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Lynn slowly followed behind Snape, whose face was even gloomier than usual, walking through the corridors of Hogwarts.
The moment Snape's office door opened, an indescribably complex and strange smell surged out as if substantial, rushing fiercely into Lynn's nostrils.
"Ugh!"
Lynn's eyelids twitched as he choked. Almost by reflex, he drew his wand and quickly tapped his head.
A transparent, bubble-like membrane instantly enveloped his head, isolating the noxious odor.
Snape had already walked behind his desk and, turning around, saw Lynn standing at the doorway with a bubble around his head. His lips immediately thinned into a straight line, his displeasure evident.
"Unauthorized use of magic in a Professor's office—Hufflepuff will lose..."
Before the number of points could escape his lips, Snape seemed to suddenly remember something, and his words abruptly stopped.
He had summoned this Hufflepuff boy, and in some ways... he was asking for a favor, or at least needed his cooperation.
So, after a very brief struggle, Snape swallowed the deduction he was about to pronounce, merely letting out a cold snort from his nose.
Lynn blinked. "Uh... Professor? No deduction?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Lynn wanted to slap himself. Had he forgotten the last time his loose tongue cost him points? Sure enough, Snape's face darkened at a visible rate.
After staring at Lynn for a few seconds, he squeezed out through gritted teeth: "Hufflepuff, ten points from Hufflepuff. For your foolish garrulousness, and," he glanced at the bubble, "continued disrespect."
A string of emojis flashed through Lynn's mind: [Slapping the Face.jpg].
Damn it! This is the second time!
Lynn thought with annoyance, 'Why hasn't this wretched mouth of mine changed? It must be from bickering with Dodo too much—I've been infected!'
As for the Bubble-Head Charm, he certainly wouldn't remove it, not after the points were already deducted.
After the small interlude, Snape quickly regained his composure and rhythm. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the edge of his desk, his eyes once again fixed on Lynn, getting to the point:
"Wolfsbane potion," Snape uttered the words. "Do you still remember the brewing method?"
Lynn was a bit bewildered by the sudden topic change but still nodded honestly. "Yes, Professor, I remember."
Snape was silent for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully, then added, "The... unique-smelling kind."
Lynn: "???"
His mind instantly recalled the wolfsbane potion he had brewed in Potions class at the beginning of the term, which combined the smells of surströmming and lutefisk.
No way? Professor, do you... really have such a peculiar fetish?!
While internally complaining wildly, Lynn maintained his basic composure, even showing a subtle hint of understanding on his face.
"Yes, Professor, I remember that too."
Snape nodded, seemingly satisfied with Lynn's "comprehension" and "memory."
He raised a finger and pointed to a cleared workbench in the corner of the office, where a clean copper cauldron and various tools were laid out.
"I'll watch you make it again. Right here." The command was concise and brooked no argument.
Although Lynn was still puzzled, Snape's attitude clearly indicated he wasn't joking or looking for trouble.
He walked to the workbench and found that the main ingredients required for a standard wolfsbane potion were already neatly arranged on a small shelf nearby. Even some less common auxiliary ingredients he had added last time to achieve the "unique smell" effect were mostly there.
'He's really well-prepared...' Lynn muttered inwardly, becoming even more convinced that Snape had some special fetish.
He no longer hesitated, rolled up his sleeves, first checked the freshness and processing state of the ingredients, then turned to the herb cabinet full of drawers by the wall, skillfully pulling open several drawers labeled with obscure names, and retrieved a few extra small packets of ingredients from within—
Some dried swamp worm secretion crystals, pollen from a mutated wormwood variety harvested only on the full moon, and a small bottle of concentrated "Kaba" gland extract (which smelled like a mixture of spoiled fish and rotten onions).
Snape said nothing throughout, merely moving to a spot not far from the workbench where he could clearly see the entire process without being splashed, his eyes unblinking as he watched Lynn's every step.
Lynn began the long and meticulous brewing process.
Snape watched silently from the side, his hands crossed in front of his black robes. On his face, usually only showing sarcasm and indifference, there was now an almost focused scrutiny.
He watched Lynn's smooth operations, his precise control over the heat and potion reactions, and his decisive attitude when handling those "special ingredients," occasionally nodding slightly.
Snape: So that's how it is! It can be done like this too? Damn, why didn't I think of that!
Time quietly flowed in the office, with only the gurgling of the liquid in the cauldron, Lynn's occasional stirring, and the subtle sounds of ingredients being processed.
Finally, after a long brewing process, the potion in the cauldron reached its perfect culmination.
The "unique" scent, a blend of surströmming's overpowering saltiness, lutefisk's pungent ammonia, the damp, earthy smell of swamp decay, and various strange spices, had become so concentrated it was almost tangible, permeating the office.
Although Lynn was protected by the Bubble-Head Charm, he could still imagine the noxious odor.
Snape stepped forward, picked up a crystal vial, examined its color against the dim light, and then very cautiously sniffed the lingering "aftermath" near the mouth of the vial.
His thoughts seemed to drift for a moment, recalling Remus Lupin's pale face, unsteady gait, aversion to any food, and weak, food-averse state for several days after the last full moon.
Truly... delightful.
He snapped back to reality and carefully placed the crystal vial into a cabinet. Snape waved his hand, as if dismissing a used tool.
"You may go."
Lynn blinked, wisely not asking further questions.
He cleaned his work area, put the tools back in place, then bowed slightly to Snape and turned to walk out of the office.
Having shown sufficient politeness... Lynn walked unhurriedly along the path back to the common room, his thoughts already drifting far away.
Why did Snape suddenly call me to specifically brew a cauldron of wolfsbane potion?
First, the purpose of wolfsbane potion is extremely singular and clear.
This stuff isn't some tonic or delicious drink. Its only function is to help werewolves retain their sanity during the full moon, alleviate the pain of transformation, and prevent them from completely succumbing to their beastly nature.
Who would drink this stuff without reason? The ordinary version is already hard enough to drink and offers no benefits, and it can even cause severe side effects due to dosage or brewing issues.
So, Snape needs this potion, and the target must be a werewolf.
Second, Snape's attitude towards this werewolf.
Judging by his deliberate emphasis on "unique smell" and the complete preparation of those extra ingredients capable of creating the ultimate "flavor," Snape was certainly not acting out of concern.
From this, it can be inferred that Snape knows a werewolf, and their relationship is very poor, even to the extent that when providing the potion, he goes to great lengths to make it unpleasant.
Although Snape's potion flavors are generally not good.
So, the question arises: if their relationship is so bad, why would Snape still brew the potion for this werewolf?
The answer points to an unavoidable obligation or a deal.
Snape had to provide the potion, but he was absolutely unwilling to let the other party have an easy time, so he could only do his utmost within the "compliant" framework, on the "additional attributes" of the potion.
Lynn's thoughts delved deeper.
The key to werewolf transformation is the full moon.
His memory quickly rewound, recalling last month's class schedule, professors' leave records... Soon, a name and a series of details emerged.
Throughout Hogwarts, only Professor Lupin seemed to have taken leave around the full moon last month due to "health reasons."
Lynn felt his deduction was sound, but he planned to confirm it; the next full moon was only a few days away.