"What's wrong, Professor?"
Silan turned to look at Snape, wondering if he had changed his mind.
He felt a little nervous; his hands, tucked into his sleeves, clenched tightly, but his face remained impassive.
"Take away those Scraps from the storeroom table and get rid of them," Snape ordered.
"Yes, Professor."
Silan breathed a sigh of relief and skillfully entered Snape's private storeroom, his gaze lingering on the bottles and jars for a moment.
Walking to the table, Silan realized that these so-called Scraps were actually processed, high-quality Potions Ingredients.
Aconite powder, Angelica, Moonstone Powder...
There were also several valuable stingers from Billywig.
Even if these things aren't made into Potions, they'd be worth a fortune just as raw materials.
Silan didn't dare to move. She stepped out of the storage room and asked, "Professor, are you really going to give me these materials?"
"I think you should get your ears checked," Snape snapped, pulling his hand away from the gift box and speaking sharply, feigning nonchalance. "These Scraps aren't for you; they're for you to get rid of!"
"Oh." Silan nodded.
In Silan's view, there was no difference between the two; Snape was clearly just being stubborn.
Taking it into my own hands is also a form of processing.
With that thought in mind, Silan happily put away the materials.
This is mine, and this is mine too.
As Silan reached the door, he pushed it open and saw Fred staring at him, holding his breath and wide-eyed.
They waited for a long time but didn't hear any strange noises from inside, not even Snape's roar.
This is absolutely abnormal.
Seeing Silan emerge unharmed, even with a smile on her face, is quite surprising.
Soon, Silan did something that surprised them even more.
He actually turned around and said to Snape, "Merry Christmas."
Snape's office was dark.
From George and Fred's positions, they could only see the area illuminated by the light from the doorway. Even so, they could imagine what a dark and gloomy scene the office must be like inside.
But Silan had a big smile on his face, as if he had just returned from a vault laden with treasure.
Is that correct?
Just as George and Fred were wondering what was going on, they heard a stiff blessing coming from Snape's Batcave.
"Merry Christmas."
Snape had probably not said this line in a long time, and he sounded quite unaccustomed to it.
The group waiting for Silan outside the door, unaware of what had happened inside, were surprised to hear Snape say "Merry Christmas."
They all felt that their worldview had been reshaped.
Professor Snape wished everyone a Merry Christmas.
If they were to tell this story, everyone who heard it would probably burst into laughter, then wipe away tears and say, "That's quite a joke! Where did you hear that?"
Nobody would believe this is true.
Ron resisted the urge to rush out and see if it really was Snape in the office, and exchanged a glance with Harry.
He saw the same surprise in Harry's eyes.
The group was quite frightened by Snape's blessing. They didn't dare to breathe and stood close to the wall, constantly giving Silan meaningful glances.
Silan closed the door.
George and Fred immediately rushed over, grabbed him from either side, and ran towards a less crowded area.
They couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to ask what had just happened inside.
What exactly did Silan say to Snape?
It's incredible that Professor Snape, who is usually gloomy and silent, could utter the words "Merry Christmas."
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Neither of these two words, or rather these four characters, when taken individually, have anything to do with Snape.
To put it another way, let Snape say it...
Ha ha!
They preferred to believe that Merlin was a fake, and that the Giant Squid of the Black Lake was the greatest wizard in history.
"This is really strange," Fred said, shaking his head as he supported Silan. "Snape actually said Merry Christmas."
"Oh my God!" George was even more excited than him. "I can hardly believe our mother has ever twisted our ears."
Hermione glanced worriedly at the door to Snape's office, then turned back to remind him.
"Keep your voice down, don't let Professor Snape hear you."
Ron and Harry followed the main group, glancing back warily from time to time.
It was as if they were afraid Snape would suddenly pop out from behind them.
In fact, they already have far too much experience with this.
They both stopped abruptly and looked at each other.
"Did you hear that?" Harry asked.
"You heard that too?" Ron asked instead of answering.
Seeing Harry nod, Ron took off running as if he were escaping.
That's terrifying!
He thought he just heard Snape let out a short laugh.
This must be a hallucination!
I told you something was off about this place.
George and Fred, supporting Silan, found a secluded spot and eagerly asked, "What exactly did you two say just now?"
"Nothing special," Silan said calmly. "Professor Snape just chatted with me for a bit, and then I gave him a Christmas present."
"Oh, right," he added, "He also gave me some Potions Ingredients."
Fred stared in disbelief as Silan pulled the Potions Ingredients from the leather bag.
"Aconite powder, Angelica, Moonstone Powder, and... oh my god, Billywig's stinger!"
"Just a few of these can easily sell for 10 Galleon, Silan, you didn't go in and rob Snape's private storeroom, did you?"
"How could that be?" Silan said with a smile. "These were all gifts from Professor Snape."
"Ha, Fred, if I said I could knit wool socks out of Dumbledore's beard, would you believe me or him?"
George clearly didn't believe Silan's words.
"Is there any other choice?" Fred shook his head dramatically. "Of course I trust you."
Hermione examined the Billywig stingers.
These aren't even inferior goods; they're genuinely high-quality products.
Fred was right, this little bit of stuff can easily sell for 10 Galleon.
Snape just gave it away like that?
Even she couldn't understand why Snape had suddenly become so generous.
"I dare say, Silan might have given Snape Amortentia!"
Ron kept shaking his head, not believing a word Silan said.
"You've finally said something useful, Ron. Before this, I always thought you were just a blabbermouth."
George and Fred nodded in unison, unusually agreeing with Ron's opinion.
Ron proudly raised his chin.
"Actually, Professor Snape wasn't as bad as you think," Silan somewhat helplessly. "He was still quite kind and approachable to me."
"That's for you," Ron muttered.
"Indeed." Harry could hardly disagree.
"He treats us completely differently, is it just because you're Slytherin?"
"Who knows?" George and Fred teased, laughing. "Harry, I think Snape is quite interested in you too."
"Why don't you go to his office and wish him a Merry Christmas? Maybe he'll give you a whole bunch of Potions Ingredients, just like he did for Silan."
Harry was highly skeptical. "Come on, he might gouge my eyes out."
Silan was unharmed and even received a bunch of Potions Ingredients from Snape, which put everyone's minds at ease.
After chatting and laughing for a while, everyone dispersed.
Silan returned to the long-lost Room of Requirement.