A Misunderstanding!

"Holy crap!"

Devero exclaimed in shock.

That effect was way too powerful!

It doubled the effects of any potion.

No wonder the effects of that defective Polyjuice Potion had suddenly become almost identical to those of the finished product.

And being able to learn how to make a potion just by looking at it was way too powerful!!

Devero immediately made up his mind.

Tomorrow, he'd go to the potion shop in Diagon Alley.

He'd take a look at every potion there.

And he should be able to study their brewing methods, too.

Then he could use those to deduce other methods.

Combined with the trait that doubled the effects of his potions,

he could cut a few corners

and use cheap ingredients

to brew potions with extraordinary effects!

Just like this time.

After letting himself get excited for a moment,

Devero slowly calmed down.

"Now that I have this trait, maybe I can make money by improving potion recipes. Once I've made enough, I can go to more secret realms and keep improving my traits!"

Great!

He had a perpetual motion machine now!

Devero grinned.

He checked his inventory.

Then he remembered he still had a Spell Proficiency Card he hadn't used.

His trip to Knockturn Alley had reminded him

that he needed a way to make a quick getaway.

So Apparition was practically a must-have ability right now.

But as he'd said before,

he wasn't sure it would be safe for him to practice the spell on his own.

Using the card on it now

was the most worthwhile and sensible choice.

And so,

Devero didn't hesitate any longer.

He used the Spell Proficiency Card.

[ Ding! ]

[ Spell Proficiency Card used! ]

Devero immediately felt a wealth of experience with Apparition flood into his mind.

An ordinary person

might have been overwhelmed

by the massive flow of information and passed out.

But Devero was a Magic Prodigy.

He could handle something like this without a problem.

He felt fine after taking a moment to recover.

Instead, he was delighted.

Because he saw this in his Spell Library:

[ Apparition (Proficient / Vocal) ]

He hadn't expected it to jump straight to proficient!

That was about the same level as a wizard who'd held an Apparition license for three years or so.

That meant he could basically go wherever he wanted now.

He was a seasoned pro!

Suddenly,

just as Devero was figuring out where to go for a little outing,

a voice came from behind him.

"Tom?"

Devero turned around stiffly.

Professor Snape was standing in the doorway,

staring sharply at him.

"Tom?"

Snape's voice was low and full of suspicion.

"What are you doing here?"

Devero's heart tightened.

He knew things had taken a bad turn.

For a moment, he couldn't think of an explanation.

All he could do was stammer,

"Uh, Professor Snape, well, um..."

"Where's Devero?"

Snape's expression darkened further.

His eyes fixed on Devero, who looked like Tom, like a snake watching its prey.

"Oh, actually..."

Devero was in a real bind.

Come to think of it,

if not for the trait leveling up,

which had doubled the effects of the Polyjuice Potion,

Snape would have seen right away that Devero's transformation was incomplete.

But now, there was practically no way to tell.

Devero was still trying to figure out what to say so Snape wouldn't send him straight to the Ministry of Magic for punishment

when Snape suddenly said,

"You went to Knockturn Alley today?"

Before Devero could explain,

Snape had already reached behind his waist,

as if gripping something tightly.

His eyes followed Devero's every move.

Devero knew Snape had definitely gotten the wrong idea.

He hurriedly raised his hands.

"No, no, Professor, you've got it wrong."

But he'd forgotten that he was still holding his wand!

"Expelliarmus!"

Snape shouted.

A red flash shot from the tip of his wand,

heading straight for Devero.

But Devero was a Magic Prodigy,

and all the training he'd done these past few days hadn't been for nothing.

He reacted quickly.

He immediately cast a spell.

"Protego!"

A transparent barrier formed in front of him,

blocking Snape's attack by the narrowest margin.

Magical sparks flew everywhere.

Devero immediately realized that Snape's spell was clearly stronger than his own.

He'd almost failed to block it.

So this was what an adult wizard was like?!

But Devero didn't have time to think about it.

Snape showed no mercy.

He waved his wand again.

"Stupefy!"

A streak of blue light flew toward Devero.

Devero dodged quickly

and counterattacked at the same time.

"Accio, table!"

A table leg suddenly flew up

and hurtled toward Snape.

Snape dodged it with ease

and kept casting.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

A purple light coiled toward Devero.

Devero cast the Armor Charm again.

But this time, he felt his magic starting to run low.

He knew he couldn't keep trading spells.

He had to explain himself!

"Professor Snape, listen to me!"

"I'm Devero! I took Polyjuice Potion, and that's why I look like this. I only went to Knockturn Alley for fun!"

Snape snorted.

His face was dark as storm clouds.

"Expelliarmus!"

Another flash of red shot toward Devero.

"A kid who hasn't even started school can brew Polyjuice Potion? You think I'd believe that?"

As Snape spoke,

his voice was frighteningly low,

as if he were deliberately holding back his anger.

Devero barely managed to defend himself,

but he felt his magic rapidly running dry.

He gritted his teeth and held on.

He had to change tactics!

"Apparition!"

Bang!

Devero vanished in an instant.

Snape didn't hesitate.

He cast a spell behind himself at once.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Both wands flashed red.

The two of them were knocked back by the spells at the same time.

Snape's wand flew from his hand,

and he stumbled back several steps.

But he managed to stay on his feet.

Devero, on the other hand, fared much worse.

He slammed into the corridor wall

and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

He'd meant to Apparate behind Snape and disarm him,

but Snape's combat experience was simply too extensive.

In an instant, he counterattacked.

The two men's magical abilities differed enormously, so this was only to be expected.

Snape quickly picked up his wand again.

Then he grabbed Devero by the collar.

He pressed his wand to Devero's chin.

"Tell me now! Where is that boy? Which witch did you sell him to?!"

Devero had never seen an expression like that on Snape's face.

Snape looked terrifying.

Devero was struggling badly now.

His whole body seemed to be in pain.

He could clearly feel that his clothes no longer fit.

Snape's expression shifted from terrifyingly grim to confused.

Then it turned to utter astonishment!

"Devero?! It really is you!"

Snape's eyes widened.

He stared in disbelief at the boy before him, who was gradually returning to his original appearance.