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Hi everyone !
So, I'm announcing it again! For every 100 power stones, I'll release a new bonus chapter! Let's start working towards our goal of becoming one of the top fanfictions!
Second announcement: I've posted a bonus chapter on my Patreon, so if you want more, go check it out!
In the meantime, you can contribute to the release of a bonus chapter on P@tre0n.
(PS: A friend suggested I create a P@treon account. If you'd like to see advanced chapters posted on Webnovel, that's where you can find them! I'll also mention all the supporters at the end of each chapter!)
Search : StoryLabo on the website or click the link on my bio
Happy reading !
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Snape sat at his desk, and for a few seconds he said nothing. He merely observed Aiden with that intensity that made even the most daring students uncomfortable.
Then he spoke in a soft and dangerous voice.
- "How did you know what to do to improve the effectiveness of this potion?"
Aiden had prepared for this question during Snape's entire inspection.
- "I applied basic biochemistry principles, Professor. The active enzymes in sea anemones degrade rapidly through oxidation when you crush them brutally. By cutting them finely, I preserved more active ingredients."
- "Biochemistry." The word came out of Snape's mouth as if it were an alien concept. "You are Muggle-born, I presume?"
- "Yes, Professor. Lambeth orphanage in London."
- "And they teach advanced biochemistry in Muggle orphanages now?"
Damn, he's sarcastic even when asking questions.
- "No, Professor. But the orphanage matron, Mrs. Pemberton, had found me Muggle medical books. I've always loved reading and understanding how things work. When I saw the potions textbook instructions, I just... applied the same principles."
Snape narrowed his eyes.
- "You are eleven years old."
- "Yes, Professor."
- "And you read medical textbooks for pleasure."
- "I didn't have much else to do at the orphanage, Professor."
Silence settled. Aiden felt Snape's gaze dissecting him like a laboratory specimen.
- "I must specify, Professor, that I would never have dared do this with high-level ingredients. I don't yet know all the magical properties and consequences it could cause. But for a first-year potion with basic components, I thought the risk was acceptable."
Snape didn't respond immediately. His gaze became even more intense, and Aiden felt something strange brush against his mind.
Oh shit, he doesn't believe me 100%!
It was like a small fog gently infiltrating the periphery of his consciousness. It wasn't brutal like a violent intrusion would have been, but rather subtle and insidious. Snape was a true professional, and if Aiden hadn't been aware of his past, he would have had much suspicion.
Aiden didn't panic for a single instant and showed no emotion on his face, acting as if he had noticed nothing. And anyway, he was the master when a stranger penetrated his mental world. With surgical delicacy, he guided this fog toward one of the orange clouds floating in his mental landscape, then lost it completely inside.
The fog swirled in the cloud without finding anything but dense, colored mist. Impossible to distinguish anything. No memories, no thoughts just structured void.
Snape's expression changed for a fraction of a second.
Pure surprise. After all, you're a Legilimency master and suddenly a child completely diverts you, apparently without even being aware of what he's doing.
But his face instantly resumed its impenetrable poker mask.
He withdrew his mental probe without a word.
The silence that followed was heavy. Snape was now looking at him differently, with something that almost resembled interest. Aiden wasn't sure—no parasitic thoughts came from Snape.
- "You will return here every Saturday evening. One hour before the evening meal."
- "Yes, Professor."
- "You may go."
Aiden didn't need to be asked twice. He gathered his things and quickly left the classroom before Snape changed his mind or decided to dig deeper.
He mentally tested me, and now he wants to see me tomorrow? Is this a good sign, or am I in trouble?
He headed to the upper floors where his Charms class was taking place. Obviously, when he arrived, Flitwick had already begun his lesson. Aiden knocked gently on the door, and the tiny professor perched on his pile of books turned toward him with a radiant smile.
- "Ah, Mr. Mortensen! Come in, come in! Your classmates informed me that Professor Snape had detained you."
Thanks, guys. At least someone thought to cover my lateness, he thought, casting a bright look at his two friends who didn't understand.
- "Why is Aiden looking at me like that?? It was Kelia who informed the professor, not me?" they were thinking, give or take a few words.
Aiden caught their thought, and his smile transformed into something a bit stranger, half disappointed, half disgusted, with a desire to maintain his mask that quickly reestablished itself.
Aiden entered and scanned the room for a seat. Charlie and Narwick were sitting together, obviously, and gave him a small reassuring sign. He ignored these two traitors and looked for a free desk. Of course, Kelia was making big gestures from the back of the class with an empty seat next to her.
Of course. She saved me a seat.
He sighed with a resigned grimace but settled next to her anyway. Kelia gave him a radiant smile that would have illuminated the entire castle.
- "You're not dead! Snape didn't kill you!"
- "No, I'm still in one piece, thank you."
- "What did he want?"
- "To talk to me about my potion. Nothing serious."
Flitwick tapped his wand against his desk to attract the class's attention.
- "Well, well! Let's resume. So as I was saying, today we will learn one of the most basic but also most useful charms of your Hogwarts curriculum, the Illumination Charm, otherwise known as Lumos!"
He raised his wand with a theatrical gesture and pronounced in a high-pitched voice:
- "Lumos!"
A small ball of white light appeared at the tip of his wand, illuminating the entire room with soft clarity.
- "As you can see, the spell is relatively simple in its execution but requires concentration. You must visualize the light you wish to create while clearly pronouncing the incantation. The wand movement is a small circle clockwise followed by a slight push forward."
He demonstrated in slow motion, and Aiden observed without much attention. He already mastered this spell, and Flitwick wasn't saying anything he didn't already know.
- "Now it's your turn! Don't forget, concentration, visualization, and clear pronunciation are the watchwords for your success!"
The whole class began waving their wands in all directions, shouting "Lumos!" at various degrees of success. Some produced pathetic little sparks, others managed to create a trembling glow.
Aiden smiled and raised his wand. He had already practiced Lumos during his summer revisions, but he had also experimented with some variations...
With a small fluid gesture, he pronounced:
- "Lumos Coloris."
A small ball of orange light burst from his wand, but instead of simply remaining suspended, it shot toward the center of the class. Then it exploded in a spectacular spray of small luminous petals that fell slowly like a rain of cherry blossoms, but orange.
The whole class froze.
Flitwick let out a small cry of delight.
- "Extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary, Mr. Mortensen! Five points for Ravenclaw!"
The professor was almost bouncing on his pile of books with excitement.
- "How did you do that? That's an advanced variation of the basic charm!"
Aiden shrugged with a modest smile.
- "I read a few chapters ahead during the summer, Professor. I tried to combine Lumos with a coloring charm and a dispersion effect."
The other students were now looking at him with round eyes. Several hands immediately shot up.
- "Aiden! Teach us!"
- "How did you do that?"
- "That was so cool!"
He burst out laughing at their enthusiasm.
- "Guys, master normal Lumos first before moving to variations."
Flitwick approved vigorously.
- "Mr. Mortensen is quite right! Focus first on the basic spell. Variations will come later."
During the rest of the class, Aiden patiently helped his neighbors perfect their Lumos, emphasizing will and magical intention rather than wand movements. Kelia finally produced a small stable light, and she hugged him with so much enthusiasm that he almost fell off his chair.
This girl is going to kill me.
When the class ended, Aiden quickly escaped Kelia and joined Charlie and Narwick to head toward the Great Hall.
- "Dude," Charlie said, giving him a pat on the back. "You're a fucking showoff."
- "It was pretty at least, right?"
- "It was magnificent," Narwick admitted. "But you're going to get a reputation as a gifted genius, and all the professors are going to expect you to succeed perfectly at everything."
- "Great. Exactly what I wanted to avoid. But don't think I forgive you, bunch of traitors, leaving me with Kelia!"
- "Ahahah sorry dude, but it was too tempting. Don't you see how interested she is in you? In your place, I would have already gone to see her father to ask for her hand," Narwick replied, laughing.
Aiden hit him on the shoulder and simulated a discreet vomit.
- "I'm joking, but she's not my type. She's only attracted to my appearance that's not what I want," he finally said in a serious tone.
They ate quietly, discussing their morning classes. In the afternoon, they had Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs again, then History of Magic with the Slytherins.
The Transfiguration classroom was spacious and bright, with large windows overlooking the grounds. Professor McGonagall's desk was impeccably arranged, and she was already waiting for them, sitting very straight in her chair.
Except it wasn't a woman sitting there.
It was a tabby cat with square glasses drawn around its eyes.
Aiden smiled inwardly. Ah yes. The classic demonstration.