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Chapter 343: You Should Return to the Common Room, Gray
Chapter 343: You Should Return to the Common Room, Gray
"Yes, Professor," Vold said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him and taking out the potion he had just brewed.
"Professor, I have some questions about potions that I'd like to ask you."
Looking at the freshly brewed potion, Snape's tone softened as he said, "I hope that next time you'll have a better sense of time and not act like a foolish lion, doing whatever comes to mind right away—what is it that you want to ask?"
"It's like this, Professor—I heard that today in Potions class, you only added a few drops of the potion, and the shrunken toad returned to its original state. I've also brewed the Shrinking Potion, but other potions don't have such immediate effects."
Vold placed the potion bottle on the table and said, "I guess the potion you used was an Ageing Potion, but how did you make it work without even drinking it?"
When it came to his area of expertise, Professor Snape's attitude became even more amiable.
He first took the potion from Vold's hand, gently shaking it and examining it carefully. Then, he smelled it before setting it down.
"It's clear that you followed each step—although it's standard, it's as monotonous as a Muggle assembly line machine. I hope you're not foolish enough to stuff your brain into it as well."
Snape lifted his lips, offering a rather blunt evaluation.
When dealing with other students, Snape always emphasized the precision and strictness required in potions; but when commenting on Vold, he found Vold too rule-abiding.
Vold lowered his head in thought for a couple of seconds, suppressing the corners of his mouth that were about to turn up.
When he heard Professor Snape describe it as an "assembly line machine," he knew that Professor Snape had been watching a lot of TV lately and might have even rewatched some shows several times, which led to the spontaneous comparison.
The most memorable "assembly line machine" recently was from a Muggle comedy silent film.
Vold thought to himself, feeling more confident about the purpose of his visit.
If Professor Snape had truly become disheartened by Lily's death and lost all interest in the outside world, his heart would be like an Antarctic ice wall, not easily broken through.
But he wasn't like that.
He still had a love and pursuit of life, just like how he also hoped to receive the Order of Merlin.
Professor Snape turned around and took out a similar potion from his cabinet, handing it forward and saying, "Take a look at this."
Vold took it and examined it in the same manner. After contemplating for a while, he said uncertainly, "Moonflower?"
"Not bad. When brewing, add one-third ounce of moonflower seeds and a small spoonful of ground night-blooming cereus root to achieve the effect you desire."
"But Professor, how do you control the dosage?" Vold asked again. "How do you make it restore the toad to its original state, neither too old nor too young?"
"The dosage is calculated based on weight and magic power, and this potion also requires consideration of the interval between the two potions..."
Professor Snape explained carefully, and Vold took notes as he listened.
For him, potions was a subject that required dedication; one had to memorize the properties of each ingredient, the quantities used, and the timing, and then practice repeatedly to achieve a satisfying result.
To become a Potions Master like Snape, in addition to hard work and financial support, talent was the most crucial factor.
In this regard, Vold didn't hold himself to such high standards, as everyone's energy was limited. When he spent a lot of time on spells and alchemy, his potion practice naturally decreased.
However, even so, Vold was still a rare good student in Snape's eyes, one who brought a sense of accomplishment to teach, and Snape wished he could say more.
After the Potions lesson, Snape glanced at the time again.
Vold, sensing that he was about to be dismissed, quickly asked, "Professor, I have one more question. I heard that you are also very proficient in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
It was common knowledge that Snape had applied to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Dumbledore had never agreed.
Snape inquired, "Of course. Is there something you don't understand about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"I don't have any issues with what's taught in class, but I'm wondering... is there any chance of recovery from severe injuries caused by Dark Magic?" Vold asked.
Snape frowned and said, "It depends on the spell and the severity of the damage, as well as the victim's own magic and willpower... Which Dark Magic are you referring to?"
Vold: "For example... um... what about mental breakdowns caused by the Cruciatus Curse?"
Snape remained silent for a while before responding, "Why do you want to know this?"
Vold spoke frankly, with a hint of distress, as if Snape had never disliked Neville, "During tonight's magic practice, Neville accidentally broke a target. He tried to fix it but failed."
"We all thought it was just a piece of wood, so we suggested throwing it away and getting a new one, but Neville kept trying and trying..."
"Then I guessed that he might have associated it with his parents. I heard that the Lombart couple went insane and had to spend the rest of their lives in St. Mungo's Hospital because they resisted Voldemort and were tortured by the Cruciatus Curse."
"Neville—sigh—he looked truly distressed. So, I was wondering if there was any way to help him..."
"Sometimes, I also wonder, which is more painful—never having something or having it and then losing it?"
Vold didn't try to directly persuade Snape to be nicer to Neville.
He was just a student who received extra attention from the teachers, and he often sought guidance and help from Professor Snape. It would be ungrateful to directly accuse him of his attitude towards another student.
Even Dumbledore couldn't change Snape's attitude towards Harry, so how could Vold's words make a difference?
Snape wasn't the type to listen to advice or a compassionate saint. He was a stubborn person who held onto love and hate, obsessing over them for a lifetime. Although he was willing to give his life to kill Voldemort, he was indifferent to most people.
When Snape bullied Neville, taking advantage of his position of authority, he felt a sense of satisfaction but couldn't empathize with Neville's pain.
Or perhaps he did understand but didn't care.
What Vold needed to do was to pull him out of his isolated and indifferent state, and through Vold's perspective, make him think from Neville's point of view.
If he could temporarily set aside his resentment and dislike, he would realize that his actions had already caused significant harm to Neville, yet they were both victims of Voldemort's reign of terror.
If Snape had a higher sense of morality, he would understand that he also held some responsibility in the matter, and bullying Neville was truly unreasonable.
The office fell silent for a long time, and Vold didn't know what Snape was thinking. He just calmly stared into those deep and empty eyes.
Vold's Occlumency skills were quite good by now, and he wasn't afraid of eye contact—of course, Professor Snape wasn't rude enough to randomly probe students' minds.
After a long silence, Snape spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "If the Lombart couple could have been cured, they wouldn't have had to stay in St. Mungo's forever."
"You should head back to your common room, Gray."
(End of Chapter)
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