Chapter 46
Hogwarts Dungeons. Outside the office of the Head of Slytherin House. Devero took a deep breath. His heart was still filled with hesitation. "I wonder how Snape plans to deal with me?"
He had just come from the common room. Before dinner, he had visited the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey quickly conducted a full check-up on Devero, confirming that he had no other issues.
However, she still lectured him at length about safety precautions before finally letting him go.
Fortunately, Devero had copied her [Exquisite Healing] entry. It was well worth the trip.
The moment he copied it, Devero suddenly felt as if he had become a seasoned doctor with over thirty years of medical experience!
The system went wild with notifications:
[Ding!]
[New spell acquired!]
[New spell acquired!]
[New spell acquired!]
…
Dozens of healing spells were effortlessly mastered by Devero in an instant. He even felt confident enough to open his own clinic!
But that wasn't all. His mind was instantly flooded with a vast amount of knowledge and experience in herbology and potion-making.
Book knowledge was, after all, just theory.
Practical experience in potion-making was the hardest to come by!
With this newfound expertise, Devero felt his potion-making skills had leapt to a whole new level! He was now, in every sense, a true potion master!
In fact, just this afternoon, regarding the improved formula for the Polyjuice Potion he had previously given to Snape, Devero had come up with new ideas for further enhancements—ways to make the potion even more practical!
This was the terrifying power of experience-based entries! For wizards who weren't exceptionally gifted, dedicating years to mastering a craft could yield something even more valuable than raw talent.
Suddenly, Devero had a bold new idea.
For people like Snape or Professor McGonagall, who possessed golden entries but hadn't fully realized their potential, could he help them advance their skills?
Could he guide them to transform their talent-based entries into experience-based ones? And then copy those for himself?!
That would be incredible! It would be like gaining their decades of hard-earned experience and talent without enduring the years of effort!
Every time Devero thought about this, he couldn't help but grin foolishly, practically drooling at the idea.
This gave him a new mission: to train individuals with high-level talent-based entries, help them unlock their potential, and then reap the rewards by copying their experience-based entries!
The plan was perfect!
As Devero stood there, lost in daydreams about cultivating prodigies and harvesting their abilities, a cold, low voice came from behind.
"What are you grinning about? Aren't you a wizard? Can't even open a door?"
Snape emerged from a shadowed corner of the corridor, looking the same as he had that morning: clad in a black robe, his long hair partially covering his face, revealing only a pair of sharp, piercing eyes. Or rather, Snape always looked like this.
Seeing him, Devero immediately stood up straight, chest out, adopting a submissive posture.
He had just clashed with Snape in class, and he could only hope Snape wouldn't punish him with something as dreadful as daily detentions, like that pink toad Umbridge.
"What are you standing there for? Get inside," Snape said, waving his wand. The office door swung open automatically.
Devero quickly slipped inside, with Snape following close behind.
"The Unlocking Charm. I demonstrated it during your entrance test at the start of term, didn't I? Do you still remember it?" Snape asked, sitting down heavily in his chair and eyeing Devero with a sidelong glance.
"Of course I remember," Devero replied confidently, nodding.
In truth, even before that test of his magical aptitude, Devero had learned the spell by observing others casting it on the streets.
He was quite proficient with it.
"Good. From now on, if I'm not here on Fridays, you'll come here yourself," Snape said casually, standing up.
Huh? Devero was still processing what Snape meant when Snape walked over to a door.
"Alohomora!"
The lock clicked open instantly, accompanied by a soft clack. The door slowly swung open.
"Come here," Snape called back to Devero, who was still frozen in his chair.
Devero hurriedly followed, stepping into Snape's storeroom. The door closed automatically behind them with a dull thud.
Devero looked around, instantly captivated by the sight before him. The storeroom was meticulously organized, divided into three main sections, each occupying a wall.
One wall was lined with the remains of magical creatures, most of them preserved in jars filled with liquids of various colors. Some liquids were clear and transparent, others a deep blue or green, and some a murky yellow.
The preserved remains varied widely—some were dragon claws, others unidentifiable fragments, each suspended eerily in their jars.
Some were unicorn tails. Others were werewolf teeth.
Each jar was meticulously labeled, detailing the date of collection and its intended use.
Devero's eyes widened as he took it all in. The potent magical energy contained within these items resonated deeply with his [Potion Spirit] ability. He could hardly resist the urge to sweep everything into his laboratory and start brewing immediately!
Suppressing this impulse with great effort, Devero turned his attention to another wall.
The second wall was filled with magical herbs, most of them dehydrated and dried. Nettles, mandrakes, dragon-tongue orchids, and more were neatly stored in transparent glass jars. These herbs emitted faint, distinct aromas.
Some leaves were a deep green, while certain flowers bloomed in vibrant, almost dangerous hues.
Each jar was labeled with precise details: the herb's name, collection date, and preservation method. This section was the most conventional, but Devero couldn't help but frown.
In some potion recipes, fresh, living herbs were absolutely essential. So why did Snape's storeroom only contain dried ones? That didn't seem very professional!
With this doubt in mind, Devero turned to the final wall.
The middle wall displayed an array of finished potions, most of them exceedingly rare. Devero's gaze was immediately drawn to a bottle labeled "Veritaserum."
"Good heavens! Does Snape keep a constant stock of Veritaserum? Who's he planning to use it on?" Devero thought, stunned.
Besides that, there were many other precious potions: a freshly brewed batch of Polyjuice Potion, Felix Felicis, Skele-Gro, Sleeping Draught, and various antidotes.
The bottles were neatly arranged on the shelves, each faintly glowing with an ethereal light.
Devero licked his dry lips. These potions were rare treasures, impossible to find on the open market! And Snape had so many of them!
Despite his amazement, Devero still couldn't figure out why Snape had brought him to the storeroom. A chilling thought flashed through his mind.
"Could it be… he plans to kill me and preserve me in one of those solutions?"
Of course, that was absurd. But Devero genuinely couldn't make sense of Snape's intentions.
As he stood there lost in wild speculation, Snape turned around, his dark eyes fixed on Devero.
"I've already shown you how to get in. You can use anything in here as you like," Snape said.
He paused, frowning slightly and shaking his head. "But use them sparingly. These things aren't easy to come by."
Devero's eyes widened in shock, practically bulging out of his head!
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