Snape's Invitation

Damp and gloomy—this was Sean's first impression of Snape's office.

Astonishing—this was Sean's second impression of Snape's office.

Standing inside Snape's office, Sean looked at the shelves that stretched from the walls all the way to the ceiling. Countless drawers of all sizes filled them, each containing different Potion Ingredients and finished potions. Such shelves covered Snape's office, and among the things visible at a glance were high-end potions such as Dragon Blood, Unicorn Bone Powder, Truth Serum, Felix Felicis, and more.

That single shelf alone was worth a fortune.

Snape placed the books in his hands and the assignments he had collected on the desk before the window. Like the windows in the Slytherin Common Room, this one looked out onto the emerald lake, which cast a pale green light through the glass and left Snape's desk shrouded in shifting shadows. It was a very standard Slytherin aesthetic.

"Professor, you called for me. Is there something you need?"

Instead of answering Sean's question, Snape stood before his desk and looked at him. After a brief pause, he said, "Sean, what do you think Potions is?"

"Potions is magic that does not require a Wand. It is—"

Before Sean could finish, Snape raised a hand to stop him. In a somewhat icy voice, he said, "I asked what you think Potions is, not what I said Potions was in class. This is not a classroom. I do not need a standard answer; I need your answer. What do you think Potions is?"

Sean looked at Snape. Rather than answering at once, he frowned slightly and began to think.

Time passed bit by bit. Snape, who had never liked waiting for others, was unexpectedly patient as he waited for Sean's answer.

Finally, after several minutes, Sean raised his head again and looked into Snape's cold eyes, devoid of emotion or fluctuation. "Like a Wand, Potions is something indispensable to wizards..."

At those first words, Snape's brow furrowed slightly. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with that answer—until he heard the rest.

"At the same time, to me personally, Potions is the art of matter and time. I enjoy the process of brewing potions, and I enjoy even more the process of turning seemingly ordinary materials, through my own hands, into potions with extraordinary effects."

Sean was not deliberately trying to cater to Snape with those words. They were, in fact, his true feelings.

Sean liked methods that could make him stronger because he knew very well where this world was headed. He needed to become stronger in order to protect himself.

But in truth, what Sean genuinely enjoyed most at Hogwarts was the process of brewing potions each time. He liked turning all sorts of materials into potions with miraculous effects. It allowed him to forget the troubles and pressures of reality and find a peace and tranquility that belonged to him.

To put it simply, brewing potions was to Sean what assembling Gundam models was to a model-kit enthusiast.

"The art of matter and time..." Snape murmured to himself, his thoughts returning to a long, long time ago—to that beautiful girl with deep red hair and green eyes. He remembered that girl once saying...

I like Potions. I like the process of matter gradually changing as time passes, like art.

Lily...

Snape called out the name that filled him with both longing and guilt.

Sean watched the absent-minded Snape. As he looked on, he suddenly noticed that the corner of Snape's mouth had revealed the faintest, almost imperceptible smile. It was a very gentle smile, one that Sean thought could never possibly appear on Snape's face.

Yet before Sean could be surprised, that nearly invisible smile vanished from Snape's face. He looked at Sean again with those detached, hollow eyes.

"Not a bad answer. I like it..." With that, Snape turned around, wrote a note, and handed it to Sean. A time and address were written on it. "If you want to go further in Potions, go to the address above at the time written on the note."

Looking at the address in his hand, Sean roughly understood what this was.

He carefully put the note away and said to Snape, "Professor, I will be there on time."

"Very well. If you have nothing else to do, you may leave."

"Goodbye, Professor!"

Without lingering any longer, Sean gave Snape a slight bow, turned, and left Snape's office.

As he walked away from the dungeons, Sean could not help letting out a breath.

After arriving at Hogwarts, Sean had happened to hear that some professors would open clubs in their own subjects to students who displayed outstanding qualities. However, joining such clubs required considerable talent, and the number of members was quite small.

For example, Horace Slughorn, Snape's predecessor as Potions professor in the original story, had once formed the Slug Club, an organization of this sort. The people he chose for his club were usually children from powerful and wealthy families, or students with considerable talent. Its membership was somewhat larger, but its nature was the same.

Sean had previously wondered whether he should try to join a club, but that had been part of his plans for at least his third year. Now, it seemed that a club had come far earlier than he had expected.

As he emerged from the dungeons, Sean found Blaise waiting for him at the entrance.

Smiling, Sean patted Blaise on the shoulder, and the two headed for the Great Hall together.

Strictly speaking, apart from magic itself, life at Hogwarts was not all that different from university life in the ordinary world. Only what they studied was completely different.

By the time Sean left the Astronomy Tower, it was already very late.

Astronomy classes could only be held at night, so the weekly Astronomy lesson began after dinner. By the time class ended, it was already quite late. Generally speaking, at this hour, aside from a handful of study fanatics who still chose to go to the library, the first-year Young Wizards would return to their respective house Common Rooms. Slytherin was no exception.

But tonight was different for Sean. After Astronomy class, he had somewhere else he needed to go.

"Blaise, I'll head over first."

"Mm. I won't wait for you tonight. I'm going straight to bed."

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow."

Standing in the Hogwarts dungeons, Sean said goodbye to Blaise. Watching Blaise head toward the Slytherin Common Room and the Potions Classroom, Sean turned the other way and entered the deep, dark dungeon passage on the opposite side.

Things at home had become increasingly troublesome. Sorry for the late update. The second chapter will definitely be posted before midnight. If you cannot wait, you can read it tomorrow morning.