Chapter 53 - 53: 53: Isn't there one just upstairs?

What was Snape thinking as he looked into those eyes?

Was he remembering the pure, bright eyes from their first meeting, the shocked and wounded eyes when he spoke harshly, or the eyes that would never open again…

No one knew, except Snape.

Perhaps not even he himself knew.

Aside from the occasional chopping, grinding, and the bubbling of Potions, the classroom was silent.

After a long while, Snape seemed to wake from a trance.

"Mixing Diricawl droppings and Mandrake root yields a Silencing Powder. The consumer won't be able to speak for an entire week."

"Not knowing is not knowing. Very honest. Gryffindor, one point."

"…You answered two questions correctly. Good—but there's no need to be proud."

Snape hesitated for a few seconds on that last sentence, as if unused to saying such words.

Then he moved on to inspect the other students' work.

As soon as Snape walked away, all the nearby students—except Lucien—turned to Harry with looks of disbelief.

If not for their fear of Snape, they would've all shouted the same thing:

You can talk to Snape like that… and still earn points?

What was that last bit—encouragement?!

Professor Snape actually encouraged a student?!

Only Lucien understood what was happening.

Snape had simply transferred all his guilt and love for Lily onto her son, Harry.

Especially when staring into those emerald-green eyes, Snape probably couldn't even tell who he was looking at anymore.

Hmm… maybe he didn't want to tell the difference.

Lucien had helped Harry avoid the venom of the "Old Bat," sparing him the humiliation and protecting the mental state of an adolescent.

And in doing so, he had also forced Snape to truly face those eyes—even if they were set in James Potter's face.

There were still many good people in the world!

He'd ask Snape a question after class. Yesterday, he'd seen an adhesive in the Potter family's magic book that might be suitable for use in mechanical animals...

Lucien didn't notice Ron staring at him from the front row, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Because Ron had just realized—Harry's entire "performance" earlier had been exactly what Lucien described beforehand!

And it actually worked!

Doing that could really help avoid Snape's humiliation!

Lucien's earlier words began to echo in Ron's mind:

"Eyes are the windows to the soul. You have to communicate through eye contact, expressing to Snape: Although I'm a slow learner, I am determined to study seriously!"

As expected, Lucien was the first to finish brewing the Potion. After a quick inspection by Snape, Ravenclaw earned another five points.

He could reliably earn points from the professor every class. If he kept this up, they might actually have a shot at the House Cup.

But what was that thing really for?

It seemed like just an honorary title, and every year, only the Lions and Snakes fought over it so fiercely.

The little Badgers were always laid-back, and the little Eagles probably focused more on their own pursuits. That kind of collective honor might sound impressive...

Lucien was lost in thought when an angry roar snapped him back to reality:

"Weasley! I asked you a question—why are you staring at my face? Are you dissatisfied with me?!"

"Huh, why did you start glaring.. Disrespecting a professor—Gryffindor, minus five points!"

He turned his head and saw Ron, seated in front of him, trembling like a leaf.

Lucien thought for a second, guessed what had happened, and was speechless.

Redheads really are fearless!

After the class bell rang.

Snape called out before leaving the classroom, "Potter, come with me to my office."

Harry froze. Why was he suddenly being summoned to Snape's office?

Just as he was lost in thought, Lucien had already packed up and stepped forward to pat Harry on the shoulder.

"Let's go. I have a question for the professor too."

Lucien's words put Harry slightly at ease.

"Thanks for coming with me."

Harry's inexplicable response made Lucien frown slightly in confusion.

What was this kid talking about? He was just going to ask a question—why did it sound like they were walking into a punishment together?

The two of them arrived at Snape's office.

It was Harry's first time there, and he looked around at the bottles and jars with a mix of curiosity and nervousness.

As Lucien scanned the items on the shelves, he did spot a few rare ingredients.

Like Thunderbird wing feathers, Runespoor eggs, Hippogriff digestive fluid...

He truly was the youngest Potions Master—his connections must be extensive to have acquired such rare materials.

"Grafton, do you have a question?"

When Snape saw Lucien arrive with Harry, his first thought was that this talented and modest student had come to ask something about Potions.

Lucien stepped forward and explained his question.

Snape thought for a moment before giving his answer:

"The Potion you're describing—similar to an adhesive—leans more toward the field of Alchemy."

As he spoke, Snape glanced at Lucien again, not quite sure why he was asking about such a Potion, but he continued:

"The flaw with that Potion is that its effects don't last long. You could try adding Cerberus blood. The ratio is…"

Lucien nodded and thanked Snape for the explanation.

"Cerberus blood isn't cheap. If it's not absolutely necessary, you can hold off on using it."

Snape's skill was impressive. He quickly identified the Potion's properties and flaws and even offered a solution.

Hmm… Cerberus, huh?

Isn't there one just upstairs? Why bother spending money to buy its blood?

With a satisfactory answer in hand, Lucien thanked Snape and took his leave.

As he turned to leave, passing by Harry, Lucien noticed him staring at him with a complicated expression.

Wow, was that a pie chart of four parts shock, three parts reluctance, two parts unease, and one part confusion?

Whatever. He had far more important things to do—no need to linger here.

Lucien left Harry with only a dashing silhouette, leaving him alone to face Snape.

After a long silence.

Snape finally spoke, "Your Potion performance today was good."

Harry nodded blankly, unsure of what Snape was trying to say.

"But there are still many shortcomings. You really should learn from Lucien."

Snape brought it up because he had remembered the improved Sleeping Draught from last time. Theoretically, only he and Lucien had access to that recipe at school, yet Harry had used it to knock out Malfoy.

So, he wanted to test Harry—after all, children were usually easier to coax into revealing the truth.

However, Harry's single sentence left Snape completely stunned.

"How did you know Lucien was tutoring me?! Oh my god.. don't tell me, you—"

Snape stared at those beautiful emerald-green almond-shaped eyes—set in that infuriating face—and listened to such an unbelievably foolish outburst!

Snape's temper snapped. A vein twitched visibly on his forehead.

"Get out! Right now!"

Yo! You can read 10 Advance chaps at my P tier.

P@treon/DarkDevil1

It'll be 12 advance chaps by tomorrow so do consider joining!♥