Leo pushed open the door to the Potions professor's office.
The familiar scent of medicinal ingredients permeated the air. His nostrils twitched slightly as he detected something beneath the complex herbal aromas—a faint trace of blood.
So Snape had indeed been bitten by Fluffy.
Walking skillfully to the desk, Leo sat down and glanced at several uncapped bottles and vials scattered across the surface. His suspicion was confirmed.
"Professor, Happy Halloween."
Hearing Leo's holiday greeting, Snape seemed unaccustomed to such pleasantries. He hesitated slightly before nodding.
"Hmm."
The terse response made Leo wince inwardly. Did Snape rarely receive holiday greetings from anyone?
"Do you have questions?" Snape asked habitually. Few students dared visit him every few days with inquiries. Leo was one of the exceptions.
Leo pulled a small vial from his pocket and placed it on the desk, sliding it toward Snape.
"Professor, I attempted to brew a simple potion. Could you examine it for me?"
Snape reached out and took the vial, opening the cap and peering inside. The contents were a solid potion. He tilted the vial and tapped it several times, and a perfectly round white pill fell into his palm.
Bringing the pill close, he sniffed it carefully. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Should be a healing-type potion. Ingredients include safflower, dew, and fire-asp egg white..." He paused. "But one ingredient isn't very common."
This actually piqued Snape's interest. As one of the finest potion masters of his era, he rarely encountered magical ingredients he couldn't quickly identify—especially from a young wizard.
Leo inwardly smiled. Of course, it was uncommon. Aurelius's qilin saliva was one of a kind in the entire world.
His potion studies had been quite methodical. He'd experimented with compressing rare ingredients into solid form as a method of preservation, believing that consolidation might better protect delicate magical essences from degradation. This little pill, however, was primarily made from qilin saliva mixed with various common ingredients.
Since he hadn't yet accessed the Philosopher's Stone, he couldn't attempt brewing with it or navigate its associated challenges. But this experiment with condensed form proved that such techniques were viable for future, more complex work.
Leo reasoned that if he eventually needed to brew with the Philosopher's Stone and required extremely rare materials, such scarce components couldn't be purchased with gold alone—they required special channels. Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts with exceptional connections and limitless prospects, certainly possessed access to such networks.
Building goodwill now might prove invaluable when he later needed to exchange for rare materials or request Snape's assistance in locating them.
Leo recalled the importance of establishing personal relationships with influential mentors. After all, exceptional individuals like Snape might be among the most capable and influential people one encounters in an entire lifetime.
Seeing Snape's genuine interest in the pill—or rather, the unique ingredient within it—Leo knew his first objective was accomplished.
"Professor, you could analyze it magically, or perhaps try it directly?" Leo suggested. "After all, I wouldn't put anything strange in it. You can be assured."
Snape looked up at Leo for a moment. He understood this student reasonably well—relatively rule-abiding, conscientious, humble, nothing like certain foolish youngsters.
Snape summoned some instruments and pulled out his wand, casting minor spells to assist in analyzing the pill's components.
"Indeed, those are standard materials, but this..." He studied it intently. "This possesses such rich vitality..."
While observing and analyzing, Snape conjured a cup of tea and a plate of snacks that floated before Leo.
Leo picked up the teacup and took a sip. Ah, the familiar medicinal tea. Somewhat bitter, somewhat astringent, somewhat sour—in any case, not pleasant.
He examined the small snack: wind-dried jerky with a cheese flavor. As the name suggests, dried meat has a distinctly cheesy note. Leo mentally grimaced. Why not just serve cheese directly? Truly a peculiar choice.
"How was the duel with Draco?" Snape asked conversationally. He maintained decent relations with Lucius Malfoy and paid some attention to the other's son when possible.
Leo set down the teacup, speaking in a casual tone.
"Fine enough. He surrendered right at the start."
Snape's mouth twitched involuntarily at this statement.
"After all, a Malfoy..." he began, then caught himself, finishing in a near-whisper.
"Professor, what did you say?" Leo hadn't heard him clearly, only catching something about Malfoy.
"Nothing," Snape said curtly, redirecting the conversation. "I've reviewed your potion. The brewing method is straightforward—mostly relying on materials, particularly that exceptional ingredient supporting it."
Leo nodded lightly.
"Everything you said is correct." He smiled slightly. "So, Professor, would you like to test its effects?"
After a moment's silence, Snape directly tossed the pill into his mouth and chewed it. As a potion master, testing potions was a daily routine. Taking medicine was like consuming candy.
Initially, Snape's expression remained calm as he appreciated the pill's taste—sweet and not unpleasant. But after swallowing...
A warm current emanated from his abdomen, gradually spreading outward through his limbs. This was typically unremarkable—healing potions normally produced similar sensations. But Snape quickly noticed the pain in his leg had noticeably diminished, and moreover...
Snape pulled back his robes to examine the three-headed dog bite. His typically cold, fathomless eyes rippled with genuine emotion.
The torn flesh was healing rapidly, but that wasn't what truly shocked him.
Rather, it was the black energy that had been spreading inside and around the wound—the dark curse inherent to Fluffy's teeth—actually dissipating in wisps of shadow.
For Snape, repairing simple flesh wounds was far too easy. The lingering dark magical effects were the real problem. Conventional magical and potion methods proved ineffective, requiring only time and constant cleansing to wear away the corruption.
In the span of moments, the black energy had completely vanished.
"This..." he breathed.
Blocked by the desk, Leo couldn't see the specific wound. But he could see Snape's expression—shock, wonder, something close to awe crossing those typically impassive features.
Well, the effect must be quite excellent.
Aurelius's qilin saliva, rich in life essence that promoted rapid healing and capable of dispelling certain curses, such as those lingering on Fluffy's teeth, explained the rapid recovery. This was somewhat similar to Aurelius's purifying fire, though presumably less potent overall.
"Professor, how is this potion's effect?" Leo asked.
Snape composed his astonished expression, restoring his characteristic stoic face.
"Well, the effect is quite exceptional."
Snape understood clearly that the potion's excellence lay not in brewing technique, but in that mysterious, unidentifiable ingredient. He very much wanted to ask Leo what it was and where he'd obtained it.
Ultimately, he didn't ask. Partly due to his nature, partly because Leo was still a child, and as a professor, he had no real need to probe a student's small secrets.
Seeing everything proceed as anticipated and Snape declining to ask, Leo rose to take his leave. As he neared the doorway, he heard Snape suddenly call him back.
"On the shelf to your left, pick something."
"And also..." Snape's voice carried an unusual warmth. "Happy Halloween."