HP: Wormwood and Lightning Wood

West and Snape returned to the cellar.

Snape asked curiously, "What did you and Narcissa talk about?"

"It was just a bit of an aesthetic exchange with Mrs. Malfoy," West said. "We discussed which lapel pin suited you better..."

"...That's enough, it's getting late, you should go back." Snape rubbed his temples.

"Severus, don't you need me to do anything for you? Then I'm such a useless teaching assistant." West blinked and looked down at him.

"..."

Snape was speechless. No wonder Dumbledore had said this morning that he had found him a teaching assistant. Snape coldly said he didn't need one, but Dumbledore just kept smiling at him, making his back tingle.

I never expected to find him waiting here.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Snape glared at him.

"Severus, I just wanted to help you with the workload," West said, looking aggrieved.

He stood beside Snape, turning his head to look at him. His red hair fell down beside Snape's face, tickling him.

Snape expressionlessly brushed the strand of red hair aside. "Change back first."

West obediently shrank, and his robes automatically shrank to the right size.

Snape looked at West, who was half a head shorter than him, and finally found him much more pleasing to the eye. "Help me revise my paper."

West nodded and sat down at the table to revise his paper, while Snape began researching the wolfsbane potion, planning to deliver a new batch of experimental samples to Lupin the next day.

The rustling sound of a quill pen scratching parchment and the gurgling sound of potions boiling intertwined to create a harmonious melody.

The two worked until night. West finished grading all the papers and put down his pen, while Snape had finished preparing the wolfsbane potion and was concentrating on writing the experimental report.

West had two dinners brought by Hogwarts' house-elves. "Severus, eat first," West said.

Snape remained lost in his own world, seemingly oblivious to West's words.

West sighed helplessly, stood up, and snatched the book from Snape's hands. Snape's eyes widened, somewhat angry, "You...!"

West suddenly leaned in close, the two of them unusually close. "Eat, or I'll kiss you."

Snape's pupils dilated in shock. "You...!"

He pushed West away, unusually docile, and obediently sat down at the table to eat.

West seemed to have found Snape's weakness and chuckled.

"You're done eating, you can go back now." Snape put down his fork and forcefully saw West out the door, but West turned into the long-abandoned lounge next to the cellar under his watchful eye.

"..." Snape.

"Goodnight, Severus—no staying up late," West said calmly, but his words were enough to throw the entire Hogwarts community into chaos. "If I find out, I'll kiss you."

Snape gritted his teeth, his voice low and menacing, "You shameless little troll..."

West suddenly said in a serious tone, "I'm shameless, but I'm not small."

"Get out!" Snape slammed the cellar door shut.

The next morning, West had even more reason to follow Snape, since the first class was Potions.

"Severus, how did you sleep last night?" West asked Snape.

Snape remained silent, only quickening his pace, and West also sped up to keep up with him.

"Don't follow me!" Snape, unable to contain himself any longer, stopped and warned West.

West blinked his emerald eyes, his thick eyelashes casting two small shadows beneath them, making him look utterly innocent. "Dean, I'm going to the Great Hall for breakfast too, so I didn't come with you."

Passing students witnessed this scene and whispered amongst themselves, "How terrifying! Professor Snape doesn't even spare Slytherin students..."

Snape's eyes twitched. He glared at the two badgers who had come to watch the commotion. "Talking about the professor! Hufflepuff, deduct five points!"

The badger cubs gave an awkward smile and hurriedly fled the scene.

West, once again acting as the Headmaster's lackey, arrived in the Great Hall, attracting curious stares from the teachers and students. Snape quickened his pace to the teachers' table, while West calmly returned to his seat at the Slytherin table.

The one laughing the most was Dumbledore. He stroked his beard and said slowly, "Youth is truly wonderful."

Today's potions class is about making a shrinking solution.

This was too easy for West. While the other students had just finished processing the materials, his potion-making was already in the final stages.

Snape nodded in satisfaction. "Given Mr. West's excellent arrangement, Slytherin gets five points."

Draco muttered in confusion, "Why isn't West this active in other classes?"

"Naive little dragon." Pansy and Blaise sighed softly, exchanging glances.

"Have you noticed that the dean hasn't been as sharp-tongued lately?"

"Ah, love—"

Draco looked puzzled. "What are you talking about? Why are you laughing so lewdly?"

"..." Theodore silently moved away from the two of them.

Here, Neville is in big trouble—he's messed up the potion again.

Snape frowned. "How can I possibly explain this to you, Longbottom? If the poor potion could talk, it would be screaming for protection right now—"

Neville was trembling, and looked like he was about to cry.

"I'll teach him, Professor," West said.

Snape hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Neville looked at West gratefully.

Ultimately, under West's guidance, Neville actually succeeded in concocting the shrinking potion.

Although the quality was not high, it still moved Neville to tears, after all, he had hardly ever succeeded.

Snape thought with mixed feelings that perhaps having a teaching assistant wouldn't be bad.

The second period was Lupin's first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. West finally gave the poor old professor a break and went to class with Harry and the others.

"West, where did you go last night?" Hermione asked on the way. "You missed the Transfiguration and Magical Creatures classes. Everyone thought you were upset by Trelawney's words and were skipping classes..."

Speaking of Hermione, she's been incredibly busy this semester; you practically never see her except in class. She's taken almost every course imaginable, and Harry and Ron have no idea how she can manage three classes at once, and never miss a single one.

West guessed that the Ministry of Magic had lent the Time-Turner to Hermione—although he didn't approve of Hermione's relentless study habits, Hermione was a stubborn Gryffindor lion, no less so than Harry, so he simply didn't interfere.

Draco scoffed. "No way, West doesn't believe that," he raised an eyebrow. "You've gone off to chase after a girlfriend, haven't you?"

"Wester doesn't go back to the dorm at night either. Did he go out for a late-night stroll with his girlfriend?" He looked at him with a complicated expression. "He has so much energy."

"Draco, what are you thinking about?" West asked helplessly.

"What girlfriend?" Harry scratched his head, looking puzzled, then exclaimed in realization, "You haven't moved into the dungeons, have you? Would Professor Snape allow that?"

"I'd like to too," West replied helplessly.

"Huh?! What cellar?!" Draco was startled, almost jumping up. "The Dean?!"

His eyes widened in shock as he stared at West. "The person you said you like... is the Dean?!"

Draco looked utterly bewildered, as if he had been petrified. Only then did he understand the whispers Pansy and Blaise had exchanged during Potions class.

Ron was expressionless, with a world-weary air about him.

"Calm down, Draco, we just fell in love on our own," West sighed. "Wish me luck."

"..." "You said it was a free love relationship if you didn't even get her?" Draco was puzzled and shocked.

"...Chasing the Dean is too difficult..." he said sympathetically, a chill running down his spine as he thought of the Dean's icy face. He patted West on the shoulder in encouragement, "I'll always support you."

Harry looked at West's shoulder with a resentful expression.

West: "..."

"Harry invited Draco to ride with him on Buckbeak yesterday, but he refused," Hermione explained in a low voice.

Buckbeak is Hagrid's hippogriff, which Draco dislikes, believing it's too dangerous to introduce such a magical creature to students in the first lesson.

"That's really inappropriate," West frowned, thinking Hagrid had been too reckless. "He should learn his lesson. If Draco tells the board, he'll be in big trouble."

"I'll go talk to him in a bit," Hermione said.