Hogwarts dungeon.
Outside the Slytherin Head of House's office.
Devero took a deep breath.
He still felt a little apprehensive.
"I wonder how Snape plans to deal with me?"
He had just come from the common room.
Before dinner, he had gone to the School Infirmary.
Madam Pomfrey quickly gave Devero a full-body examination.
She confirmed that there was nothing else wrong with him.
But she still grabbed Devero and gave him a long lecture about safety precautions.
Only then was she willing to let him go.
Fortunately, though, Devero had copied her [Master Healer] trait.
So it hadn't been a wasted trip.
The moment he copied it,
Devero suddenly felt as if he had become a doctor with over thirty years of experience!
The system's alerts rang out one after another.
[ Ding! ] [ New spell added! ] [ New spell added! ] [ New spell added! ] ...
Dozens of healing spells were instantly mastered with ease by Devero.
He even felt as if he could open his own clinic!
And that wasn't all.
Devero's mind was also instantly flooded with a wealth of knowledge and experience in herbs and potion-making.
After all, what was written in books was ultimately only theory.
Practical experience in potion-making was the hardest thing to acquire!
Devero immediately felt that his potion-making skills had risen to a whole new level!
With all this experience,
he might now be a true master of potions!
In fact, that very afternoon,
he had come up with some new ways to improve the Polyjuice Potion formula he had previously given Snape.
And these would make the Polyjuice Potion even more practical!
That was how terrifying experience-based traits were!
Wizards whose talents weren't top-notch
could spend a very long time honing their craft in a particular field.
The things they accumulated over the years could be even more valuable than talent!
Devero suddenly had a new idea.
If people like Snape or Professor McGonagall
had golden traits,
but hadn't yet fully realized their potential,
could he help them study further
and then turn their talent-based traits
into experience-based traits?!
Then he could copy them!
Wouldn't that be amazing?
It would be like gaining the same experience and abilities without having to spend all those years accumulating them himself!
Whenever Devero thought about it,
he couldn't help grinning foolishly.
He was practically drooling.
So he had another task now:
train people with high-level talent traits,
help them realize their potential,
then let Devero swoop in and reap the benefits!
Perfect plan!
As Devero was still daydreaming about training talented people,
then making one final copy,
and hearing them marvel that his talent surpassed theirs,
a cold, low voice came from behind him.
"What are you grinning about? Aren't you a wizard? Can't you even open a door?"
As he spoke, Snape emerged from a patch of shadow in the corridor.
He looked just as he had that morning.
Dressed in black robes,
his long hair hid his cheeks,
leaving only a pair of sharp eyes visible.
Or rather,
Snape always looked like that.
The moment Devero saw him, he immediately straightened up and stood at attention,
putting on a conciliatory expression.
He had just talked back to Snape in class.
All he could do was hope Snape wouldn't make him spend every day in detention, like that pink toad.
"What are you standing there for? Get inside."
With that, Snape waved his wand.
The office door opened by itself.
Devero immediately slipped inside.
Snape followed close behind.
"The Unlocking Charm. I demonstrated it to you during that test at the start of term, didn't I? Do you still remember it?"
Snape dropped into the main chair
and glanced sideways at Devero.
"Of course I remember."
Devero nodded confidently.
Actually, even before the test to assess his magical talent,
he had learned the spell by watching other people cast it on the street.
So he was very proficient at it.
"Good. From now on, if I'm not here on Fridays, come here by yourself."
Snape rose and said coolly.
Huh?
Devero hadn't yet figured out what Snape meant
when Snape turned and walked over to a door.
"Alohomora!"
The lock opened at once.
With a faint click,
the door slowly swung open.
"Come over here."
Snape called to Devero, who was still sitting there, stunned.
Devero hurried after him.
He entered Snape's Storage Room.
The door closed automatically behind them
with a dull thud.
Devero looked around.
Everything before him immediately captivated him.
The Storage Room was laid out in a very orderly fashion.
It was divided into three main sections,
arranged along three walls.
One wall held the severed parts of Magical Creatures.
Most were immersed in liquids of various colors.
Some of the liquids were clear and transparent.
Others were a deep blue or green.
Still others were murky yellow.
The severed parts inside the bottles came in all shapes and sizes.
Some were dragon claws.
Some were unicorn tails.
And some were Werewolf teeth.
Each bottle had a detailed label
recording the date of collection and its purpose.
Devero stared at them, transfixed.
The powerful magic contained in these things
resonated instantly with his [Potion Spirit] trait.
He wanted nothing more than to pack them all up and take them to the lab.
Then throw them into a cauldron!
He forcibly suppressed that urge
and turned to the opposite wall.
That wall held Magical Creatures' herbs.
Most had already been dehydrated and dried.
Things like nettles, Mandrake, and Agave
were all stored in clear glass jars.
The herbs gave off a faint fragrance.
Some leaves were a deep green,
while some flowers were brightly colored and looked a little dangerous.
Every jar also had a label
detailing the herb's name, collection date, and storage method.
This section was the most ordinary,
but Devero couldn't help frowning as he looked at it.
After all, when brewing certain Potions,
fresh herbs were absolutely essential.
So why did Snape's Storage Room only have dried ones?
That wasn't very professional!
Puzzled, Devero
turned to the final wall.
The wall in the middle held finished Potions.
They were mostly very valuable.
Devero's gaze was drawn to one of the bottles.
A label on it read "Veritaserum."
"Oh my god! Snape keeps Veritaserum on hand all year round? Who does he want to give it to?"
Devero marveled inwardly.
Besides that,
there were many other precious Potions.
It looked like a freshly brewed batch of Polyjuice Potion.
There were also Felix Felicis, Skele-Gro, Sleeping Draught, Antidote, and other Potions.
The bottles were neatly arranged on the shelves.
Each one gave off a faint glow.
Devero licked his dry lips.
These Potions were all rare treasures you couldn't buy anywhere!
Snape had so many of them!
But even setting his surprise aside,
Devero still couldn't figure out why Snape had brought him to his Storage Room.
Could it be—
A cold glint flashed in Devero's eyes.
"Are you planning to kill me and then soak me in these solutions?"
Of course, that was impossible.
But Devero truly couldn't make sense of it.
Just as he was letting his imagination run wild,
Snape turned around.
His dark eyes fixed on him.
"I've already told you how to get in. Feel free to use anything in here."
As he spoke,
he frowned slightly,
then shook his head.
"Try to be a little frugal. These things aren't easy to come by."
Devero's eyes widened in an instant!
Before you continue