Matthew had been drafted into service.
On his way back to the common room, he ran into Professor Snape.
Earlier that day, some accidents had occurred during the first-years' Potions and Flying lessons. Several students had been injured, and Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the matron of the Hospital Wing, had asked Snape to brew additional potions to replenish supplies.
Unfortunately for Matthew, he happened to run into Snape just as the professor was heading off to brew potions—so Snape gained himself a free assistant.
Matthew worked alongside Snape until ten o'clock before they finally finished brewing the potions Madam Pomfrey required.
Even Snape looked slightly tired. Teaching at Hogwarts was no easy job, and Potions was one of the school's core subjects. His teaching schedule was packed.
Snape picked up a stack of parchment from the table.
"An improved Restorative Draught. More effective than the original."
"Thank you, Professor," Matthew accepted the parchment happily. He hadn't even noticed when Snape had written it.
Earlier, while they were busy, Matthew had casually mentioned it. Snape had only told him to be quiet and focus on brewing.
"Matthew, for assisting your professor and reducing my workload, ten points to Slytherin."
Snape never missed an opportunity to award points to Slytherin.
Meanwhile...
"Don't worry, we'll find Trevor," Harry comforted Neville.
Neville's toad had gone missing again.
Trevor had been with him when he went to dinner, but had vanished by the time he returned.
"My Scabbers is very well-behaved. He's never gone missing," Ron said, casually patting the rat in his pocket.
Neville looked even more dejected.
"My memory is terrible… I forget things all the time."
Hermione shot Ron a glare, signaling him to stop talking.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Why don't we ask Senior Matthew? Maybe Pidan can help find Trevor."
Ron looked surprised.
"You know Matthew too?"
"Pidan found Trevor on the Hogwarts Express," Hermione explained. "We were in the same compartment as Senior Matthew. Do you know him too?"
Ron nodded.
"We're neighbors. We both live near Ottery St. Catchpole."
He grew excited.
"Have you ever played Flying Chess? Matthew gave it to me last Christmas—he bought it from Muggles. It's really fun!"
Matthew and the Weasley family were distant relatives, and the Weasleys often invited him to spend Christmas at the Burrow.
Ron was about to continue describing the game when he noticed Harry, Hermione, and Neville suddenly turning pale, staring behind him in fear.
"It's past curfew."
The four of them had unfortunately run into Professor Snape, who had just returned from the Hospital Wing with Matthew.
Matthew watched the scene with interest.
Ron stiffly turned around and saw the emotionless face.
Professor Snape.
Ron felt doomed. On the very first day, he had been caught breaking curfew by the most terrifying professor.
"P–Professor…"
Snape stared at the four of them expressionlessly.
"Foolish souls always gather together. Ten points from Gryffindor."
Harry tried to defend himself.
"Neville's toad went missing. We were helping him find it."
Snape fixed his cold gaze on Harry.
"Potter, for talking back to a professor—another ten points from Gryffindor."
He then turned to Neville.
"Once you find your toad, return to your dormitory immediately. If I catch you wandering at night again, you will receive detention."
With that, he turned and left. From behind, his billowing black robes resembled rolling smoke.
Harry looked deeply discouraged. He couldn't understand why Professor Snape always seemed to target him.
Matthew spoke gently.
"Professor Snape didn't give you detention. Losing a few points isn't a big deal. You can earn them back in class."
Ron looked at Matthew strangely. Earning points wasn't exactly easy—yet Matthew spoke as though it were trivial.
Hermione then asked,
"Senior Matthew, could you ask Pidan to help find Neville's Trevor?"
"No problem," Matthew replied warmly.
"Pidan knows quite a few cat friends around Hogwarts."
Many students kept cats as pets. As magical creatures, these cats were fairly intelligent and had their own social circles.
Matthew drew his wand.
"Call Companion."
A soft glow emitted continuously from the wand tip.
"This is a summoning spell for magical companions," Matthew explained to Neville. "As long as you maintain the spell, your pet can sense your location. Neville, you should learn this spell."
Neville brightened.
"There's a spell like that? I want to learn!"
But then his expression fell again.
"I'm worried I won't be able to learn it… I already struggle with first-year spells."
"It's simple," Matthew reassured him. "I can teach you when I have time."
The four nodded eagerly.
At that moment, a black cat jumped in through a window and walked leisurely to Matthew's feet, rubbing against him.
Matthew picked up Pidan, stroking the fur on its neck.
"Pidan, Neville's toad is lost again. Help him find it."
Pidan rolled its eyes in Matthew's arms.
I'm a cat, not a dog, it seemed to think. Why am I doing search work?
Other cats only needed to lie in their owner's arms and act cute to earn treats. Yet here he was, working overtime at night helping find someone else's pet. He had just been on a date with Mrs. Norris moments ago.
Pidan jumped down and walked toward the corridor.
Matthew turned to the four.
"Follow Pidan. He'll help you find the toad. I still have something to do, so I'll head back."
Matthew wanted to return early to practice meditation, so he didn't stay.
After saying goodbye, he did not return to the dormitory. Instead, he headed toward the eighth floor of the castle.
---
Matthew stopped before the stretch of wall opposite the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry, focusing his thoughts.
I need a room for brewing potions.
After pacing past the wall three times, a smooth door appeared.
The room was not large, but it was fully equipped with potion-making equipment. There was even a bed for resting.
Matthew took out the parchment Snape had given him—the Improved Restorative Draught formula.
After reading it once, he began brewing immediately. The ingredients were all common, and he happened to have some in his pouch.
After some time, he successfully brewed the improved potion. However, his technique was still somewhat rough, and the potion contained impurities.
He discarded the batch and brewed again.
"This will do."
The second attempt met his standards.
Matthew drank the Improved Restorative Draught. A hot sensation spread through his mouth and throat. Moments later, the recovery speed of his mental sea increased significantly.
He carefully observed the effect.
Recovery speed increased by 30%.
The original Restorative Draught only improved recovery by 20%.
He brewed four more vials and drank them all.
The recovery speed of his mental sea reached an astonishing 250%.
Snape's improvement was truly remarkable. Matthew couldn't help but admire it—his own knowledge of Potions was still insufficient to achieve such refinements.
Next, Matthew began practicing meditation inside the Room of Requirement.
After calculating his progress, he estimated:
At this rate, in three to four days, he would advance to Level Two Wizard Apprentice.