Bang!
Snape staggered back and crashed into the desk, sending parchment fluttering all over the floor.
He caught the edge of the desk in time and kept himself from falling, but the rebounding spell was swift and powerful. It felt as though someone had fiercely clenched his heart in their fist, leaving him unable to breathe properly for quite a while.
His ears rang for a moment. When he came back to himself, Snape realized that Wade was supporting him from the side, asking worriedly:
"...How do you feel, Professor?"
Snape drew in a sharp breath, his fingers clenching tightly around his wand as he lowered his eyes to Wade.
"What... are you wearing?"
he asked hoarsely.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
Wade released his arm, his face full of apology as he said sincerely:
"I always carry things that ward off spells. I should have taken them off beforehand... but you cast the spell so suddenly that I didn't have time to react."
Snape: "..."
So this was still my fault?
Still, as an Alchemist, it made sense that Wade carried all sorts of little gadgets with unusual effects.
Snape simply had not expected the spell he cast to rebound at double strength, catching him off guard and injuring him slightly.
The Potions Professor took two quiet, deep breaths, suppressing the tight pain in his chest. Slowly releasing the desk's edge, he straightened up and said in a low voice:
"An Anti-Curse Vest?"
He had heard of this item, invented jointly by Wade and the Weasley Twins.
The Anti-Curse Vest had become Aslan's Magic Workshop's flagship product. Since production had never been able to keep up with demand, its price had remained extremely high.
Compared to Britain, Aslan's Magic Workshop was also more willing to sell Anti-Curse Vests to the United