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

Snape led the way, with Lin Mo following behind. The two entered the villa in no time. The hall was dimly lit, suggesting that the owner had left quickly.

Lin Mo had a feeling that something was off with Changfeng earlier, and that something seemed to have disappeared after their conversation. The change was subtle, but he could sense it.

"Mr. Lin, did you come to block the door of your poor professor's house today just to see if I'm angry?" Snape took off the coat he had put on before leaving and casually draped it over a sofa in the living room.

The Potions Master, who usually stayed at home with his favorite potions, was not dressed in his usual black robes at Hogwarts.

The summer heat prompted him to change into a slightly thinner black shirt, but the collar buttons were still fastened to the very top as always.

The only thing that caught Lin Mo's attention was that the button on Snape's right wrist was undone, unlike his left wrist which was buttoned up, as if...

It seems the owner of this garment rolled up their sleeves, busied themselves, and then hurriedly left, forgetting to button up their cuffs.

Snape turned around, crossed his arms, and looked at Lin Mo, waiting for the idiot troll in his eyes to continue.

"Sir, it's not just that. I was afraid you might have something important to discuss with me, so I came over as soon as I got home," Lin Mo replied to Snape, snapping out of his reverie.

"So, Mr. Lin, you're admitting that your purpose in coming here was indeed to see if I was angry?" Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No, I didn't," Lin Mo quickly waved his hands. He was joking; who would dare admit to such a thing?

"Hmph." Snape was too lazy to argue with this little monster. He took a step forward and sat on the sofa, which could only fit one person. Finally, he kindly gestured for Lin Mo to sit down, which was unusual for him.

The child has been sitting outside all day; it's a bit pitiful. (눈_눈)

Lin Mo didn't stand on ceremony and sat on another, much wider sofa, then "obediently" peeked at Snape.

The Potions Master frowned, silently reminding himself, "Don't hit anyone, don't commit murder, observe Slytherin etiquette."

"Mr. Lin, you'd better talk to the dean you're concerned about about the specific origin of that Merlin Third Class Medal. You know, the title of the youngest recipient of the Merlin Medal is not easy to obtain."

Snape paused, then continued, "Or does Mr. Lin particularly enjoy being the center of attention, as he does at Hogwarts?"

Snape was extremely annoyed. He and Flitwick were both the headmasters of this troublesome man, so why did that damned old bee only send him to test him?

There were some things that couldn't be said to Snape. Lin Mo couldn't very well tell Snape that his older brother had sent his men with his improved spells to the headquarters of the Merlin Order.

Not only that, they also used threats and inducements, almost to the point of pointing a gun at the other person's head.

Lin Mo knew better than anyone just how reckless the people in Yu Ying were. With the help of Chang Feng's two unreliable younger brothers, none of the Yu Ying members were restricted by magic.

Okay, Lin Mo was a little envious. But Chang Feng explained to him that he was going to get involved in this magic world's mess after all. If Lin Mo's magic resistance really reached the maximum, then there was no need to continue. Old Fu without a nose could just repent and reform.

As it turns out, even though Changfeng has the dominant power in this small world, there is still a force that is subtly resisting it.

If the wind is strong, this force may only play a balancing role, but if the wind is weak, no one can predict the outcome.

Seeing that Snape was getting impatient, Lin Mo stopped thinking about anything else and just gave the official explanation given when the medal was awarded. Anyway, the Merlin Order had already made arrangements, so there was no need to worry about any oversights.

Snape was dismissive of this, after all, he was just being squeezed out of his personal time by an old bee who needed a tooth-strengthening potion.

Although the wizarding world appears calm on the surface, the Death Eaters' power has begun to resurge with the arrival of the Savior. Beneath the surface, undercurrents are already surging.

In this case, there is an outstanding youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, the first student since the founding of Hogwarts to be sorted into two houses, and a genius who gets perfect scores in all subjects.

All of this, along with Lin Mo's performance in his daily life at Hogwarts, suggests that his information may have already been placed on the desks of leaders of certain pure-blood families and other forces as soon as he began to show his talent.

Snape, who had participated in the Dark Lord's development of new talents, was certainly aware of these things. In his eyes, and in the eyes of everyone else, Lin Mo was nothing more than an orphan from the Muggle world whose lineage was unknown, who had a Muggle brother, and nothing more.

All of Lin Mo's outstanding qualities will become the reason for various families and forces to win him over, oppose him, and sabotage him as he continues to grow.

However, Snape's worries were completely unfounded; all the information Lin Mo had about him was simply what he wanted others to see. Lucius, the only one who knew a little about Lin Mo's background, was still hoping his son would succeed.

Of course, it wasn't just those families; the Order of the Phoenix also needed talent, something Dumbledore couldn't possibly be unaware of.

But Dumbledore had witnessed Lin Mo's meticulous thinking and fearless demeanor after killing the troll, and he had also seen the scene of the bathroom filled with troll blood.

This centenarian fox had to be cautious, because of Voldemort's resurgence, and also because his age prevented him from facing a new Dark Lord.

Although Dumbledore, being a Gryffindor, did not understand Slytherin's honor and beliefs, only their boundless ambition, he also knew just how strong Slytherin's true friendship was.

For example, Snape back then was willing to become a spy for Lily's friendship. Just like Lin Mo and Harry's friendship today.

Dumbledore took the gamble, trusting his intuition once again after decades.

History will prove him right; no one can doubt the Slytherin's conviction in friendship. They would give up everything for it unless it were utterly broken, and a complete break meant a fight to the death.

Once a Slytherin friendship is made, it will never be betrayed.

Perhaps many Gryffindors will never understand this, because the idea that "Slytherin is a dark wizard" is deeply ingrained in the minds of most lions.

Wizards all know that Snape is protective of his own. Whether it's because of the resemblance to his old friend, Lin Mo's talent, or his own past experiences, Snape doesn't want Lin Mo to repeat his mistakes.

In fact, Snape had thought a lot about it. If anyone really dared to harm his students from his position as the head of Slytherin, he was already prepared to use the connections of a Potions Master.

Snape crossed his arms and leaned back slightly, listening to Lin Mo's explanation while pondering in his mind.

Suddenly, he frowned. The magic circle outside the manor had sensed someone trying to enter again, and it was a Muggle.

Snape interrupted Lin Mo, who was still embarrassed by the recklessness of his men and was still spouting official, meaningless answers, and gestured for the child to follow him out.

Lin Mo was somewhat confused, but could only follow Snape out. The falcon's eyesight remained excellent even at night, and so did Lin Mo's.

Therefore, he recognized the person outside the manor—Shadow Xun—even earlier than Snape.

Lin Mo knew that his two older brothers might be a little worried about him, even though he was already over thirty.

Author's ramblings: Who understands? Going on vacation was exhausting! I was hoping to update more chapters, but I've been so busy I'm practically flying! ₍₍ (̨̡ ‾᷄ᗣ‾᷅ )̧̢ ₎₎