George and Fred were no fools. Under Qin Yu's steady gaze, they quickly reached the same conclusion—Acromantula venom.
"No way, you think the apothecary owner ratted us out?"
"Isn't he worried about losing all that middleman profit?" the twins exclaimed, incredulous.
Qin Yu thought for a moment. "It might not be the apothecary owner. Maybe someone else tracked us down. We haven't exactly been operating in total secrecy—someone determined enough could sniff us out."
"Hmm… Yeah, that's possible," the twins admitted.
"So, what do we do now?"
For once, the usually carefree twins looked genuinely worried.
Qin Yu considered the situation. "We've insisted we're out of stock, and the thief found nothing at Hagrid's. Chances are, they won't keep hounding us."
"Right, nobody knows how much venom we actually have left."
"As long as we hide it well enough, there's no way anyone's finding it," George and Fred agreed, their confidence returning. When it came to hiding things, these two were unmatched at Hogwarts—even Qin Yu had no idea where their stash was.
Of course, while their hiding places might be nearly impossible to find, the twins themselves were the real weak point. If Qin Yu ever had to find the venom on his own, he'd just tie them up and interrogate them—much easier than tearing the castle apart.
And if the thief thought the same way…
A pang of guilt struck Qin Yu as he looked at the grinning twins. This time, the trouble really was his doing.
So… have I become the biggest troublemaker at Hogwarts?
Nonsense. That's got to be a mistake. I, Qin, am diligent, kind, careful, and always on my best behavior. There's no way I'm the one causing all this chaos.
He kept these worries to himself—no need to make George and Fred anxious.
"Give me two ounces of venom. I need it for something," Qin Yu said seriously.
"Still can't tell us what for?" the twins asked in unison, frowning.
"Nope. All I can say is, I may have made a mistake before and need to fix it."
"Alright, alright. We'll bring it to you tonight."
Though burning with curiosity, the twins didn't push. They simply nodded in support.
…
Before collecting the venom, Qin Yu went to see his beloved mentor—Professor Snape.
"What do you want? Today isn't a tutoring session," Snape said coldly, eyeing him with suspicion.
"I have some potion-related questions," Qin Yu replied, all humility.
"Hmm. Ask, then," Snape said, settling behind his desk. Then, with a trademark sneer: "Rare for you to remember I'm a Potions Master."
"Come on, Professor. If you weren't teaching Potions, would you be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor instead?" Qin Yu shot back, deliberately poking the bear.
Before Snape could draw his wand, Qin Yu quickly changed the subject. "Professor, is there any way to remove the color and smell from a herb, make it colorless and odorless, but still keep its medicinal properties?"
Trust Snape to catch on immediately. He frowned. "What are you plotting now?"
"Professor!" Qin Yu put on his best wounded-puppy act. "How could you think that of me?"
"Save your theatrics. It's perfectly reasonable for me to think that of you," Snape replied, unimpressed.
Unfazed, Qin Yu pressed on, his tone earnest.
"The weather's been so changeable lately, and loads of students are down with colds. I've seen how much they suffer trying to swallow Madam Pomfrey's Cold Relief Potion. I was hoping to find a way to make it more palatable, so I wanted your advice."
A plausible excuse.
Snape eyed him skeptically, but Qin Yu just looked back, all wide-eyed innocence—blinking for effect.
If you're going to fake innocence, at least do a better job of it, Snape thought, thoroughly unimpressed.
Still, there was nothing obviously suspicious. It was just potion theory, after all—what harm could come of it?
"First, your idea of removing a potion's color and smell without affecting its efficacy is unrealistic. The color and scent often come from the active ingredients themselves. Do you understand?"
"Yes, of course!" Qin Yu nodded eagerly. "But is there a way to make the color and smell less obvious, even if it affects the efficacy just a little?"
"That depends on the specific potion. Different ingredients require different methods…"
"For instance, how would you remove the color from this?" Qin Yu produced an item from his robe pocket.
Snape frowned again. "This is used in Cold Relief Potion?"
"Well, I didn't bring any other herbs. I just happened to have this one. Could you use it as an example—show me how to eliminate its color and mask its scent?" Qin Yu replied breezily.
Snape gave him a look that said, "Do you think I was born yesterday?"
"Professor, don't tell me you don't know how to do it?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow, goading him.
"Spare me your little tricks," Snape snapped.
He snatched the herb from Qin Yu's hand, strode to the workbench, and began setting out a cauldron, mortar, beaker, and other tools.
"Pay attention. I'll only show you once."
Without another word, he launched into the demonstration—calcining, grinding, extracting, adding auxiliary ingredients, then simmering everything in the cauldron…
A short while later, he handed Qin Yu a small vial of nearly transparent liquid.
"Eliminating more of the color and scent would cut the efficacy by half. This is the best compromise."
"Thank you, Professor! You've been a huge help!" Qin Yu said, his gratitude genuine.
"Don't just stand there spouting empty thanks. Did you actually understand?" Snape asked, giving him a sidelong look.
"I did! You mainly used high-temperature calcination and carbon powder adsorption, with a few stabilizing agents for the active ingredients…" Qin Yu explained confidently.
Snape gave the barest nod, satisfied that Qin Yu had grasped the essentials. "Don't just talk. Do it yourself."
Qin Yu was more than happy to oblige. With Snape supervising, he felt much more at ease.
He pulled out a few more of the same herb and set to work, following the process step by step.
…
When Qin Yu finally left Snape's office, his robe pocket held a glass bottle sealed with a cork—his reward for the evening's work.
Back in the Gryffindor common room, George and Fred were chatting with Harry, Ron, and the others. When they saw Qin Yu return, one of them—he could never tell which—handed him a crumpled paper package.
He gave it a gentle squeeze. Inside was a small glass bottle—just what he'd asked for.
Hermione sidled up, curiosity shining in her eyes. "What's that?"
Qin Yu ruffled her hair, putting on his best "mysterious villain" smile. "Young lady, knowing too much won't do you any good."
Naturally, the little witch was not amused, but she could only sigh. When Qin Yu decided to keep his mouth shut, not even her best efforts could pry the truth from him.
All she could do was remind him, "Promise me, when you can tell me, you'll tell me first."
Qin Yu thought to himself, I honestly hope you never have to know.
But deep down, he knew the world rarely worked out the way he wished.
So, he tucked the bottle away, pushed his worries aside, and joined in the laughter and chatter with the others.
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