Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

As the knock sounded, Mr. Merrick got up to open the door, and John went to greet him with his mother.

Standing outside the door was a tall man with a hooked nose, pale skin, a gloomy expression, and long hair.

The man, dressed in a black robe, stood motionless outside the door, like a frozen statue.

He only nodded slightly when he saw Mr. Merrick open the door.

"Severus Snape, Professor of Potions at Hogwarts, the house has sent me to deliver your acceptance letter."

Upon seeing the man, Snape coldly introduced himself, then silently extended his hand, holding a letter between two fingers, and handed it to John's father.

John knew at first glance that this teacher would be difficult to get along with.

"Oh, hello professor, thank you for coming all this way, please come in..."

Seeing Snape handing over his acceptance letter so decisively, and with that look on his face as if everyone owed him a million dollars, John's father was stunned for a moment before he realized what was going on and invited Snape into the house first.

However, Snape did not go in directly, but walked to John's side and looked down at John with a cold gaze.

John wasn't afraid; instead, he stared at Snape with great curiosity because he smelled something strange on Snape.

At that moment, Snape produced a green bean from somewhere and held it in front of John.

"Crush it. If you don't drool within three seconds, it proves your magic is at least stronger than the troll's."

John took the beans. They didn't seem like anything special, but judging from the professor's words, could they be some kind of entrance test?

With that thought, John no longer hesitated, and with a little force, the beans were crushed.

The beans were crushed without much resistance, breaking into pieces just like ordinary beans, and a little bit of juice came out.

John blinked, and the moment he crushed it, he suddenly felt a little sleepy, as if his consciousness was being pulled away and he was falling.

However, John quickly regained his composure, silently counted to three, and then looked up at Snape.

Snape had been watching John's reaction with a cold eye until John looked up at him, at which point he let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, it seems you're at least on par with the trolls, but that's all."

After saying that, Snape took out his wand and waved it simply, cleaning the bean residue left on John's hand.

Snape didn't explain what the bean was. It was actually an immature Sleepy Bean. When crushed, it would induce a strong drowsiness, and while trying to resist the drowsiness, it would make one unconsciously drool.

Only those with sufficiently powerful magic can completely resist this drowsiness or simply ignore it.

John clearly belongs to the latter category.

According to reports, John Merrick's name suddenly appeared on the admissions book last July.

The Book of Access detected it without any magical outburst or accidental casting of magic.

Nine out of ten people like this are geniuses. Their magic is so powerful that it can be detected by the Book of Admission without them having to cast a spell. At the same time, they have extremely strong restraint, which is why their magic has never gone berserk.

However, none of this mattered to Snape. He had seen many geniuses, and others often called him a genius.

He was more concerned about the guy who had just escaped from prison a few days ago, and the guy who stole his Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship.

Snape walked into the house on his own and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

"You now have ten minutes to ask me questions."

Professor Snape's attitude caused the Merricks to frown slightly.

But they didn't say anything.

John, however, seemed completely unconcerned, which perfectly matched John's first impression of him: difficult to get along with.

He thought that perhaps it was because of his "mediocre talent" that the professor was not interested.

If that's the case, it's not hard to see that even in the wizarding world, the law of the jungle still applies: no one gets up early without a reason, and the strong prey on the weak.

John went to his father, took the acceptance letter he had just received, and opened it to see the admission instructions.

To get to Hogwarts, you need to take the train from King's Cross Station. The ticket will be delivered the day before school starts, and the shopping list for enrollment, including where to buy these items, will also be provided.

However, he didn't recognize the name Diagon Alley at all.

"Professor, could you tell me where Diagon Alley is?"

"Charing Cross Road, find the owner of the Leaky Cauldron."

"Do we need any code or proof?"

"If you can find the Leaky Cauldron, that will be the best proof."

Upon hearing this question, Snape gave a cold laugh.

John completely ignored Snape's snort. The "Basic Guide to Magical Families" mentions a spell called the Muggle Expulsion Charm.

This magic allows Muggles to remain unaware of certain actions or structures of wizards, which is the wizard's primary means of hiding in society.

The "illusions" he had seen earlier, such as people walking through walls and appearing out of thin air, must have been created using this kind of magic to prevent Muggles from noticing them.

The same logic applies to the Leaky Cauldron; since he can see those "illusions," he should be able to find the Leaky Cauldron.

"Do Muggle families get guidance in Diagon Alley?" John continued.

"What, don't Muggle families even know how to buy things?"

"If you need help even to take your first step into the wizarding world, then I suggest you don't step in at all."

Snape's words were still as sharp as ever, but it seemed like there was nothing wrong with them.

In England, Diagon Alley is theoretically where Muggle-born children first come into contact with the wizarding world, a world completely different from the Muggle world.

Perhaps it's to let the young wizards learn and explore on their own, so they can integrate into this new world.

So this is essentially a training exercise for newcomers in the magical society.

"Okay, I have no more questions. Mom and Dad, do you have any other questions?"

John looked at his parents and asked.

The Merricks had witnessed John and Snape's earlier conversation but had not interrupted.

Even though Snape's words displeased them, they remained silent, allowing John to speak with Snape alone, as this was something John would inevitably have to face at Hogwarts sooner or later.

Perhaps they themselves understood that, as ordinary people, they couldn't offer John much help in that so-called wizarding world, so John had to face it alone.

Moreover, they had confidence in John, after all, he had never let them down since he was a child.

The parents exchanged a glance, and finally the mother spoke up: "Professor, I'd like to know a few things about Hogwarts. What kind of school is it? Is the process of learning magic safe?"

Upon hearing this question, Snape gave John a cold glance: "As long as he's not like some of those idiots who run around the school all day causing trouble, or like a troll who's completely brainless, then I think he's safe."

I always felt like Snape was implying something about someone, but John's family didn't understand. Was he implying that if you behave well, there will be no danger?

So there is still some danger involved...

After saying that, Snape pulled out a thick book from somewhere and threw it on the table.

"You only have 5 minutes left to answer all the remaining basic questions about Hogwarts, pages 3 through 47."

John leaned closer and saw that it was a book called "Hogwarts: A History of the School," which seemed to be somewhat similar to an encyclopedia of Hogwarts.

"Can I buy this book in Diagon Alley?" John wasn't going to spend this little bit of time flipping through a thick book; he just asked if he could buy it.

Snape: "Okay."

John: "That's all."

After that, an eerie silence fell over the living room.

John had no more questions, the Merricks didn't know what to ask either, and Snape was too lazy to speak.

"...Oh, by the way, let me make you a cup of tea. Would black tea be alright, Professor?"

Mrs. Merrick noticed the awkward atmosphere. Although Snape's attitude had just displeased her, she still decided to make him a cup of tea out of politeness.

"Thank you very much, but it's not necessary." However, Snape remained as indifferent as ever.

"Since you have no questions, I'll take my leave."

Seeing that John's family was alright, Snape didn't intend to stay any longer. He stood up, flicked his black robe, and like a bat spreading its wings, walked with the wind, leaving John's house without looking back.

Before the group could say anything, they saw Snape transform into a black gust of wind, twist and turn, and disappear into the stairwell.

Ugh, he's really annoying, but he's also undeniably handsome...

Watching Snape leave, John couldn't help but think to himself, "I definitely have to learn this trick. I don't know anything else, just to show off."

Wait, he didn't take that book.

John noticed that Snape hadn't taken the school history book he'd left behind.

So he pretended to pick up the book and chased after the professor to the gate, calling out twice, "Professor, you forgot your book, it's for feeding you."

After receiving no response, John accepted the book with a clear conscience... no, he simply kept it for now.

When we get to Hogwarts, we can return it to Professor Snape when we have the chance.