The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

As a result, the other person received a notice to stay at the university before graduation and officially became a professor the following year.

Although he taught obscure Muggle studies, Nymphadora and upperclassmen who took the course said that Quirrell was full of vigor at the time, and the course quality was quite good.

Until a year ago, Quirrell took the initiative to apply for a course on defense against the dark magic, saying that he needed to gain more experience and would take a year off to travel around the world.

During this trip, he claimed to have had a terrifying experience, during which several vampires and a powerful witch cursed him.

Professor Babling stated that Quirrell suffered severe physical and mental damage during the journey, bearing many traces of dark magic, including losing all his hair due to a curse.

Even Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore could only heal Quirrell's injuries, not completely remove the curse from him.

From that time on, Quirrell's personality completely changed. He became timid and cowardly, afraid of anything that might harm him, including his students and the things he taught.

To cover up his lost hair, he found a thick purple headscarf before the start of the school year, which was covered with an exorcising potion with an extremely strong garlic-like smell.

“I suggested he go back to teach Muggle studies, but unfortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore couldn’t find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher before the start of the semester… It can only be said that this course may really be cursed. From the 1960s to now, no one has been able to successfully teach this course for more than a year. Quirinus hadn’t even officially taken office when this accident happened.”

Professor Babling certainly didn't treat Ritz as an outsider anymore. Although it was common for Hogwarts' upperclassmen to have a different Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher every year and to speculate about the curses behind the courses, very few professors would actually say it out loud.

Meanwhile, after Rizzi repeatedly inquired about Quirrell, he also successfully obtained an "oral message" from Professor Barbling.

"Professor Barbling told me that Professor Quirrell is a pitiful man, and he most likely went on an adventure to broaden his horizons in order to break the unknown curse behind the Dark Arts Defense."

"This is a list of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors from the past few years that I obtained from upperclassmen. The various accidents that those professors experienced in the past show how dangerous the curse behind this course is, but Professor Quirrell still submitted this application despite knowing the danger."

"It can be said that Professor Quirrell's current state is the result of his efforts to fight against the curse. He has tried his best, but in the end he still failed, and he has suffered unimaginable torment for it."

“I don’t think we should laugh at Professor Quirrell’s efforts. Instead, we should try to encourage him. After all, given his current condition, he may not be able to continue as a professor at Hogwarts next year. I don’t want a professor who has worked so hard and fought against the curse to be ridiculed by his students for being cowardly and weak in the last year of his teaching career.”

After the first disappointing Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Rizz used Professor Babling's words to explain to her roommate Quirrell's past excellence and current helplessness, and to state her reasons for supporting Quirrell.

Then his roommates gradually spread these things around.

The effect is outstanding.

By the time of the Second Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ravenclaw and nearly half of the Gryffindor students had mastered the Nose-Blocking Charm.

Even Hermione took the initiative to find Rhett in the library, spent more than ten minutes mastering this simple little evil spell, and then sat in the front row with Rhett during the second Defense Against the Dark Arts class to help maintain classroom discipline.

Most of the Gryffindor students no longer made fun of Quirrell for his stutter in class, after all, these little lions really enjoyed the story of the "tragic hero".

When she sees Quirrell outside of class, she will give him encouraging and supportive looks.

Even Quirrell himself probably wondered why these younger students didn't mind his pathetic appearance and the garlic smell he himself hated.

Even in Ravenclaw, there was a young wizard named Raz who would thoughtfully come over after class to help him prepare lesson plans in advance, saying he wanted to make his classes easier.

If it weren't for his complicated situation, which required him to appear pitiful and cowardly to deceive others, he would have considered using the lesson plans the other party had helped him prepare to teach a few classes and impart some real knowledge.

But when Quirrell thought of the Dark Lord behind his head and what he could get after completing the Dark Lord's mission, his eyes hardened again.

Chapter 29: Potions Class

Friday afternoon is Potions class, followed by two days of weekend rest.

Ryze actually had high expectations for this class, so he deliberately left 0.2 curse energy to see how well he would glean from Potions class.

After all, potion making is a precise and rigorous science; even the slightest mistake could result in something far removed from the intended outcome.

Those failed drug residues might also contain a lot of curse energy.

However, before class started, Anthony whispered a reminder to Reese: "Reese, be careful in this class, don't run into Snape's bad luck."

"In the morning, it was Potions class for Gryffindor and Slytherin. I heard that Harry Potter was being targeted quite severely. By the end of the class, Snape had deducted several points for various reasons."

Michael also told Reese what he had heard: "I've also heard rumors that Snape likes to nitpick at famous students from other houses. The reason Slytherin has been winning the House Cup for years is because of Snape's blatant favoritism as the head of Slytherin."

"And it seems Snape has a good relationship with the Malfoy family. You made the Malfoys suffer such a big loss on Monday, so Snape might get his revenge in this class."

Ryze nodded to his roommates in response.

“I’ve also heard about these things from Professor Babling. I’ll try to keep a low profile, although I feel that if they really want to target me, it won’t matter if I hide in the most remote corner.”

In fact, Anthony and Michael's warnings were correct, and Reiz's feeling was also right.

No matter how low-key Ryze is, it's really hard to completely avoid someone when they want to target a particular person.

From the moment Snape walked into the underground Potions classroom with a gloomy face like a bat and began calling roll in a cold voice, he was already targeting him.

Because when Snape called out the last name, he was the first and only professor to add the surname Black after Rhett White during roll call.

Although it's not exactly a secret that's shameful to be known.

From Monday to Friday, those who cared about Ariel had already discovered that Ryze was Black's orphan.

However, Snape's direct recitation of the surname in class still aroused some confusion and curiosity among the young wizards.

Rizz felt that Snape wanted to see if he would speak up and resist. If he showed the slightest sign of resistance, Snape might deduct points from his record for disrespecting his teacher.

So he raised his hand calmly and answered without any expression, while the other students watched.

“Blake… I haven’t heard that name in years. It seems the lost prince of the Blake family has finally found a way back to the wizarding world,” Snape said, his eyes fixed on Ritzna’s distinctively handsome features and black hair, characteristic of Blake family men.

His eyes were vacant, and his tone of voice was completely unchanging when he spoke.

Looking at Ryze, who still stared at him calmly without any reaction, Snape for a moment thought of the annoying Black from his student days and his little group.

Compared to Harry Potter, who looked 70-80% like his father this morning, Rizzo and Black actually only looked less than 40% alike.

But these unpleasant appearances kept replaying in his mind, unconsciously reminding him of the past, which was always an unpleasant thing.

“I know you have a magical sprite, but if I find out you’re using your familiar to make potions in my class, I’ll kick you out of my classroom and ask the school to let your familiar take your place.”

He spoke these words in a stern tone, then looked away and began the classic opening remarks for Potions class to everyone in the classroom.

"You have come here to learn the precise science and rigorous craftsmanship of this potion-making technique."

“There are no magical elves here, and you don’t need to wave your wands like idiots, so many people might not think this is magic.”

"I don't expect you to truly understand the wonderful feeling of the crucible simmering slowly over a low flame, emitting white smoke and a delicate fragrance. You won't truly understand the wondrous magic of those liquids flowing into the human body, which makes people's hearts flutter and their wills be confused."

"I can teach you how to increase your reputation, cultivate glory, and even—prevent death, provided you are not the kind of fools I usually see."

To be honest, Snape's opening remarks did give off a sense of profound mystery.

Although Ryze was curious about what kind of potion the other party used to prevent death would be.

Snape could also make Philosopher's Stones?

Or is it that Snape only knew how to use the Philosopher's Stone to make the Elixir of Immortality, but the Philosopher's Stone was an ingredient, not a potion, and the potion maker had to find a way to solve that problem?

However, the other party clearly did not intend to elaborate further.

In contrast, it was his earlier statement that resonated more with Reiz.

Simmering slowly over a low flame, releasing fragrant aromas, stirring the mind and spirit, and causing the will to wander.

He didn't quite understand the last two words, but he had a lot of experience with the first two words when cooking.

In his past life, he was quite skilled at making chicken soup, but in this life, his health has deteriorated, and he can only lie in bed during the winter.

But the chicken soup that the caregivers at the orphanage cooked under his direction was quite delicious.

Although making potions is definitely much more difficult than making chicken soup.

However, Ritz felt that the essence remained the same despite all the changes.

He could sense the deliciousness in the dishes he had carefully prepared, so with a little more effort, he should also be able to find the allure of brewing potions.

Just as Ryze was lost in thought, Snape seemed to notice his distraction and suddenly asked him a question.

“Blake, if I needed manure right now, where would you look for it?”

Ritz quickly recovered and answered accurately: "Professor, dung stones can be found in the stomachs of goats. They have a strong detoxifying effect and are the main material for making antidotes."

"So, can dung stones directly remove the venom of snakes like the Neanderthal?"

"No, because the venom of the Neanderthal snake has the property of hindering wound healing. A special antidote containing dandelion extract is needed to promote wound healing."

What medicines can be made from leech saliva?

"I'm sorry, Professor, I only know that leech juice is a material for making shrinking potions, but I don't know what kind of potions leech saliva can be used to make."

Ryze honestly answered with the knowledge he possessed.

Actually, apart from the first question, which is still a first-grade question, the questions starting from the second question are already beyond the syllabus. For example, the Neanderthal snake is a regular topic in the third-grade Magical Animal Protection class, and its antidote should be a topic that needs to be learned later.

It was only because Reese had skimmed through the famous book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" during the summer vacation that he had some impression of the more common magical creatures in it; otherwise, he probably would have been stumped by the second question.

But he didn't argue at all; if he knew it, he knew it, and if he didn't, then Snape could just deduct points from his answers.

The Ravenclaw students were all watching, so they wouldn't think that Ravenclaw's points were deducted because Rez hadn't prepared properly.

Even if Snape deducts a thousand points from him for this reason, it won't affect Ryze's mindset at all.

Moreover, Ravenclaw's attitude towards the Academy Cup is not particularly strong.

After realizing Snape's favoritism, Ravenclaw knew that he couldn't win the Academy Cup by relying solely on intelligence.

Professor Flitwick, the dean of Ravenclaw, said that everyone should just do their best and that he wouldn't put too much pressure on them.

Chapter 30: The True Value of a Half-Blood Prince

To be honest, even if Raven gave Ritz a task to get the highest score in Potions class, Ritz wouldn't be flustered at all, and would even want to laugh a little.

Because Snape never adds points to other houses, he only deducts points from them.

However, Snape did not deduct any points from Rez in this lesson.

It seems he is well aware that it is unreasonable to deduct points for content that is beyond the syllabus.

He just wanted to provoke this brat's rebellious spirit and see just how much patience this guy could have.

But as it turned out, Ryze completely ignored his nitpicking and even looked at him with questioning eyes, as if waiting for him to answer the question.

Snape stared at Ryze for five seconds before addressing everyone in the classroom in a slightly louder voice: "Like the venom of a nymph, leech saliva also has the effect of hindering wound healing, and it is far easier to obtain and harder to detect than the venom of a nymph."

"The old dark wizards liked to use anticoagulants made from leech saliva in combination with dark magic to torture their enemies."

“If any of you dare to misbehave in my class, I will personally administer these drugs to you, understand?”

Seeing the young wizard's frightened expression, Snape raised his voice again: "So why don't you write all this down!"

The students from both colleges immediately lowered their heads and began taking notes, including Ryze, who stood up and took notes of this knowledge point.

Snape didn't let him sit down, so he stood up. That way, he could see more clearly from the back of the classroom.

Snape ignored him as expected. After taking notes on all the knowledge points that he didn't know when they would come in handy, he turned around and began lecturing with his back to everyone.

"Then let's begin today's formal lesson."

In the first lesson, they were making a remedy for boils.

A potion that Snape described as simple, but which actually requires quite a bit of skill to prepare.

First, you need to steam the slugs. Then, during this process, select suitable dried hemp seeds and use tools to crush the fangs of ordinary poisonous snakes. After starting the refining process, once the potion boils, lift the crucible off the flame and sprinkle porcupine quills into it after half a minute.

Only after successfully completing the potion-making demonstration did Snape pretend to notice Rhett still standing there, and then he roared at Rhett.

"So why are you still standing there like an idiot? Don't you know how to sit down?"

"I'm sorry, Professor, I was too engrossed in what I was looking at. I'll sit down now."

Rizzo sat down as Snape instructed.

Old bats are indeed not likable.

Even if he is later exonerated, it will be because of his belated love and remorse for Lily Evans, not because he was a good person in the first place.

However, one thing is for another, Snape's potion-making skills are beyond doubt.

The prince in Rizzo's story was just a nickname given to him by a little girl named Ravenclaw; he was actually a real mixed-race Prince.

Although the Prince family is not one of the Twenty-Eight Pureblood families, it is still a pureblood family with a history of several hundred years and has some reputation in the wizarding world in the past.

Most Princes have extremely high potion-making talents, and many potion masters have emerged in the past two hundred years.

Snape, the half-blood wizard who inherited Prince's bloodline, was also extremely talented in potions, no less so than his ancestors.

Even a textbook he used to keep notes in during his student days helped Harry Potter win Slughorn's favor in his sixth year.

Snape only became Potions professor at Dumbledore's request; he himself had no passion for Potions and treated it purely as a job.

Instead of revealing the better alchemy techniques he had discovered during his student days, he still used outdated textbooks for his classes. At most, he would point out obvious errors in the textbooks during lectures and then demonstrate the alchemy process using purely basic techniques, following the textbook's format.

Perhaps, for him, only a truly intelligent little wizard like Lily Evans was worthy of his knowledge.

Even so, Snape's alchemy skills were enough for him to study for a long time.