Snape, Lily, and Lion Head

Room of Requirement, Glenn was going about his usual routine of watering the Dittany.

It had to be said, the Dittany was thriving under Moonlight's nourishment.

In just over a month, it had already sprouted, and the seedlings had grown to about five inches tall.

If it kept growing at this rate, it would take only another two weeks to harvest a full eight pots of Dittany!

That was already the fastest growth rate possible without any additional fertilizer.

Once that happened, he could turn in five of the eight pots as an assignment to Professor Sprout and complete the task she had given him.

He just didn't know what the next stage of Magical Creatures would be.

It was unlikely to be Biting Cabbage, though. It would probably be a somewhat dangerous magical plant, but not one that was fatal.

After all, Dittany was only an introductory magical plant. It made no sense to make someone take the college entrance exams right after passing primary school—unless Professor Sprout wanted to hear about a student being killed by Biting Cabbage...

Of course, that was impossible.

So Glenn had already prepared himself to cultivate the next stage of magical plants.

Thinking of that, he glanced at the door in the middle of the Room of Requirement.

Behind it lay a grassland.

A century ago, Glenn had kept Magical Creatures in there, protecting them from poachers while collecting a little protection money...

Of course, now it was completely empty.

So he was considering that, if he got the chance to venture into the Forbidden Forest, he should bring a few Magical Creatures back with him.

For one thing, he could at least become self-sufficient in fertilizer and wouldn't have to keep sneaking into Greenhouse One to swipe some.

The last time he'd gone, Glenn had already packed up all the fertilizer in Greenhouse One and taken it away...

Ahem, he couldn't help it. He wasn't a professional Herbology scholar, after all.

To speed up growth, aside from adjusting the climate, he could only go all out with brute force. Fortunately, the fertilizer in Greenhouse One had been specially treated, so even if he used a little too much, it wouldn't burn the seedlings.

After watering and fertilizing the Dittany, Glenn first used "Revelio" to check outside the Room of Requirement. Once he'd confirmed there was no one there, he went out.

"Sir, are you satisfied with today's duel?" Glenn asked with a smile in front of Sir Cadogan's portrait, which everyone avoided.

"Hmph! You're a little lacking in strength. I'll soon emerge victorious in this noble and glorious knightly duel!" Sir Cadogan said, lying on his back with all four limbs in the air.

His little pony gently licked Sir Cadogan's cheek, seemingly already used to his defeats.

To be honest, Glenn considered himself somewhat belligerent.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have carried out a major purge of Dark Wizards and all kinds of dangerous Magical Creatures back then.

Aside from the fact that they were genuinely harmful, he'd also done it because he enjoyed it.

It was just that circumstances didn't allow for it anymore. Besides, the Dark Wizards had nearly been wiped out back then, and now they were as rare as protected animals. Since returning to the Wizarding World, he'd seen only a single fragment of a Dark Wizard.

That was why Glenn seemed more peaceful now.

But the person before him, Sir Cadogan, wasn't a Dark Wizard. He could barely even be called a wizard, since he never called himself one and instead insisted on being a "knight."

Even if he was only a portrait, actually killing him would obviously be inappropriate—it would be discovered by the students or professors.

Apparently, the "Glenn" in the portrait thought so too.

But every time Glenn came to the Room of Requirement, Sir Cadogan would aggressively challenge him, acting as if Glenn couldn't leave until he'd beaten him to death.

"Why not paint an 'Invigoration Draught' in the portrait? At the rate you come to the Room of Requirement once a day, he really might get beaten to death," the Glenn in the portrait said helplessly.

Faced with his portrait's request, Glenn pondered for a moment.

To be honest, he couldn't paint.

The version of himself in the frame had been painted a century ago by Ominis.

Although he was blind, it didn't affect his ability to live independently.

On the contrary, as a wizard, his unusual circumstances gave him a far greater perception of things and magic than other people.

As long as he used paint imbued with magic, he could create paintings whose talent left even the Wizarding World's master painters in awe.

If he'd been born into any other family, he would probably have been raised as an artist. Unfortunately, he'd been born into the Pure-blood-obsessed Gaunt Family.

To them, any skill that couldn't defend the glory of their pure-blood status was something only inferior wizards would practice...

So it was only at school that Ominis would secretly pick up a paintbrush and occasionally paint himself or Sebastian.

"I'll go back and give it a try."

"What did you say this thing was called? It's so good," Ron said, wolfing it down.

In the dining hall—no, in the Kitchen downstairs—Harry had invited him to come and enjoy Glenn's cooking.

At first, Ron had refused.

It wasn't that he didn't like eating. On the contrary, he was very fond of food.

He just couldn't understand why they had to make a special trip to the Kitchen to eat when the House-elves already made such great food!

But after tentatively taking his first bite, he immediately understood why.

If they ate it in the Great Hall, it would definitely be snatched up in an instant.

"Lion Head."

"Is this made from lion meat?" At those words, Ron suddenly looked up at Glenn in surprise.

"It's made from pork. That's just what it's called," Glenn said with a smile and a shake of his head.

It was no wonder Ron had thought that. In fact, when Glenn had first heard the dish's name, that had been his first thought too.

"Oh, I see." Ron nodded, then plunged back into his battle with the food.

Harry had already devoured his own portion.

After eating his fill, Harry began thinking about something else.

"Layla..."

Before Harry could ask his question, the house-elf named Layla came over, speaking excitedly in a soft, high-pitched voice. "I'm here, sir. Have you not had enough? Would you like some jam tarts? The same ones you had last time."

"Uh, no need. I'm full now... I wanted to ask, since you've been working here for a long time, do you know what my parents were like?"

Hearing this, Layla and the other house-elves behind her looked a little disappointed, but still patiently answered Harry's question.

"Mr. Potter—ah, I don't mean you, sir—your father was remarkable. Although the professors all said he was mischievous, among the Gryffindor students of his year, Mr. Potter was the most dazzling. Many people thought he would become an excellent professional Quidditch player..."

For some reason, though he'd never met his father, Harry felt a little proud hearing that. He believed he would become an excellent Quidditch player too.

"And your mother, Lily—oh, forgive me. Your mother allowed Layla to call her by her name... The professors said she was also an exceptionally talented student, especially in Potions Class. Professor Slughorn, who taught Potions at the time, was very fond of her..."

Hearing that, Harry sighed deeply.

Quidditch or any of the other subjects would have been fine, but it had to be Potions.

Whenever he thought of Potions, he couldn't help remembering Professor Snape's hateful face.

Sometimes he even dreamed that Professor Snape was saying in his ear, "Gryffindor, minus a hundred points!"

"Then I guess I'm not much like my mother..."

Layla instinctively contradicted him. "Sir, at least your eyes are very much like hers. They're both green."

"...Thanks." Harry wasn't sure whether he should be happy or sad.

After thinking for a while, Harry's curiosity suddenly stirred. "Then they must have had a good relationship when they were at school, right?"

He'd already decided what the answer would be, but Layla's response was unexpected. "No, sir. Your parents' relationship at school was quite ordinary, especially your mother's feelings toward your father. She couldn't stand him."

Layla sounded certain, and she hadn't heard it from the professors.

Hearing this, Harry froze.

They'd had a bad relationship?

"Then who did my mother get along with at school?"

"Professor Snape! At least until their fifth year." Layla answered without hesitation.

At that answer, Harry was so shocked he couldn't even close his mouth. His brain stalled for a moment.

The bloody Snape was still after me!

"There's definitely a story behind this..." Glenn thought, politely looking away.

At any rate, he'd achieved his goal. He'd found someone suitable to investigate.

He just didn't know whether Professor Snape would be willing to tell him anything about those days.

After Layla left, a long silence fell over the table. All three of them were lost in their own thoughts.

"I've got it!" Ron suddenly exclaimed.

Glenn and Harry both looked at him, despite his having been wolfing down his food just moments earlier, curious to hear his brilliant idea.

"This Lion Head should be eaten with bread!"Winvalid waswo ***Chapter 46: Snape, Lily, and Lion Head ### In the Room of Requirement, Glenn was going about his usual routine of watering the Dittany.

It had to be said, the Dittany was thriving under the nourishment of moonlight.

In just over a month, it had already sprouted, and the seedlings had grown to about five inches tall.

If it kept growing at this rate, it would take only another two weeks to harvest a full eight pots of Dittany!

That was already the fastest growth rate possible without any additional fertilizer.

Once that happened, he could turn in five of the eight pots as an assignment to Professor Sprout and complete the task she had given him.

He just didn't know what the next stage of magical plants would be.

It was unlikely to be Biting Cabbage, though. It would probably be a somewhat dangerous magical plant, but not one that was fatal.

After all, Dittany was only an introductory magical plant. It made no sense to make someone take the college entrance exams right after passing primary school—unless Professor Sprout wanted to hear that a student had been killed by Biting Cabbage...

Of course, that was impossible.

So Glenn had already prepared himself to cultivate the next stage of magical plants.

Thinking of that, he glanced at the door in the middle of the Room of Requirement.

Behind it lay a grassland.

A century ago, Glenn had kept magical creatures in there, protecting them from poachers while collecting a little protection money...

Of course, now it was completely empty.

So he was considering that, if he got the chance to venture into the Forbidden Forest, he should bring a few magical creatures back with him.

For one thing, he could at least become self-sufficient in fertilizer and wouldn't have to keep sneaking into Greenhouse One to swipe some.

The last time he'd gone, Glenn had already packed up all the fertilizer in Greenhouse One and taken it away...

Ahem, he couldn't help it. He wasn't a professional Herbology scholar, after all.

To speed up growth, aside from adjusting the climate, he could only go all out with brute force. Fortunately, the fertilizer in Greenhouse One had been specially treated, so even if he used a little too much, it wouldn't burn the seedlings.

After watering and fertilizing the Dittany, Glenn first used Revelio to check outside the Room of Requirement. Once he'd confirmed there was no one there, he went out.

"Sir, are you satisfied with today's duel?" Glenn asked with a smile in front of Sir Cadogan's portrait, which everyone avoided.

"Hmph! You're a little lacking in strength. I'll soon emerge victorious in this noble and glorious knightly duel!" Sir Cadogan said, lying on his back with all four limbs in the air.

His little pony gently licked Sir Cadogan's cheek, seemingly already used to his defeats.

To be honest, Glenn considered himself somewhat belligerent.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have carried out a major purge of Dark Wizards and all kinds of dangerous magical creatures back then.

Aside from the fact that they were genuinely harmful, he'd also done it because he enjoyed it.

It was just that circumstances didn't allow for it anymore. Besides, the Dark Wizards had nearly been wiped out back then, and now they were as rare as protected animals. Since returning to the Wizarding World, he'd seen only a single fragment of a Dark Wizard.

That was why Glenn seemed more peaceful now.

But the person before him, Sir Cadogan, wasn't a Dark Wizard. He could barely even be called a wizard, since he never called himself one and instead insisted on being a "knight."

Even if he was only a portrait, actually killing him would obviously be inappropriate—it would be discovered by the students or professors.

Apparently, the "Glenn" in the portrait thought so too.

But every time Glenn came to the Room of Requirement, Sir Cadogan would aggressively challenge him, acting as if Glenn couldn't leave until he'd beaten him to death.

"Why not paint an 'Invigoration Draught' in the portrait? At the rate you come to the Room of Requirement once a day, he really might get beaten to death," the Glenn in the portrait said helplessly.

Faced with his portrait's request, Glenn pondered for a moment.

To be honest, he couldn't paint.

The version of himself in the frame had been painted a century ago by Ominis.

Although he was blind, it didn't affect his ability to live independently.

On the contrary, as a wizard, his unusual circumstances gave him a far greater perception of things and magic than other people.

As long as he used paint imbued with magic, he could create paintings whose talent left even the Wizarding World's master painters in awe.

If he'd been born into any other family, he would probably have been raised as an artist. Unfortunately, he'd been born into the Pure-blood-obsessed Gaunt Family.

To them, any skill that couldn't defend the glory of their pure-blood status was something only inferior wizards would practice...

So it was only at school that Ominis would secretly pick up a paintbrush and occasionally paint himself or Sebastian.

"I'll go back and give it a try."

"What did you say this thing was called? It's so good," Ron said, wolfing it down.

In the dining hall—no, in the Kitchen downstairs—Harry had invited him to come and enjoy Glenn's cooking.

At first, Ron had refused.

It wasn't that he didn't like eating. On the contrary, he was very fond of food.

He just couldn't understand why they had to make a special trip to the Kitchen to eat when the House-elves already made such great food!

But after tentatively taking his first bite, he immediately understood why.

If they ate it in the Great Hall, it would definitely be snatched up in an instant.

"Lion Head."

"Is this made from lion meat?" At those words, Ron suddenly looked up at Glenn in surprise.

"It's made from pork. That's just what it's called," Glenn said with a smile and a shake of his head.

It was no wonder Ron had thought that. In fact, when Glenn had first heard the dish's name, that had been his first thought too.

"Oh, I see." Ron nodded, then plunged back into his battle with the food.

Harry had already devoured his own portion.

After eating his fill, Harry began thinking about something else.

"Layla..."

Before Harry could ask his question, the house-elf named Layla came over, speaking excitedly in a soft, high-pitched voice. "I'm here, sir. Have you not had enough? Would you like some jam tarts? The same ones you had last time."

"Uh, no need. I'm full now... I wanted to ask, since you've been working here for a long time, do you know what my parents were like?"

Hearing this, Layla and the other house-elves behind her looked a little disappointed, but still patiently answered Harry's question.

"Mr. Potter—ah, I don't mean you, sir—your father was remarkable. Although the professors all said he was mischievous, among the Gryffindor students of his year, Mr. Potter was the most dazzling. Many people thought he would become an excellent professional Quidditch player..."

For some reason, though he'd never met his father, Harry felt a little proud hearing that. He believed he would become an excellent Quidditch player too.

"And your mother, Lily—oh, forgive me. Your mother allowed Layla to call her by her name... The professors said she was also an exceptionally talented student, especially in Potions Class. Professor Slughorn, who taught Potions at the time, was very fond of her..."

Hearing that, Harry sighed deeply.

Quidditch or any of the other subjects would have been fine, but it had to be Potions.

Whenever he thought of Potions, he couldn't help remembering Professor Snape's hateful face.

Sometimes he even dreamed that Professor Snape was saying in his ear, "Gryffindor, minus a hundred points!"

"Then I guess I'm not much like my mother..."

Layla instinctively contradicted him. "Sir, at least your eyes are very much like hers. They're both green."

"...Thanks." Harry wasn't sure whether he should be happy or sad.

After thinking for a while, Harry's curiosity suddenly stirred. "Then they must have had a good relationship when they were at school, right?"

He'd already decided what the answer would be, but Layla's response was unexpected. "No, sir. Your parents' relationship at school was quite ordinary, especially your mother's feelings toward your father. She couldn't stand him."

Layla sounded certain, and she hadn't heard it from the professors.

Hearing this, Harry froze.

They'd had a bad relationship?

"Then who did my mother get along with at school?"

"Professor Snape! At least until their fifth year," Layla answered without hesitation.

At that answer, Harry was so shocked he couldn't even close his mouth. His brain stalled for a moment.

The bloody Snape was still after me!

"There's definitely a story behind this..." Glenn thought, politely looking away.

At any rate, he'd achieved his goal. He'd found someone suitable to investigate.

He just didn't know whether Professor Snape would be willing to tell him anything about those days.

After Layla left, a long silence fell over the table. All three of them were lost in their own thoughts.

"I've got it!" Ron suddenly exclaimed.

Glenn and Harry both looked at him, despite his having been wolfing down his food just moments earlier, curious to hear his brilliant idea.

"This Lion Head should be eaten with bread!"