"Tap..." Su Er set a thick copy of [How to Better Process Rare Materials] on a long table in the Library, then sat down to browse the index, hoping to find a way to process unicorn hair.
Untreated unicorn hair was far too stiff and difficult to bend to be used for soft scarves or gloves...
Su Er had asked Hagrid, but Hagrid had only looked utterly bewildered.
Found it! Unicorns, page 279.
After a flurry of page-turning, Su Er stared speechlessly at a passage he had already seen at least four or five times that day.
Seriously? Copy and paste?
The entire passage described how rare unicorn hair was, how hard it was to obtain, how valuable it was, and all the things it could be used for...
The author never said a word about how to process it.
Did he really have to follow Professor McGonagall's advice and ask Professor Snape?
At the thought of Professor Snape's expressionless, corpse-like face, Su Er couldn't help rubbing his scalp...
But apart from the headmaster, Professor Snape was probably the only person at Hogwarts capable of changing the properties of materials from magical creatures, wasn't he?
It wasn't as though Su Er hadn't considered using spells, but Professor Flitwick had kindly reminded him that unless a spell was meant to destroy the substance itself, like the Severing Charm, most spells had a limited duration. Besides, materials from fantastic beasts retained some resistance to magic even after being separated from the creatures themselves.
"What are you looking for?" Hermione leaned over to glance at the book in Su Er's hands.
"Nothing." Su Er closed the book. "Just browsing."
"Oh." Hermione nodded. "I saw you reading Household Magic a few days ago. Find anything interesting?"
"No." Su Er glanced at Ron and Harry, who sat across from him, each furiously leafing through a hefty volume, then turned to Hermione and shook his head slightly.
"They were all spells for making things more harmonious at home."
"I need to go back to my dormitory. See you this afternoon, Hermione." Su Er got up, returned his book to its place, then headed straight out of the Library.
"What's with him? He's being so strange." Hermione pursed her pink lips, unable to keep her curiosity in check. Su Er had been acting oddly lately, as though he was planning something, but he wouldn't tell her when she asked.
So secretive...
Hermione shook her head, pulled herself together, and opened [A Hundred Years of Wizard World History]. She still had to find out who Nicolas Flamel was.
The secretive Su Er was now hesitating outside the Potions professor's office on the first basement level. Christmas was almost here, and if he still couldn't find a way to process that unicorn hair...
Gritting his teeth, Su Er finally made his decision. A few young wizards holding homemade warming bottles cast curious looks his way.
The moment they saw Su Er push the door open and enter, their curiosity turned to astonishment, tinged with sympathy.
Another student Snape had given detention, apparently?
Snape's office was bitterly cold. The shelves by the door held numerous glass jars filled with unidentified liquids, with specimens of various animals floating inside.
Tsk. A villain's lair, through and through.
Su Er shivered.
The greasy-haired Snape, who had been writing and sketching on a piece of parchment, raised his head and saw Su Er surveying the office.
Feeling that chilling gaze on him, Su Er's breath caught. He met Snape's eyes with an awkward smile.
"Hello, Professor Snape."
Snape pressed his lips together, his expression cold, and gave no response.
"Well... Professor Snape, there's something I'd like to ask you," Su Er said cautiously.
Again, only silence answered him, but Snape didn't look away.
"I'd like to ask what method I should use if I wanted to soften a material."
Su Er and Snape stared at each other for a while. Snape seemed intent on driving Su Er away with his gaze, but Su Er stood his ground. They fought a silent battle, and Su Er caught the flicker of surprise in Snape's eyes.
At last, the professor deigned to speak.
"What material?"
"Unicorn hair..." Su Er hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. Unicorn hair was certainly expensive, but as a Potions Master, Snape was wealthy himself.
Besides, different materials required different methods of treatment.
Hearing that it was a material from a unicorn, Snape couldn't help frowning.
"What is it for?" he asked.
"Er..."
"A scarf, Professor..."
"What?" Snape wondered whether he had heard correctly...
"I want to use it to make scarves, and perhaps some hats as well, Professor," Su Er said firmly.
"Heh..." Snape gave a quiet laugh, but anger rose beneath it. He believed this Hufflepuff had come here deliberately to make a fool of him.
"Get out," Snape said.
"Professor, I'm serious." Under that faintly angry gaze, Su Er looked steadily back at him.
But Professor Snape chose to say nothing. Clearly, he had no intention of answering Su Er's question.
Su Er had lost this round. He sighed inwardly. It seemed he would have to buy one in Diagon Alley, though he had no idea whether any shop would be extravagant enough to knit scarves from unicorn hair.
"Sorry to have disturbed you, Professor." Disappointed though he was, Su Er remained polite.
Just as Su Er turned, somewhat dejected, and pushed the door open to leave, a voice as faint as a mosquito's whine reached his ears.
"Purple-leaf wood sorrel."
Su Er froze. He hadn't expected Professor Snape to offer a hint after all. That simple name made everything click into place, thanks to all the books he had read lately.
"Thank you, Professor!" Su Er turned excitedly and bowed his thanks, very loudly.
The door closed, and a flicker of recollection passed through Snape's eyes.
"Tch... Pointless..." he murmured disdainfully, picking up his quill to resume writing and sketching on the parchment. His office returned to its usual quiet.
"Tsk. All prickly pride..." Su Er couldn't help muttering as he looked at the closed office door, a smile spreading across his face.
He remembered that Sprout's Greenhouse One had a large patch of lush purple-leaf wood sorrel. Kindhearted Professor Sprout surely wouldn't mind letting him pick some.
"Let me think..."
"The juice from three pots of wood sorrel, six pots of water, soak for three days, then soak in clean water for another three days... That should do it..."
"I'll also need an absolutely safe room to keep the unicorn hair in."
"Hmm... Of course, the Room of Requirement! There's nowhere better."
On his way to the greenhouses, Su Er thought everything through and settled on a plan.
Barring anything unexpected, his Head of House, Sprout, would surely be tending her plants in the greenhouses.
Just as he had hoped, Su Er found her there.
Carrying three pots of purple-leaf wood sorrel, he walked cheerfully toward the Castle. Although Professor Sprout had been very curious about what Su Er intended to do with it, she had kindly given the young wizard three pots of plants she had tended beautifully.
The slanting light of the setting sun gilded the Castle just then, making it look magnificent.
Just like Su Er's mood.
Before you continue