Your comments, reviews, and votes really help me out so much and they make me super motivated to keep working on this story!Pat*eon : ilham20
Snape never imagined the day would come when he'd have to figure out how to teach a student not to use magic too well.
"Your issue is complicated," Snape said slowly, his voice flat. "It calls for deeper, more precise study."
He paused, then added, "Besides, you're not in any rush to use it against Dementors or anything like them. Hogwarts doesn't have those creatures, and they're forbidden from entering Muggle society anyway."
Lucien kept his face neutral, but inside he thought, Yeah, about that… we'll see.
He hadn't expected one tutoring session to fix everything. The Patronus Charm was already tricky magic, and his version came with rare extras. Since the whole thing touched the soul, playing it safe made sense.
"Professor," Lucien asked, curiosity plain on his face, "could I see your Patronus? I've never watched the full casting process before."
Snape shut that down instantly. "No."
The refusal came out so fast it almost sounded rude. He seemed to realize it and added, "A Patronus is too distinctive. It basically announces who you are. Most witches and wizards have one fixed form their whole lives. There are rare cases where it changes, but they're so uncommon you can ignore them."
He shot Lucien a sideways glance. "And if you've seen Dumbledore tossing his around for every little errand, don't copy him."
Snape's lip curled with that familiar mix of irritation and something almost like respect. "Dumbledore is… different."
Lucien got the point. The headmaster was powerful enough that hiding his identity didn't matter. Hell, he could probably use the Patronus as an early warning: Here I come.
Snape's flat refusal didn't surprise him. Lucien had only asked on a whim. He already knew the man's Patronus was a doe—the same as Lily Evans's.
The lesson was winding down when Lucien spoke up again. "Professor, what would you like as payment for these private sessions?"
Snape gave a small, satisfied nod at the wording. The boy had class—none of that crude "how much gold" nonsense some idiots tried.
"As a Potions Master, I don't need money," Snape said. "Your alchemy skills are excellent. I'd like you to custom-make some alchemical tools to my specifications."
Lucien nodded. "No problem."
Snape thought for a second and added, "That qilin saliva you gave me before was exceptional quality. I'll need more of it. This part I'll trade for fairly—equal value."
Qilin saliva worked fine straight on wounds, but Snape considered that a waste. Only when properly brewed into potions with the right ingredients did its true potential shine.
The batch Lucien had supplied earlier was genuinely top-tier. Snape had never seen anything like it on the open market.
He didn't pry into how the boy had gotten it. He was just doing his usual routine of sneering at reckless young wizards. He wasn't about to rob a kid.
"Easy enough," Lucien said.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a crystal flask the size of two adult fists, and handed it over. The flask was perfectly clear, filled to the brim with shimmering liquid that caught the light like liquid starlight.
Snape stared.
A flask this big? Most people used tiny vials—one drop lasted ages. The kid had just handed over an entire jug?
An absurd thought flashed through Snape's mind: Don't tell me the boy actually keeps a qilin.
He shook his head, dismissing the ridiculous idea. The future leader of the wizarding world, raising a qilin at Hogwarts? Please.
Then he remembered the Merlin Medal ceremony. Newt Scamander had been there and clearly knew Lucien. If the world's foremost expert on magical creatures was involved, getting premium qilin saliva suddenly made perfect sense.
"It's enough," Snape said, face still blank as he took the flask. "What do you want in exchange?"
"Potion recipes and books," Lucien answered. "Preferably anything on curses or breaking curses."
Snape wasn't surprised. The kid's hunger for knowledge was bottomless—he was always trading for books or formulas.
Still… why the sudden focus on curses?