Looking at the fireworks bursting from the distant castle, Ciel's Platinum-tier Night Vision ability let him see the many figures running through the corridors. Those were students wandering the halls in groups at night.
Undoubtedly, these fireworks were set off by the night-roaming students. However, this time, the professors who usually opposed night wandering seemed to be turning a blind eye. Tonight was Christmas Eve. Many students would be going home for the holidays tomorrow. Let them have their fun now.
Even the castle caretaker, Filch, seemed to have been specifically instructed to take the night off and not spoil the mood. Watching the happy figures in the corridors from afar, Ciel smiled. If this were his past life when he was still in school, he might have joined the students' revelry. But now, although he still enjoyed the festive atmosphere, he no longer had the mindset to join these activities.
Returning to the castle, Ciel went straight to the Potions classroom. Before the Christmas holidays, he wanted to help Snape process potion ingredients one last time.
When Ciel stepped into the classroom, he saw Snape sitting quietly inside, staring up at the fireworks through the window. The fireworks were brilliant and gorgeous, but his gaze was lifeless and vacant, as if his soul had been drained away, leaving only a walking corpse. Only when Ciel gently knocked on the door did Snape finally come back to his senses and snort heavily.
He spoke in his usual sarcastic tone. "I thought Mr. Sprout had risen to great heights and no longer looked down upon this mere potion assistant's job."
Before Ciel could speak, Snape suddenly frowned and looked him up and down carefully. "Did you kill someone?"
Ciel was stunned, his expression confused. Seeing this, Snape showed a helpless expression. "You hopeless fool. Don't tell me you don't know that for several days after personally killing someone, your magic will be tainted with a cold aura that can be identified with careful observation? Isn't this basic common sense?"
Hearing this, Ciel's cheek twitched. What kind of basic common sense was this? Then he felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, in the two days since returning from the Forbidden Forest, he had rarely been alone with the professors. Otherwise, he would inevitably have been interrogated by Professor Sprout, who might have directly banned him from working for a month. Ciel estimated he would have gone crazy.
At this time, Snape looked at Ciel with the eyes of a fool while taking out a bottle of potion spray. After spraying it at Ciel twice, Snape finally said, "There. That aura has been removed."
Ciel carefully felt the sensation on his body. Indeed, an extremely faint cold aura seemed to have disappeared from his magic. At this time, Snape glanced at him and said lightly, "Tell me. What exactly happened that could make you, someone who doesn't like taking risks, kill someone?"
Ciel hesitated for a moment, but he still didn't hide anything. He told Snape the general course of events. After all, Snape had seen at a glance that he had killed someone. There was no point in hiding it from him anymore.
When Snape heard that Ciel had encountered poachers in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, his expression suddenly changed, becoming as dark as storm clouds. He roared at Ciel. "How many spells do you know? You don't know a single protective charm, not to mention counter-curses. Before this, the strongest opponent you've fought was just a troll. Just because you can luckily cast Sectumsempra, you dare to fight poachers? Do you know those people are all vicious criminals who could be sent to Azkaban? If they hadn't wanted to capture you alive to sell you for a good price, one Killing Curse would have meant Hogwarts should be holding your funeral now!"
Snape scolded Ciel for a full ten minutes. Ciel was berated so thoroughly he couldn't even lift his head. Only then did Snape control his anger.
"Next time you encounter such a situation, just leave Hagrid there and run away yourself."
Ciel opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Snape said sarcastically, "I know you're a Hufflepuff, and you little badgers won't abandon your friends. But do you think they really dare to harm Hagrid? He's a Hogwarts employee and a well-known loyal supporter of Dumbledore. Kicking him around harmlessly, Making him suffer a little, and these poachers dare to do that. But really hurting him or even killing him? What benefit would be worth them taking that risk? But for the bounty on you, they really would dare to take risks. What else do you have to say now?"
Ciel could only say awkwardly, "Indeed. Professor, you're right to point this out."
The corner of Snape's mouth curved up slightly. Then he put on a stern face again. "Flattering me won't help. It's a small matter if you die at the hands of poachers. But delaying the progress of my potion research, can you bear such responsibility? It seems necessary today to make you understand your own capabilities."
Then Snape glanced at Ciel. "Take out your wand."
Ciel's heart tensed, then he became excited. Was Snape going to teach him some moves? After the previous battle with poachers in the Forbidden Forest, Ciel had realized that practicing magic at school was completely different from real combat. Real combat also required extensive training.
Someone like Snape, who was once a core Death Eater and experienced the war, would definitely be a top-tier combat instructor hard to find anywhere in the wizarding world.
After taking a deep breath, Ciel also gripped his wand. "Then, Professor..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ciel suddenly felt the world spinning. His whole body was caught off guard and hung upside down from the ceiling. All he could see was Snape's mocking expression.
"You didn't think this would follow some dueling etiquette, did you? The moment you grip your wand, this becomes real combat."
Then Snape flicked his finger lightly. Ciel was thrown heavily to the ground again.
"Get up. Quickly."
Snape's cold voice echoed in the classroom. Ciel immediately leaped up from the floor and distanced himself from Snape. At the same time, his heart surged with horror. Snape's Levicorpus just now had hit him without him noticing any abnormality. When had he cast the spell?
Just as Ciel was constantly pondering, the next moment, another dizzy feeling surged. Ciel cursed under his breath. "Again?" Then he was hung from the ceiling again and thrown down hard.
Snape had no other words, just coldly said, "Continue."
Ciel was not affected. He slowly got up, at the same time staring intently at Snape's every move. The corner of Snape's mouth curved up. "Right. The first principle of real combat is to watch your opponent closely. I have one more thing to tell you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ciel was hung upside down again and thrown to the ground.
Snape mocked, "You see. I told you to watch closely. But you just got distracted by words. Now continue, watch me closely."
Ciel took a deep breath. He focused intently on Snape. Then he noticed that Snape's lips were moving silently. The movement was so small that if he hadn't been observing carefully, he probably wouldn't have noticed at all. At the same time, Ciel saw Snape's gaze look toward his right side. His heart moved. He immediately tried to dodge.
However, just as he dodged to the left, the familiar dizzy feeling appeared again. Ciel's face was full of confusion.
Snape said with disappointment, "Fool. You're a wizard, not a boxer. A boxer in the ring only needs to watch the opponent's eyes, footwork, and arms to determine attack intentions. But can you use these to determine a wizard's movements? You forgot the most crucial thing."
Upon hearing this, Ciel finally understood. "Magic power! I don't just have to watch your movements. I also have to pay special attention to changes in magic power!"
A hint of satisfaction appeared on Snape's face. "Finally not completely stupid. Then continue."
At this time, Ciel also followed his recent understanding. He tried to capture changes in Snape's magic power. But this was much more difficult than he had imagined. Snape's magic power changes were too fast and too subtle. Ciel hadn't even felt anything before he was thrown to the ground again.
For the next period of time, the cheerful fireworks outside the window continued. But Ciel was being "tormented" by Snape again and again in the Potions classroom. Until Snape called a halt. Only then did Ciel come back to his senses.
A bitter smile appeared on his face. He finally understood how big the gap was between himself and truly top-tier wizards. From beginning to end, Snape had used just one Levicorpus to completely dominate him. Although he hadn't entered the Underwater Enhancement state and hadn't used his currently strongest Legendary power for close combat, Ciel estimated that even counting all these, unless he could ambush like he did with Quirrell, the possibility of facing Snape head-on was minimal.
However, after this "torment," Ciel wasn't without any improvement. At least what Snape had taught him today was carved into his body through repeated falls. He just wasn't proficient enough yet. His magic-related talent still wasn't high enough. It was difficult to immediately detect the opponent's magic movements instinctively, as Snape had said, and then respond accordingly.
At this time, Ciel began to understand why Harry's combat performance in the original story was so fierce. In the first year, he single-handedly killed the two-faced man. Second year, he killed the thousand-year-old basilisk alone. He clearly hadn't learned any powerful magic, but in single combat, he almost never lost. Even when facing elite Death Eaters, he could often find weaknesses and defeat them in one strike.
Now it seemed this shouldn't be entirely due to protagonist aura. Most importantly, Harry's talent was too high. Detecting opponents' magic movements was probably as natural as instinct for Harry. No need to teach, he was born knowing how.
Ciel couldn't help but smile bitterly. Comparing people with people was infuriating. But after a moment, his mindset calmed down again. Don't compare with such talent monsters. He would learn slowly and practice slowly. Someday, all this could be mastered.
Then Ciel looked at Snape gratefully. "Thank you, Professor."
Although Snape had basically tormented him for two full hours, Ciel had gotten along with Snape for so long that he understood this guy was just tsundere. When teaching him real combat just now, he hadn't held back. Everything he taught was solid knowledge!
Snape snorted lightly, acknowledging Ciel's thanks. Then, with a cold face, he pushed over a mountain of materials that needed Ciel's processing.
"Finish processing before dawn tomorrow."
Then Snape quickened his pace and left the Potions classroom. As he stepped out, Ciel suddenly remembered. He quickly called out, "By the way, Professor. That... Merry Christmas."
Snape's steps paused. He nodded almost imperceptibly. He said nothing and then closed the door.
Ciel didn't mind. Then he immersed himself in processing the potion materials.
Snape hurried back to his office. After deliberating for a moment, he took out a special black quill. From a hidden compartment in the storage cabinet, he took out a stack of black parchment and envelopes. Then Snape wrote furiously on it. Then he used a special candle to burn the letter completely.
His eyes also showed a cold expression. "So many years have passed. I hope those people in Knockturn Alley know what's good for them. Putting a bounty on my potion assistant. Don't make me personally visit Knockturn Alley, otherwise..."
Snape gripped his wand, rarely showing killing intent.
At the same time, a pub in Knockturn Alley erupted in chaos. The reason was simple. On a worn, bloodstained parchment hanging on the pub wall, lines of ink suddenly appeared. The dark wizard's lingering eyes in the pub lit up.
"A new bounty? Last time there was a high bounty on a little half-giant, but I missed it. Don't fight me for it this time."
However, when they saw the content of the bounty text, the dark wizards were stunned. It was a line of extremely domineering, arrogant text.
"Ciel Sprout is my man. Cancel his bounty. Immediately."
The younger dark wizards exploded. "Who is this? Who does he think he is?! Who posted this bounty? This is the first time I've seen anyone dare to threaten the Knockturn Alley black market. If I meet him, I'll definitely take him out and see what he's capable of!"
But strangely, those slightly older dark wizards fell into an eerie silence when they saw the mark appearing at the end of the bounty message. A one-armed dark wizard's face paled. "The lily and sword symbol... it's him?"
Another dark wizard missing an eye and half his face subconsciously covered his black eye socket. The pain of being pierced by an invisible blade seemed to start spreading again. "That madman who uses Sectumsempra. The bounty little half-giant is his man?"
The pub owner's face changed. Without a word, he immediately waved his wand. The bounty information about Ciel originally appearing on the parchment was immediately erased. At the same time, he said angrily, "Damn it! Which bastard put a bounty on that madman's people? I still want to live a few more days!"
But immediately after, he showed a cunning expression. "Making me suffer such a big shock. The bounty reward can serve as compensation for my mental distress. That's reasonable, right?"
The young dark wizards were still confused. "Who are you talking about? Is it really that scary?"
The other dark wizards sneered coldly. "Who else could it be?. A dark wizard proficient in Sectumsempra. Over all these years, there's only been Severus Snape in the wizarding world."
At the mention of this name, everyone's faces showed fear. "Powerful... his Sectumsempra is god-like, more terrifying than the Killing Curse. If he were just powerful, that would be fine, but his background is incredible. First he followed You-Know-Who, becoming a core Death Eater. Then after the war, he wasn't purged but was protected by Dumbledore and became Head of Slytherin. The two most powerful wizards are both his backers. What kind of background is that? Who can afford to provoke him?"
The old dark wizard's eyes revealed fear so thick it couldn't be dissolved. "Many people boast about being fearless of death. I've seen plenty of such people, and without exception, when death approaches, they all fear. But Severus Snape, that madman... I encountered him once, eleven years ago. He's not afraid of death. He's actively seeking it. As if the entire world no longer held anything worth his attachment. I don't want to experience that terror again."
The dark wizards shook their heads. "Forget it. Let's just have a peaceful Christmas."
Just as the Knockturn Alley black market cancelled the bounty, Quirrell's heart suddenly moved on his hospital bed. He carefully took out a piece of black letter paper. A line of text appeared on it.
"Due to force majeure, your bounty has been cancelled. Your prepaid bounty reward has been used to pay for the black market's losses."
Quirrell's expression suddenly stiffened. "Bounty cancelled? And you took my money?! That's my hard-earned money!"
Quirrell's expression was ferocious. He immediately wrote a letter, trying to get an explanation from the black market. But the next moment, another line of text appeared on the letter paper.
"You have been listed as unwelcome by the black market. The black market will no longer respond to any of your messages."
Quirrell could no longer write anything on the letter paper. He was dumbfounded. After a moment, anger spread in Quirrell's heart. His howl was mournful. It echoed through the night sky.
"My money!!!"
Then Quirrell's vision went black. He fainted directly from anger.
The next morning, coming out of the Potions classroom, Ciel heard the news that Quirrell's condition had suddenly worsened last night and he had fainted again. His mood suddenly improved greatly. Hearing such good news on Christmas morning was awesome!
Then, an owl suddenly flew through the corridor. It delivered a heavy package to Ciel. He looked at it strangely. The package was signed by Professor Sprout. There was also a handwritten greeting card.
"Merry Christmas, Ciel. This is our first Christmas together. Forgive me for having to prepare various matters for students going home with the other Heads of House this morning. I'm afraid we won't be able to return to the Sprout family for Christmas until evening. But I've prepared a precious, special gift for you. I hope you like it."
Ciel felt warmth in his heart, and his eyes showed anticipation. Professor Sprout had given him many things, but whether it was Guardian Tree materials or the custom Nimbus 2000 broomstick, he had never heard the word "precious" from her. He wondered what was in the package.
Then Ciel carefully unwrapped the package. What came into view was a branch soaking in a special potion. It was a willow branch. In his mind, it was as if lightning had struck.
"This is... Whomping Willow!"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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