Damian had been pressed into service.
On his way back to the Slytherin Common Room, he had the misfortune of running into Professor Snape.
There had been several minor accidents during the first-year Potions and Flying classes that day. Because the Hospital Wing's supply was running low, Madam Pomfrey had entrusted Snape with brewing a fresh batch of restorative potions.
Unlucky Damian just happened to cross paths with his Head of House on the way to the dungeons. Snape immediately conscripted him as an extra pair of free hands.
Damian and Professor Snape worked in absolute silence until ten o'clock at night, finally finishing the massive batch of potions Madam Pomfrey needed.
There was a distinct hint of exhaustion on Professor Snape's face. The workload of a Hogwarts staff member was notoriously heavy, and since Potions was a core subject, Snape's teaching schedule was completely booked.
As they finished cleaning the cauldrons, Snape picked up a piece of manuscript paper from his desk and held it out. "An improved Invigoration Draught. It is slightly more effective than the standard recipe you've been using."
"Thank you, Professor," Damian said, happily taking the parchment. He hadn't even noticed Snape writing it.
He had briefly asked Snape for advice on improving the potion while they were working earlier, but the professor had simply told him to shut up and focus on his stirring.
"Damian," Snape drawled as he turned away. "For assisting a professor and lightening my burden... ten points to Slytherin."
Snape truly never let a single opportunity to award points to his own house slip by.
"Don't worry, we'll find Trevor," Harry said, awkwardly trying to comfort Neville.
Neville's toad was lost again. Trevor had been sitting right beside him when they went to the Great Hall for dinner, but the amphibian had vanished by the time they finished eating.
"My Scabbers is very well-behaved. He never gets lost," Ron boasted, reaching into his pocket to stroke the sleeping rat.
Neville looked even more dejected. "My memory is just too poor. I'm always losing things."
Hermione glared sharply at Ron, silently signaling him to shut up. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Why don't we go find Damian? Maybe Nox has a way to track Trevor down!"
Ron looked surprised. "You guys know Damian too?"
"It was Nox who found Trevor on the Hogwarts Express," Hermione explained. "We shared a compartment with Damian. Do you know him?"
Ron nodded eagerly. "We're practically neighbors! The Blacks live quite close to Ottery St Catchpole, where my family lives."
He grinned. "Have you guys ever played Flying Chess? Damian gave me a set for Christmas last year! I heard he bought it from Muggles, but it's brilliant!"
As a distant relative of the Weasley family, Damian was frequently invited to The Burrow to celebrate the holidays.
Ron was about to launch into a detailed explanation of Flying Chess rules, but he suddenly noticed that Harry, Hermione, and Neville had all gone completely pale. They were staring in absolute terror at something right behind him.
"It is currently past curfew."
The cold, silky voice sent a shiver down Ron's spine. The four Gryffindors had the terrible misfortune of running into Professor Snape, who was just returning from delivering his potions to the Hospital Wing with Damian trailing right behind him.
Damian watched the scene unfold with mild amusement.
Ron turned his head stiffly and came face-to-face with Snape's emotionless glare.
I'm completely done for, Ron panicked internally. He had been caught breaking curfew by the most terrifying teacher in the school on the very first day.
A strained smile, which looked closer to a grimace of pain, appeared on Ron's face. "Pro... Professor."
Snape stared down his hooked nose at the four trembling first-years. "Foolish souls always seem to flock together," he said slowly. "Ten points from Gryffindor."
Harry instinctively tried to defend them. "Neville's toad is lost, sir! We were just helping him find it."
Snape's dark eyes snapped to Harry, his expression turning icy. "Potter. For talking back to a teacher... another ten points from Gryffindor."
Snape then turned his glare on Neville. "Find your toad and return to your dormitory immediately. If I catch you wandering the corridors at night again, you will all be serving detention."
Without another word, Snape turned and swept away down the corridor. Viewed from behind, his billowing black robes looked like a rolling mass of black smoke.
Harry's mood plummeted. He simply didn't understand why Professor Snape was always targeting him.
Damian stepped forward, offering a sympathetic smile. "Professor Snape didn't give you detention. Losing a few house points is no big deal. Just study hard and earn them back during class."
Ron looked at Damian with a bizarre expression. Earning points from teachers wasn't exactly easy! How could Damian say it so lightly?
Hermione quickly changed the subject. "Damian, could you ask Nox to help find Neville's toad?"
"No problem," Damian said gently. "Nox knows a lot of the local cats here at Hogwarts."
Because they were magical pets, the cats in the wizarding world were highly intelligent and had their own complex social circles within the castle.
Damian drew his wand. "Accio Pet!" The tip of his wand emitted a faint, continuous silver glow.
"This is a modified Summoning Charm specifically for magical pets. As long as you maintain the magic, the pet will be able to perceive its owner's location and come to you," Damian explained. He looked at the round-faced boy. "Neville, you should probably learn this spell."
Neville's eyes widened in surprise. "There's magic for that? I definitely want to learn it!" But his excitement faded instantly. He remembered how difficult it was for him to even cast a basic Lumos. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to learn it. I'm not very good..."
"It's okay, the wand movement is very simple," Damian reassured him, seeing the expectant looks on the Gryffindors' faces. "I can teach all of you when I have some free time."
The four first-years nodded repeatedly, looking delighted.
At that exact moment, a sleek black kneazle hopped gracefully through an open corridor window. Nox padded slowly over to Damian's feet and affectionately rubbed his arched back against Damian's robes.
Damian scooped the cat up and scratched the thick fur behind his ears. "Nox, Neville's toad is lost again. Can you help him out?"
Nox rolled his glowing yellow eyes. He was a cat, not a bloodhound! Why was he always expected to do the heavy lifting when it came to finding lost things?
Other pets just had to lie in their owners' laps and act cute to get premium treats. Meanwhile, Nox was being forced to work overtime, late at night, right after he had finished a lovely evening date with Mrs. Norris!
With an annoyed huff, Nox jumped out of Damian's arms and padded confidently toward the dark depths of the corridor.
Damian turned to the four Gryffindors. "Just follow Nox. He'll track the toad down for you. I have some other things I need to take care of, so I'm heading off."
Damian was eager to practice his meditation, so he didn't want to waste time hunting for an amphibian.
After saying goodbye to the golden trio, Damian didn't return to the Slytherin dungeons. Instead, he slipped away and climbed the moving staircases all the way up to the eighth floor.
He stopped in front of the blank stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He closed his eyes and concentrated, thinking clearly: I need a secure room where I can brew potions.
He paced past the wall three times. When he opened his eyes, a smooth, polished wooden door had materialized in the stone.
The Room of Requirement was not overly large, but it was absolutely perfect. It was fully equipped with high-end, brass potion-brewing equipment, an array of rare ingredients, and even a small cot for resting.
Damian pulled out the manuscript paper Snape had given him. It detailed the exact recipe for the improved Invigoration Draught.
After reading the instructions through once to memorize them, he immediately started brewing. The ingredients required for this improved recipe were all fairly common, and he had plenty stored in his magically expanded pocket.
After thirty minutes of careful stirring and precise temperature control, he successfully brewed his first batch of the modified potion. However, his technique was still a bit rusty with the new recipe, leaving too many impurities floating in the liquid.
He unceremoniously dumped the poor-quality draught down the drain, summarized his mistakes, and immediately started brewing a second batch.
"This will do," Damian muttered a short while later. The shimmering, pale-gold liquid in his cauldron had perfectly matched Snape's rigorous standards.
Damian poured a vial and drank it down. The spicy, burning sensation echoed down his esophagus. A few breaths later, the recovery speed of his sea of spirit spiked dramatically.
He closed his eyes, carefully feeling the internal condition of his mind. The recovery speed of his sea of spirit had increased by exactly thirty percent!
The original Invigoration Draught he bought at the apothecary only increased his recovery speed by twenty percent.
Thrilled by the result, he quickly brewed four more bottles of the improved draught. After chugging them all, the stacked recovery speed of his sea of spirit reached an astonishing 250 percent!
Professor Snape's ability to casually improve established potions was nothing short of miraculous. Damian couldn't help but marvel at the man's sheer genius. Even with his system and vast knowledge, Damian's own foundational understanding of potion theory wasn't deep enough to invent improvements like this yet.
With his mental recovery completely maxed out, Damian sat cross-legged on the cot and began to practice Aemon's Basic Meditation Method in the absolute silence of the Room of Requirement.
He did some quick mental calculations. At this massively accelerated speed, he would easily be able to advance to a Second-Level Wizard Apprentice in just three or four days!
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