Will gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Professor. That might... take a little time."
"If you spent your summer holiday researching the Dream Potion, you might finish it sooner." Snape glanced at the case in Will's hand. "Another case full of books, I take it?"
Will's smile faded a little. "Professor, I'll finish the Dream Potion. I just have quite a few things to deal with right now, so it'll be a little late."
Snape shook his head. His expression turned solemn as he patted Will's shoulder. "Will, your greatest problem is that you're too gentle. You think too much about other people.
"The Wizarding World isn't what it was a few years ago. You know that. There isn't that much time left for you to run experiments.
"Go home and study magic. Don't waste your time."
"Professor..."
"You call me Professor. Protecting you is what I should do. If I let my own desires hold you back, I wouldn't deserve to be your professor." Snape shook his head. "A storm is coming, Will. Protect yourself first."
"All right." Will nodded firmly.
A few minutes later, a sharp crack rang out in Spinner's End.
Over the days that followed, Will shut himself in his bedroom at home. Apart from eating and sleeping, he either read or worked on the "textbook" for his Origin Spells system.
Once a week, he visited the Longbottom family to check on Frank and Alice. They were recovering well, slowly but steadily.
And so the days passed, one after another.
Before he knew it, the date Will and Sylvia had agreed on before the summer holiday had arrived: August 19, 1996.
Will closed his book and packed everything valuable in the house into his Book Trunk.
He changed into a black robe, cleaned and put away