Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Without further ado, Lin Xia followed the Weasley twins to Professor Snape's office.

"Knock knock!" The door was gently knocked on.

They heard a stern, cold voice—

"Come in."

Pushing open the door, a strong, indescribable smell hit me, carrying a thick, damp vapor, as if something had been rotting and moldy for days.

All three of them frowned in unison.

This smell can no longer be described as "unpleasant"; it's several levels above that.

The Weasley twins wondered: Is Snape really making potions? Or is he making some kind of biological weapon?

The smell alone is enough to poison a group of people.

The office was poorly lit to begin with, and because he was making potions, Snape had hung up heavy curtains, blocking out the rare ray of sunlight that managed to get in.

Lin Xia felt that Professor Snape's office was more like a classroom than a Potions classroom; it was the office layout of a research fanatic.

What comes into view is that head of hair, as greasy as ever, as if it could drip water at any moment.

Snape stared down at the potion, squeezing lemongrass juice from his fingers.

Lemongrass juice has a fresh, tart lemon scent and is often used by wizards to purify the air; it is also one of the main ingredients in air fresheners.

But the smell in the office was just too awful!
Such a tiny bit of lemongrass aroma, thrown into a large vat of dye, has no effect whatsoever; it only makes the taste even stranger.

It has a kind of smell that's both fragrant and stinky.

Snape didn't turn to look at them or ask what they wanted; he continued working on his potions.

Through observation, Lin Xia and the others learned that this was the most crucial period for refining the magic potion.

Although it was unclear what potion Snape was making, since the professor had his back to them the whole time, they could tell from his hurried movements.

After waiting for a full five minutes, Snape finally stopped what he was doing.

In an instant, the unpleasant smell in the air all contracted, as if it had been absorbed by the potion.

Meanwhile, Snape's potion was completely successful. He turned around and looked at them with satisfaction, still holding the potion he had just made.

The potion was an odd blue color, and when shaken, you could see green spots that looked like mold.

The Weasley twins swallowed hard, wondering which unlucky soul would end up drinking this potion that looked like poison.

When Snape saw the three of them, his previously relaxed expression instantly turned cold.

He frowned and looked at the twins with displeasure.

"Do you still need to seek protection from others like three-year-old children?"
Now that I have signed the agreement, I will take the potion in your presence.

Lin Xia's appearance here, don't tell me she's just here to join the fun, she's probably here to be your bodyguard, right?

Snape truly lived up to his name; his guesses were often spot-on and hit the nail on the head.

But George and Fred certainly couldn't admit it; if they did, wouldn't they seem too cowardly?
Although their intention was to have Lin Xia supervise and protect them.

Based on their years of school experience, Gryffindor students are almost always doomed when they face Snape.

They don't intentionally provoke Snape... well, they do provoke Snape all the time, they're already regulars of getting points deducted.

Based on their previous negative impressions, George and Fred naturally had to prepare for both possibilities.

Professor Snape had signed an agreement with them, and the twins couldn't openly say they didn't trust him, fearing he might do something underhanded in front of them. So they both looked at Lin Xia.

Lin Xia smiled slightly at Snape and said, "Professor, they are researchers in my laboratory. The inspiration potion they created was guaranteed by the laboratory."

Once your data has been collected, the trial test for adult wizards will be successfully completed.

You were the last one to finish up. I had nothing better to do, so I came along to check on things. I hope the professor won't think anything of it.

It is said that one cannot hit a smiling face, but Snape's sinister and cold gaze was fixed on Lin Xia.

The two stared at each other for a while, then Snape shifted his gaze and said sarcastically:

“A bunch of immature kids, go ahead and watch, I wouldn’t stoop to using any other methods on you.”

Upon hearing that the professor had conceded, the twins immediately produced their inspiration potion.

After communicating with Lin Xia, they thought about it and ultimately decided not to give Professor Snape the special version with added ingredients.

Since Lin Xia was right there, they decided to give her face and not prank Snape.

As for Snape, his reason for participating in the trial was simple: he wanted to see what the effects would be if these potions were taken in excess.

It was quite unusual that these potions could make Lupin fall unconscious.

It's important to know that Lupin's physical condition is very different from that of wizards; his drug resistance and toxicity tolerance far exceed those of ordinary people.

When Snape first heard that Lupin had fallen into a coma after overdosing, he was more inclined to believe that there was something wrong with his body than with the potion.

But just in case, Snape still chose to test the potion.

He kept a close eye on Lupin, and if Lupin behaved anything amiss at school, he would immediately expel him and take his place as "Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor".

The potion, inspired by clever ideas, looked quite appealing. Snape glanced at it and commented with four words: "Gaudy and flashy."

After drinking it, the refreshing berry flavor made Snape frown.

This is a flavor that only children would like.

Why not just make potions properly? Why turn the flavor into juice? Do they think they can attract customers with the taste?

Snape's disdain became even more pronounced, and he once again thought that this was just children playing house.

But a few seconds later, Snape's expression changed, and he felt his mind becoming clearer, as if he were in a state of lightheadedness.

The body becomes lighter and lighter, while the mind expands and expands.

With just a little thought, some problems that were usually difficult to solve found their answers at this moment.

Snape frowned, a look that immediately reminded him of Ravenclaw's tiara.

He couldn't help but look up at the Weasley twins, his eyes full of confusion.

Why is it that these carefree students are able to develop effects similar to a crown?
Having mastered countless potions, he knew after just one sip that this potion was destined to be a huge hit and a great success!

Unlike other mind-stimulating potions on the market, it has a more comprehensive effect and a powerful effect on thinking.

Those energizing and invigorating drugs simply boost your spirits and relieve fatigue; they do not expand the depth of your thinking.

Unlike the potion of inspiration and ingenuity, it's more like directly pushing a wizard's potential to its limits, allowing their mind to quickly reach the peak of their physical capabilities before engaging in thought.

This creates the illusion for the user that they have become smarter!

All of this is the effect of the magic potion!

But the potion only brings the user to their best state; it doesn't magically make the user smarter.

From this perspective, there is a fundamental difference between the potion of inspiration and the Ravenclaw crown.

The Ravenclaw crown can truly turn a fool into a genius.

Even after taking the potion, Snape still couldn't understand why it could make Lupin fall into a coma.

The little bit of thinking ability brought by the potion of inspiration and ingenuity was not enough to resolve his doubts.

So Snape took the second and third bottles.

After finishing the third bottle, he closed his eyes and felt his mind working more smoothly than ever before, as if he had instantly returned to the period when his inspiration was at its best and his thinking was most clear.

Snape is currently researching an improved potion, which is one of the commonly used high-level potions, but the success rate is low because the production process is very complicated.

The only advantage is that the rare magical plants needed for potions are all grown in the wizarding world, so potion makers increase the yield of these potions through high losses.

Snape wanted to omit some steps to see if he could simplify things and increase the potion production rate.

With the help of the potion of inspiration, he could come up with many solutions in his mind the moment he was distracted.

Each of the solutions looks very practical.

If the situation weren't so inappropriate, Snape would have wanted to get his hands on it and verify it.

However, the verification code took too much time, so he had to memorize the inspiration that flashed through his mind and wait until the effects of the drug wore off before testing it.

Snape opened his eyes and took the fourth and fifth potions.

Five bottles of Inspiration Potion are the limit the Weasley twins can provide.

Lupin fell into a coma after taking five vials of the potion.

After taking five potions, Snape felt his head swelling and being overworked.

His body was sending him warning signals, but his mind seemed to have been opened up without a clear path.

Inspiration, like a howling whirlwind, swept through his mind, and any one of them he caught was a brilliant and ingenious idea.

At this moment, Snape had to admit that the potion developed by the Weasley twins was quite interesting and very different from other inspiration-enhancing potions on the market.

This potion only stimulates a person's inherent potential, allowing them to return to their peak performance, without providing any additional inspiration.

Even so, when a person's thinking is at its peak, they are already able to solve many problems.

My energy is at its peak, my thoughts are at their peak, and my inspiration is at its peak.

The clearer Snape's mind became and the more open his thoughts were, the less he understood how Lupin had used those five potions to cause him to fall into a coma.

The mental enhancement effect of these five potions will only make people more and more excited, and it is impossible for them to fall into a coma.

Snape could already sense that after the effects of the five potions wore off, his body would be in a period of weakness, but his mind would be very excited, and he might have to stay up all night.

But it doesn't matter.

He also happened to want to bring his inspiration to life, and perhaps his research on potions would make a significant breakthrough.

And Lupin...

Snape had a sudden realization: the fact that he had managed to knock himself unconscious meant that he hadn't used the potion's effects on thinking, but rather on something else!

Snape looked intently at the Weasley twins. "Lupin is awake. Have you asked him how he used the potion?"

Before the twins could answer, Snape rattled off his guesses like a machine gun.

"He definitely didn't use it the proper way!" His tone was somewhat angry, but his expression remained indifferent.

"This kind of magic potion, which can make one's mind clearer and more open, is very difficult to make someone fall into a coma. He used it incorrectly. You'd better correct him to prevent it from being used to create some terrible things."

The sudden question left the twins speechless.

In their memory, Snape and Lupin didn't have much interaction.

However, if the two meet at school, Lupin will still greet Snape, but Snape doesn't care.

The Weasley twins had seen this attitude many times before; Snape didn't give many professors a friendly look, so they didn't care.

But now it seems that Snape had a deep-seated prejudice against Lupin.

Seeing that the twins seemed frightened, Lin Xia took a few steps forward to block their view of Professor Snape.

She calmly said, "Professor, we can put instructions on every potion, but once the potions are purchased, we can't monitor how the wizards use them."

And speaking of things being used to create terrifying things, I'm sure you've taken the Inspiration Potion and are familiar with its effects.

Lin Xia paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Human hearts are the hardest thing to predict. We never know if they will use it correctly. The only thing we can do is ensure that this potion will not cause any harm if used correctly."

What do you think, Professor?

Snape snapped out of his daze and gave Lin Xia a deep look.

He waved his wand, and several quills in his office began to fly around, scribbling down data on the parchment about the effects of the potion.

The rubbing sound continued for three minutes, and Snape stared at them expressionlessly.

"The data has been recorded for you. You can get out now."

This dismissal was delivered with such self-righteousness that it left the guest no room to speak.

A gust of wind blew by, blinding everyone, and the parchment floating in the air suddenly flew towards their chests.

The Weasley twins grabbed the parchment and felt an invisible force pulling them toward the door.

By the time they managed to steady themselves, they were already standing outside the office door.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

As for Lin Xia, after Snape finished saying he was leaving, she turned and left without hesitation, not giving Snape a chance to lash out.

George and Fred stared at the closed door, still somewhat bewildered, when they heard Lin Xia's voice: "Go back to the lab first. Professor Snape has already given you the data."

George glanced down at the parchment, which was covered in dense data, even more professional than the parchment given by other professors.

As expected of a potions master, he knew exactly what kind of data they wanted. (End of Chapter)