Dumbledore: Severus, you go teach
Dumbledore held the water glass in both hands, smiling as he looked at Snape.
"Lucien is probably a beginner with the Patronus Charm, so he can't control it well. And for some reason, the area of effect he releases is so large."
"According to your description, Severus, his Patronus Charm will trigger memories and emotions deep within the person who comes into contact with it. You still need to learn to control it first, otherwise it will have an impact..."
Listening to Dumbledore's rambling tone, Snape felt a sense of foreboding.
Because Dumbledore always used this tone before asking someone for help—first laying the groundwork, then expressing his feelings, and finally casually revealing what he really wanted to say.
Snape, who was frequently "troubled" by Dumbledore, was all too familiar with this!
First sentence, second sentence, third sentence --
"Severus, you are very skilled with the Patronus Charm," Dumbledore's blue eyes blinked behind his Half-moon Spectacles. "I believe it would be very suitable for you to guide Lucien in his studies of this magic..."
Snape couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Sure enough, after only three sentences, Dumbledore offered to teach Lucien the Patronus Charm.
"Why don't you teach him yourself?" Snape scoffed, his tone clearly showing his displeasure.
Dumbledore shrugged, his smile fading slightly, revealing a hint of genuine weariness:
"You know I've been traveling a lot lately."
Snape remained silent.
He knew, of course, that Dumbledore was investigating Voldemort's Horcrux, a fact that wouldn't be made public, but Dumbledore didn't hide it from Snape.
Dumbledore bothered Snape, asking him to do this and that, but the premise was trust.
Snape already knew that the Dark Lord had split his soul and hidden the Horcrux he created in various secret places, and Dumbledore was searching for them one by one.
After a long pause, Snape spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than before:
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"For example, prepare more and more effective Veritaserum; I believe you will find it useful."
Dumbledore looked at him, his gaze gentle, and nodded:
"Thanks."
Simple words, yet more sincere than any lengthy discourse.
Just as Snape was about to speak, Dumbledore spoke up again.
"By the way, Severus, could you think of a way to change the taste of the usual dental potion? It's too bitter and sour; the taste is really unpleasant for an old man like me—"
Snape's face darkened, and he let out a cold laugh:
"Find someone else, I can't change!"
"Older people shouldn't eat too many sweets. If you eat less of those cloyingly sweet candies, you won't need to drink that dental-protecting potion!"
Snape was quite annoyed by Dumbledore's "taking advantage of his kindness".
Actually, he deliberately made those tooth-protecting potions taste so awful!
The purpose was to let Dumbledore candy.
It wasn't that he was concerned about Dumbledore's health—he just felt that constantly brewing potions to protect Dumbledore's teeth and other potions to alleviate the side effects of eating sugar was too much trouble.
The key point is that, with the potion as a safety net, Dumbledore in sweets even more recklessly.
They used to be more restrained, but now they've gone even further.
Snape was so annoyed that he had to occasionally modify potion recipes just to keep Dumbledore "alive".
How could anyone be willing to drink such bitter medicine just to taste something sweet?
Snape simply couldn't understand it.
However, he wasn't opposed to taking the time and effort to teach Lucien the Patronus Charm.
Can teaching a group of students who can't even distinguish between sedatives and mind control drugs, who forget whether spider eggs are made from plant or animal materials, and who are as dumb as Troll, be the same as teaching a studious, intelligent, and easy-going student?
The former would really make Snape want to shove their heads into a cauldron and give them a good wash!
Snape simply disliked Dumbledore's confident, self-assured expression, as if he knew Snape would agree.
Dumbledore had an exceptional eye for people; he always offered them commissions that they wouldn't refuse and would even be willing to complete.
Even though he had experienced it many times, the feeling of being seen through and manipulated still made Snape very unhappy.
Suddenly, Snape seemed to remember something, and a smile slowly crept onto his otherwise gloomy face.
"Oh, by the way," he said casually, as if it were a trivial matter, "Shouldn't we deduct points from Lucien and Ravenclaw this time?"
"Even though it's Patronus Charm, it's still affecting far too many people, hasn't it? Casting spells randomly in the castle in the middle of the night, disturbing the professor's rest, and affecting other students' sleep..."