Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 161 The Unfinished Little Genius Telephone Pocket Watch

Severus called Harry over, who was eating cookies, and asked him to take out the pocket watch he had bought for 20 Galleons at Borginborough in front of Nico.

This silver pocket watch, along with the spell markings, could accurately pinpoint the watch's location. According to Borgin at the time, this thing was once Nico's own alchemical creation, but most of its functions were damaged later, which is why he sold it so cheaply.

But Severus never believed a word this unscrupulous merchant said.

If you do business with Bojin, you might make a lot of money, but he will definitely not lose money!
Now is the perfect opportunity to let Nico himself see it.

After receiving the silver pocket watch from Harry, a look of realization dawned on his face.

"So this is it."

Seeing his performance, Severus was taken aback. His first reaction was that he had really gotten a bargain!

Is this really one of Nico's works?
However, Nico's next words left Severus somewhat unsure.

"This is a work by Brad Benjamin, or rather, one of his works."

“Benjamin? Who is he?” Severus asked.

Nico's eyes were filled with reminiscence as he recalled.

“That was a Beauxbatons graduate I met in 1950. He had a great talent for alchemy and had already achieved something at a young age. More importantly, he also had a lot of ideas.”

"As a pharmacist, you should know that for alchemy and potions, the key to some works lies in the generation of an idea."

"Benjamin is Muggle-born. His parents were ordinary people who served as radio operators during the Muggle Wars. Therefore, he is also very skilled in Muggle communication technology and has not forgotten those skills just because he went to magic school."

"Therefore, after he achieved some success in alchemy, he discovered the astonishing backwardness of wizards in the matter of information transmission."

"Although the development of magic is much longer and more profound than that of Muggle technology, the means of information transmission are still limited to owls and FlooNet."

“Owls are not convenient enough, and their delivery speed is slow, so they can’t achieve real-time communication. Not to mention the Floo network, you need permission from the Ministry of Magic to connect a fireplace to a usable Floo network, and fireplaces aren’t always available.”

"As for Muggle radio and the later-invented wired telephone, they also have their limitations."

"Therefore, at that time, he thought of creating an alchemical device that wizards could carry with them and communicate instantly anytime, anywhere."

After listening to Nico's explanation, Severus's expression became subtle. He looked at the pocket watch again and couldn't help but think of a name.

Little Genius Telephone Pocket Watch!
Lupin, standing to the side, looked somewhat excited. He had clearly also thought of the alchemist Benjamin's idea through Nico's words.

"That's fantastic! If this thing is actually developed and patented, he'll definitely reap both fame and fortune!"

Harry also heard Nico's story. He tilted his head and looked at the pocket watch, asking in confusion.

"But there are no such pocket watches in the magical world now. Even this one was bought by the teacher in Knockturn Alley."

"And what was it that prevented Mr. Benjamin from succeeding?" Severus asked as well.

Nicole's voice was regretful; he said with a sigh of regret.

“Because he’s dead.” “Dead?” Severus, Lupin, and Harry all stared wide-eyed.

"His idea for the pocket watch was proposed in 1967, and later in 1970, in order to apply for several alchemical patent licenses in the UK, as well as to visit alchemists in England, he settled in Oxford in the following years."

Upon hearing this, and recalling Nico's earlier explanation of his identity, Severus understood.

"Those were the years when the Black Devil was most active in Britain."

Nico nodded.

"Yes, his background got him into trouble. At the time, many people wrote to him, urging him to get away from that troublesome place as soon as possible and come back quickly. I was one of them."

"But he made a new discovery in a wizarding cemetery in Wales. According to him, if he can decipher the alchemical techniques found in the cemetery, he can realize his final vision."

"Then a few days later, he was found by a group of Death Eaters, and then news of his death came from the British Ministry of Magic."

After Nico finished speaking, the scene became somewhat quiet.

Severus seemed lost in thought, Lupin shook his head and sighed, while Harry's face turned pale; he clearly hadn't expected things to end this way.

"The pocket watch you bought from Knockturn Alley must be one of the failed attempts he made."

Nico had clearly come to terms with the matter a long time ago. He was still examining the worn-out pocket watch when he spoke.

"Even if it's a failed attempt, it should be one of the batches he came close to succeeding. It's very complete, and the location function is already there. All that's left is for him to figure out how to add instant messaging. It has great alchemical value. You definitely made a profit by buying it for 20 Galleons. If you take this to the Alchemist's Guild, I bet many people there would be willing to buy it for more than five times its value."

"Because it's been so long and hasn't been maintained at all, the watch's positioning function is now defective. Perhaps I can help you with some minor repairs to make its positioning more accurate and timely."

Lupin and Harry were still immersed in the regret of Mr. Benjamin's untimely death before he could even begin his mission, and Harry had gained a more direct impression of the Death Eaters.

The damage this group has caused to the magical world is far greater than what the eyes can see!

Having regained his senses, Severus thanked him and then asked a question.

"You were behind him, didn't you ever think about continuing his research?"

Nico shook his head and said softly.

“I am too old. In recent decades, I have produced very few alchemical results. My mind is becoming dull, and even the elixir of immortality cannot alleviate this change.”

"Moreover, after Benjamin's death, no one knows whether the research data he left behind was taken away or destroyed by those villains, making it very difficult to continue this research."

Just as they were talking, Madame Lemaître and Draco invited them to lunch.

This exchange about the origin of the pocket watch came to an end.

But it's clear that Harry didn't just treat it as a story, something he only heard at the Flamel house.

(End of this chapter)