Snape reclined in his chair, frowning as he stared at the ceiling, his mind racing. "What reason can I give Miss Granger and Silan to come to class together...?"
As he was pondering, an owl flew in through the window, hopped down onto his desk, and put down a letter it had been carrying in its beak.
The wax seal on the envelope tells you it was sent by Lucius Malfoy.
Snape looked away, sat up straight, gripped the armrest, opened the envelope, and began to read.
Lucius, as always, wrote some old-fashioned congratulatory messages in his ornate and elegant cursive handwriting, only getting to the point at the very end of the letter.
"My dear Severus, it is my pleasure to inform you that I will be hosting Potions Sale Event at the Malfoy Manor in two days."
"Many social elites will be attending. You and Mr. Prewett are both staunch supporters of the Sale Event, and naturally, you are my distinguished guests."
"If you have the time, please do visit us, Mr. Prewett..."
After reading the letter with a frown, Snape casually folded the letter and stuffed it into the envelope.
He wasn't interested in it.
Just as Snape put the letter away in the drawer, he hesitated for a moment, then took it out again to look at it, thinking to himself, "This could be an opportunity for Silan."
For Third Year wizard, there aren't many opportunities to show off in front of these wizarding celebrities.
As a renowned Potions Master, Snape naturally didn't need to promote himself, but Silan did.
At the very least, it lets these people know that the Prewett family still has an heir.
With that in mind, Snape dipped his quill in ink and quickly wrote a reply, granting Lucius's request.
After watching the owl fly away, Snape stood by the window for a moment, pondering, then murmured, "That's not quite enough..."
Charlemagne's attempt to poach talent from Hogwarts made Snape feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.
To better retain Silan and Hermione, something must be done.
With that thought, Snape turned and left, heading towards the Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore changed into a purple nightgown, but couldn't fall asleep. He paced back and forth in the dimly lit Headmaster's Office, lost in thought.
A long sigh occasionally drifted from the Headmaster's Office; Dumbledore's brow was furrowed, and he looked very worried.
There are too many extraordinary things about Prewett that even Dumbledore, a legendary wizard who has lived for hundreds of years, could not fully see through.
When he was with Prewett, he always felt that he was in a hazy, dreamlike state and was hard to fathom.
Dumbledore at the candlelight on the table, his jumbled thoughts drifting back to the past, as if he could see again the day Silan was sorted into Slytherin.
Before two remarkably similar days could overlap, Dumbledore subconsciously waved his hand to dispel the thought and sighed.
Even so, his jumbled thoughts remained a tangled mess, making him somewhat irritated.
Dumbledore went through everything Silan had done since entering school, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
"This child can understand the speech of Magical Creatures, even the volatile Dragon and the proud Phoenix are impressed by him. In Alchemy, he can earn Nicolas Flamel's praise. He is even exceptionally gifted in the field of Potions, causing two renowned Potions Master to disregard their manners and vie to take him as their student..."
Dumbledore mentally reviewed the history of Hogwarts and was astonished to find that no student in history could compare to the exceptional talent of Prewett.
"I must keep him at Hogwarts no matter what, and guide him onto the right path," Dumbledore thought.
This has always been his policy.
However, after witnessing Snape and Charlemagne nearly fight over Silan, this strategy became even more resolute.
Before tonight, he made a special trip to Wizengamot to try and secure a third-class badge for Silan in the Order of Merlin, Third Class Badge, and it was for this very reason.
Dumbledore wanted to make Silan understand that he could gain ample benefits and glory even through normal means.
This is indeed a bit troublesome, but there's no other way.
Because Dumbledore knew very well that for someone like Silan, if there was no normal way for him to get what he wanted, he would find some unexpected ways.
Throughout Europe history, there has been no shortage of such people.
These "unexpected paths" are often accompanied by great destructiveness.
"Is there any better way to keep Silan at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore frowned in thought.
In the silence, the door to the Headmaster's Office was suddenly pushed open, and Snape walked in, pulling at his robes.
"Severus, is there anything else this late?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"I came for Prewett," Snape said.
Dumbledore's eyes flickered; this coincided with his earlier thought.
"Sit down, Severus."
After Snape sat down, he cut to the chase without beating around the bush. "Headmaster Dumbledore, we must keep Prewett. His talent and hard work are undeniable, and we should treat such a student well."
"I can say with absolute certainty that Prewett's future achievements will be no less than mine."
"You seem to care a lot about him, Severus." Dumbledore stared intently at him, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You wouldn't usually say so much at once."
Snape paused for a moment, then sat up straight and said expressionlessly, "I'm only considering it because of my position as Professor of Potions at this university."
Dumbledore smiled and then asked, "What do you think we should do?"
Snape had clearly considered this issue beforehand, and replied without hesitation, "At the very least, we should provide some financial support."
"The money from the education fund is simply not enough. If we want to cultivate a Potions Master, we need to support his Potions research."
Dumbledore clearly agreed with him, but didn't immediately agree. He simply frowned and said, "But that might upset the students and their parents... It wouldn't be fair to the others."
Snape curled his lip in disdain. "If they can also skillfully make an improved version of Wolfsbane Potion by their Third Year, then they are certainly qualified."
"Severus, that's not the point." Dumbledore tapped the table with his finger and winked at him.
Snape finally understood.
This means that things can be done this way, but an excuse and a proper explanation are needed to convince the public.
However, it's not appropriate for Dumbledore to say such things directly, so it can only be understood implicitly.
After a moment's thought, Snape said, "Then I'll start a Potions Club and recruit Prewett. You can then issue a Potions research stipend in the name of the school."
Dumbledore nodded. "How much is this allowance?"
"At least 5,000 Galleon," Snape calculated in his mind and quoted the lowest price.
Dumbledore frowned and said, "Is that enough? How about 12,000 Galleon a year, 1,000 a month?"
So generous! Aren't you going to retire?
Snape looked at him with surprise.
Dumbledore shrugged innocently, a sly glint in his eyes. "Anyway, the Board of Governors is paying for it. Mr. Lucius is applying to rejoin the Board of Governors. I'll write a letter of recommendation later; have Silan deliver it to him when he has time. He'll be happy to."
Snape grinned.
It not only gets people eager to give it money, but also creates goodwill—a truly ingenious way to kill two birds with one stone.
"No problem," Snape said.
Having resolved the problem he had just been pondering, Dumbledore stood up cheerfully. "You write the report, I'll approve the note. Write it now."
Without hesitation, Snape took the Parchment and began writing his application for the Potions Club.
Dumbledore stood behind him, nodding in satisfaction.
The candlelight on the table shone on the two of them, casting huge shadows on the wall of the Headmaster's Office.
The entire Headmaster's Office was dark.
The next day.
Snape specifically called Silan and Hermione to his office.
Seeing the two of them sitting close together, Snape's lips curled into a pleased smile.
The two of them have to stay together.
Charlemagne, get out of here!
Although he was quite satisfied, Snape still maintained a blank expression when he spoke, slowly saying, "Our school has always allowed professors to start their own clubs in order to cultivate students in a more targeted way."
"Potions is an extremely important core discipline within the entire magical system, so I believe it is necessary for me to start Potions Club."
Silan and Hermione nodded obediently.
When they arrived, they passed through the Entrance Hall and saw a notice posted on the bulletin board announcing that the Potions Club was recruiting students.
Snape continued slowly, "Headmaster Dumbledore places great importance on the Potions education at our school and has decided to allocate 12,000 Galleon annually as a research stipend for this club."
Now it was Silan's turn to be surprised.
He started saving money in first grade, from reselling maps to reselling Potions, and now he only has about 10,000 Galleon left.
Dumbledore a single sentence?!
"I can't even imagine how much retirement money he has..." Silan thought to herself with a greedy look on her face.
"You two both have a good talent for Potions, so I hereby formally invite you to join the Potions Club." Snape said, raising his hand, and two application forms slowly flew to them.
With Professor Snape's personal invitation and a generous research stipend, Silan and Hermione couldn't think of a reason to refuse and readily filled out the application form.
After collecting the two application forms, Snape glanced at them, nodded in satisfaction, and locked them in the drawer.
"This is your first month's research stipend, 500 Galleon." Snape handed out the money immediately, as if afraid they would run away.
"You may use these stipends as you see fit. If you need to buy Potions Ingredients, just write a list for me and the school will prepare them for you," Snape added.
Hermione stared blankly at the large bag of Galleon handed to her, thinking, "Aren't these Fawley a bit too much?"
500 Galleon is equivalent to 2500 British pounds.
This is only one month!
Keep in mind that Hermione's allowance for a whole semester is only a few dozen Galleon.
This was a huge sum of money for her!
Silan had been making a lot of money lately, and while she didn't feel it as deeply as Hermione, she casually asked after accepting the money:
"Professor, are there any other members in the club?"
"Our club has only two players, and we're already full," Snape said matter-of-factly.
Silan paused, then exchanged a strange look with Hermione.
Something feels off...