The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

At the same time, Snape's attitude towards her in the past few years can be considered approving.

When faced with her medicine, the other party will also give positive evaluations and give her extra points.

Meanwhile, during this Christmas holiday, feeling the pressure from Ryze, a first-year student, she spent almost all her time practicing in the family's potions room.

In order to solidify her status as the top potion maker in her grade, she tried many advanced potions and spent a lot of materials practicing those complicated steps with a very low margin for error.

On her return to school, she brought with her a lot of rare materials to prepare for Snape's next step in the selection process for potions.

She felt that in this potion-making frenzy, she was in a precarious situation.

But today, Snape's words and the wolfsbane potion he brewed caused some changes in Gemma Farley's mindset.

Wolfsbane potion—that was a highly difficult magical potion that even her elders struggled to guarantee a success rate with.

After watching the cooking process a few times, she knew that she would almost never be able to cook it up again, given the extreme requirements for material processing and the precise control of the heat.

In her original plan, she intended to wait until seventh grade to start trying.

However, Snape casually told them at the outset that this kind of difficult potion was merely a matter of time.

“The passing grade…” Jemma Farley’s eyes were somewhat confused as she thought about the difficulty of Snape’s six-hour cooking process.

Just looking at it made her feel it was difficult, let alone making it herself.

If even this level of medicine is only passable, then what kind of opponents will they have to face to win?

"Jema, are you alright?" Penelope walked over and asked her.

Because of the long period of concentration, her face is now somewhat pale.

“I’m alright… but brewing the wolfsbane medicine within six months is indeed a considerable challenge for us,” Jemma Farley composed herself and then looked at the remaining people.

“I think we probably can’t work on our own this time. Everyone saw Professor Snape’s brewing process just now, and each dose of wolfsbane is worth hundreds of gallons. My family probably can’t provide much help. If we continue to research on our own, I’m afraid no one will be able to finish brewing the potion in the end.”

"Let's take out our notes from watching Professor Snape's brewing process and cross-check them, then we can discuss the brewing details of this potion little by little."

They began to organize their respective parchments.

Rizzi also wanted to see if Penelope and Jemma had recorded any details he had missed.

While organizing the notes, a Hufflepuff student couldn't help but whisper to Rhett what Snape meant by his last words, which were almost directed at him.

Several people also turned their curious gazes toward them.

Before this, everyone had already sensed Snape's dissatisfaction with Ryze.

But after the holiday, that dissatisfaction seemed to become even more acute.

Everyone present could vaguely sense that Snape's current gloomy mood was probably largely due to Ryze.

"That's a problem left over from their generation. My cousin, who was just exonerated, had some rather sharp conflicts with Professor Snape when he was young. And my cousin seemed to have a wide circle of friends back then. I don't know much about his side of the story. Perhaps he also made some werewolf friends when he was young."

While taking notes from the others, Rizzi gave a brief explanation.

"You mean Professor Snape and Sirius Black don't get along, so he's taking it out on you?" Penelope suddenly realized. "No wonder the professor kept calling you 'Brick' in class, is that why?"

The group exchanged glances.

Although everyone knows that Snape has always been petty, no one knows what exactly happened back then that made him hold a grudge until now.

Ryze continued, "Anyway, I'll write to my cousin later to ask him about the professor's old grudge, but let's get back to the wolfsbane medicine for now."

"Although brewing the wolfsbane medicine is very difficult, Professor Snape has already demonstrated it to us once."

"Even without extra practice, we will each have at least 20 chances to try in the next six months. As long as we can successfully brew it in these six months, our potion-making skills will definitely improve by a big step."

Chapter 135: The Truth Behind Snape's Annoyance

In the afternoon, Ritz asked Alley to ask Professor Flitwick for leave, indicating that he probably wouldn't be able to attend the dueling club that afternoon.

He is still in the underground classroom discussing the preparation of wolfsbane medicine and the methods of material processing with everyone.

After learning about the difficult problem Snape had presented, Professor Flitwick advised Ryze to take a break and not push himself too hard.

Although the Wizarding Tournament is only three months away, Ryze is still just a first-year student.

Even though Professor Flitwick had high hopes for Rez, he was still thinking of waiting until Rez was in his third year to try and win a place in the junior division.

This wizard duel tournament for first-year students was just to let Rizz and his friends experience the atmosphere; there weren't many requirements.

Even with Snape's demonstration and the author's notes in the underground classroom, practicing the wolfsbane potion remained extremely difficult.

The six of them discussed it for an afternoon and then decided that after receiving the materials, they would take turns cooking them individually, while the others would watch and record from the sidelines.

It wasn't until evening that Jemma Farley was the first to try.

She then failed after only half an hour of simmering because the crucible temperature was one degree too high.

The group spent nearly an hour reviewing the situation before Penelope became the second person to step forward and try.

However, it still couldn't last more than 40 minutes because the infusion of magic was not stable enough.

According to their assessment, the requirements for material processing, as well as the precise control of heat and magic, in making the wolfsbane potion were almost outrageous.

Even the slightest deviation will cause billowing black smoke to rise from the crucible, signaling failure.

Seeing the disastrous results of two consecutive failures, Xingsou realized they couldn't just go for it like that. They needed to find a way to improve their potion-making skills before attempting the wolfsbane potion.

"I will try to organize some methods for practicing the timing and controlling magic power. Otherwise, without a solid foundation, our current practice is simply a waste of these precious materials."

Ultimately, with these words from Gemma Farley, the potions seminar for the evening came to an end.

......

A weekend morning.

After telling his roommate, Rizz put on his cloak and quickly left Ravenclaw Tower.

Instead of dining in the auditorium, he bypassed Felch's patrol and crossed the lawn to the giant Whomping Willow at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Upon sensing the approach of a creature, the temperamental magical plant immediately began to sway its branches, driving Rizz away.

Ryze simply sent Aery to press on the knot on the other tree trunk, and that immediately silenced it.

He then quickly slipped into the tunnel under the tree roots and made his way through the tunnel to the Screaming Shack in Hogsmeade.

After leaving the Screaming Shack, he dusted himself off and continued toward the hut on the edge of Hogsmeade.

As soon as I opened the door, a warm breeze wafted in.

Lu Ping was already waiting here.

“Good morning, Ritz,” Lupin nodded to Ritz as he sat by the fireplace in the cabin. “Is the passage over the Willow Tree easy to navigate? We had to put in some effort to get through there back in the day.”

"It's alright. It's not as fast as I expected, and it's much gentler than I thought after I pressed down on that scab," Ryze said, taking off his cloak and then taking the meat buns he had made earlier from the storage cabinet next to him to the kitchen to start preparing his breakfast.

While preparing breakfast, Lu Ping asked about Reiz's life over the past week.

Regarding her dream with Ravenclaw, Ryze simply mentioned experiencing some strange things in the divination dream, but didn't go into too much detail.

After all, Professor Babling had previously guessed that Ravenclaw might have given him some "special tasks".

Although she resisted the urge to ask, it was clear that she was still somewhat worried about the matter.

Ryze felt that these matters of destiny didn't need to be a concern for anyone else.

As expected, Lu Ping only marveled at the wonder of divination and reminded Reese not to get too caught up in it, without asking any further questions.

Rizzi then briefly mentioned that their Witcher Auto Chess game was very popular in Ravenclaw's lounge.

Even though the number of pieces and coins were still missing, some people volunteered to act as referees and record this data to confirm that neither side had made any illegal moves.

As they chatted, Ryze naturally brought up the task Snape had assigned them the day before.

“The wolfsbane medicine is indeed quite difficult to make. Even though I haven’t started trying, I’ve already seen several failed attempts through divination.”

Upon hearing the term "wolfsbane medicine," Lu Ping paused slightly in his teacup.

He knew, of course, that Snape was doing this on purpose.

“Snape certainly had reason to do that, after all, we did go too far back then, and it wasn’t just an old grudge,” Lupin shook his head, then told Rhett what really annoyed Snape.

"Although I have already mentioned to Albus that you have ordered a year's supply of wolfsbane for me at St. Mungo's Hospital, Dumbledore seems to have indicated to Snape that he hopes Snape can research and improve the wolfsbane in order to keep me safer here and allow me to focus more on teaching you."

Lupin gave a wry smile: "Although I later wrote to Albus asking him not to go to such lengths for me, Snape will probably hold us responsible for this and take his anger out on you."

"You can imagine what it must feel like for someone who already loathes us so much to now have to spend time and energy every month researching medications to help me."

“So that’s how it is. No wonder he looked so grumpy. Professor Dumbledore really knows how to make things difficult for people.” Hearing this, Rizz finally understood why Snape had that sour face.

This combines both old and new grudges.

Lu Ping continued, "The wolfsbane medicine is indeed very difficult for you, so don't force yourself, just do your best."

“I know, but Snape has already demonstrated his brewing process to us. Although it is indeed difficult, I think there is still a good chance within six months.”

Lu Ping knew that Reiz was a very opinionated young man, so since the other party said so, he smiled and nodded at Reiz: "Then I will wait for the medicine you will brew in the future."

As Ryze prepared breakfast, Lupin remembered something and asked Ryze about the Marauder's Map.

Chapter 136: The Whereabouts of the Marauder's Map

Rez quickly ate a meat bun and then wiped the grease from his mouth.

“They told me they plan to start next week. Harry, Ron, and Hermione—all three of them are very interested in your old Marauder's map and have spent a lot of time figuring out Felch's patrol patterns, including how to deal with Felch's cat.”

Lu Ping nodded slightly, then looked at Ritz and asked him what Ritz planned to do in this operation.

Ryze smiled and picked up another bun: "I'm searching for the Marauder's Map in my own way."

Seeing Lu Ping's puzzled expression, Reese quickly said, "I have a feeling that Harry and the others probably won't be able to find that map in Felch's office. That map was probably taken by a few troublemakers who were just as capable as you were back then."

Lu Ping paused for a moment, then gave a nostalgic smile: "It seems that even after we leave, Hogwarts will continue to produce those troublesome individuals who give Felch and the professors headaches. So... since you've already foreseen this, are you still going to watch them risk going to Felch's office?"

Ryze looked at Rupin and shrugged: "My hunch might not be entirely correct, and it's good for them to go and confirm. Spending all day in the common room wondering if Snape is a bad guy won't develop their ability to handle unexpected situations."

“I finally managed to get them to behave a bit, but as soon as I came back from the holidays, they told me that Peter Pettigrew accidentally revealed that Snape was a Death Eater on the day he was caught, so now they’re starting to suspect Snape again.”

Lu Ping chuckled wryly: "Indeed, Snape is easily suspected. I never imagined he would become Dumbledore's spy. It was Dumbledore who personally vouched for Snape with his own reputation, which is why he wasn't sent to Azkaban."

It must be said that Snape's feelings for Lily were indeed deeply suppressed; even Lupin didn't know why Dumbledore trusted Snape so much.

Or perhaps Lupin and the others had vaguely sensed Snape's feelings for Lily during their school days, but they could never have imagined just how deep Snape's obsession with Lily truly was.

"So, let's find something for them to do to distract them."

Rizz added, "Of course, this is something that Headmaster Dumbledore has tacitly approved of; he also hopes that Harry can grow up as quickly as possible."

The smile on Lu Ping's face faded.

He was silent for a moment before saying to Reese, "I've heard Sirius talk about Harry's life over the years... Sometimes I even feel that Albus is frighteningly rational in his dealings with Harry."

Rizz didn't respond. After all, Dumbledore had hinted to him that Grindelwald had tried to defy the fates he had witnessed, only to be defeated by Dumbledore. This might have made Dumbledore even more convinced of the destiny between Harry and Voldemort.

He took a bite of the bun, feeling the savory juice spread in his mouth.

Lu Ping didn't seem too keen on continuing this somewhat heavy topic.

“Let’s not talk about that. Sirius and I will ask Dumbledore for details about Harry,” he said, ending the conversation about Harry and turning back to the Marauder’s Map. “Since the map may have been taken, remember to investigate the people who have it for me once you find them.”

"I wonder if Hogwarts still has any 'mischievous geniuses' who can reach the same level as we did back then... Although it's not a compliment, Sirius and I would really like to meet them if we could."

Rizz swallowed the last bite of his bun and nodded: "If we're talking about pranks, I already have a few names in my head. If they really did get the map, I don't think they'll disappoint you... In a way, they're treating pranks like a business."

"A career...that does sound interesting," Lu Ping smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

After Ryze had eaten and drunk his fill and rested for a while, he opened a thick alchemy tome: "Alright, now that we have a direction for the Marauder's Map, let's get back to the alchemy problem. You shouldn't have forgotten our study progress before the holidays, right?"

“Of course not, and I’ve accumulated quite a few new problems this week,” Ryze nodded.

Because of the cramming-style education Ravenclaw gave him in the dream, his mind was filled with very chaotic knowledge in the first few days after he woke up.

Fortunately, the professors at the school were very helpful. Although they didn't know how Ryze had disappeared for a whole holiday and where he had learned so much random knowledge, they still helped him organize the knowledge from various subjects.

Even outside of school, Lu Ping still helps organize alchemical knowledge.

For the rest of the day, Ryze immersed himself in the alchemical notes and intricate magic runes provided by Lupin, gradually summarizing the complex information in his mind.

Of course, Lu Ping also knew about Ryze's passion for Marauder's Map and Auto Chess, so after helping Ryze sort things out, he used these two as examples to guide Ryze to delve deeper into alchemy.

......

Before we knew it, it was another Saturday afternoon.

Today's Quidditch match is between Hufflepuff and Slytherin.

Although the two colleges don't usually have much conflict, at most they just ignore each other, but now that both teams have negative records, things are getting serious.