บท 98: Chapter 98: Snape’s Special Tutoring
Hogwarts Potions Classroom.
Unlike the apprehension he felt the first time he came here, Ino was somewhat relaxed now. Perhaps this was the confidence that magic brought him.
Although he still couldn't overpower Snape, after a year, he felt he had gained the ability to face him more confidently.
It was like a leopard seeing a lion; it couldn't win in a head-on fight, but it had the ability to escape or ambush. After all, a leopard isn't a harmless antelope; it has teeth and claws.
Before the summer holiday, Professor Flitwick had mentioned that his magical power was already close to that of a fourth-year student.
Even without counting the past few months, just the mental cleansing in the Room of Requirement had significantly boosted his magical power.
Of course, magical power is something intangible and without a reference point, so he couldn't precisely measure how much he had grown. But a sense of confidence had quietly emerged within him.
The Potions Classroom was in the castle's basement, so it was always somewhat dimly lit.
By the faint light of the candles, Ino tried to take in his surroundings as much as possible.
Apart from numerous glass jars with specimens on the shelves along the walls, there were some books that looked like they might be forbidden.
"Don't cause trouble for me. Do you think Hogwarts is everything? Oh! You live under a bridge; you wouldn't know this! There are 11 magical schools worldwide, but that's still not all," Snape said calmly from his chair, his expression unreadable in the dim light.
"Professor! I'm not causing trouble, really! I just stopped a conflict. If I really wanted to cause trouble, Hogwarts wouldn't have been peaceful last year. Besides, I neither have the right nor the ability to cause trouble," Ino replied with a smile. He had understood Snape's underlying message. The wizarding world was indeed deeper than it seemed, given that wizards generally lived much longer than Muggles.
Moreover, with wizards like Nicolas Flamel living for over six hundred years, even though Nicolas was most likely dead now, it still showed that the magical world wasn't as simple as the original story depicted, confined to a castle playing out a drama.
And he never thought of this world, with its time-turners, Felix Felicis, and Extension Charms, as a simple one.
Time, space, fate—these advanced magics were top-tier in any story world.
As his thoughts wandered, Snape's voice echoed in the room again.
"It seems you understand my meaning! That's good, it proves you're not a foolhardy and arrogant person. Unlike some brutes who gain fame through...sacrifice and now forget who they are."
Though in a mocking tone, Ino could sense the goodwill in his words and knew who the brute referred to was.
To be honest, for Snape to say such things was almost like laying bare his heart.
Though he didn't quite understand Snape's change, Ino followed the topic, speaking softly:
"Professor, fame isn't an achievement. Some people are pushed by fate to heights they don't deserve, making them feel elated, dizzy, and ultimately terrified."
"Stop showing off your eloquence here!" Snape suddenly interrupted.
"If you have time to show off, why not practice magic or study potions properly? Today, you could forcefully stop a conflict and protect... I mean, you could protect the honor of the house. But what about next time? What if there are more of them? What if they catch you off guard?"
There seemed to be a certain anger in Snape's tone.
"Thank you for your teachings, Professor!" Ino roughly understood what was bothering Snape. The narrative immersion was scary. Yet, thinking that Snape meant well from start to finish, though his tone was off, it was hard to dislike him.
On the other hand, Snape coldly pointed to a bookshelf and sneered:
"The third shelf on the left, middle drawer, there's an old textbook. Take it and read! Instead of being idle and causing trouble with your half-baked magic."
Hearing this, Ino didn't say much more. He stood up, bowed slightly to Snape, and walked to the third shelf on the left.
It was a sturdy oak shelf, seemingly used for at least a decade, with clear wood grain that looked like a natural artwork, both deep and full of charm.
Opening the middle drawer of the shelf, he saw an old, yellowed copy of "Advanced Potion-Making," the standard textbook for fifth to seventh years at Hogwarts.
But based on its style and color, this textbook seemed at least fifteen years old.
As soon as he saw the textbook, Ino had some guesses. Flipping it open and seeing the densely packed notes inside, he had his answer.
"Thank you again, Professor Snape! I will read it thoroughly and return it to you as soon as possible."
Though Snape responded with silence, Ino wasn't annoyed at all, understanding that some people's personalities were naturally like this.
Leaving the Potions Classroom.
Ino suppressed his joy. The Half-Blood Prince's notes were one of the few good things in the castle.
Because it not only contained super useful spells like "Levicorpus," "Muffliato," and "Langlock," but also Snape's own powerful dark magic, "Sectumsempra."
A wizard wounded by Sectumsempra couldn't be treated by conventional means. Neither essence of dittany nor healing spells would work; the victim would bleed out and die.
If it weren't for its counter-curse, this terrifying killing effect would easily classify it as the highest level of dark magic, on par with the three Unforgivable Curses.
Moreover, Sectumsempra was an invisible magic, making it harder to predict and defend against than the Killing Curse.
"No wonder the Half-Blood Prince gave a second-year student in his house a dark curse. What a good head of house..."
Walking through the basement corridor, Ino murmured with a smile.
He couldn't wait any longer. Simply reading it once wouldn't be enough for such notes.
He had to copy them down. If it weren't for the magical properties of a powerful wizard's notes, he would have used a copying spell.
Of course, that was just a thought. Powerful wizards' notes couldn't be copied by magic, not even by an automatic writing quill.
To preserve them, there was no shortcut. He had to copy them word by word by hand.
"I need to buy a copy of 'Advanced Potion-Making' in advance and ask Dervish & Banges to custom-make some instruments..."
Ino silently planned his future actions, deciding to break a school rule once and sneak back to Hogsmeade this weekend to get everything done in one go.
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