Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

the other side.

After Snape returned to the castle from outside, he didn't think about going back outside to see those idiots. Instead, he went straight to a secluded and special space within the school.

He visited the research lab for mutants once again.

The head of the laboratory suddenly messaged him yesterday, saying that there were new research results related to truth serum, so he had to make a trip there.

Although Snape had a premonition that this was just another attempt to urge him to provide a large amount of Truth Essence, he was summoned here.

Thinking of this, he scoffed. Truth serum isn't like cabbage; you can't just conjure it up whenever you want.

All the potions professors at Hogwarts put aside their research and teaching duties to work tirelessly, producing only a dozen or so bottles a month.

He has a special method to improve it, but it only increases efficiency by 20%, which in turn only increases the output from 10 bottles to 12 bottles.

These researchers have an insatiable need for truth serum!

Snape really wanted to crack open their brains and see how much water was inside to come up with a demand for a hundred bottles of Truth Potion a month.

Upon entering the laboratory, Snape kept his eyes straight ahead, not giving any glance to the other experimental scenes, and walked straight into a secluded cubicle.

Only he knew that once he entered this experimental area, he would be under constant surveillance.

Even the slightest change in expression will be magnified.

Upon arriving at the head of the department's office, the first thing this person said to him wasn't to ask him to produce the truth serum he'd been working on for the past few days, but rather, in an unusually gentle and approachable tone:

“My people told me that there have been sudden reports of large-scale purchases of truth serum on the black market recently. Most of the people spreading these messages are dark wizards, who are elusive and difficult to track.”

After he finished speaking, the head of the department stared at Snape.

Snape said indifferently, "And then what? Did the people inside your lab leak the news so quickly?"

The person in charge shook his head: "Our people only go in and never leave, so how could they leak information?"

Snape said coldly, "So you suspect that the Hogwarts professors who have been in and out of here have leaked information? If you don't trust Hogwarts, why don't you tell the Board of Teachers?"

The person in charge looked at him for a while, as if he was judging something.

After a few seconds, he dropped his serious expression and said gently, "I'm just sharing this information with you, I don't mean anything else. Don't you think this is funny?"
We spent several months researching and only managed to get a tiny bit of experimental results, which were then quickly spread around.

I'm getting more and more curious about who the person who leaked information to those dark wizards is, and whether he's hiding among us.

What was his purpose in doing this? Was it to help those dark wizards, in turn, hinder the wizarding world?

Snape scoffed, "Who knows? Everyone has a different opinion."

He retorted, "Did you call me here just to tell me this kind of idiotic, mundane information?"

It's normal for black wizards to buy up truth serum that's still circulating in the market.

Truth Potion is a high-grade magic potion that sells well anytime, anywhere.

Even without recent research findings, truth serum has been a long-term commodity on various black markets, fetching high prices.

The school's laboratories don't trust the Veritaserum bought from outside, believing it contains too many impurities. So they assign the tasks to potions professors in various fields at Hogwarts.

If it's made by an experienced person right from the start, the success rate is definitely more reliable than relying on so-called "online leaks".

The head of the organization slowly withdrew his gaze and said, "There is an important matter. We have applied the truth serum to the mutants, and after special stimulation, we have pried open the mouths of some mutants and learned some information from them."

Snape raised an eyebrow, about to say that things were going very smoothly, which meant their research was progressing well.

But the next second, the person in charge said, "It's a pity that these mutants can only say some superficial information, but we can find out about this information in secret. They haven't really revealed any secrets."

Deep within their memories, they must have been bound by shackles placed by an evil god. The current stimulation is not enough to break through this seal.

We need to further break down the psychological defenses of these mutants; perhaps only when they are on the verge of death can we use truth serum to unlock the memories hidden deep within their minds.

Snape listened expressionlessly, then offered his opinion: "I have no opinion on how you torture them, you don't need to tell me that."

The person in charge smiled faintly, a smile that made his cold face appear somewhat distorted.

“You have to provide us with truth serum. If you don’t understand it first, you’ll think we’re trying to scam you. Let us show you that we’re not being unreasonable.”

Did the potions professors at Hogwarts have no complaints about the large quantities of Veritaserum their labs needed?
This is impossible.

Each professor has their own research topic to study, or they take on crafting tasks from outside sources to earn money. Now, they've put aside their current tasks and are devoting all their time to making truth serum.

If we don't reveal some information to them, we probably won't be able to quell the anger of these potions professors.

After all, their production and supply of Veritaserum is a contribution to the wizarding world, and the Ministry of Magic will provide additional compensation.

Snape said calmly, "You're overthinking it. We're just carrying out the task assigned by the Ministry of Magic. What you need to do is not to explain to me, but to think more about how to deal with the Ministry of Magic's inquiries that will come knocking on your door in a few days."

I've heard that some people in the Ministry of Magic are quite dissatisfied with the progress of your research.

The person in charge didn't seem to care. He carefully stroked the petrified quill pen in his hand and said:
"You don't need to worry about that. We've made some progress, although it's not going as planned, but it's progress nonetheless."

Because the person in charge was stroking the quill pen so frequently, as if wiping something precious, Snape couldn't help but glance at it a few more times.

What magical power does this petrified quill pen possess that makes the person in charge cherish it so much? As researchers, what strange and unusual objects haven't they seen?

The person in charge noticed Snape's gaze and casually placed the quill on the table, saying, "Did you notice anything?"

Snape: "It looks like a very ordinary quill pen. I don't know why you're so fond of it."

The person in charge said meaningfully, "I didn't expect that even you didn't notice it. I thought you Slytherins would have some impression of this item."

"Since even you didn't notice, I can finally rest easy about leaving this here."

Snape frowned and said coldly, "What riddle are you playing?" The person in charge said directly, "This quill is the quill that Salazar Slytherin used when he was young."

Salazar Slytherin!
The moment the name appeared, Snape's deep pupils constricted sharply, and a storm raged within him.

This name is special to all Slytherin students.

In their second year, the rumor of being the "Slytherin successor" caused panic among many students.

The mere existence of a secret room has fueled such a strong desire among everyone, with some even calling for a "successor." And if a quill pen that Salazar once used in his youth were to actually appear...

It's hard to imagine the frenzy this will cause!
Snape stared intently at the petrified quill on the table, without reaching out to touch it.

If this isn't Salazar's quill, there's no need to touch it.

If this is Salazar's quill, then you absolutely must not touch it, lest you bring trouble upon yourself.

What he had to do was pretend he hadn't seen the quill pen or heard anything, so that he wouldn't be targeted by the hidden forces in the school.

“Snape, I thought you would be curious, but why are you avoiding the question? Do you know anything about this quill pen, or what its purpose is?” the person in charge suddenly asked.

Snape said calmly, "I don't know, but because I know nothing, I am safe."

Wherever you got this quill pen, I advise you to throw this hot potato away! If you don't want this lab to be found and your research on mutants to be exposed.

The person in charge smiled and said, "It's too late."

He said casually, "Hogwarts has decided to get involved. This quill was given to me by McGonagall yesterday. She hopes I can figure out its abilities."

The person in charge looked at Snape and said, "This is the quill pen that Salazar used when he was young. It is said that when it was discovered, everyone saw the footage of Salazar doing research in the laboratory. It must contain some of Salazar's research."

If I could obtain this part of the research and decipher something from it, perhaps all the problems I'm facing now would be easily solved.

This quill pen has been passed down for over a thousand years; it must hold other secrets. I wonder if it contains Salazar's method for eternal youth...

Salazar, in his youth, forever captured the beauty of his prime.

If it weren't for his excessive obsession in his later years, his fascination with the soul and immortality, which ruined his appearance.

Otherwise, Salazar's fame would certainly be far greater than that of Gryffindor, that brute.

Students from schools other than Gryffindor naturally felt that their own founders were the best.

Snape said calmly, "That sounds fascinating, but this quill pen has been petrified. What information did you glean from it?"

The person in charge's expression froze.

Snape noticed this and said, "I hope you succeed in your research."

This statement carried a hint of sarcasm; Snape didn't believe he could carve a flower from a petrified quill.

Divine things are naturally obscured.

It was clear that Qiwu did not approve of the person in charge in front of him.
-
Snape left the laboratory but ended up on the third floor.

He moved to another spot and quietly tossed a note from his sleeve onto the floor.

A short while later, a Ravenclaw student appeared, noticed the note on the floor, picked it up out of curiosity, and took it back without reading its contents.

That same day, the note appeared within the Death Eaters organization; it contained only one sentence—

Truth serum has been shown to be effective for people with deformities, but the effect is not significant and further research is needed.

After reading the note, the leader snapped his fingers, and a wisp of eerie green flame appeared out of thin air, instantly burning the note to ashes without leaving a trace.

The leader turned around, looked at all the Death Eaters behind him, and said in a distinctive, disguised voice:

"Continue to increase the acquisition of truth serum on the black market. We can raise the price even further. If they are willing to accept barter, we can exchange our stock of materials with dark properties with them."

One of the Death Eaters frowned and couldn't help but say, "We went to great lengths to obtain that batch of dark-attribute substances from elsewhere, and we even sacrificed several members. Isn't it too easy for those dark wizards to just let it flow into the black market like this?"

Although every Death Eater is a dark wizard, there is a group of dark wizards who do not want to be Death Eaters and even mock Death Eaters as lackeys of evil gods, enslaved by the power of evil gods.

Dark wizards like these, if the Ministry of Magic is on a mission to capture Death Eaters, will even assist them, eager to kick them while they're down.

Sometimes even Death Eaters don't understand why those dark wizards have such deep prejudices against them.

They didn't know that the reason for their deep prejudice against them was that the dark wizards thought they were perfectly fine as dark wizards, only that they preferred to study dark powers, that is, black magic.

Originally, conducting research deep in the mountains and forests wouldn't bother anyone.

Moreover, at crucial moments, they can unleash powerful dark magic to turn the tide.

However, there are Death Eaters who, under the guise of dark magic, commit numerous atrocities, damaging the reputation of dark wizards and causing their social status in the magical world to decline further and further!
Therefore, these dark wizards harbored deep resentment towards the Death Eaters, and even more so than the Ministry of Magic, they wanted to wipe them out completely, ideally erasing them from the world forever.

The leader said, "Although we obtained these materials with great difficulty, given our current conditions, we cannot use them to gain greater benefits. It would be best to replace them all with truth serum."

The Ministry of Magic wants the secrets of the world of evil gods, but if we get them first, the whole thing will get interesting.

The leader said meaningfully, "Those humans who have been mutated have a deeper connection with us. We must discover the secrets of the world of evil gods before the Ministry of Magic does."
-
Lin Xia is taking a divination class at Trelawry.

I don't know whether the professor influenced the student, or the student, in turn, influenced the professor.

Under her guidance, the Weasley twins hired Trelawney as their private tutor, who secretly honed their skills and imparted more knowledge of divination to them.

Spurred on by the Weasley twins, Trelawney also made several accurate predictions.

During today's divination class, Lin Xia suddenly noticed that Trelawney's speaking style was actually quite similar to that of the Weasley twins!

She developed a habit of talking to herself, even playing two roles, echoing each other word by word like twins. (End of Chapter)