After Herman finished asking all the questions, his notebook was filled with several more pages of dense notes.
He ran his fingers across the cover as he closed the notebook, hesitated for a moment before speaking, his tone a little more hesitant than before. "Professor, I have another question. Um, are there any channels for purchasing alchemical materials, preferably with home delivery?"
When he finished asking that question, he tilted his head slightly, with a hint of guilt in his voice, as if to say, "I know this request might be a bit excessive."
Marlene glanced at him, her gaze devoid of reproach, as if recalling something amusing. "There really is such a channel. George and Fred asked the same question; they're probably the second-highest consumers of alchemical materials at the school after me."
Her tone was tinged with helplessness as she spoke, probably recalling the commotion the twins had caused in the Forbidden Forest.
"However, the prices are relatively high, and the delivered materials are often of inferior quality, so you need to be careful to distinguish them; otherwise, it's easy to get ripped off."
When Herman heard the words "inferior goods sold as superior ones," he silently made a mental note of it. It seems that even in the wizarding world, there are pitfalls to avoid when shopping online.
After Marlene finished speaking, she waved her hand, and a blank parchment on the table next to her flew up and hovered in front of her.
She picked up her wand and lightly traced the tip of it across the paper. A line of text appeared on the paper, the handwriting neat and with a slightly right-leaning stroke.
The paper floated to Herman's feet as she moved her wand, and he caught it in mid-air.
"This shop is also in the Britain, and they have a pretty good selection. If you need anything, you can write to this address, and they'll have it delivered to the school by owl."
Herman glanced down at the address on the paper; the line of text was clear and concise, and he read it in a single glance.
28 Knockturn Alley.
The moment Herman saw the words " Knockturn Alley," images of that dark, damp street, hooded figures walking close to the walls, and the ominous Dark Magic items in Borgin and Burkes automatically popped into his mind.
Just by looking at the name of this place, you can tell what kind of shop it is. They'll definitely sell inferior goods. And since it's located in Knockturn Alley, it seems that until I can protect myself, I have no choice but to honestly buy things online.
However, Herman was a little worried. If he really got ripped off by online shopping, he didn't seem to have any way to go to the store to seek redress. If he went there, he might just hang himself in front of the store and still not be able to disgust them. They might even hang him up like a money tree decoration.
He folded the paper, put it in his pocket, and nodded to Marlene in thanks.
Marlene put her wand away, took a sip of her tea, and as if suddenly remembering something, added, "Alchemy is ultimately the magic of creation. Simply reading books and accumulating basic knowledge won't make you an excellent Alchemy. You should start trying to create your own alchemical works."
Herman nodded in agreement, indicating that he was already preparing to begin. He was thinking that once he had access to the materials, he would go to the Room of Requirement to try making something small, such as that automatic quill pen, or something simpler, just to practice first.
After saying all this, he hesitated for a moment, then remembered what Professor Malin had mentioned last time.
She mentioned last time that she asked me to recommend a few talented students to see if anyone was interested in Alchemy and could become her apprentice.
I casually agreed at the time, but didn't really take it seriously afterwards.
But now that I think about it, giving Neville and Hugo something to do, so they don't keep staring at Quirrell, seems like a good idea.
Especially recently, those three have practically made stalking Quirrell an extracurricular activity, wishing they could follow Quirrell every step of the way.
If they really annoy Quirrell to the point that he doesn't have the energy to keep an eye on the Vampire elders in the Forbidden Forest, and something happens in the end, he'll be the one causing trouble for himself.
Herman considered his words carefully before tentatively speaking, "Professor, you asked me last time to recommend some talented young wizards, and I think Neville from Gryffindor would be very suitable."
When Marlene heard this, she was stunned for a moment. Her stunned expression was similar to when Herman asked about the soul earlier; both were reactions of searching for something in their memories.
However, she quickly remembered that she had indeed said that before, probably just casually mentioning it without taking it too seriously.
" Neville, the Son of the Champion?" Her tone held a hint of curiosity, as if she were matching the name with a face in her mind. "But I wonder if he's interested in alchemy. Is there anyone else?"
Herman sighed inwardly, realizing that menstruation was indeed extremely harmful to women, even causing the wise Alchemy to forget things.
We just talked about it last time, and it hasn't been that long, yet we have to bring it up again.
" Hugo from Gryffindor is also quite good, very intelligent, probably the smartest young wizard in this year's class," he added, then thought for a moment and added, "He especially loves reading, he reads books of all kinds of subjects, and he learns very quickly."
Marlene nodded, the gesture subtle, as if making some kind of preliminary assessment.
"Sure, ask them if they're interested." After saying that, she didn't dwell on the topic, shifting her gaze from Herman to the window.
Herman followed her gaze and then noticed that it was already getting dark outside.
Outside the window, the last rays of the setting sun were fading, and the warm orange band of light on the horizon was being swallowed up by the gray-blue from both sides. The treetops in the distance turned into dark silhouettes in the twilight, and a few stars had already lit up high in the sky.
Time passed much faster than he had expected, and before he knew it, he had spent the entire afternoon there.
Herman put his notebook and pen into his bag. As he stood up, the open book on his lap slipped, and he caught it and put it back on the shelf.
Having asked all the questions I had accumulated, and with Professor Malin's answers being very detailed, staying any longer would only be a disturbance.
He began to say goodbye, "Professor, I've troubled you for half the day. Thank you very much for your guidance."
Professor Malin was looking out the window when she heard Herman's words. After a while, she turned around and her gaze fell on Herman's face.
She didn't say anything.
She just stared at him like that, as if she were looking at something she had been looking at for a while but hadn't quite figured out yet.
Herman was already prepared to say goodbye; the word "goodbye" was practically on his lips. But without Professor Malin's permission, he didn't know whether he should say it or not.
The scene fell silent for a few seconds.
The flames in the fireplace flickered slightly, making a soft crackling sound.
The suspended parts on the control panel were still slowly rotating, occasionally bumping into each other and making a very faint metallic crack.
The puppet standing to the side remained in the position of holding a tea tray, its emerald green eyes quietly open, without any expression.
Herman stood there in silence for a while, then began to feel a little awkward.
He didn't know why Professor Malin had suddenly stopped talking, nor did he know whether he should break the silence.