HP: Wormwood and Lightning Wood

Ron was terrified by Scabbers.

Even more frightening was the letter his parents sent him, yelling at him.

The roar letter split open with a jagged slit, and Molly Weasley's roar resounded, making Ron's body tremble.

"Ron Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley roared, "Do you know how dangerous it is out there! How dare you run around like that! Are you trying to drive your father and me crazy?!"

The red envelope, having finished its tirade against Ron, turned to West and said gently, "Oh, dear West, we're so glad you're back. Come visit the Burrow sometime; I'll cook you something nice to help you recover..."

West was surprised to find himself in a position, and his eyes widened slightly.

After saying all that, the red Roaring Letter spat at Ron and tore itself to shreds.

Ron's face fell, his ears turning bright red. "How did they find out so quickly? I haven't even had a chance to write a letter yet."

"Because Sirius is on the run, your parents don't know that Sirius is innocent and are worried that you might be in danger," Hermione realized.

At this moment, the three children are ready to stay at Potter Manor until the start of the school year.

West sent Snape back to his potions workshop in Somerset, and then lingered for a while before returning to Potter Manor—he had promised to make alchemical storage devices for the three boys.

"Okay, Hermione, you go first. What style do you want?" West asked.

In the end, Hermione received a bracelet with a ruby ​​pendant, while Ron chose an obsidian pendant.

Harry thought for a moment, "West, I need a brooch—" He paused, "Could you make two? I'd like to give them to Draco."

"Of course." West was somewhat surprised, but nodded nonetheless.

Even if Harry hadn't said anything, West would have given one to Draco anyway, since he might be working with the Malfoy family later on.

Wester channeled his magic, and gems and metals bearing the mark of alchemy floated in his hands.

The metal was liquefied by magic, encasing the gemstones and gradually melting them into different shapes.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, her mouth agape in surprise.

Ron's eyes widened as well. Although he was born into a pure-blood wizarding family, he had never seen such amazing magic before.

West gave them the alchemy.

Ron and Hermione quickly put on the alchemical artifacts and seemed to love them.

Harry carefully put the two brooches away.

Afterwards, Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent three enjoyable days at Potter Manor. Harry and Ron were completely engrossed in Muggle video games, while Hermione immersed herself in the manor's library, eagerly absorbing all kinds of knowledge.

West was the worst off.

Having resolved the traitor issue, Snape was in a much better mood and became even more engrossed in his research on the Wolfsbane Potion.

It is not easy to concoct a wolfsbane potion that can cure werewolves.

Although West's recipe was very comprehensive, many of the ingredients were long extinct, so Snape had to go to great lengths to find alternatives and repeatedly test the compatibility of the herbs.

That's the nature of potions: powerful, beautiful, and contradictory. It takes countless attempts and experiments to find the right formula.

Snape once again turned away West, who always interfered with his work, and remained unmoved no matter how much West scratched at the door and begged.

He returned to the experimental table, picked up "Principles of Advanced Potions," and found a piece of parchment and a bottle of powder pressed onto the recipe for Wolfsbane Potion.

On the parchment was a line of elegant, cursive script: "I suggest trying Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon Scale Powder. Love you, Severus~".

In the lower right corner of the parchment, there is a drawing of two crooked little figures holding hands.

"Potter!" The Potions Professor's usually pale face flushed an eerie red as he gritted his teeth. "If you dare to stuff another load of rubbish into the Potions Notebook..."

West was sitting in his office when he suddenly sneezed.

He blinked in confusion, unconsciously stroking his right thumb, the patriarch's ring shimmering with a ghostly green glow in the candlelight.

Members of the Somerset family bear a unique magical mark on their souls, so the head of the family ring is not chosen by bloodline, but by the soul.

In his previous life, West was not able to get involved in family affairs due to the Dark Curse. Fortunately, the Somerset family's operating system was already very mature, and the absence of the main family's involvement would not cause too much of a problem.

It was only now that West realized the Somerset family's influence was so vast, even extending to high-ranking officials and informants within the Ministry of Magic.

West squinted, his knuckles tapping unconsciously on the table.

"Amy."

Amy appeared beside her and said softly, "Master, is there something you need from Amy?"

West's gaze fell on the list of Ministry of Magic staff.

"Make arrangements; I need to see Caspard Somerset."

Early morning on the first day back to school.

"Severus, you'll have to go back to school by yourself," West said resentfully.

He received some important information from the Ministry of Magic agents and was worried about Harry and the others traveling back to Hogwarts by train alone.

West was helping Snape pack his trunk, filling it with various precious herbs and books, as well as a new robe made for Snape.

Snape was utterly speechless: "I never intended to go back with you."

His gaze fell on the robe West had made for him, and his eyes twitched.

For some unknown reason, West ordered more than a dozen new robes for him, all in black to suit his preferences, but with some differences in style.

West was folding a fitted outfit, murmuring softly, "This can't be worn outside, only in the cellar..."

Snape: "..."

West had already connected the fireplaces in the cellars, Spider's End, and Somerset Manor, bidding farewell to Snape with a heavy heart. "Severus, come home often."

Snape, losing his temper, smacked the young man on the head. "What's wrong with you?"

He looked at the aggrieved West in front of him and noticed that West seemed to have grown taller, even a little taller than him.

West took the opportunity to hug Snape, then quickly wrapped his arms around the professor's slender waist, releasing his grip before the professor could erupt in anger. "Alright, Severus, see you later."

Snape froze, feeling a numbness in his lower back.

The heat from the young man seemed to linger on his clothes, almost burning his skin through them.

He suppressed the urge to curse West and returned to the cellar with a grim face.

West then entered Potter Manor via the fireplace.

The three boys were ready and waiting for him in the hall.

"My mom and dad will take my and Hermione's luggage to Platform 9¾," Ron said.

"Alright, let's go then." West extended his hand, gesturing for the three of them to place their hands on his.

"This time it's not a door key?" Ron asked.

Harry had a bad feeling. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the next second the world spun around him, and they were thrown onto the hard concrete floor of Platform 9¾.

Apart from West, he was holding Harry's luggage and standing perfectly still.

"Yue—" Ron leaned against a bronze pillar on the platform and dry heaved. Hermione and Harry were a little better, but they were also pale.

"Apparition!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

Harry felt like throwing up again when he heard the word—he hated Apparition.

"Oh, children!" Mrs. Weasley's voice came from not far away.

Everyone turned around and saw the Weasleys walking towards them.

"Oh, poor West, I'm so glad to see you're alright," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes filled with concern. "Dumbledore has already told us about you, poor child."

Mr. Weasley shook hands with West with a smile, a hint of pity in his eyes.

West paused, not understanding what Dumbledore had said about him behind his back that could elicit such an expression from the Weasleys.

He responded gently, "Thank you for your concern, madam and sir."

The twin brothers greeted West warmly, asking him to tell them about the year when he had time. Percy nodded subtly, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Ginny stood quietly to the side, curiously observing West. She enrolled a year later than everyone else, just as West left Hogwarts, and hadn't met him yet.

"You're Ginny, aren't you?" West said with a smile. "Harry and the others told me about you."

He handed Ginny a beautiful velvet box. "I'm sorry, I left school a year ago. This is a gift for you."

Ginny politely said thank you, took the box, opened it, and found a beautiful gold-plated bracelet inside.

Mrs. Weasley declined in surprise, "No, West, this is too expensive."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Ginny hurriedly returned the box to West.

"It's alright, madam. Ginny is like my little sister, it's only right that I take care of her," West said, turning his wand so the bracelet automatically fastened to Ginny's wrist, a perfect fit. "And thank you all for taking care of Harry this past year."

Only after West said this did the Weasleys agree to let Ginny accept the bracelet.

Ginny held the bracelet with great affection, developing a deep admiration for the brother she was meeting for the first time.

The twins clutched their chests and cried out that Ginny was going to acknowledge West as her brother, which angered Ginny, who punched them twice.