The Half-Blood Prince

Keeping Horned Serpent is probably like buying a wingsuit or a deep-sea submarine... buyers will definitely give it a thumbs up.

After all, true masters exist among mortals, but mistakes can happen in the underworld.

So, to be fair, the Horned Serpent has absolutely no negative reviews... Is it dangerous?

It's not dangerous.

Raising these Magical Creatures requires a secret.

The goal is to closely mimic its natural living conditions, with the temperature controlled at 25℃.

Feed them once a day, clean the tank every two days, and change the food every three days... Owner!

Its only drawback is that it's expensive to own.

However, Horned Serpent are indeed rare Magical Creatures.

At least in its place of origin, Western Europe, wild Horned Serpent have completely disappeared.

The reason is simple: they were all hunted down by wizards.

The Horned Serpent is a treasure trove:

Its flesh is delicious, its venom can be used in medicine, and the horn on its forehead can be used as a wand core.

In addition, a gemstone grows on the forehead of the water snake.

It is said that this gem can grant wizards the abilities of invisibility and flight.

It's a bit exaggerated, but it's effective.

William's Flying Cloak contained a component of this gemstone.

To prolong the invisibility effect of the Invisibility Cloak made by the Demiguise, it can be soaked in Potions brewed from gemstones.

Most importantly...

"There was once a boy who rescued a young Horned Serpent and raised it for a while."

Later, the water snake transformed into a beautiful little girl who not only gave the jewel to the boy but also...

Hearing Hagrid tell the story of "The Snake's Repayment of Kindness" in his rough voice...

The students listened with longing and became even more enthusiastic.

Those who repay kindness are people of noble character; only those who repay kindness are truly superior.

They wanted to cultivate gemstones and transform the water snake into a beautiful woman to repay their kindness.

Quick, transform for me!!

The students were all enthusiastically playing with snakes, while William, who wasn't interested, chatted with Qiu and Hagrid.

"Hagrid, if you're not planning to raise those Giant Grub," Qiu asked curiously, "Then why are you making so many?"

"It's to feed Aragog. He loves this stuff; he eats it like sunflower seeds, and he can eat a dozen or so in a morning," Hagrid said.

This is outrageous! Maggot lovers strongly condemn it.

"I want Aragog to eat something good; he's quite old, and this is his favorite food."

William thought to himself, "Isn't Aragog's favorite food wizards?"

Although Qiu finds Giant Grub disgusting, it doesn't stop her from showcasing the culinary skills of the Celestial Empire.

She enthusiastically suggested deep-fried Giant Grub, or perhaps a sour and tangy version for a more authentic taste.

She even recommended using an air fryer, saying it's cleaner and preserves the nutrients better.

But Hagrid suddenly burst into tears.

He took out the white handkerchief with pure black lining that had been passed down for fifty years and wiped his nose.

"Hagrid!" Qiu asked quickly, "What's wrong?"

She thought Hagrid was crying from craving.

Hagrid began to sob, tears streaming down his small, dark eyes as he wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"... Aragog... I think it's dying... It's been sick all summer and hasn't gotten better... I don't know what to do."

If it dies... what will I do... we've been together for so long...

Has the old spider finally given up?

William remained completely unmoved; he even felt a slight smile.

Who told that old spider to try and eat William and his crew back then?

Cho didn't continue to comfort Hagrid; she clearly also believed that the dead Aragog was the better spider.

The old spider has lived for over fifty years, has a large family of offspring, and has taken over a huge area of land... What more could you ask for?

However, as the progenitor spider, Aragog would likely descend into chaos without his control over the entire colony.

That won't do!

Since William took control of the Basilisk, they have become a vital economic pillar of Akali's Mystery Shop after several years of development.

Hagrid sobbed, desperately trying to hold back the torrent of tears:

"Aragog begged me to give the Acromantula a new territory, as long as it's away from the Forbidden Forest."

Aragog actually wanted to say... stay away from William, that devil.

"But I don't know where it's safe; those Acromantula are constantly being hunted."

There's a rumor circulating that the Acromantula is good for kidney health, and it's incredibly expensive on the black market now, with prices several times higher than before.

Qiu secretly rolled her eyes at William.

Who said that?

Of course it was William who said it, otherwise how could the Acromantula fetch such a high price on the black market?!

William said that they not only nourish the kidneys, but also nourish yin and beautify the skin, supplement calcium, supplement trace elements... they supplement everything that can be supplemented.

(Aragog: I f***ing thank you!)

Hagrid cried for half the class period, and the classroom was in chaos again.

It turned out to be McLaggen, who wanted to hide a snake in his crotch and secretly bring it back to his dorm to "transform."

Then I got bitten.

I don't know where he was bitten, but he kept wailing: It's broken, it's broken.

That's probably what they mean by making a decisive move.

It was already noon after the Care of Magical Creatures ended.

As William and Autumn entered the Great Hall, they heard the students excitedly discussing the morning's Potions Class.

It turns out that in the first Potions Class of sixth grade, Professor Slughorn had everyone brew the Draught of Living Death.

That's nothing compared to the fact that there's a reward—a small bottle of... Felix Felicis.

Felix Felicis has a long preparation period, a high failure rate, and is extremely expensive.

Professor Slughorn is clearly not only good at collecting outstanding students, but also skilled in teaching.

He used prizes to motivate people and quickly gain their acceptance of him, instead of continuing to reminisce about Snape had taught for fifteen years without moving.

(Snape: Is that so? Whoever misses it, I'll give you private tutoring!)

After William entered the Great Hall, he was called to the Gryffindor table.

Several people were huddled together around a tattered textbook titled "Advanced Potion-Making".

William sat down next to Hermione, picked up her cup, took a sip of his tea, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"William!" Ginny immediately complained, "Harry actually followed instructions written in a book?"

Do you remember Ron from that year?!

Ron, whose name was called out, immediately blushed. He wanted to refute, but he couldn't.

After all, he was indeed controlled by the diary that year, and almost caused Harry's death.

"It's nothing, Ginny," Harry said in a low voice, trying to reassure her.

"You know, this isn't like Riddle's Diary. It's just an old textbook that's been scribbled on."

William listened for a while before he understood what was happening.

Harry's OWL grades weren't high enough for the Potions Advanced Class, but now he has a new teacher.

Slughorn is willing to accept students with grades one grade lower.

Harry went to Potions Class, but since he didn't have a textbook, Slughorn found an old one in the cupboard and threw it to him.

Harry, who was described by Snape as "as clever as Troll" when it came to Potions, unexpectedly managed to brew the Draught of Living Death.

It was because he didn't follow the "standard steps" in the book, but instead chose the steps from the old textbook's notes.

"So, who ended up getting Felix Felicis?" Anne was more concerned about this.

"Hermione, she made it in just twenty-five minutes! Slughorn raved about her, calling her a genius."

Ron said enviously.

Harry also finished, but it still took him an hour.

Hermione calmly picked up the half-finished cup of black tea that William had drunk from.

Having studied under William for six years, she had handled all sorts of magical materials and brewed even more difficult Potions.

The Draught of Living Death... she could make it with her eyes closed.

The prize is definitely hers.

"So, the steps in this book are correct too?" William said. "Perhaps it was left by a previous student; is there a name on it?"

"Yes!" Harry quickly opened his textbook, pointing to the bottom of the back cover where small, hastily written words read:

This book belongs to the Half-Blood Prince!