The Professor's Weakness! Got Him!

Chapter 20: The Professor's Weakness! Gotcha!

Ian really didn't like dealing with riddle-mongers.

He only liked being a riddle-monger himself.

Fortunately, although the mysterious witch was tainted by the bad habits of wizards, this hobby of hers wasn't too severe. Seeing Ian's blank, wide-eyed stare, she provided a detailed explanation.

"You and that little girl have often talked by the riverbank grass these past few years about a dark wizard named Tom, and about how dangerous it is to attend that school called Hogwarts... Perhaps next time, you two should lower your voices just a little bit." The mysterious witch had clearly adapted to Ian's "dullness."

This was a truly unexpected answer for Ian.

Yet, it seemed so reasonable.

Observation?

Eavesdropping was more like it!

Ian silently grumbled about her in his heart, while on the surface, he squeezed out an awkward smile. "I didn't expect that you had been silently observing me for so long."

What else could he say?

Naturally, he could only recite the classic Q&A from The Path of Civil Service Promotion! Ian had studied it before transmigrating but never had the chance to use it; he hadn't expected to use it in such a strange place now.

"Observation, yes... observation." When the mysterious witch narrowed her eyes, they looked like crescent moons—not pure or lovely, but rather possessing a fox-like cunning.

"We have been talking for a long time, and I have answered quite a few foolish questions for you, yet, until now, it seems I have never heard you address me as 'Teacher'?"

It was still that slightly lazy, soft tone, but beneath the witch's seemingly calm voice, there hid a trace of imperceptible sharpness.

"That is because you had not yet told me your honorable name." Ian immediately felt a jolt and bowed slightly, using his actions to prove that he was not truly a "dull" person.

"You may call me Teacher Mara."

The corners of Witch Mara's mouth lifted slightly, sketching a faint smile. Her smile seemed to contain deep meaning, like a flower blooming in the rainforest—beautiful, yet thorny.

"Teacher Mara."

Ian blurted it out immediately.

He wore the expression of an obedient student.

However.

At the same time, he was muttering to himself—in the widely known story of Harry Potter, he didn't seem to have ever heard of any famous witch by that name.

Was it a pseudonym?

Or had this teacher's name already been buried under the dust of history as time passed? Hmm, that would mean this teacher probably wasn't an overly powerful wizard; after all, whether it was the Hogwarts Founders or Merlin, the names of the supreme ones never faded with the passage of time.

Of course.

Perhaps Teacher Mara came from an even more distant era, or perhaps this wasn't her original name at all, but one she had chosen for herself as her memories faded.

Thinking of this.

Ian couldn't help but recall some of the things Teacher Mara had said earlier. His heart stirred, and he couldn't help but ask with a mix of curiosity and doubt.

"Teacher Mara, you said that you no longer possess the power and magic you had when you were alive?" Ian appeared cautious, but it still drew a gaze from the witch that made him feel immense pressure.

"Do you think I have nothing to teach you?"

The witch smiled brightly.

"Of course not, I was just curious about those runaway utensils—weren't they imbued with magic?" Ian used the motion of looking around the room to avoid eye contact with the witch.

"The mortal world can take away my magic, strip away my power and bloodline, but..." The witch leaned back on the bench and raised a slender finger to point at her own head.

"Knowledge will never betray its possessor. My apprentice, remember, knowledge is the most precious treasure we possess; it will accompany us on every journey."

"Until... the end."

The witch finally, for the first time, gave Ian a meaningful lesson with a serious attitude.

"The end?"

Ian looked toward the witch.

"For me, and for all the souls here, that represents the unknown ahead." The witch smiled in response, her tone even carrying a hint of anticipation.

Every soul lingering in Limbo still harbored an obsession. To be honest, Ian was truly curious now about what kind of obsession plagued this Teacher Mara, who was so full of anticipation for the road ahead. However, since this might touch upon some soul's scars, he didn't dare ask why she still remained in Limbo.

"Teacher Mara, then, what kind of knowledge can I learn?" Since he had already called her teacher, Ian naturally hoped to learn as thirstily as possible.

"Magic and Potions, which one would you like to learn first?" Witch Mara was clearly very confident in her own abilities; her tone and demeanor all served to highlight this.

"You can also brew potions?"

Ian was somewhat surprised.

He wondered, in this field, who was stronger between Teacher Mara and Professor Snape? It should be Snape, after many years of era development.

"Of course."

Witch Mara nodded noncommittally, and then, she suddenly changed the subject. "However, this is a field with a very high threshold. Few people can grasp the beauty of a slow-simmering cauldron emitting white smoke and wafting a truly delicate fragrance. It is even harder for anyone to truly feel the magic contained within the liquid that flows into people's veins."

Her long, drawn-out voice seemed to contain the mystery of ancient legends.

However.

How could he not?

Everything Ian heard sounded familiar.

"Uh, are you going to tell me next that if I'm not a complete dunderhead, you can teach me how to bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses, and even stopper death?"

How could it not be familiar!

It was the opening speech Snape gave to the first-years every single year!

Did all you potion-makers work off the same script?

"Heh."

Mara the witch was slightly taken aback at first, then let out a soft chuckle. "It seems that I still have a trace of my existence lingering in the mortal world."

What did that mean?

Ian's thoughts raced.

He immediately grasped her meaning—Snape was a plagiarist!

"Did you once write those words down?"

Ian's eyes lit up.

His gossip-loving heart was ablaze.

He felt as though he had uncovered a massive secret about Snape.

"Of course. I believe I left behind a book."

Mara whispered softly, as if lost in memories she could no longer grasp as they slipped away with time, a flicker of sorrow crossing her delicate face.

However.

Ian failed to notice it.

He remained immersed in the earth-shattering revelation that Snape was a plagiarist.

Thinking about it, it actually made sense!

Snape must have obtained the books left behind by Teacher Mara!

Perhaps he had sought them out specifically?

After all, Snape had a passion and pursuit for potions; naturally, he would hunt for obscure, ancient potion texts, and it was entirely possible he had acquired the books left by Teacher Mara.

Just like phrases such as "The King must not be insulted" or "Bearing the weight of the world, judging through the ages." Our Half-Blood Prince must have seen those stirring words in Teacher Mara's books, which ignited his inner chuunibyou soul, and from then on, he had adopted that passage as the opening speech he was obligated to use to show off to the new students every year.

Hiss!

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed!

Ian felt he had caught Snape in a major scandal!

After all.

Just as Wu Cheng'en couldn't have played Black Myth before writing Journey to the West, Teacher Mara was an old ghost who had been dead for many years; it was impossible that she had stolen Snape's classic lines, right?