Deception and a Perfect Score

"How utterly disappointing!"

"You are the worst class of students I've ever taught!"

"Can't you even follow the textbook?"

The practical potion-brewing session had ended. Snape stormed back to the lectern, flung his robes, and launched into the classic triple scolding of a teacher!

"Each of you will write an essay of no fewer than two feet on the Cure for Boils Potion after you return. I expect to see them in class next Wednesday!"

Over the wails of the young wizards, Professor Snape assigned the homework and threatened them in an exceptionally cold voice:

"If I find anyone daring not to complete this assignment properly, once I catch them, I will make them drink the potion they brewed themselves!"

"Do not think I am joking. Poppy Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing has ample treatment experience. She certainly will not let you die easily!"

In the flattest tone, Snape spoke the cruelest and most threatening words, frightening the young wizards from both Houses until their faces went pale and bloodless, nearly bringing them to tears!

"Class dismissed." Snape finally spat out those two words coldly, swept his robes like a bat, and slammed the door behind him.

"Phew..."

The young wizards from both Houses let out a long breath in unison, feeling as though they had finally come back to life.

They all felt that they had nearly died at Professor Snape's hands!

The moment Snape left, the atmosphere immediately became livelier. The young wizards began chatting and greeting friends from the other House.

Hannah, who had been sorted into Hufflepuff, skipped over to Li Wei with her two golden pigtails bouncing behind her. She patted his shoulder and greeted him with a smile.

"Hey! Li Wei, how are you finding Ravenclaw?"

"Your answer in class just now was so brave! Honestly, for a moment, I almost thought you'd been sorted into Gryffindor!"

"Not bad," Li Wei replied with a smile, letting out a long sigh of relief inside.

He had finally gotten through it without exposing his troll-level talent for Potions.

"What about you, Hannah? Is Hufflepuff like I said—full of ordinary, kind people, a warm home?"

As Li Wei and Anthony bottled the Cure for Boils Potion they had brewed and placed it on a shelf nearby, they chatted with Hannah.

Naturally, someone would handle those potions afterward. Exceptional work would be sent to the hospital wing or sold to bring funds back to the school.

Failed potions would also be handled properly and promptly destroyed.

"I'm doing well too. Everyone has been very nice to me, Li Wei. You were right—Hufflepuff really is such a warm home!"

Hannah's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. She seemed to be doing quite well.

Once everyone had put away their potions, they headed out of the classroom together, chatting as they walked.

Hogwarts' first-year curriculum was not particularly demanding. In Li Wei's view, it was actually a little too easy.

Like that morning, they only had Potions.

Class ended at around nine o'clock, and until Herbology in the afternoon, all that time was theirs to spend freely.

"Li Wei, are you heading back to the common room? Want to play a game of Wizard's Chess?"

Michael Corner enthusiastically came over and even greeted Hannah, whom he did not know at all.

Li Wei shook his head in refusal. "No, did you forget that I arranged with someone to read in the library at noon?"

"All right," Michael said helplessly. "This might make you angry, but I really think calling you Ravenclaw's notebook is the best compliment possible!"

"It's only the start of term! I almost thought finals were about to begin!"

Michael Corner's final words were practically a groan.

"I feel the same way, but I'm not satisfied with just being a notebook. I want to become a wizard of wisdom like Lady Ravenclaw!"

Li Wei smiled confidently. Standing beneath the sunlight in the corridor, his vigor seemed to shine so brightly it was almost blinding.

"I'm done for." Michael admitted that he had been thoroughly outdone. Helplessly, he turned to his good roommate Anthony and asked somewhat uneasily,

"What about you? Don't tell me you're going to be like this guy too!"

"I'm only worried that your chess skills won't even give me the interest to win," Anthony said with a provocative smile at Michael. He was in no rush to study.

"Hey! Today, I'll show you what a crushing defeat looks like!"

Michael immediately put on an offended expression and directly challenged Anthony.

After saying goodbye to Hannah, Anthony, Michael, and the others, Li Wei headed straight for the library.

He planned to finish that morning's homework there with Hermione, then begin his grand reading project and earn a massive amount of points.

Before that, however, Li Wei opened the system, intending to see how many credits he had earned in Potions.

The moment he opened the Learning MOD, the system began evaluating his performance in Potions:

(Evaluation standards: Excellent, Good, Average, Poor)

Teaching effectiveness: Professor Severus Snape, as a Potions master, taught seriously and imparted his personal insights. Teaching effectiveness: Excellent

Knowledge gained: The host listened attentively, prepared thoroughly before class, answered questions correctly, demonstrated outstanding practical ability, and produced a perfect potion. Knowledge gained: Excellent

Overall evaluation: Excellent performance in Potions. Received the maximum score of 100 credits!

Phew... I really fooled it!

Li Wei let out a quiet breath in his heart.

As he had expected, having his partner brew the ingredients had indeed fooled both Professor Snape and the Learning MOD's evaluation system.

Of course, he knew this was somewhat self-deceptive. His talent for Potions had not improved. Even if he could replicate someone else's actions, if he were truly the one brewing the potion, it could still fail.

But what choice did Li Wei have for now?

Even if he asked Professor Snape for help, Snape could not possibly change his terrible talent for Potions.

This sort of talent was like being born able to eat and breathe. Either you had it or you did not. Even if he confessed to Snape that he had absolutely no talent for brewing potions, what would he gain?

At most, a round of mockery and advice to practice more.

If Professor Snape could change a person's talent for brewing potions, then the Dark Lord would not be Voldemort!

Li Wei guessed that the higher one's talent for Potions, the more accurately one could grasp the inspiration that arose while brewing.

At Snape's level of talent, he could probably perceive changes in the properties of ingredients while brewing. Whether it was processing materials or brewing potions, everything would feel as though divine help were guiding him.

But what about Li Wei? When he brewed potions, it was as if a city wall stood between him and them. He was on one side of the wall, while the potion was on the other—he could neither see nor sense it!

Fantasy MOD System, pull your weight!

Could you give me an Alchemy MOD and let me become a Potions master right away?!

Li Wei felt deeply troubled, yet also full of hope. Other than the system, he could think of no way to change his talent for Potions.

Potions was held twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff attending together.

Li Wei estimated that as long as his talent remained undiscovered and his strategy could continue, he would steadily earn two hundred credits from Potions every week.

He had also checked the timetable. Herbology was held three times a week. If the full score was still one hundred, then those three hundred credits were as good as his!

That was because he had discovered that his Magical Creature Affinity and magical herb affinity were actually counted together.

Combined with his thorough pre-class preparation and memorization of key knowledge, earning extra points in Professor Sprout's Herbology class would be effortless!

Besides Potions and Herbology, Li Wei's timetable included two Transfiguration classes and two Charms classes every week, as well as one class each of Defense Against the Dark Arts, A History of Magic, and Astronomy.

The latter two were large lectures attended by the entire year, and they would probably be difficult to earn extra points in, though it would also be hard to lose points.

It was only Defense Against the Dark Arts that Li Wei found difficult to predict. Would the system evaluate the teacher's effectiveness based on Voldemort or Quirrell?