HP: Wormwood and Lightning Wood

West had an exceptionally fulfilling time during this period.

During the day, he focused on his classroom studies; in the afternoon, he would observe Harry's Quidditch training; and in the evening, without fail, he would go to Snape's cellar to help process potion ingredients.

He spent almost all his free time in the cellar.

The cellar was quiet, filled with the bitter smell of potions, but West could always detect a faint scent of wormwood hidden within—the scent of Snape.

Snape spent his time in the cellar revising papers or mixing potions when he wasn't in class, but the two of them hardly ever spoke to each other.

The two of them went about their own business, a peculiar understanding flowing between them amidst the soft rustling of pages.

Occasionally, Snape would hand West a potion recipe that went beyond the scope of the first-year curriculum, asking him to try to concoct it.

Thanks to the mysterious knowledge and practical memories in his mind, West can always accurately control the potion's heat and perfectly complete the preparation of each potion.

Snape's growing approval translated into an exceptionally tolerant attitude in the classroom.

While every student was mercilessly sprayed with venom by the Snake King, only West was spared the torment, which always drew envious glances from a group of little lions and snakes.

Knowing that Snape intended to mentor him, West didn't hesitate to showcase his potions talent—he was happy to have Snape's attention focused on him more often.

Regarding the memory fragments that suddenly appeared in his mind, West had also searched extensively in the library, and even browsed the books in the forbidden section after obtaining Snape's permission, but unfortunately he found nothing.

Left with no other choice, West had to temporarily suppress his doubts and focus on his studies and life at hand.

In the blink of an eye, West and Harry have been living at Hogwarts for two months, and Halloween is just around the corner.

During a spells class on Halloween Eve, Ron and Hermione had a disagreement over practicing new spells.

On his way back to the dorm, Ron was in an extremely bad mood.

"No wonder everyone hates her," he said to Harry. "Who could stand her?"

He had barely finished speaking when he was violently shoved aside—it was Hermione. She glared at Ron fiercely, then hurried away, leaving behind two teardrops that splashed onto the marble floor, creating two tiny water droplets.

Watching Hermione disappear around the corner of the hallway, Harry said helplessly, "Seriously, you're finished, Ron."

Ron was a little uneasy, but still stubbornly insisted, "So what? She doesn't have a single friend. I'm telling the truth."

Harry remained silent. At least West and Hermione were already friends—the two had forged a deep friendship in the library.

West even asked Hermione to help him look up information! He didn't even invite Harry. But to be honest, Harry didn't understand much of the vocabulary they used.

West only discovered Hermione was missing when he went to class in the afternoon.

Harry lowered his voice and explained to West, "Hermione had a fight with Ron this morning and cried... We don't know where she is."

The red-haired boy next to Harry turned his head away uncomfortably, not daring to look at West.

As the brother of the savior, West is a special figure who has shown exceptional talent in all subjects and has won the favor of professors and even the Serpent King. As a result, he has a lot of prestige among the freshmen. Even the usually arrogant Draco has to listen to his lecture after being caught out at night.

West gave Ron a disapproving look, but said nothing.

Finally, it was Hermione's roommate, Parvati Petit, who blushed as she told West that Hermione was crying sadly in the girls' restroom and wouldn't allow anyone to comfort her.

After hearing this, West thought it best to let Hermione calm down on her own for a while and talk to her again tomorrow.

After class, West, Harry, Ron, and Draco walked together to the Great Hall to attend the Halloween Eve dinner.

Ron and Draco, thanks to Harry's mediation, are now able to walk together. However, they still don't get along, and if Harry isn't watching them closely enough, they can still start arguing.

However, West was also present, so Ron and Draco didn't dare to cause trouble and obediently followed behind West.

The auditorium had been decorated for Halloween, with a thousand bats fluttering on the walls and ceiling, and another thousand like low, dark clouds hovering above the dining tables.

The candle flame inside the pumpkin flickered intermittently, illuminating the exquisite and delicious dishes on the long table.

West was eating when he occasionally glanced at Snape and noticed that Snape was talking to Dumbledore about something. West's expression wasn't very good.

Just then, Professor Quirrell burst into the Great Hall, looking utterly panicked. One hand clutched his garlic-smelling headscarf, and he screamed, "A troll! In the basement, in the lower classroom!"

The auditorium erupted in chaos, and Dumbledore had no choice but to order the prefects to take the students back to their dormitories.

West saw Dumbledore say something to Snape, and Snape hurriedly left the Great Hall.

West grabbed Harry and said, "Be a good boy and go back to the dorm with Percy, understand?"

"Of course!" Harry replied.

After West finished speaking, he followed Snape. Because he was in such a hurry, he didn't see Harry's darting eyes.

West used a newly learned Disillusionment Charm to conceal himself, but considering Snape's keen perception, he stayed at a distance from Snape.

Snape hurried along, navigating corridor after corridor, climbing several steps, and turning into the forbidden room on the fourth floor.

West held his breath and pressed himself against the stone wall, hearing a loud barking and the sound of clothes tearing.

Then Snape let out a furious curse, "Get out of here, you filthy scum..." before his voice abruptly stopped.

West gripped his wand tightly, and only when there was absolutely no more movement did he approach the door.

"Open the Alaho Cave." With a low, hoarse chant, West saw the three-headed dog lying unconscious beside him.

The trapdoor Harry mentioned has been opened.

West watched as the blood splattered on the floor and spread to the trapdoor. His cold gaze pierced the sleeping Cerberus, his emerald eyes gleaming strangely in the dim light, like a snake eyeing its prey.

The three-headed dog whimpered, trembling with fear as if it were being coiled by a python.

West raised his wand, but ultimately did not use it, concealing himself again before Snape could approach.

After a while, Snape came out and hurriedly went down to the basement.

West carefully traced Snape's silhouette and noticed that he walked with a limp, as if he had injured his leg.

"...Damn three-headed dog." West gritted his teeth, "I'll kill you sooner or later."

West took a shortcut and arrived on the first floor before Snape, where he found several professors, led by Dumbledore, heading towards the women's restroom.

West felt a pang of regret. Oh my god, Hermione was still in the women's restroom.

He was so focused on Snape that he completely forgot about Hermione.

West stacked several more Disillusionment Charms and hurried towards the girls' restroom. He prayed that Hermione would be alright; he admired the intelligent girl.

When West arrived at the women's restroom, he witnessed a horrifying scene—

A giant club, imbued with a levitation spell, fell from the sky and stunned the troll.

Harry stood in front of the troll with disgust, clutching his slime-covered wand, while Ron, still looking shaken, pulled Hermione along, whose face was streaked with tears.

Harry Potter!

West was somewhat angry and helpless, but also relieved. He knew that Harry and Ron had come to rescue Hermione, so he couldn't blame them.

But Harry's habit of always running to dangerous places must be corrected!

West left first and waited for Snape at the cellar entrance.

The moon cast a long, thin shadow of the boy.

After waiting for quite a while, Snape returned to the cellar.

His gloomy face changed color like a palette when he saw West standing in the doorway, becoming even more interesting.

"Are you tired of living?" Snape couldn't help but roar.

West stared at Snape's black robe, which was stained with blood at the calves, the dim moonlight reflecting the coldness in his eyes.

Snape wondered if he was seeing things, because the next second West looked up pitifully, his eyes glistening with tiny tears, "Headmaster, I'm scared."

As he spoke, he gritted his teeth and grabbed Snape's sleeve.

Snape's arms, taut beneath his black robes, remained tense, but he couldn't shake West off. He opened the cellar door with a stern face. "...Come in."