Snape: Is He Provoking Me?

Lucien glanced at Snape in the corner of the classroom, his gaze wandering, unsure of where to look.

Since summoning the complete Patronus, his vision has undergone a magical change.

In his eyes, Snape was not a person in a black robe at this moment, but a "blob of paint" with a human-shaped outline.

The colors are quite mottled, including red, blue, and yellow...

Various colors intertwine, blend together, and constantly change.

The flow of those colors was not random, but followed a certain pattern, like the beating of a heart or the rhythm of breathing.

He had seen similar visions, similar to, but not exactly the same, when observing souls using the magic taught by Salazar.

What we see now is more intricate and dynamic, like a living flame or a flowing stream.

In terms of color, it's not as monotonous as before.

It's somewhat like the colorful specks of light seen when using magic to examine and collect emotional energy in preparation for the crafting of the Sorcerer's Stone; various emotions thus have similar vibrant hues.

Almost intuitively, as if a voice deep within his mind was telling Lucien: This is the posture of the soul.

Not the kind of outline of a soul that can only be glimpsed through special magic, but something more direct and essential...

Lucien suddenly remembered what Salazar had said before: the Patronus Charm can also reflect a wizard's soul talent to some extent.

Prior to this, he was unsure whether he possessed any special talent in matters of the soul.

If one insists on saying his soul is special, then it's because his soul doesn't belong to this world; he's a visitor from another world more than ten years ago.

Perhaps that's why his Patronus is so unique?

The sheer number of Patronus, numbering over a dozen, surprised even Lucien himself.

He then thought of the characteristic of his Patronus Charm's mist, which evoked emotions and memories when it came into contact with people.

Perhaps that's also a manifestation of innate talent?

Is this related to the colors of the soul he's seeing now?

We need to try more...

However, in the blink of an eye, Lucien realized that Snape was still waiting nearby.

Quickly wave your wand, and the Patronus that have been entrenched in the classroom all stop moving. Then, as if a pause button has been pressed, their forms begin to blur and dissolve, turning into silvery-white mist that slowly dissipates into the air.

The dozen or so Patronus vanished into nothingness within seconds.

The classroom fell silent again.

Snape stepped forward, the magical runes on his body slithering away like tadpoles, slowly detaching from the surface of his robes, returning to the wall along the ground, and reintegrating into the barrier.

How are you feeling? Is there anything bothering you?

Despite his words being words of concern, Snape's voice remained indifferent.

His gaze was mostly fixed on Lucien, clearly curious about why the young man before him possessed such a large number of Patronus.

It's even hard to say whether it has reached its maximum limit.

And then there was that fleeting glimpse of what appeared to be a humanoid Patronus...

However, Snape didn't rush to ask.

He noticed that Lucien's face was a little pale, and his lips were much less bloody.

He then pulled a vial of potion from his robe and tossed it to Lucien.

"Drink this to replenish your magic. That's all for today's lesson. Go back and rest."

After saying that, Snape turned to leave.

"Professor," Lucien called out to him quickly.

He took a roll of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Snape.

"I recently tried to improve a potion, but I'm not entirely confident about some of the details. I'd like to ask for your guidance."

Snape took the parchment and nodded slightly.

Lucien has been quite focused on potions lately, which is a good thing; he hasn't wasted his talent in potions.

He unfolded the parchment and scanned the writing on it:

Hair-Growth Elixir.

It came into view.

You can tell the potion's effects just by looking at its name.

Snape's expression didn't change significantly, but the corners of his mouth drooped almost imperceptibly.

He felt an itch on his scalp under his hat.

Snape looked up from the parchment at Lucien.

If the badge on this kid's school uniform were a Lions, Snape would definitely think he was just being provocative.

But ironically, in the eyes of many professors, including Snape himself, Lucien was a good student.

Snape knew he did play with some Gryffindor students, but he was clearly not infected by the arrogance and stupidity of the Lions.

Snape stuffed the parchment into his pocket, tossed out a comment, and turned to leave the classroom.

"It's fairly practical."