

Aaron, however, was nodding, appearing somewhat out of place.

He didn't have the scar on his forehead that foreshadowed the danger, but he had come into contact with Voldemort and Professor Quirrell, who was possessed by Voldemort, and not just once or twice.

Every time, it felt like I was teetering on the edge of death; if my mental fortitude wasn't strong enough, I might not see the Sun tomorrow.

"Aaron, can you understand me?"

"I understand perfectly."

Don't forget, I fought with that man in black robes; it was terrifying.

However, we are safe at Hogwarts.

Upon hearing this, Harry felt a strange sense of relief.

At this time, he desperately needed someone who could empathize with him.

"I have a feeling that Voldemort could make a move at any moment."

"We're pressed for time and have to make some changes," Harry said very seriously. "The plan remains the same. Ron and I will keep an eye on Hagrid to prevent him from revealing the secret."

Aaron, you and Hermione must keep a close watch on Snape and notify us immediately if anything happens.

"I suggest adding another layer of security. We should have two groups take turns watching the Trapdoor. Whether it's Snape or Voldemort, that door is an obstacle they'll have to overcome if they want to take action."

"But that place is strictly forbidden by the school; students are not allowed to go there," Hermione reminded her. "Besides, we can't guard that door for fourteen hours a day."

If you act too seriously, you'll alert the enemy.

"There's no other way," Harry said with a wry smile. "We have no evidence whatsoever, so we can only resort to this clumsy method."

Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance and nodded helplessly.

At this point, we have no choice but to try anything, just in case!

After the plan was finalized, the four of them left the classroom in batches.

However, from beginning to end, only two and a half people were working hard and giving their all.

Harry and Ron count as two.

The scar on Harry's forehead was like a death knell, forcing him to be constantly vigilant.

Ron is Harry's best friend, so naturally I have to take care of his feelings and share his joys and sorrows.

Hermione is half a [someone].

She knew Snape wasn't a bad person; he was just going through the motions in monitoring him, not actually doing anything.

Only when paying a little more attention to the Trapdoor can one often see a first-year Gryffindor sitting on the stairs reviewing what he has learned, making many students feel ashamed of themselves.

Aaron, however, perfectly extricated himself from the plan, believing that keeping an eye on Dumbledore important than anything else.

Hagrid is unreliable; there's no need to waste too much energy on him.

Snape was a respected professor at the House of Lords, so there was no need to monitor him.

As for Trapdoor... hehe!

He strongly suspected that Harry was monitoring the door just for peace of mind.

Can they hold out during the day and also at night?

Students are not allowed to leave their dormitories at night, but professors do have this right.

The Dark Lord can't steal things from Hogwarts openly; he'll most likely do it at night.

A few days later, Aaron entered Professor Snape's office as if it were his own home, as was his custom.

"You're here again," Snape said, looking at Aaron speechlessly. "Once a day, always at nine in the morning, right on time!"

"I have no choice, I need to go to Professor McGonagall's office at 2 p. m.

"It's almost vacation time, is it really necessary for you to be so serious?"

"Learning has no end, Professor."

Every spell has its purpose; the greatest tragedy for Warlock is to regret not having learned it when they need to use it.

"I admit you have a point, but... don't you think you've been coming a little too often?" Snape gritted his teeth, pointing with a pained expression to the counter piled on the wall. "All the rare materials I painstakingly collected, you've squandered a tenth of them these past few days."

Aaron scratched his head awkwardly, then said matter-of-factly, "It's not like I'm not going to give you the money."

Is this a matter of money?

I'm not short of money, much less so that I need to sell materials to make a living.

"I'll pay double," Aaron said calmly.

Snape paused, his face twitching slightly, but his tone softened considerably. "I already said this isn't about money."

"I know, this is just a small token of my appreciation, nothing more," Aaron said sincerely. "Professor, you should actually be happy to have a student like me."

The success rate of my Potions concoctions these past few days has been at least 70%, and I've given you all the finished products, haven't I?

All things considered, you not only didn't lose money, you actually made a considerable profit.

"How dare you say that?" Snape's face immediately darkened. "Those materials can be used to make higher-level Potions in my hands, but they're only good for practice with you."

"You still have 70% left? Do you know how much you've wasted?"

"It's like you're saying you can concoct any Potions and make it work in one go," Aaron said weakly, but his voice was full of resentment.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing.

"Professor, may I ask you a small question?"

"Go ahead and ask?"

"Please tell me, is there anyone who can concoct Potions with a 100% success rate?"

"No way! Which renowned Potions master wasn't cultivated through rigorous training with the right ingredients?"

Snape fell silent. He had also come from his school days and knew that there were no shortcuts on this path.

Talent is essential, but aside from talent, the only way to improve is through continuous practice.

"But you went a bit too far, and you started with rare materials right away."

"It's not like I can't afford it."

"Ha! I really admire how you can say such things with such confidence," Snape sneered. "These past few days, you've been coming to my office every day to use my materials and my equipment to concoct Potions."

One bottle a day, each one different, and you can handle simple Potions with ease. That's remarkable; your talent is almost on par with mine.

But please think carefully, are you really that rich?

The materials you wasted add up to three hundred Galleon. Even Draco wouldn't dare squander the Malfoy family's wealth like that.

I need to remind you that you are using your family's resources, not yours.

"It's mine," Aaron said calmly. "Although I am Pure-blood, my family is different from those ancient Pure-blood families."

As the sole heir, I am entitled to access the family treasury and utilize any of its resources.

Upon hearing this, Snape's lips twitched.

It's heartbreaking. Why didn't he have such good fortune when he was a child?

In comparison, it seems that the world is full of malice towards him.

"Hmph! Using the family's accumulated wealth to pay for your wasteful spending, there's nothing to be proud of."

"Um..." Aaron frowned slightly, then looked a little embarrassed. "Actually, I opened a Small Shop in Diagon Alley a few years ago. Apart from the fact that I had some family connections when it came to sourcing goods, I did everything else myself."

So even without relying on my family, I can earn several hundred Galleon a month, which is enough to make a living.

With the savings accumulated over the past few years, my personal savings have finally reached a few figures.

Snape:...

"Go out."

"Professor, what do you mean by this?" Aaron asked, somewhat puzzled. "Are you looking down on Italians?"

"Don't try to pin this on me," Snape said irritably. "I've been teaching at Hogwarts for over ten years, and this is the first time I've encountered a student like you who likes to talk back to teachers. Is this fun?"

"I'm just telling the truth, is that wrong?"

"That's right, not at all," Snape joked. "It just gives me the feeling that I might not even be fit to be your teacher."

Aaron:...