HP: At the beginning, I influenced Snape's childhood.

"I won't lie to you about this, sir," Lin Mo said firmly, looking at Snape's profile.

"Oh? So the brave and arrogant Mr. Lin would lie to your poor Potions Professor on other matters?" Snape turned around and asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's hard to say...it depends on the situation." Lin Mo answered, looking down at Snape without meeting his eyes. He understood the importance of leaving room for maneuver in his words better than most.

Without the expected anger, Snape simply said, "At least he's not that stupid."

"Remember this, don't trust anyone, including me." The dim sunlight streaming into the cellar shone on Snape's face, but his expression remained unreadable.

Ever since Snape learned that Lin Mo had to get involved in the game of chess, he had been thinking about teaching Lin Mo something, even though he knew that the child in front of him should not have been exposed to these dark and lonely things.

Snape was unaware that from the moment he arrived in this world, Lin Mo had never intended to remain uninvolved. He had willingly entered the game, but Lin Mo wanted to be the one wielding the pieces.

Because the player who wields the pieces can choose and protect their own pieces. But perhaps after Lin Mo becomes the player, the pieces in his hand will no longer be just dispensable pieces.

"I remember, but I can still trust you, sir, right?" Lin Mo looked up, his eyes flickered slightly, but his gaze never left Snape.

"If the arrogant Mr. Lin is really so confident in trusting a guy like me whose background I don't know, then please go ahead." Although he said this, he was somewhat unsettled inside.

Damn it, how could this brat be so trusting? Does he even know what kind of person I am? Does he know I'm a Death Eater? Hmph, ignorant. Snape thought to himself, but the image of Lin Mo distancing himself from him with a distant and unfamiliar expression after learning his true identity flashed through his mind.

Isn't this exactly what I wanted? That troublesome little troll shouldn't be around such gloomy people. Thinking this, Snape felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

For some reason, he always cared about how Lin Mo saw him when they were together, something he had never cared about before. Snape attributed this to the fact that Lin Mo looked too much like an old friend, without wanting to analyze it further.

"Get lost, 'clever' Mr. Lin. You don't need to help your poor Potions Professor process herbs today." Snape was in a bad mood.

Lin Mo was a little confused by Snape's sudden anger. "Wait, I didn't do anything to him, did I? I really didn't lie to him."

"Xiao Mo, you need to know that sometimes overthinking can be terrifying," Chang Feng replied to Lin Mo, as if he already understood.

"What are you imagining? Never mind, you wouldn't know anyway."

"I... whatever makes you happy." Changfeng was about to have a detailed conversation when Lin Mo interrupted his spellcasting, leaving him with a lot of unspoken words that almost suffocated him.

Lin Mo nodded slightly and left as Snape feigned impatience. Behind him, a man in a black robe gazed intently at the boy bathed in sunlight. Little did he know, Lin Mo had already sensed the helplessness and self-mockery beneath that gaze.

At night, after Snape returned to the cellar from the Forbidden Forest with the potion-making materials he needed, he saw the processed herbs neatly arranged next to the workbench, and the tools used in processing the herbs were also cleaned up and put back in their original places.

Unconsciously, Snape's lips curled up slightly, completely unconcerned about Lin Mo's casual entry into the cellar, because he knew very well that the boy wouldn't do anything he shouldn't. (Waiting for Snape to be proven wrong (｢･ω･)｢heh)

A——L——W——A——Y——S

Entrusted by Dumbledore, Lin Mo took the initiative to pay attention to the group of four who had not bothered him except for asking about Nicolas Flamel.

As expected, the four of them quickly found their way, and under the influence of Draco and Lin Mo, Harry, who was not very trusting to begin with, and Hermione, who respected their teachers, did not say too many bad things about Snape, even though they had brought along the reluctant Ron.

The entire investigation team worked diligently, adhering to the principle of not drawing conclusions without facts. It was precisely for this reason that Lin Mo felt they had grown a lot in the process and was more willing to help them.

Coincidentally, the four of them have been making great progress lately, and given that the end of the semester is approaching, they are indeed preparing to face challenges at any time.

However, they still need some sedatives, a potion that is only learned in fifth grade, and it is very difficult to make. If not made carefully, it can cause people to fall into a deep sleep.

The reason for needing a balm is as a way to prevent magic from going out of control when facing Death Eaters immediately.

Lin Mo's joining also provided tremendous support to the four who were struggling with their problems.

"Mo, can you get some sedatives?" Harry and the others asked eagerly as Lin Mo led them into the Room of Requirement.

"What do you want this for? You should know, this is a potion that you only learn about in fifth grade," Lin Mo asked the expectant children as he sat on the sofa.

"Mr. We're preparing to protect the Philosopher's Stone, thinking we might need it," Draco explained, his gaze lingering on Harry for a few seconds. "I remember your godfather already taught you seventh-year potions, you should know them, right?"

It's inevitable that people will wonder about the motives of a young Malfoy man who is involved in protecting the Savior and Hogwarts.

"I would, but I'm not entirely confident about that. Giving it to someone else is fine, but I'm afraid it might hurt you." Lin Mo said, while a plan was forming in his mind.

What could be more believable than his dedication to his friend by daring to break into the Potions classroom office to "borrow" a potion and getting caught?

"Then...then...if I take the Godfather's potion, he probably...won't be angry, right?" Draco said hesitantly, but firmly denied his guess in his heart.

However, in Draco's mind, if the person in charge of this operation were Mo, it would greatly increase the chances of success, because his godfather always seemed to treat Mo differently, with exceptional tolerance and generosity.

"I'll give it a try. Wait for my good news." Lin Mo agreed with a smile.

Hermione, who was standing to the side, heard Lin Mo's answer before she could stop him, and looked at him in disbelief. Harry and Draco looked at him with admiration. As for Ron, Lin Mo's greatness in his heart was probably no less than that of a certain old bee.

The five discussed their plan and decided to go and protect the magic stone together soon.

—Two days later, in the afternoon—

Snape has been frequently going to the Forbidden Forest to collect herbs lately, perhaps in preparation for his higher-level exams.

There were no classes this afternoon, and Snape wasn't in the cellar, which provided Lin Mo with a good opportunity.

At this moment, Lin Mo stood at the cellar entrance, his clear gaze fixed intently on the stone snake. Of course, this stone snake didn't have the power to petrify a person.

"You can't go in," the stone serpent said, flicking its tongue. Logically, the stone serpent spoke Parseltongue, which Lin Mo couldn't possibly understand, and Snape's conversation with the stone serpent was only due to a special contract magic.

But Changfeng gave Lin Mo a gift when he transmigrated: the ability to understand and converse with any animal's language. Moreover, unlike the parsnip, this ability was controllable.

Lin Mo himself has an affinity for animals, and having this ability is like adding wings to a tiger.

It's more like the commanding power of the king of beasts than an affinity. However, because the stone serpent has a contract with Snape, the bloodline suppression of obeying the king's orders is somewhat reduced.

"Didn't you let me in last time?" Lin Mo asked curiously.

"Don't think I don't know," Stone Serpent said haughtily, "Last time Snape allowed you to come, but this time there were no orders from him."

"I'm going in anyway. Let me tell you, I created a spell myself, let me demonstrate." With that, Lin Mo waved his wand and chanted the spell, "Heavy Sword, No Edge."

An extremely powerful attack was directed at the stone snake. Sensing the danger, the stone snake hurriedly flicked its tongue, but had no way to dodge.

However, the spell stopped just before it hit the stone serpent. Lin Mo waved his hand, and the magic completely dissipated. He calmly said, "Can I come in now?"

It already possessed an inherent tendency to obey commands, and its immense power made the stone serpent realize that even its contractor might not be able to protect it, so it had no choice but to obey with a heavy heart.

Author's rambling: How's my card-breaking technique going? I feel like I'm still not quite there yet |ω・）