Hearing the knocking at his office door, Snape frowned. Already irritated from being pressured by unscrupulous merchants to sell at reduced prices, his mood grew increasingly grim. He swore that whoever was knocking on his office door at this time, even if it was that old bee Dumbledore, he would viciously spray venom at them!
But when Snape opened the door and saw the figure standing there, the fury about to erupt suddenly froze.
"Ciel Sprout—what the hell happened to you?!"
In Snape's vision, Ciel looked exactly like he'd been mining coal in some black coal pit. Black dust covered him from head to toe, even on his face and hair.
This scene temporarily made Snape forget his anger, replacing it with curiosity and confusion. Though Ciel couldn't be said to have the nearly obsessive requirements about appearance like pureblood nobles, at least every time he came to see him, he was neatly dressed and clean. What was going on this time? Coming to see him so filthy without even tidying up his appearance?
Then Snape's nostrils flared several times, like a venomous snake capturing pheromones in the air. For a Potions Master like him, scent alone was enough to distinguish information ordinary people couldn't detect.
He could smell a very strong scent on Ciel. At first whiff, it had some spiciness but moments later brought mental relaxation and clarity—like being slightly drunk yet simultaneously maintaining sobriety. Then various fragrances tumbled through his mind: hazelnut, fruit, oak, chocolate—the aftertaste lingered endlessly.
This made Snape's originally grim mood feel somewhat invigorated. Moments later, Snape reacted. This smell... Alihotsy?
But immediately he shook his head repeatedly. No. Ordinary Alihotsy, though its smoke after ignition can bring similar feelings, the effect is definitely not this good. And the spicy, pungent smell would be more prominent—it couldn't possibly have the hazelnut and fruit fragrances I'm sensing—unless it's one situation.
Snape took a deep breath, rarely losing composure from excitement. He forcefully pulled Ciel inside, then slammed the office door shut with a bang.
"You—you purified Alihotsy?!"
Snape stared intently at Ciel, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. Ciel carefully withdrew a box from his chest. Opening it revealed ten Alihotsy leaves wrapped like cigars. Simultaneously emanating was the same scent as before, but much more concentrated.
Without further confirmation needed, Snape could already be certain—this badger had truly made breakthrough progress in Alihotsy purification processes. This sent waves of shock through his heart. Only three days had passed. Ciel had completed what so many outstanding wizards struggled generation after generation to improve?
This seemed too incredible. But immediately after, Ciel's explanation made Snape somewhat relieved, "I previously received Helga Hufflepuff's inheritance. This Alihotsy purification method was told to me by Lady Hufflepuff. She even wanted to invite me to take a puff, but seeing I was only a first-year, she let it go."
This was Ciel's prepared explanation. After all, he knew that however talented, independently completing purification processes in three days was impossible. But attributing this to the Four Founders, particularly Hufflepuff, who most researched enjoyment, like food and drink, was quite credible. Moreover, according to records, Lady Hufflepuff indeed loved smoking Alihotsy. In the room where he'd previously received Hufflepuff's inheritance, besides wine bottles on the long table, there really were pipes!
Sure enough, after his explanation, though Snape remained shocked, he could at least accept it. After all, the Four Founders' magical abilities were at the same level as Dumbledore's—even Snape couldn't fathom them. On this basis, Hufflepuff, famous for food magic, having lost some special Alihotsy processing methods made sense.
Then Snape's focus fell on another matter. He gripped his wand, asking, "Did you see anyone else along the way? Does anyone else know you can purify Alihotsy? Don't you know what this represents, how precious it is? How dare you reveal it in front of others?"
Ciel shook his head, "No, I saw no one along the way—I'm certain. Now only you know about this, Professor."
Snape paused, then still coldly snorted, "Aren't you afraid I'll betray you?" He said sinisterly, "In this world, nothing is absolutely reliable. You know, even friends you consider closest might betray you at unexpected times."
Ciel continued shaking his head, "You wouldn't, Professor. You're someone who would silently die for a promise."
At these words, Snape felt thunderstruck. Looking at Ciel, his gaze suddenly became extremely complex, falling into silence—seemingly never imagining he'd hear such an evaluation from someone else. After a long while, Snape finally gritted his teeth, saying disdainfully, "Fool. You know nothing about what I've done, yet presume to understand me so well?"
But then, seeing Ciel's unperturbed appearance, Snape felt like punching cotton—powerless. He took a deep breath, suppressing subtle emotions before saying with a stern face, "Don't claim you purified Alihotsy. This process was invented by me, understand? Also, how to sell purified Alihotsy afterward—I'll decide everything. You only have production authority, understand?"
Ciel nodded repeatedly, "Purification processes attract covetousness. If it were me, many people might act rashly, taking risks. But if you claim you invented the process, Professor, your Potions Master title, Slytherin Head position, plus your exceptional magical abilities are enough to deter those with ill intentions. I only handle production while you control sales—this maximizes avoiding those troubles finding me. I know you're protecting me—"
Before finishing, Snape scolded, "Shut up. You're overthinking. I just want a share of the profits."
But secretly, Snape clenched his teeth. This kid... truly infuriating!
After a deep breath, Snape irritably issued an eviction order, "Once I've established those channels, I'll request goods from you—you'd better prepare more. Now leave. I don't want to see your presumptuous self anymore. Also, turn right outside for the washroom—wash your face and the smell off your body. You don't want the whole area within a mile smelling like my office, do you?"
Only then did Ciel notice his disheveled appearance and that Snape's office truly reeked of Alihotsy. He laughed awkwardly a few times—these three days overseeing Alihotsy purification progress, barely blinking, he truly couldn't spare attention for such things.
Then he bid Snape farewell, quickly walking toward the washroom.
Meanwhile, at the Weasley home, the Burrow, Ron's eyes flashed with spell lights while his eyes burned painfully. His lungs felt ready to explode from rapid running. Then Ciel and Hermione looked at him with contempt, like watching a clown. Their lips drew closer and closer.
"Stop!" Ron suddenly opened his eyes, gasping heavily, wiping cold sweat from his forehead, eyes bloodshot. That damned dream again—
That day he'd tailed Ciel and Hermione, attempting to disguise himself as a dark wizard to attack them, only to be hit squarely by lime and then pursued by Aurors. Though escaping using Voldemort's power, this experience truly left Ron shaken. Since returning, every sleep brought the nightmare he'd just experienced.
Recalling the nightmare's contents, especially Ciel and Hermione kissing before him, Ron's palms clenched tighter. The anger, unwillingness, and hatred in his heart hadn't faded despite days passing—instead, they intensified.
Currently, his gaze fell on the ring worn on his hand, eyes growing increasingly anxious. Since that day when "Nagini" helped him escape Auror pursuit, "Nagini" seemed to have fallen into slumber from excessive weakness, remaining silent these days. This left Ron feeling panicked and uneasy, fearing that after losing the temple's favor, he'd also lose this newly-acquired mysterious friend's help.
Fortunately the next moment, a weak voice bringing Ron wild joy sounded in his mind, "Don't worry, Ron—I just consumed too much power, so I slept briefly."
Hearing "Nagini" still existed, Ron immediately exhaled deeply. Then, after hesitating briefly, Ron actively asked about what "Nagini" had previously mentioned, "Nagini, you said Hogwarts hides a secret. If I can control it, I can easily eliminate certain people at Hogwarts, right?"
"Nagini" stated decisively, "Of course. You know, that's the inheritance left by the great Salazar Slytherin."
Ron paused, "Slytherin's inheritance—but I'm a Gryffindor. Can I still obtain it?"
Nagini's voice was full of temptation, "Of course, of course. Slytherin's philosophy is pureblood supremacy. With your pureblood background, you naturally qualify to become Slytherin's heir. Moreover, Ron, you're the chosen child—no one in this world deserves Slytherin's inheritance more than you. This all depends on whether you're prepared to control this powerful force."
Ron bit his lip, driving away the nightmare scene re-emerging in his mind, "I'm ready. Tell me what to do."
Then Nagini explained about the Chamber of Secrets. Hearing there was actually such a chamber in the castle, containing a thousand-year-old basilisk—this dark creature—Ron's eyes widened, then his heartbeat inevitably began accelerating.
A thousand-year-old basilisk, called the wizarding world's most dangerous magical creature? Whoever makes eye contact with it dies without exception—even ghosts? If I could control the thousand-year basilisk, then next semester, Ciel before me—
Ron's palms instantly clenched. Before this power, what is Ciel? The basilisk needs only one glance to kill him. No one would even know what happened!
His voice grew hoarse, "But how can I control the thousand-year basilisk? I'm guessing such a big fellow isn't easy to control, right?"
Nagini praised, "Smart. First, the basilisk has mostly been in hibernation these thousand years. Each sleep might be ten to twenty years or even nearly a century passing. To awaken the basilisk from slumber quickly, we need a special magical herb—Alihotsy. Especially purified Alihotsy has excellent effects for awakening the basilisk."
This left Ron somewhat confused, "Alihotsy—why does it work on the basilisk?"
Nagini's voice also sounded strange, "Apparently when Salazar Slytherin hatched this basilisk back then, because of conflicts with the other three founders, his mood was very irritable. He smoked too much Alihotsy at that time. Basilisks are creatures very sensitive to scents—constantly smelling this during hatching, so after hatching they also developed a preference for this scent."
This made Ron even more uncertain, "Then wouldn't that mean others using Alihotsy could also control the basilisk?"
Nagini laughed helplessly, "Alihotsy only awakens the basilisk, making it feel favorable. But Slytherin left contract magic for the basilisk—to make it work, you must speak Parseltongue. Otherwise, even using Alihotsy to awaken it from slumber, if you can't speak Parseltongue, you'll only be torn to shreds by the basilisk."
"Rest assured, Parseltongue is an extremely rare talent, but with my help, you can completely master it. Hogwarts strictly forbids students from smoking Alihotsy—violators are directly expelled. So when next semester starts, the only one possibly meeting both conditions is you. Then you can deal with Ciel Sprout however you want. No one will know it was you."
Only then did Ron relax, "That's good." He took a deep breath, eyes showing fervent intensity, mind already filled with scenes of himself controlling the basilisk and being omnipotent at Hogwarts.
At this time, in the ground floor washroom, Ciel was carefully washing various dust stains from his skin in the spacious washroom, recalling what had just happened. Professor Snape handling such matters should be effortless. Once purified, Alihotsy sells, and Horned Tree Toad mucus will be no problem.
He sighed with relief. This way, I can focus on farming ahead. But just then, his far-superior-to-ordinary mental abilities let him capture some different sounds amid the rushing water—hissing sounds, plus slimy scraping sounds.
These sounds came from pipes within the walls. Like some enormous scaled creature traveling through them, rapidly approaching!