Chương 40: Chapter 39 - Potions Class.

[Chapter Size: 3300 Words.] 

Third Person POV 

Hogwarts. 

... 

... 

The sound of cauldrons began to echo through the room, with flames being lit beneath them as each student tried to set them to the correct temperature. 

Severus had arrived late enough to avoid the annual sixth-year introductory speech, during which Slughorn usually talked about expectations for that period and about the Slug Club. Some students were already being quickly selected to join it. 

Furthermore, he probably should have asked about Severus, given all the attention he had been receiving lately. His absence should not have gone unnoticed. 

In any case, Severus was certain that Slughorn would not be bothered by his sudden appearance in class. 

His eyes shifted between the book, the cauldron, and the various ingredients he had already gathered without anyone noticing. He set the mechanics book aside and quickly checked the potion page in his sixth-year textbook, leaving it open. Then he made all the ingredients begin to spin and float before him while checking that everything was correct. 

His book was already heavily scribbled in, containing a more direct formula for the potion, eliminating unnecessary ingredients, perhaps even excessive ones, while also enhancing its effects. 

The potion was none other than the Draught of Living Death. 

'Alright, let's begin.' He merely thought this as he made his small cauldron float in front of him. 

He checked the amount of liquid and set it ablaze with a simple snap of his fingers. The flames spread from his fingertips, expanding beneath the cauldron as they began to swirl rapidly, forming a small fiery tornado. The water immediately started to boil. 

'Great. I can leave it like this.' Severus thought with satisfaction, levitating the cauldron farther to his right, not too close but not too far from his eyes either. He would leave part of his mind, through Occlumency, working on the potion while the other devoted itself to studying the mechanics book and a new personal project. 

He wanted to create something interesting, something he had failed to develop in his past life because he had never managed to fully unravel that field of knowledge. However, based on what he had already read about mechanics, perhaps he could finally bring what he wanted to life. 

After all, in the other world, he had never acquired enough knowledge to create the complex joints required for his project. 

Severus stopped paying attention to the environment around him and practically shut himself off from everything except his workstation. He kept one part of his mind focused on the cauldron and ingredients, while the other remained dedicated to his studies. 

The cauldron continued flying beside him, all the ingredients still floating around the container, being added at precisely the right moments, leaving the workbench completely clear so he could work however he wished. 

He settled into his chair and opened the book, also taking out a few notebooks for sketches. He would need to make his drawings. 

The moment he began studying mechanics, he immersed himself completely in the subject. He found various human-made assemblies, not only related to vehicles, but also involving industrial engines. 

'So that's how combustion works...' Severus was analyzing older engines that operated through the burning of coal and the steam produced by it. The combustion also generated energy to start turning the valves. Trains were driven in this way. Even the Hogwarts Express itself operated like that. 

'Interesting.' 

Severus began making a few notes, but he did not want to create a machine powered by combustion. He wanted to make something new, something he had not yet found in that world. 

'Strange... But the statues of Hogwarts are basically that as well.' Severus couldn't help but think about it as he began sketching. 

What he wanted to create was a humanoid being that functioned through magic. Perhaps he would need to introduce a magical core. 

But on second thought, the stone statues themselves and those animated suits of plate armor did not possess cores. After all, he knew they could fight until they were shattered to pieces, revealing that they were completely hollow inside, before beginning to rebuild themselves and returning to their sentinel positions throughout different parts of the castle. 

"I don't need to use a core. Maybe runes will be enough, if I can create something like that. But I still need to solve the joints." 

That was the greatest challenge he had faced in his previous life while trying to create what he called a golem. Curiously, in that new world, the construct had exactly the same name. 

He quickly began making sketches and drawings while trying to copy some of the principles he had observed in the engines. 

If he could create golems using the Ancient Runes from his other world, it might actually work. 'That's it. This will be my project until the end of the year.' Severus displayed a satisfied smile as he drew a golem standing over eight feet tall. 

'Maybe I should add an engine too. I can make the engine use the runes' own magic.' 

He paused. 

'But I would need to recharge it... I can try making it consume the magical energy in the air itself. Hogwarts is a practically inexhaustible source.' His mind began working frantically through different possibilities. 

That was when he felt a small burst beside him. Looking over, he saw Articuno land on his shoulder after Apparating. 

'What are you doing here, Articuno?' He raised an eyebrow as Articuno watched the floating cauldron, with a swirling flame beneath it. 

At the same time, several thick seeds resembling walnuts floated above the cauldron and began crushing themselves. The green liquid extracted from them dripped into the mixture, while the leftovers were discarded into a corner of the table. Another plant was automatically sliced into pieces and added to the water. 

Severus did not use any spatula to stir the mixture. He did not even touch the cauldron. With his own telekinesis, he was able to manipulate it at the exact angles he needed, controlling the speed and number of rotations with extreme precision. 

Articuno watched this for a few moments. When he turned his attention back to the book Severus was reading and the sketches spread across the table, the cauldron no longer seemed all that interesting to him. 

'You seem quite restless this time. I needed to rest after using invisibility for so many hours. Besides, what are you planning? You're always up to something interesting whenever you're in this state of mind.' Articuno commented in Severus's mind. 

Severus raised an eyebrow and glanced to the side. The bird was not invisible; he was simply observing everything with curiosity. 

"..." Severus was left speechless by his strange bird. 

'What is this that you're drawing?' he asked again. 

Severus then turned his attention back to the golem drawings, the joints, and also the internal structure, where he had designed a massive suit of armor. 

'It's a project I'm testing. Golems. I'm going to apply metal plates around them and use magical runes. I believe I can create some rather interesting soldiers with that. But I also want to install a functioning engine inside. I think it will be much easier than making them operate entirely on their own.' 1

He continued drawing as he spoke. 'Maybe I can even make them release magical energy instead of simply moving from one place to another. If I could make them fire lightning and cast a few spells, it would be much more interesting.' 

Articuno watched as Severus began drawing a large number of runes while simultaneously detailing all the joints. 

He needed an exoskeleton to make it function perfectly with the project. He needed to embed it alongside the engine and also create valves and energy conduits capable of channeling magical energy directly to the palms of the hands, from where they could launch attacks. 

'Just imagine a golem that can cast magical lightning. Doesn't that sound interesting? Like your Ice Roar.' Severus said excitedly, a smile forming on his face. 

'I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds cool.' Articuno replied simply. 

Severus ended up letting out a small laugh. Then he returned to drawing. 

However, it did not take long for him to realize that his unnoticed study session had reached its limit. 

'Severus, they're calling you. They saw me too.' Articuno commented. 

Severus blinked, lowered the book from in front of his face, and looked up. 

The entire class was staring at him. 

"Mr. Snape!" Professor Slughorn's voice echoed from the front of the classroom. Until then, he had been busy helping a few students, but he finally seemed to notice Severus. 

The entire room fell silent. Only the sound of bubbling cauldrons continued to fill the air. Severus's flames still swirled beneath the floating cauldron beside him. 

[IMG] 3

He stopped drawing and looked at the professor. "Yes, Professor?" he replied with complete naturalness, unconcerned by the shocked stares directed at him. 

Even the Slytherin students, who had previously attended Charms class with him, were looking at him as though he were a creature from another world. 

The Gryffindors were seeing him that way for the first time as well. Severus could feel the gazes of practically every student in the classroom, from the shyest to those who made no effort whatsoever to hide their curiosity. 

Not all of the sixth-year students were there. After all, that was an advanced N.E.W.T.-level Potions class, so some had failed to achieve the grades necessary for the professor to allow them to continue. Others had simply given up on the subject. 

Even so, Severus could feel every gaze directed at him. He could feel the Marauders' stares and the confusion written across their faces. He could feel the Gryffindor girls staring at him in shock, finally connecting him to the boy they had seen walking through Diagon Alley and the new Slytherin student. 

He could also feel Lily's gaze, staring at him as though she could not believe what she was seeing. It was the first time she had witnessed Severus's transformation. Severus did not need to look at any of them to know that. 

He simply maintained his calm tone as he answered the professor. His response, given as though everything were perfectly natural, seemed to leave Slughorn even more bewildered. 

"Mr. Snape... are you making your cauldron float?" he asked in shock. 

The professor could not understand how the flames were spinning around the cauldron, nor how all those ingredients continued to fly around it. 

"Ah, that? It's just a spell I learned, Professor." 

"But you're not paying attention to your cauldron!" Slughorn said. 

Severus did not stop himself from showing a small smile. "Don't worry about that, Professor. I don't expect you to judge my methods. Judge only my results." 

Severus spoke in a controlled tone, very different from his former self, while the professor continued staring at him without fully understanding how any of it was possible. 

"And this bird? What kind of bird is this?" Slughorn asked again, now approaching. 

Severus glanced at Articuno, who had decided to remain visible. 

'Well, sometimes I get tired of being invisible. It's not like you're going to hide me all the time, right? It's better to stay visible with you than with that first-year girl. I needed a little rest before going back to her.' Articuno commented. 

Severus merely sighed and turned his gaze back to the professor. "I found him during the holidays, Professor. His name is Articuno. He's known as an Ice Phoenix." 

"An Ice Phoenix?" Slughorn repeated, astonished. 

'Please, show him something.' Severus requested. It seemed like too much to expect that anyone would already have heard of such a creature. 

Articuno spread his wings above Severus's head. The next instant, he fired a white beam through his open beak. 

The energy streaked across the classroom like a brilliant flash, illuminating the entire room before striking one of the windows far away from everyone. 

Immediately, the glass began freezing as the beam advanced with its energy. Ice rapidly spread across the surface. 

"Merlin's beard!" Slughorn took a step back, completely stunned. 

Gasps and murmurs swept through the classroom. 

"I think you'd better go take a walk, how about that? The students are scared of you..." Severus commented. He had expected something like this to be shocking, but seeing everyone stare at him as though they were in the presence of a monster while looking at the completely frozen window was still something else. 

'Now that they've seen you, they won't leave you alone.' Articuno said and decided to leave. He began flapping his wings, partially folded them, and then his body shone intensely. 

The next instant, he vanished in a flash similar to the Apparition used by phoenixes. 

"Where did it go?" a student asked. 

"It wanted to take a walk." Severus replied naturally. 

Then he turned his attention back to Slughorn. "Anyway, Professor, I'll let my cauldron keep working while I take care of a few projects." 

He paused briefly. "If I get a low grade, I'll take full responsibility." 

Severus explained this to the professor, who continued watching the floating cauldron without fully understanding how he was doing it. Even so, he decided not to interfere. 

Whatever Severus was doing seemed quite interesting, and his eyes drifted to the papers he was working on, a mysterious gleam appearing in his gaze. 

Slughorn also wanted to see the results before criticizing him. "Very well, Mr. Snape. I'll let you work. I'll simply expect a perfect grade from you after all this." 

Then he turned his attention back to the rest of the class. "Now you should all be working on your cauldrons as well," he said, just before one or two cauldrons exploded as students hurriedly tried to save their potions. 

He said that, although no one had actually gone back to paying attention to their own potions. Everyone was still watching Severus. Severus simply raised his mechanics book again and returned to studying his drawings, paying no attention to them. 

Even Lily watched him, almost forgetting about her own potion, constantly turning her gaze toward him, though she said nothing. 

Obviously, her stare was more intense than the others. 

Potter was staring at him as well, as though trying to understand what was happening, his face somewhat dark as he exchanged a few words with Sirius and Black. Lupin remembered seeing this new Severus with that bird in one of the train compartments. 

The class continued. And when the final ingredient fell into the cauldron, Severus already knew he was finished. He had controlled the exact amount of each component, the heat, and the intensity of the flames required to keep the Draught of Living Death perfect. 

Severus began lowering the cauldron slowly while extinguishing the flames. Then he placed it directly onto the heating ring that students normally used. 

He knew that this potion was far more powerful than any other similar potion. 

"Mr. Snape, I imagine you've already finished!" Slughorn said, immediately approaching his desk when he saw him extinguish the cauldron's fire. 

Severus lowered the book. "Yes, Professor," he replied calmly, looking only at him and ignoring everyone else. 

Slughorn approached carefully. Even before examining the potion, he cast several curious glances at the sketches and the books Severus had been reading. 

But his attention was ultimately drawn to the potion, and the color was excellent. In the professor's opinion, it was practically perfect. Then he took out a small piece of paper and placed it on the surface of the liquid. 

The sheet sank, dying simply from touching that liquid. It immediately began dissolving completely. 

Slughorn's eyes widened. "Excellent! I feel like a single drop could kill all of us!" he exclaimed triumphantly. A kind of attention that Severus would never have received before, with Lily always getting the most credit. 

"I've never seen anyone brew a potion this way! And with an even better result!" Slughorn knew that no automation spells existed that could produce potions in such a manner. Much less with such a perfect result. 

That made him look at Severus as a great mystery. How had he managed to do all of that without even paying attention to the cauldron? 

Could he have developed a revolutionary method for potion-making? Slughorn could not help feeling nervous at that possibility. After all, every potion maker had to keep their eyes on their potion, but Severus had created something like this without properly looking at the cauldron... almost as if he were cheating. 

'No, I won't draw attention to that right now.' he thought. Then he decided to leave that conversation for the end of class. 

So he quickly turned his attention back to the other students, leaving Severus aside for the moment. Severus merely shrugged. 

Then he took several vials out of his dimensional ring. With a simple gesture, he made the liquid begin to leave the cauldron. 

The potion flowed through the air in several perfectly controlled streams, filling each container without wasting a single drop. 

"I'd like to know where you learned so many tricks, Snape." A voice came from the other side of the room. He had been watching Severus. 

Many students were still watching as well, while the liquid left the cauldron like dark serpents and smoothly entered each vial. 

Severus merely raised his eyes and looked at the one who had spoken. "Mulciber, I doubt you'd be able to learn it even now. It's beyond your capabilities." Severus mocked. 

Mulciber growled, and Avery said something in his ear. In any case, the professor continued assisting the other students. 

Severus was the first to finish, so he had plenty of time to store all the vials away. After all, he was the one who had brewed that potion and intended to sell it later. 

Slughorn certainly would not be so petty as to prevent him from using or selling a potion crafted by his own hands; many poorly made potions ended up being discarded by Hogwarts. 

Meanwhile, the professor continued grading the other cauldrons and giving his verdict on each attempt. At the end of class, he returned to the front of the room. 

"Well, I don't really have much to say about this lesson." He paused while looking at the students. 

"Mr. Snape produced the best Draught of Living Death in the class—no, the best one I have ever seen in my long career. Therefore, I will be awarding twenty points to Slytherin." Several students immediately reacted to the announcement. 

"In second place is Miss Evans, who was the only one to come relatively close to the result achieved by Mr. Snape. I will award ten points to Gryffindor." 

Lily simply remained silent while receiving the praise. But her green eyes turned back to Severus, filled with questions and caution. However, Severus was always more interested in reading his book, Mechanical Engineering, or paying attention to the professor. 

"As for the rest of you, I want you to study the theory more thoroughly and plan the execution of the potion before the next class." Slughorn clapped his hands once. 

"With that, class is dismissed. I would only like Mr. Snape to remain so we can have a conversation." 

As the students began putting away their materials and getting to their feet, Severus did not pay attention to the rest of the speech at all. 

His mind was already completely focused on the calculations he was performing. 

He was trying to determine the amount of force required for each part of his golem's mechanical skeleton. 

In his opinion, that was far more interesting than any potion they would brew during that school year. 

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