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

Years of ingrained habits made Snape eat quickly and elegantly; his only drawback was that he ate too little.

Looking at the plate with only a small portion of food left and Snape gradually slowing down his eating pace, Lin Mo once again had a new feeling about how little Snape was eating.

When we usually eat together, it's a group of people, so it's impossible to directly gauge how much food one person eats. But this time, it was just Snape eating, and the difference was much more obvious.

If Lin Mo hadn't been there, Snape would have put down his cutlery long ago, instead of gradually slowing down like he is now.

Perhaps because Lin Mo had brought the dinner, and because Snape could sense that the portion size was smaller than that of a normal adult wizard, he didn't want to leave any.

However, he wasn't used to eating so much, and after some hesitation, he finally put down his utensils. During his slow, leisurely final stretch of eating, the food had barely decreased, leading him to decide to give up on eating altogether.

Seeing Snape's actions, Lin Mo had already figured it out: the Potions Master had long been full.

"Sir, you haven't eaten enough," Lin Mo said. If Lin Mo knew that this wasn't just Snape's dinner, but also included lunch, he would be even more shocked.

"I don't think Mr. Lin is that annoying, to the point that he even has to interfere with your poor professor's meals." Snape had no intention of eating any more.

"Alright, whatever makes you happy, sir." Lin Mo couldn't persuade Snape at all, but he still nagged, "Sir, eating too little is really bad for your health, and you should eat on time, otherwise your stomach will feel uncomfortable."

It seemed to recall the times when she was training and doing missions in her past life and was in dire straits, unable to even eat insects or snakes. Now, thinking back, that helpless and unwilling pain still slowly welled up from the bottom of her heart and seeped into her chest.

Putting aside external injuries and musculoskeletal problems, people in their line of work almost always have some internal organ issues, especially the stomach. After surviving extreme conditions, there's simply no time to recover, and the stomach quickly gives out.

While Snape did take care of his health, that was only in relation to the characters in the books. When he was engrossed in something he loved or in a bad mood, he often skipped meals, let alone ate on time regularly.

Lin Mo thought Snape would interrupt his rambling, but perhaps because Snape accepted Lin Mo's kindness, he listened patiently to Lin Mo's rambling for a few minutes.

Actually, Lin Mo himself felt a little guilty saying these things. You see, when he was being ruthless to himself, his irregular eating habits were even worse than Snape's worst.

"You don't need to clean up. As a Slytherin, Mr. Lin should know that he shouldn't be doing things that only house-elves do," Snape said calmly, looking at Lin Mo's outstretched hand that was trying to help him clear the table.

"Oh." Lin Mo withdrew his hand and said, "I won't disturb your rest any longer, sir. I'll head back now."

Thinking that the other person was still a child and would definitely have to go back to attend the banquet, Snape didn't want to chat with others and gossip, so he nodded and let Lin Mo leave.

Once outside the cellar, the corridors of Hogwarts seemed deserted, but the lights were already on, though the cellar lights were much dimmer than elsewhere.

Lin Mo checked the time and guessed that the banquet was about to end, so he simply went back to his dormitory.

The dormitory lights came on. It was his familiar nest. Lin Mo relaxed a little and then started looking for things in his luggage.

Lin Mo pulled out a very ordinary-looking box, opened it, and took out... compressed biscuits. Yes, after a month, he still had to eat compressed biscuits; who knows why he just couldn't eat properly.

After taking a couple of bites of the biscuit, Lin Mo rewrapped and sealed the package, then put it back in the box. Yes, it had to be stored properly; he might need to eat it again, just in case.

The reason Lin Mo didn't ask his house-elf to make him a meal was simply because he found it troublesome and felt it was unnecessary. He has always disliked others entering his territory; this sense of territory is innate in animals, and humans are no exception.

He has to return his plate after he finishes eating, even if he has to let the house-elves clean it up. First, he can't summon those unfamiliar house-elves when he's not facing them. Second, he doesn't want anyone else in his room.

As for Snape's different treatment of him, Lin Mo thought that he could eat compressed biscuits, but his proud headmaster could not imagine eating compressed biscuits with him. Perhaps Snape would choose not to eat them at all.

Aside from all the messy, annoying, and speechless things that happened tonight, Lin Mo felt pretty good. After all, he was already quite satisfied that Snape had agreed to let him skip Lockhart's class and teach him Defense Against the Dark Arts.

As for the fact that Snape only agreed to complete those two tasks after Lockhart's level was determined to be low enough, Lin Mo didn't care at all.

This is recognition of Lockhart's abilities, and also an expectation of him. Yes, Professor Lockhart, you must demonstrate your exceptional abilities so I don't have to attend class. ✧*｡٩(^㉨^*)و✧*｡

Lin Mo had absolute trust in Lockhart's teaching.

In the cellar, Snape stared blankly at the food on the table, but finally made up his mind: he still wanted to eat properly; he didn't want to trouble that stupid brat.

Snape felt his authority had been disregarded by a little troll trying to lecture him, and he wasn't about to give that brat another chance.

He then summoned his house-elves and had them tidy up. After washing up, he read for a while and then went to rest. He had stayed up too late making potions the past few days and needed to catch up on his sleep.

The chaotic night passed in this way. Due to the relationship between Harry and Ron, the competition for the top spot in the school year was postponed, and the Slytherin students had to postpone it again. Last year's postponement was due to Lin Mo.

Of course, the competition for the top spot in the school was a foregone conclusion for Lin Mo's class. Under Snape's well-hidden, slightly satisfied gaze, Lin Mo won the top spot this year.

Looking towards the black-robed figure beside the dueling platform, acting as referee and protecting the little snakes, Lin Mo met Snape's gaze. The boy smiled at Snape, put away his wand, and turned to leave the platform.

However, besides feeling the admiration in Snape's eyes, Lin Mo also felt several malicious glances.

He discreetly moved to a secluded corner to observe them. They were a few reckless juniors from pure-blooded families; their ideas were good, but they were too naive.

It seems that it wasn't just the Nott family who had a problem with Lin Mo, a Muggle from an ordinary background; several other pure-blood families did too, and this phenomenon became even more pronounced when Lin Mo's abilities were outstanding.

Lin Mo had no interest in dealing with these scoundrels; it was just a bunch of kids playing house. The era of Voldemort, with its abundance of talented individuals, was long gone. So, the saying "heroes emerge in chaotic times" still holds true.

There was one gaze that caught Lin Mo's attention. That gaze held hostility, but lacked the repulsive arrogance and ill intent often associated with such gazes. The restrained look was well-concealed, but its weakness was… it wasn't ruthless enough.

Lin Mo looked at the tall, thin figure with great interest. Lin Mo knew all the people in Slytherin. The person was not a descendant of a pure-blood family. The family had declined and seemed to be the Prince family without an heir.

It seemed as if he was forced into it; the guy named Kalebo only piqued Lin Mo's interest slightly.

Lin Mo turned his gaze back to Snape, who was serious and responsible on the stage. He truly felt that his professor was still the same as before, with a sharp tongue but a kind heart and an arrogant demeanor.

A——L——W——A——Y——S

The long-awaited Defense Against the Dark Arts class finally arrived, and Lin Mo was so happy that he sat in the classroom early. He also ran into Hermione, who was equally excited.

Although the two were excited about different things, even opposites, Hermione was completely unaware of this. She pulled Lin Mo aside and started talking about how handsome, dashing, and capable Lockhart was.

As for Harry and Ron, they couldn't stand Hermione's infatuation, so they deliberately kept their time apart from her. Now they've run into Draco and his henchmen.

For the first time, Lin Mo found it incredibly difficult to input other people's words into his brain; he even felt sleepy. Comparing Lockhart's abilities and story, his mind was filled with the scene of Snape agreeing to let him teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Lin Mo's lips curled into a smile as his imagination ran wild. Hermione, seeing Lin Mo's expression, felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. She excitedly said, "Mo, I knew someone as capable as you would be able to sense Mr. Lockhart's power."

Hermione's view of Lin Mo, this academic genius, had shifted from seeing him as a rival to a somewhat distant goal. After learning that Lin Mo had earned the Order of Merlin, Class III, she completely abandoned any intention of considering him a rival.

Amidst the barrage of Lockhart's dazzling rainbow cannon fire from Hermione, Lin Mo finally felt a sense of relief, because Harry and the others had arrived.

Draco and the others walked very slowly. Draco, who should have arrived at the classroom much earlier than usual, was unusually late, perhaps because he disliked Lockhart or because Harry was by his side, so much so that there were still two minutes before class started.

Lockhart arrived just in time for class, carrying a cage covered with a black cloth. He introduced himself with a smile, glancing at Lin Mo several times. Hermione, sitting around Lin Mo, was so excited she was almost at a loss for words.

He then distributed his own test paper, and after answering the questions, Lockhart began looking at answers on the paper that were even more outrageous than the questions he had asked.

Author's rambling: It's so late today.