Ian really didn't like dealing with riddlers.
He only liked being one himself.
Fortunately, although the mysterious witch had picked up some of the wizards' bad habits, her fondness for riddles wasn't too serious. When she saw Ian's utterly blank expression, she offered a detailed explanation.
"You and that little girl often talked on the grassy bank of the river about a Dark Wizard named Tom, and about how dangerous it would be to attend that school called Hogwarts... Perhaps next time, you should speak a little more quietly." The mysterious witch had clearly grown accustomed to Ian's "dullness."
This was an answer Ian had truly never expected.
And yet it made perfect sense.
Observing him?
More like eavesdropping!
Ian silently grumbled about her in his mind, but on the surface he forced out an awkward smile. "I had no idea you'd been quietly evaluating me for so long."
What else could he say?
Of course, he could only offer up a classic exchange from The Path of Civil Service Promotion! He'd studied it before transmigrating but never had the chance to use it. Who would've thought he'd get to use it in such a strange situation?
"Evaluating you, yes... evaluating you." When the mysterious witch narrowed her eyes, they curved like crescent moons. She didn't look pure and charming; instead, she seemed sly as a fox.
"We've been talking for quite some time, and I've answered quite a few of your foolish questions. Yet somehow, I still haven't heard you call me 'teacher' even once?"
Her voice was still soft, with a hint of languor, but beneath its seemingly calm tone lay a faint, barely perceptible edge.
"That's because you haven't told me your honored name yet." Ian immediately straightened up and bowed slightly, proving with his actions that he wasn't truly "dull."
"You may call me Teacher Mara."
A faint smile tugged at Mara's lips. Her smile seemed to hold a deeper meaning, like a flower blooming in a rainforest—beautiful, yet thorny.
"Teacher Mara."
Ian said it at once.
He looked like a well-behaved student.
However,
at the same time, he couldn't help wondering. In the story of Harry Potter that most people knew so well, he'd never heard of a famous witch with that name.
Was it an alias?
Or had his teacher's name simply been buried beneath the dust of history as time passed? Hmm, then she probably wasn't an especially powerful wizard. After all, whether it was the Four Founders of Hogwarts or Merlin, the names of the greatest figures never faded with time.
Of course,
Teacher Mara might have come from an even more distant era. Or perhaps this wasn't her original name, but one she'd given herself after her memories faded.
Thinking of that,
Ian recalled some of the things Teacher Mara had said earlier. His thoughts stirred, and he couldn't help asking with a trace of curiosity and confusion.
"Teacher Mara, you said you no longer have the power and magic you possessed when you were alive?" Ian asked cautiously, but the witch's intimidating gaze still fell on him.
"Do you think I have nothing to teach you?"
The witch smiled brightly.
"Of course not. I was just curious about those runaway dishes. Weren't they enchanted?" Ian avoided her gaze by looking around.
"The mortal world can take my magic from me, strip away my power and bloodline, but..." The witch leaned against the bench and pointed a slender finger at her head.
"Knowledge will never betray its possessor. Remember, my apprentice: knowledge is the most precious treasure we have. It will accompany us on every journey."
"Until... the very end."
For the first time, the witch spoke to Ian in earnest, offering him a meaningful lesson.
"The end?"
Ian looked at the witch.
"For me, and for all the souls here, it means the unknown path ahead." The witch smiled as she answered, and there was even a hint of anticipation in her voice.
Every soul lingering in Limbo still clung to some unresolved obsession. Honestly, Ian was now very curious about what kind of obsession troubled Teacher Mara, who seemed so eager to face the road ahead. But since it might touch on a soul's wounds, he didn't dare ask why she still lingered in Limbo.
"Teacher Mara, then what kind of knowledge can I learn?" Since he'd already called her teacher, Ian naturally wanted to learn as much as he could.
"Magic or Potions—which would you like to learn first?" Mara was clearly very confident in her abilities. Her tone and manner made that plain.
"You can brew Potions too?"
Ian was a little surprised.
He wondered who was better in that field, Teacher Mara or Professor Snape. It was probably Snape, since he lived many years later.
"Of course."
Mara nodded, then suddenly changed the subject. "But it's a field with a very high barrier to entry. Few can appreciate the beauty of a cauldron simmering over a gentle flame, white smoke curling from it, and a truly fragrant scent wafting through the air. Fewer still can truly sense the magic contained in the liquid as it flows through people's veins."
Her long, lingering voice seemed to carry the mystery of ancient legends.
But,
the more Ian listened,
the more familiar it sounded.
"Uh, are you about to tell me that as long as I'm not an idiot, you can teach me how to brew glory, gain renown, and even stop death?"
How could it not sound familiar?
It was Snape's opening speech to the new students every year!
Did all you Potions people use the same script?
"Ho."
Mara was slightly taken aback, then gave a quiet chuckle. "It seems a trace of my existence still remains in the mortal world."
What did she mean?
Ian's thoughts raced.
He immediately understood what she meant—Snape was a plagiarist!
"Did you write those words?"
Ian's eyes lit up.
His curiosity was piqued.
He felt he'd uncovered Snape's biggest secret.
"Of course. I believe I left behind a book."
Mara spoke softly. She seemed to sink into her memories, yet couldn't grasp those that had faded with time. A trace of sadness crossed her delicate face.
However,
Ian didn't notice.
He was still caught up in the explosive revelation that Snape was a plagiarist.
Think about it—it really made sense!
Snape must have gotten hold of a book Teacher Mara had left behind!
Maybe he'd sought it out on purpose? After all, Snape loved and pursued Potions. Of course he'd go searching for obscure old books on Potions, and it was entirely possible he'd found Teacher Mara's book.
Just like the lines "A king's dignity must never be insulted" and "Bearing all under heaven, ruling the ages alone." Perhaps the Half-Blood Prince had read these stirring words in Teacher Mara's book, and they'd awakened his chuunibyou spirit. From then on, he'd copied them down and turned them into the opening speech he had to deliver to the new students every year.
Hiss!
The more Ian thought about it, the more likely it seemed!
Ian felt he'd found Snape's Achilles' heel!
After all,
just as Wu Cheng'en couldn't have played Black Myth: Wukong before writing Journey to the West, Teacher Mara was a ghost who'd been dead for many years. There was no way she'd stolen Snape's famous lines, right?