The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 98 Snape's Special Tutoring

The Potions Department office at Hogwarts.

Unlike her initial nervousness upon arriving here, Ino was now quite relaxed, perhaps due to the confidence that magic brought her.

Although he still couldn't beat Snape, after a year, he felt he had the right to take him seriously.

It's like a leopard seeing a lion; it's powerless to fight head-on, but it always has some ability to escape or launch a sneak attack.

After all, leopards are not harmless antelopes; they also have teeth and claws.

Before summer vacation, Professor Flitwick had said that his magic was approaching that of a fourth-year wizard.

Even disregarding the past few months, just the spiritual baptism he experienced in the Room of Requirement alone made him clearly feel that his magic had grown significantly.

Of course, he couldn't calculate exactly how much magic had increased, since it was such an ethereal and intangible thing without a point of reference.

But a feeling called self-confidence has quietly emerged.

……

The Potions Department office is located in the basement of the castle, so the lighting there is always somewhat dim.

By the dim light of the candle, Ino tried his best to look around.

However, besides countless glass jars containing specimens, the shelves on both sides of the wall also contained some books that looked somewhat like banned books.

"Don't cause me any trouble. Do you think Hogwarts is everything? Oh! You live under a bridge, you wouldn't know that! There are 11 magic schools in the world, but that's still not everything."

Snape sat calmly in his chair, his expression obscured by the dim light.

"Professor! I didn't cause any trouble, really! I just stopped a conflict. If I really wanted to cause trouble, Hogwarts was already in turmoil last year. Besides, I have neither the right nor the ability to cause trouble."

Ino smiled and replied, understanding Snape's underlying meaning: the magical world was indeed quite complex, given that wizards generally lived much longer than Muggles.

Moreover, there are wizards like Nicolas Flamel who lived for over six hundred years. Although Nicolas is most likely dead now, this indirectly shows that the magical world is not the isolated drama set in a castle as described in the original story.

Moreover, he never considered this world, which possessed a time converter, Felix Felicis, and the Extension Charm, to be a simple world.

Time, space, and destiny—these advanced forms of magic would be the pinnacle of any story world.

Just as his thoughts were drifting, Snape's voice rang out in the room again.

"It seems you understood what I meant! That's good, it proves you're not a foolish and arrogant person. Unlike some brutes who gain fame through... sacrifice, and now he's almost forgotten who he is."

Although it was said in a sarcastic tone, Ino could hear the good intention in the words, and he also knew the implied meaning behind the brute's words.

Honestly, for Snape to say something like that meant he was really open and honest.

Although somewhat confused by Snape's change, Ino followed up on the topic and said in a low voice:

"Professor, fame is not an achievement. Some people are pushed by fate to heights they don't deserve, which makes them feel elated, dizzy, and ultimately fearful."

"Stop showing off your glib tongue!" Snape suddenly interrupted.

"If you have so much talent to show off, why not practice magic or learn potion-making? Today you can forcefully stop a conflict and protect... I mean, you can protect the honor of the academy. But what about next time? What if they outnumber you? What if they catch you off guard?"

There seemed to be a hint of anger in Snape's tone.

"Thank you for your guidance, Professor!"

Ino had roughly figured out what was wrong with Snape, given the immersive nature of the terrifying story. However, considering that Snape had meant well from beginning to end, and despite his somewhat off-key tone, he couldn't bring himself to dislike him.

On the other side, Snape coldly pointed to a bookshelf and said sarcastically:

"There's an old textbook in the middle drawer of the third bookshelf on the left. Take it and read it! Otherwise, you'll be idle all day and causing trouble with your half-baked magic."

Upon hearing this, Ino didn't say anything more, but stood up and bowed slightly to Snape.

Turning around, I walked to the third row of bookshelves on the left. It was a bookshelf that looked to have been used for at least a decade. It was made entirely of sturdy oak, and the clear wood grain on the bookshelf was like a natural work of art, both profound and full of charm.

Opening the middle drawer of the bookshelf, you'll find an old, yellowed book called "Advanced Potions Making," which is also a common textbook for Hogwarts students from the fifth to the seventh year.

But in terms of both style and color, the textbook in front of me looks like it has been stored for at least fifteen years.

The moment Ino saw the textbook, he had some guesses in his mind. After randomly flipping through it and seeing it filled with all kinds of notes, he knew the answer.

"Thank you again, Professor Snape! I will read it carefully and return it to you as soon as possible."

Although Snape responded with silence, he wasn't annoyed at all; after all, some people are just like that by nature.

……

Leave the Potions Department office.

Ino suppressed his inner joy; the half-blood prince's notes were one of the few good things in the castle.

Because it contains not only super practical spells such as "hanging upside down", "closing ears and ears", and "locking the tongue and sealing the throat".

Similarly, it also records Snape's unique magic, "Swords of Faith," a powerful dark magic curse.

Wizards injured by the Shadowless Blade cannot receive conventional treatment. Neither the White Essence nor the Healing Spell will have any effect; the injured can only bleed and wait to die.

If it weren't for its corresponding anti-curse, its terrifying destructive effect alone might have classified it as the highest-level cursed black magic, ranking alongside the three unforgivable curses.

Moreover, the Divine Strike Without Shadow is an invisible magic, making it even more difficult to predict and defend against than the Killing Curse.

"As expected of a half-blood prince, casting a poisonous curse on his own academy's second-year wizards, what a fine headmaster..."

In the basement corridor, Ino murmured with a smile.

He was already quite impatient; how could he possibly understand such notes by merely glancing at them once?

Copying was a must; if it weren't for the powerful wizard's notebook itself possessing magic, he would have wanted to use a spell to make a copy right now.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking. Notes written by powerful wizards cannot be copied by magic, nor even by an automatic writing quill.

There was absolutely no way to save it; there were no shortcuts. The only way was to do it yourself, copying it word by word honestly.

"I need to buy a copy of 'Advanced Potion Making' in advance, and I also need to have a musical instrument custom-made by Devis..."

Ino secretly plotted his future plans. He intended to break the school rules once and take advantage of the weekend to sneak back to Hogsmeade and settle all these matters at once.

Meow! Monthly tickets are doubled these two days! Don't save them up, give them to Xiao Di... otherwise they'll expire.

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(End of this chapter)