The Dead Unicorn

"Were you looking for me, Professor?"

Once the other young wizards had all left, only Eli and Snape remained in the classroom.

Fuck, why is this old bat looking at me like that? I called Dumbledore already.

Eli could not possibly say he was not nervous. Of course, Snape would never actually do anything to harm him.

What he feared most was having his identity exposed ahead of time.

Snape was paying him so much attention now. Could he have already discovered who Eli was?

Snape sat down. "Mr. Hall, can you tell me what you think of potions?"

Huh? He kept me behind just to ask that?

Eli finally relaxed a little. At least it was not because of his identity.

As for this question, although Eli was certainly no match for the Potions master before him, he was a new-era wizard who had integrated scientific thinking with magical thinking.

Eli was confident that his answer would make Snape see him in a new light.

"Potions essentially achieve specific effects by using particular methods to activate and combine the magic within different ingredients."

After speaking, Eli calmly looked at Snape.

Surprised, huh? Amazing, right?

The words Praise me already were practically written across Eli's face.

Snape fell silent for a moment. The scene Eli had imagined—Snape gasping in shock and declaring him a fucking genius—never came.

"Some insight, but you have not fully grasped the essence of potions. You are somewhat constrained by what is written in books. It is good enough for a first-year student, but not for you."

Eli's expression froze.

That's not right. Where's the praise? This isn't how I imagined it going.

What's with praising me and putting me down in the same breath? What does he mean, it isn't good enough for me?

Old bat, explain yourself!

In reality, however, Eli put on a thoroughly humble expression. "Please enlighten me."

Sigh. Until I become a big shot myself, I have to bow my head to the current big shots.

Snape glanced at him. "A talented person need not force himself to be so humble. You are not an arrogant fool like Potter."

Eli felt rather awkward. It was awkward having his act exposed so easily.

Old bat, can't you be a little more tactful? Isn't pretending to be humble what every top student is supposed to do?

Though Eli had long known that this man's mouth was fouler than a sewer, he was only now truly experiencing it.

While praising a student from his own house for being talented, Snape also took the opportunity to mock his enemy's son.

Still, being praised by Snape felt pretty good. After all, throughout the entire movie series, Eli had barely ever seen him praise anyone.

As Eli smiled on the outside while cursing inwardly, Snape gave a small flick of his hand.

Several potion ingredients flew out from the surrounding cabinets.

Eli had to admit, Snape's control of magic was truly a dazzling display.

Snape's strength was not to be underestimated. In all of Hogwarts, perhaps only Dumbledore could reliably overpower him.

But in truth, no matter who it was, aside from Voldemort, everyone would be firmly suppressed in front of Dumbledore.

A big shot was terrifying indeed!

The potion ingredients stopped between them. Eli recognized almost everything there, because he had memorized the entire textbook long ago.

You knew nothing of the power of a top student.

"Tell me, what are these ingredients used to brew?"

Snape spoke blandly, his magnetic voice making people instinctively listen closely.

Eli examined them carefully. "Bone-Dissolving Water."

He recognized them easily. These were the ingredients for Bone-Dissolving Water, an ordinary poison that was corrosive to biological tissue.

The reason this poison could only be considered average was that it was far from colorless and odorless.

It even required a specially made container. Not only did it react with biological tissue, it also had a certain corrosive effect on other materials.

Snape was not surprised that Eli had answered correctly. This had merely been a convenient test.

With a slight movement of his fingers, some of the ingredients were reduced to juice, while others turned into powder.

If Snape's earlier feat of summoning objects from afar had made Eli see him in a new light, then this one truly stunned him.

Worthy of the title of master!

The processed ingredients slowly merged together in different proportions and sequences.

Eli could clearly sense the magical fluctuations emanating from Snape.

Gurgle, gurgle...

The juices actually began boiling in midair. Eli almost wanted to kneel and call him a boss.

He had never seen anything like this in the movies from his previous life!

He had not even seen it mentioned in potion books.

He had always thought brewing potions meant stupidly standing in front of a cauldron and stirring nonstop!

Is this the strength of a true master?

Does that mean he can brew potions with a wave of his hand, without even needing tools?

It seemed Potion masters were not merely wealthy—they were also powerful great wizards!

Very soon, the potion was complete. It was clear and completely odorless.

Snape separated out a drop and let it fall onto the table.

The normally corrosive Bone-Dissolving Water showed no reaction at all, like ordinary clear water.

But if anyone truly mistook it for clear water, they would pay dearly!

A mummified rat corpse was brought out, and another drop fell onto it.

The drop that had seemed as harmless as clear water instantly corroded the dried corpse into nothing the moment it touched it.

This was an essential medicine for disposing of bodies!

Eli watched from the side in utter bewilderment.

Snape still wore that expressionless dead-fish face, as though none of what had just happened had been his doing.

He was showing off without even trying.

Ignoring Eli's stunned expression, Snape waved his wand, and the potion vanished without a trace.

"True potions turn decay into something miraculous. Come to my office every Saturday afternoon."

"Huh?"

Eli, who had still been staring blankly, did not react at first when he heard that.

Was this the legendary private tutoring?

"Is there anything else?"

Snape was clearly dismissing him. Eli immediately composed himself and took his leave respectfully.

As Eli walked down the corridor, he still felt as though none of this was real.

What? The old bat is already giving me private lessons?

His excitement was impossible to hide. This was private tutoring from a Potion master!

No, it could not even be called private tutoring.

This was a full-blown imperial feast!

He had plans for a potion factory, after all. Now that Snape would personally teach him, would he still need to worry about finding good potion formulas?

For now, the potion side of his factory plans was basically solved.

The only thing lacking was the production line.

That would be the key to his future domination of the potion market.

This might involve Transfiguration and alchemy. As for Transfiguration, should he find time to visit Professor McGonagall?

Professor McGonagall was an authority on Transfiguration. He could not go wrong asking her.

Alchemy was a little troublesome, though. Voldemort's memories did not contain much knowledge about alchemy, so it seemed he could only go to the library.

Hogwarts's library was certainly well stocked. It could be called another great treasure trove.

That meant he would still have to make time to study in the library.

Thinking of this, Eli could not help but feel a headache coming on. At such a young age, he bore responsibilities far beyond his years.

Just as he was racking his brains over the future, Harry and Ron Weasley found him.

Oh, and Hermione Granger was there too.

"Eli, can you teach us Potions?"

Harry and Ron Weasley looked at him expectantly.

"What? You two?"

Eli even suspected that the pair had been hit with the Imperius Curse. Since when had they started caring about studying?

Ron Weasley ignored Eli's teasing. "Eli, teach us, please. Whether we survive the old bat depends on you!"

Eli suddenly understood. So they were afraid of dying.

How could Eli not stab a knife into his brothers' backs when they were in trouble... ah, no, lend them a hand?

He patted his chest. "No problem. Leave your Potions classes to me!"

Then he looked at Hermione Granger, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated.

This young witch had always been extremely smart. Why had she come to ask for help too?

"Hermione, your Potions level should be better than these two idiots', right?"

Hermione's expression twisted in conflict for quite a while before she finally made up her mind.

"After seeing how you performed in class, I think I still have far too many shortcomings. So please, let me study with you as well!"

It was not easy for the proud Hermione Granger to say such things.

She truly pushed herself ruthlessly in her studies. Coupled with her already impressive talent, she would definitely become the finest wizard of their year.

Because Eli had displayed his magical ability on the train, Hermione Granger had always kept an eye on him and treated him as a goal to surpass.

But after watching him, she had found that he never seemed to study, which had led to their earlier conversation born of disappointment.

Yet Eli's performance today had truly shown her what it meant to be too young.

Eli looked at the stubborn young witch in surprise. "All right. Welcome aboard."

Hermione Granger immediately became a little excited.

"How about this? Tomorrow is Saturday. If we have nothing else to do, let's study together every Saturday morning."

Everyone agreed.

Once they had made the arrangement, Harry and Ron Weasley ran off somewhere to play again, while Hermione Granger, clutching her books, surely headed for the library.

That night, a figure appeared at the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.

It was Eli, out on his routine nighttime excursion.

He pointed his wand at the top of his head, and a silvery liquid slowly spread from there to cover his entire body.

Eli felt a little chilly.

Eli's figure gradually became transparent before finally disappearing.

This was the Disillusionment Charm, an essential spell for Aurors that many adult wizards did not even know.

Having mastered the Disillusionment Charm, Eli swaggered into the Forbidden Forest.

He headed straight for its depths.

"Soul Devouring!"

Another soul was devoured by Eli.

After searching the corpse and taking the valuable parts, he prepared to seek out his next target.

"Firenze?"

Was that silver-haired centaur ahead anyone other than Firenze?

Eli stepped forward, only to find Firenze's expression extremely grave.

"Another Unicorn has died!"

Eli's heart jolted.

Who else but Voldemort could have killed a Unicorn?

To sustain his life, he had no choice but to hunt Unicorns and absorb their blood.

"There have already been several Unicorn attacks recently. This is the second one in just the past few days!"

Eli tightened his grip on his wand. Voldemort had begun moving again!