Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 163 The Medicine of Resurrection

After what happened in Herbology class, the young wizards of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had little hope for Lockhart.

But when Cornish elves ran rampant throughout the classroom, even hanging Neville from a chandelier, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor abandoned his students and ran away alone, which the young wizards still found unbelievable.

"If I accidentally see his portrait now, I feel so nauseous that I can't eat." Neville used his teeth to pick off a whole chicken leg and swallowed it whole, making his voice a little distorted.

The fact that Neville, who is usually timid, could say such harsh words proves that he is utterly disappointed in Lockhart.

"He keeps talking to me about fame and the news all day long, he doesn't act like a professor at all," Harry complained irritably.

Lockhart could have just said it himself, but he kept pulling Lockhart along as if they were kindred spirits exchanging experiences.

“And then there’s Colin Creevey,” Ron added, “he’s always hoping to say ‘Hi, Harry!’ to Harry if he could reply with ‘Hi, Colin!’”

"Oh! It's like he's received a response from his lover."

Colin Creevey is a freshman in Gryffindor. Because he is so obsessed with Harry, he behaves like a pervert, always stalking and taking pictures of him.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine at his lover's words, and he made up his mind to avoid Colin Crevy from now on.

But some things can't be avoided, like having to eat in the auditorium or go back to the lounge. Colin always manages to corner him and then humbly ask for an autographed photo.

Lockhart, as if he possessed some kind of summoning magic, would always appear whenever Colin took a photo, turning the solo portrait of the boy into a photo of the boy and the magical Professor Lockhart together.

Harry's expression of gnashing hatred yet utter helplessness became a daily spectacle that Loren and the others eagerly anticipated.

Friday night, in the Potions professor's office.

This Philosopher's Stone was supposed to perish with Nico, but now it has ended up in his hands. Loren didn't want the Philosopher's Stone to gather dust in his possession, so he could only use it as a source of magic, doing things like removing traces.

Out of respect for Nico and trust in Snape, Loren accepted Snape's invitation to study the Philosopher's Stone before leaving school last semester.

But Loren later thought about it carefully and realized that those words about legendary potions, about leaving names in textbooks, the nature of magic, and the mysteries of potions were too vague, and even Snape himself wouldn't believe them.

However, Loren still lent out the Philosopher's Stone, wanting to see what this Potions Master was up to.

On the experimental table, irrelevant tools were placed aside, and only a cup of viscous, transparent liquid and a red magic stone were placed on the table.

Snape bent down, bringing his head close to the table, and gently scraped the Philosopher's Stone with a silver knife. The light shone on Snape's pale face, making him look serious, cautious, and focused, like a devout believer in prayer; his entire behavior inexplicably revealed a sense of piety.

A few tiny red particles peeled off the main body and stuck to the blade.

The dust-like powder was so fine that Loren, his eyes bulging, hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "Even though the Philosopher's Stone can't be regenerated, there's no need to be so stingy, is there?"

Snape turned and glanced at him with a flat, unwavering gaze, like an abyss. Without a word, Snape turned back to continue his experiment.

He carefully poured the powder into the clear, viscous liquid beside him. Some of the remaining powder stuck to the silver knife, so Snape simply submerged the entire blade in the slime.

"The extract of slime mold and duckweed from the Pantanal swamp is the most effective and stable magic inducer discovered to date."

While conducting his experiments, Snape faithfully fulfilled his duty as a teacher, explaining the knowledge in a flat tone: "It has good magical properties, but even if you poured the vast magical power of a hundred adult wizards into it, it would only produce tiny bubbles."

Loren's eyes lit up: "Can it be used in alchemy?"

Stable and highly conductive, these properties sound perfect for powerful alchemical arrays.

Snape glanced at him again but didn't answer; he was intently observing the contents of the cup.

The magical stone powder, imbued with immense power, dissolved in the viscous liquid, causing a fiery red color to rise in patches. Bubbles rose, and the viscous solution, like boiling water, released a large amount of light and heat.

The silver knife tumbled in the slime, striking the inner wall of the cup with a crisp sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Loren and Snape, facing the solution, had flushed faces and were burning hot, as if they were facing a blazing campfire, having watched it all night.

Snape first used a freezing spell to cool the cup, then reached out and carefully retrieved the silver dagger.

The knife had cooled completely, and the metallic handle felt slightly icy. Snape sensed the difference the moment he held it. He pinched the knife between his long, slender fingers and gave it a gentle swing.

A beam of magical light shot out from the tip of the blade, struck the wall of the storeroom, and was absorbed by Hogwarts' defensive array.

"This knife has the properties of a magic wand!" Loren exclaimed in surprise.

Snape's action just now was not wandless spellcasting, but rather he replaced the gesture of waving a wand with waving a knife, which indicates that the knife has acquired some of the characteristics of a wand.

"Without a wand core and its inherent properties, it can only barely cast some simple spells, and its power is far inferior to that of a wand." Snape quickly pieced together the clues. "The slime in the cup was in a chaotic state, which activated the properties of the Philosopher's Stone, transferring the extract's properties to the silver knife!"

Snape's tone grew increasingly excited: "This means that given the right conditions, we can make the Philosopher's Stone work!"

"Chaos, magic, excellent conductor..." Snape paced back and forth in front of the experimental table, muttering the experimental conditions. The Potions professor, who had just been calm and silent, had fallen into a trance.

From the moment he learned about the Philosopher's Stone, Snape's lifeless heart was no longer the same.

The Philosopher's Stone, capable of granting wishes and turning the impossible into possible, is a legendary elixir of immortality. Since the Philosopher's Stone is so powerful, could it also bring the dead back to life?

These four words, as if possessed by magic, took root in Snape's heart and grew countless tentacles, frantically stirring his desires.

During the holiday, he researched everything about the Philosopher's Stone, but it only fueled his desires and longings.

He exerted all his strength to control his behavior and tried his best to play the role of Professor Severus Snape. He didn't start the experiment until Friday night of the first week, which was an amazing display of his perseverance.

But with the Philosopher's Stone right in front of him, its magical properties defied the laws of magic, and he could no longer control his thoughts, constantly pondering the possibility of a remedy for the dead.

"What does immortality have to do with replacement? And what exactly is being replaced...?" Snape muttered to himself.

Although Loren didn't know what was happening, the scene before him was clearly abnormal.

"Professor! Professor!" Loren couldn't help but interrupt him, "Nico, as an alchemist, could make full use of the Philosopher's Stone, and he only ever created the elixir of immortality in his entire life."

"He can't even be considered ageless; his body is severely aged, and a gust of wind could cause him to break a bone."

Loren didn't want this potions professor to become obsessed with unrealistic fantasies; if he did, his entire life might end in vain.

But these words acted like a flare, completely igniting the light in Snape's eyes. He excitedly half-squatted down, shaking Loren's shoulders incessantly: "You're saying Nicolas Flamel isn't immortal, he's just immortal! He's just immortal!"

"The Philosopher's Stone's property is replacement. Nico's elixir of immortality simply replaces death! Replacing a death that hasn't yet occurred is the elixir of immortality; but if a death that has already occurred is replaced—"

"This is the medicine to bring the dead back to life!"

Loren immediately understood Snape's idea: he wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone to create a potion of resurrection, to undo the mistakes he had made, and to resurrect the already dead Lily.

"Replace! Immortality! Hahahahahaha!" Snape was acting like a madman, his eyes wide with laughter, showing no trace of his usual Potions professor self.

This was already a bit frightening. Loren held up the Philosopher's Stone, threateningly saying, "Professor Snape! Given your condition, I think we should stop these experiments!"

"Furthermore, death is a fundamental law of life, and any attempt to reverse death will inevitably bring about enormous disaster!"

"You don't understand! You don't understand at all!" A tear rolled down Snape's left eye, stripping away the shell of madness, stripping away the disguise of arrogance and indifference, revealing a body tormented by guilt, regret, and self-blame for eleven years.

"I'd give anything to open those eyes again." He didn't explain anything, but took a deep breath, squatted down and looked at Loren, saying in a trembling voice, "I won't break the laws of the world. Characteristic transfer needs a target. I will become the vessel that bears death."

"Please let me continue this experiment."

This is... the Headmaster of Slytherin... When the ever-proud Professor Snape made such a gesture, Loren felt as if something was blocking his heart.

Loren gripped the Philosopher's Stone in his palm and finally agreed:

"You need to abide by three rules. First, this matter must be approved by Dumbledore."

"Secondly, I must be present for the use of the Philosopher's Stone."

"Third, you must live a normal life during the experiment."

……

The basement corridor was quiet, with shadows lurking around the corners, swaying as if they were about to devour someone.

Loren didn't know how he got out of Snape's office. Snape's not-so-loud words were still echoing in his mind: "Signature transfer requires a target. I will become a vessel for death."

There will only be one update today. I kowtow to my readers and dare not make any promises. I will make up for it later if I can.

(End of this chapter)