Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 518, Section 516: Ambiguity and Reality
Walking in the borderlands was a wondrous experience; Snape saw the mist floating there, like clouds.

The clouds drift and unfold, revealing a bright, pure white hue.

The black cat lay on a cloud of mist, and Snape could clearly see his own desires through the bizarre and fantastical mist.

He saw those ordinary days still chasing after him, and the wisps of mist emanating from his body still had grotesque faces.

He knew he probably couldn't stay long, even though the black cat was subtly nudging the fog with its tail.

As they walked along, watching the black cat struggle carefully against the fog, Snape suddenly smiled awkwardly.

In these hazy and fantastical moments, he glimpsed something real.

Just like that black cat that accidentally wandered into his life, which he wasn't proud of, his life began to change from that day on.

"Don't waste your time."

"Snape said suddenly."

The black cat pretended nothing had happened and hid a cloud of mist that was emitting an ominous roar behind it.

"Oh--"

Snape surveyed the vast, white expanse.

He gazed at the beautiful dreams, thoughts, and forgotten good fortune it brought him.

Before leaving the border area, he suddenly understood everything.

Some things that are hidden in the daytime and cannot be spoken are revealed frankly and nakedly at the border.

Because the souls here are very close, at the border, the only thing separating wizards is the distance between their hearts.

Snape saw his own misty threads subtly connected to the black cat's fur. He saw that the threads were quite thick, wider than the distance between his fingers, and far beyond the thinnest threads.

"stupid."

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but no sound came out.

So he simply let the mist rise and engulf his figure.

Snape woke up.

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window and fell on his face, which was still adjusting to the light.

He squinted, still not used to returning to reality.

Before last night, he thought his dreams were all about disappointment.

Just as spring flowers are winter's beautiful dream, so distant and hazy, carrying both fantasy and a yearning to tear apart reality.

So the wizard of winter reached out his hand, only to grasp the pain of uncertainty and loss.

But today, the dream allowed him to see the truth clearly.

Thus, even someone as skeptical as him became certain of it.

……

Sheehan still couldn't find Leta. She was an adventurous person by nature, and in the dream, Mr. Newt laughed and said that it was common for him not to be able to find her.

Just like him, he lost her for decades.

Sheen wasn't disappointed; in fact, even if he had met Ariana, it wouldn't have made much difference.

He could not yet summon his spirit guest, nor could he bring the old wizard to see her.

So Sheen downgraded the priority of this matter.

Now, what lies before him is to grind his proficiency in the [Skilled] Fiery Spell to the [Expert] level.

Only one-tenth of the way is left. If he puts in enough effort, Sheen might be able to become a master of dark magic before summer vacation.

And so, Sheen's life once again sank into the vast realm of magic.

At dawn, he opened his eyes in the Ravenclaw Tower, ate quickly, and began practicing the Fiendfyre spell in the cellar.

Then he devoted entire days and nights, except for eating and sleeping, to studying dark magic. The phrase "forgetting to eat and sleep" hardly describes Sheen; even Snape frowned at him.

He had no doubt about the guy's passion for magic, but wizards were ultimately mortals. Constantly exhausting their mental energy and then relying on potions to recover was not a good idea.

"The Potions Tournament is just around the corner..."

Snape stared at the exhausted wizard, interrupting his attempt to resume his practice.

"Before that, you'd better learn enough potion-making skills. If a wizard can't brew enough good potions, then he'd better learn enough potion-making skills."

Snape said in a sinister tone.

Resting in his chair, Sheen silently opened his control panel. Thanks to Professor Snape's almost vengeful teaching methods, Sheen had already mastered all the potions for Hogwarts' first to fifth years—

Yes, that's right, it's revenge.

Sheen had never been able to brew a master-level potion, which aroused Snape's strong suspicion.

He began to suspect that there might be something wrong with the potion itself, preventing the young wizard who could write his book, "The Willpower of Potions," from reaching the level he described in the book.

In other words, he described the optimal effect of the potion's will theory based solely on conjecture, yet he himself could not achieve it.

And this guess was correct; Snape himself had tested it.

So it was as if he had built a skyscraper out of thin air in a place without a foundation.

This fact is not good for his plan. "The Art of Potions" is the most outstanding achievement in the potions world in the past century that he plans to have the young wizards showcase at the Potions Conference.

"Next, you'd better be able to brew a decent shrinking potion. Remember your role: Potions Teaching Assistant."

"Snape said menacingly."

He had one last sentence he didn't say.

That means remembering your identity: not just a Potions teaching assistant, but also the one and only Potions Master...

"I see, Professor."

Sheen sighed.

He only possesses a negligible talent in the field of potions, and his potion talent stat on his character panel has remained stagnant for a long time.
[Title: Potions Expert]

[Significantly increases sensitivity to potions and greatly enhances potion-making talent]

[Wizard Sheen, Potions Talent: Blue (Potions Expertise title added, original talent was white). Note: Normal wizards have green.]

[Advanced: Brewing six expert-level potions and six skilled-level potions unlocks the expert-level title in the potion-making field]

Six expert-level potions...

Sheen pondered silently, deciding that the last two missing items were shrinking potions and soothing potions.

The soothing potion is needed by the school hospital, and Sheen has many opportunities to practice it; while the shrinking potion is a potion that third-year wizards need to learn.

The only problem now is that we don't have enough time.

However, Sheen happens to know some alchemical creations that extend time.

The days slipped away in the sunlight of the underground classroom.

Sheen spends his days dealing with daisy roots, fig peels, mouse spleens, and leech juice.

On very occasions, Sheen would want to burn all the green shrinking potion with Fiendfire if it still couldn't become a homogeneous liquid.

At this point, Sheen will suddenly pause and become more cautious about learning dark magic.

If he subconsciously wants to use the powerful Fiendfire, then he will most likely be affected after he learns the Soul Stealing Curse.

Sheen clearly grasped some simple truths: if you possess a sharp weapon, the desire to kill will naturally arise.

To remove such influence, Sheen must restore the "order" of dark magic within the wizard's heart.

(End of this chapter)