Chapter 22
It's unclear whether it was because he noticed Devero's smugness or simply wanted to mess with him, but Snape immediately wiped the shocked expression off his face and returned to his usual grim demeanor.
"Fine. From now on, every Friday afternoon, you'll come here. I have tasks for you," Snape commanded in his low, gravelly voice.
Devero's face fell upon hearing this. *Seriously?* An extra afternoon every week stuck alone with this old bat? That was going to be torture! But Snape was both a professor and the Head of Slytherin—Devero had no choice but to obey.
As if deliberately trying to make Devero squirm, Snape brought up another matter. "And another thing—let's talk about spells."
Devero pursed his lips. *Here it comes.* Snape was probably going to reprimand him for using magic on the train. Although in the original story, Harry and his friends had also cursed Malfoy on the train, Devero wasn't sure if he'd get the same "Chosen One" treatment.
"Professor, it was Malfoy who insulted my friend first, so I acted," Devero said, trying to defend himself as best he could.
"What Malfoy?" To Devero's surprise, Snape seemed completely unaware of the incident, his brows furrowing slightly. "You mean the thing about you attacking Malfoy with a spell on the train… Professor, you didn't know?"
Snape waved his hand impatiently. "That's irrelevant! What I want to know is why you know so many advanced spells—even Apparition! That's an extremely dangerous spell!"
Devero blurted out, "So, Professor, I won't be expelled for casting spells on a classmate?"
Snape let out a cold snort and pointed to a piece of parchment on the desk. "With *that* in play, unless you've killed someone, I won't let you be expelled!"
Devero was stunned. He hadn't expected the Polyjuice Potion to have such a profound effect! To think it could make Snape protect him to this extent! At that moment, Marcus's words from earlier at the Slytherin table echoed in his mind: *"In Slytherin, humility is not a virtue!"*
Seeing Snape's attitude, Devero felt a wave of relief. As long as he wasn't getting expelled, he was fine! He immediately relaxed. His earlier conversation with Marcus, combined with Snape's reaction, made one thing clear: he absolutely couldn't hide his abilities. Acting modest, pretending to be an innocent little first-year who knew nothing—that wouldn't do at all! He was a prodigy. Why? Because at Hogwarts, only the truly exceptional—those who topped their year or stood out in some other way—got access to certain privileges and places. And as long as you were outstanding enough, the school's leadership would turn a blind eye to some of your actions, just like they did with Voldemort back in the day.
To explore Hogwarts fully and gain more privileges and leniency in the future, he had to show these old fogeys what he was capable of! As a transmigrator, he wasn't afraid of Legilimency, so what was there to worry about? Let them see what an absolute genius looked like!
With that in mind, Devero leaned back in his chair, looking as comfortable as if he were at home. Snape's brows furrowed even more. Devero adjusted his posture, sitting up straight.
"Professor, the reason I know so many spells isn't because I made deals with dark wizards or did anything illegal. It's because…" He looked at Snape with a resolute and serious gaze. "I'm a genius! I can learn any spell just by seeing it once! For example, Apparition—I watched someone do it once, and I got the gist of it. After a few more observations, I could use it proficiently. It's the same with other spells."
After Devero finished, there was a long silence. Snape crossed his arms, covering half his face, his dark hair obscuring his expression. Devero couldn't tell what he was thinking—maybe he was holding back a laugh? Or perhaps he was weighing the credibility of Devero's words. Devero figured the former was more likely.
"You're saying you can learn a spell just by watching someone else cast it?" Snape repeated, his low voice devoid of emotion. "Without any training, any systematic instruction, and having only had your wand for a month, you can master spells that even advanced students can't handle just by watching a few times?"
Devero nodded repeatedly, confirming it was true.
*Crack!* Snape slammed his hands on the desk, making the books on it jump. "Do you take me for a fool?" He stood abruptly, leaning forward, his dark figure looming over Devero. His eyes locked onto Devero's, burning with barely contained fury.
They were so close that Devero could smell the scent of Snape's shampoo—or, well, maybe it was just the smell of his greasy hair.
---
Devero completely understood Snape's reaction. After all, they'd lived together for a year. Just like with potions, Devero hadn't exactly shown signs of being a spellcasting prodigy before. So it was understandable that Snape didn't believe him. But the fact was, he *did* know advanced magic. Combined with his earlier feats of brewing Polyjuice Potion and modifying his wand, it must've shocked Snape quite a bit. Now, throwing in the claim of being a spellcasting genius? Snape should have built up some tolerance by now, right?
Besides, Devero hadn't told a single lie, so he wasn't afraid of Snape testing him later. He opened his mouth to say more, but Snape ignored him, storming out of the office with a warning not to leave or go near the storage room. So now, Devero was left alone in Snape's office.
To be honest, he was itching to sneak into the storage room and have a good look around. But he had a nagging feeling that Snape could return any second. Devero wrestled with the temptation, much like he did in his past life when his parents left the house, and he was dying to sneak a peek at his phone.
Finally, after countless internal struggles, Devero decided to take the risk! He hopped off the chair and approached the storage room door. He tried the handle first, but it wouldn't budge. Without hesitation, he pulled out his wand.
"Alohomora!" He was already quite skilled with the Unlocking Charm. Since Snape's storage room hadn't yet been visited by the likes of Hermione or Dobby, its security measures were clearly lacking. The door clicked open with ease.
A smirk spread across Devero's face as he prepared to step into the holy grail of potion ingredients. But then—
"What are you doing?" It was like a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter. Devero froze, shivering. He turned around to see Snape glaring at him, his face as dark as a storm cloud.
"Come with me," Snape said, surprisingly not pursuing the matter further. His expression remained grim. "Let's test in practice whether you're this so-called 'genius.'"
Devero gave a small smile. His hands had been itching for action, and he hadn't planned to convince Snape with words alone anyway. He happily followed Snape out of the office.