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Snape's office was located in the dungeons, not far from the Potions classroom.
The lighting inside was deliberately dim, and shelves lining the walls were filled with countless glass specimen jars containing various preserved ingredients.
A small door on the left side of the room remained firmly closed. Erwin suspected it concealed some of Snape's most treasured materials.
A laboratory table occupied the center of the space, covered with an array of potion ingredients.
At a glance, Erwin recognized the materials for a Wit-Sharpening Potion, a draught used to enhance mental clarity and recall information buried deep within one's mind.
If someone had forgotten something important, a single bottle would guarantee they remembered every detail with perfect clarity.
It would be an absolute dream potion for any writer who'd traveled from a parallel world and needed to recall plot points or details.
This particular brew was precious in the wizarding world; even seventh-year students rarely had access to it.
Many Dark wizards favored this concoction immensely.
If it was combined with Veritaserum, it could even make someone reveal how many times they'd wet the bed as a child.
It was perfect for extracting secrets.
However, Erwin didn't particularly care about any of that; perhaps Snape simply hadn't had time to clean up after his previous work.
What concerned him more was why the old bat had summoned him here in the first place.
Snape methodically placed the remaining materials from class into a large storage box.
Then he looked directly at Erwin.
"Mr. Gaunt, what are you waiting for? Use the materials on the table to brew me a Wit-Sharpening Potion. I don't have an abundant stock of some of these ingredients; you only have one attempt."
Snape's voice maintained its characteristic coldness, devoid of any warmth or emotion.
Erwin was dumbfounded.
'What does he mean? Is the old bat looking to start a child labor business?'
'Isn't he worried I'll make mistakes during the brewing process and destroy expensive materials?'
The price of some Wit-Sharpening Potion ingredients was exceptionally steep. Jobberknoll feathers cost fifteen Galleons, and Acromantula venom ran one hundred Galleons per pint.
Combined with the other components, the raw materials totaled approximately one hundred fifty Galleons, nearly enough to purchase a Nimbus 2000.
The set price for a Nimbus 2000 was two hundred Galleons, while a Firebolt cost fifteen hundred.
"Professor, aren't you concerned I'll ruin the potion?"
Erwin attempted to reason with Snape, hoping for some acknowledgment of the risk involved.
Unfortunately, Snape showed no inclination toward sympathy.
"If you fail, you'll brew me ten bottles of Elixir to Induce Euphoria as compensation."
'Damn it!'
Erwin cursed internally. The Elixir to Induce Euphoria sold for twenty Galleons per bottle in the market. The raw materials weren't particularly expensive; the high price came entirely from the skill required to brew it properly.
No matter how he calculated it, Snape would profit from the arrangement.
Realizing resistance was futile, Erwin could only approach the workbench and begin the brewing process.
He diced the Gurdyroot with meticulous precision, his hands working with practiced efficiency.
Every movement was executed flawlessly, processing each ingredient to absolute perfection.
Even the particle sizes were nearly identical.
Then, following the proper sequence, he mixed a portion of the materials together, stirred carefully, and added them to the cauldron.
The mixture began to boil.
He stirred with measured precision, constantly monitoring the critical transition points before adding the next set of ingredients.
Time passed swiftly in concentrated focus.
Three hours elapsed in what felt like moments.
****
Snape's face remained expressionless, though internally his thoughts raced.
'How has this boy become so good again?'
Snape had summoned Erwin today at Dumbledore's request to provide the talented student with additional private instruction.
Although Snape consistently challenged Erwin with difficult assignments during regular classes, he genuinely appreciated the boy's exceptional talent for Potions.
Each time, he increased the difficulty to determine where Erwin's limits truly lay.
He hadn't expected Erwin's growth rate to be quite so remarkable.
Now the boy could successfully brew even a Wit-Sharpening Potion, something most students wouldn't learn before graduation.
Snape had originally intended to humble Erwin, to temper his confidence with a challenging task.
Instead, his own expectations had been thoroughly exceeded.
Now Snape found himself genuinely concerned.
'If he's already mastered the Wit-Sharpening Potion, what else can I possibly teach him? Am I really going to have to reveal the techniques I've kept private all these years?'
After a while, Erwin, now sweating profusely, carefully transferred the golden liquid from the cauldron into a bottle.
Then he looked at Snape expectantly, awaiting judgment.
Snape said nothing.
He walked directly to the workbench and picked up the bottle filled with potion, examining it with critical scrutiny.
The color was a golden yellow with a subtle red luminescence, undeniably a properly brewed Wit-Sharpening Potion.
Moreover, it was of excellent quality.
"If you add the Acromantula venom, stir it three times counterclockwise, and then add the Gurdyroot, this potion's quality will improve by an entire grade."
Erwin reflexively contradicted Snape's instruction.
"But the book Advanced Potion-Making says that adding them directly makes the ingredients merge more efficiently."
'Oh crap!'
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.
"For reading books from the Restricted Section without permission, two points from Ravenclaw. Don't let me catch you sneaking into the Restricted Section again, or I'll deduct fifty points."
Snape's voice carried a note of unmistakable satisfaction.
Erwin knew he'd been caught.
The book he'd referenced was indeed from the Restricted Section.
If he hadn't mentioned the specific title, he could have claimed he'd obtained the technique from another source.
But naming the book directly was tantamount to a confession.
Seeing Erwin bow his head in silent acceptance, Snape felt a surge of satisfaction.
There was even a trace of unexpected warmth in his next words.
"That book was published before I attended Hogwarts. Its methods are now outdated. As a wizard, you must constantly seek new knowledge and understanding. Don't blindly trust everything written in books."
"Remember, even the texts in the Restricted Section were written by fallible wizards."
After listening to Snape's words, Erwin maintained his composed exterior, but internally, he acknowledged the truth of the professor's guidance.
Although Erwin possessed exceptional natural talent, his approach to Potions remained largely theoretical and textbook-based.
Snape, conversely, had departed from conventional methods early in his education, reaching a level where he could improve upon established formulas rather than simply following them blindly.
Lost in contemplation, Erwin bowed his head thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Snape walked to the side door.
After opening it, he placed the Wit-Sharpening Potion in a small storage compartment inside.
After a moment's consideration, he walked to his desk, withdrew a worn notebook from the drawer, and handed it to Erwin.
Returning to awareness, Erwin accepted the notebook.
Though it appeared quite old, it had been meticulously preserved.
After opening it and scanning several pages, Erwin immediately recognized what he held: this was the Half-Blood Prince's annotated potions textbook, the very book that had given Harry such an advantage in his sixth year.
Harry had learned tremendous amounts of advanced Potions knowledge from these notes, along with several powerful spells.
The notebook had helped him surpass his peers considerably.
Pretending ignorance, Erwin spoke casually after flipping through a few more pages.
"'The Half-Blood Prince's Notebook?' Professor, whose notes are these? Rather narcissistic, calling himself a prince, wouldn't you say?"
Snape's expression darkened dramatically upon hearing this comment.
He growled with barely restrained irritation:
"Get out of my office, Mr. Gaunt!"
Erwin smiled inwardly, knowing his subtle revenge had succeeded.
Not wanting to push his luck further, he prepared to make his exit.
But just as he opened the door and stepped into the corridor, Snape's voice reached his ears once more.
"The notebook is yours to keep. Study it carefully. You will come here every week after potion class and undergo tests."