Snape never imagined that he would one day encounter such a student, and this student was his kin. It's something he never dared to think of in his many years of teaching.
A first-year student daring to brew Amortentia!
And to brew it in batches!
Even the one whose name cannot be mentioned never dared to do something like this! Such a naturally wicked little imp ended up in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin? Although, as the head of Slytherin, he shouldn't have such thoughts, Snape truly couldn't understand the Sorting Hat's decision during the sorting ceremony.
"Don't tell me Dumbledore allowed you to do this."
In front of the Room of Requirement.
In the corridor on the eighth floor, Snape had a stern expression on his face, ready to severely punish Ian, yet Ian led him here in an attempt to avoid punishment.
"Perhaps he would allow it?"
Ian glanced towards the Headmaster's Office.
He hadn't yet handed over his big killer against Dumbledore.
"Ha, indeed Dumbledore disgraced himself, doing such filthy and despicable things, but would he dare to admit it? Prince, don't forget I am your legal guardian."
Snape's eyes carried a few traces of resentment. After two tests with precise answers, he truly couldn't imagine the respectable Dumbledore leaving a bloodline in the Prince family.
His aunt has a husband! Damn Dumbledore! No wonder the old rascal claimed he only had time to save a baby! After several nights of careful pondering and linking clues, Snape roughly understood why Ian was so exceptionally talented — at least he thought he understood.
"I am sharing with you a Hogwarts secret, dear uncle. I truly wasn't trying to brew any Amortentia; what you smelled was just a cursed facade!" Ian mentally recited the Magic Potion Classroom, pacing back and forth in the corridor three times, and the door to the Room of Requirement silently revealed itself.
Under Snape's shocked and unbelievable gaze, Ian, as if possessed by Hagrid, rushed to the door, opening a gap just big enough for him to slip inside.
"Bang!"
Snape hadn't even reacted before Ian slipped inside and shut the door, causing it to slowly disappear and then reappear, following the sound of the door opening with Ian emerging again after more than ten seconds.
"Did you dispose of the evidence?" Snape did not immediately inquire about the door; regaining his senses, he looked at the exiting Ian with a somewhat uncontrolled expression.
"Don't tell me you threw those things down the drain!" The voice of the Hogwarts Professor of Potion Class was eager, carrying an air of panic. Considering the series of shocks Ian had brought since before school started, Snape could even accept Ian being sorted into Gryffindor.
"I just cleaned up a rather unsightly room. Of course, I know Amortentia can't be poured down the sewer... No, I wasn't even researching Amortentia!" Ian actually went to hide his trusty assistant; he didn't think Snape would let him keep a Dementor at Hogwarts.
Such a good assistant might even assist with Alchemy. Ian definitely didn't want to lose his Paru, who required no food or drink.
"Is this the secret room Dumbledore told you about? The Chamber of Secrets?" Snape obviously didn't know about the Room of Requirement; he merely connected it to Slytherin College's long-standing rumors.
"This is called the Room of Requirement, Uncle Professor Snape." Ian reopened the door, and Snape, learning his lesson, grabbed Ian's robe collar and lifted him off the ground.
"I think I can walk on my own." Ian gestured with his hands while suspended mid-air. Snape, however, clearly didn't intend to respond. With a slightly serious and vigilant expression, he pushed open the door and walked in.
Upon entering.
It was an ancient and solemn Magic Potion Classroom, feeling like a creation of several centuries ago. Snape even found portraits of several generations of past Potion Class professors on the classroom walls.
"They were here..." Snape had little time for sentimental thoughts; his gaze was soon drawn to the six still bubbling cauldrons in the center of the classroom. The flickering flames caused the liquid inside the crucible to slowly warm up, emitting a faint and unique aroma.
It was the scent he detected in the corridor — perhaps a hidden room, but of course, this room's ventilation system was still connected with Hogwarts Castle.
"I think I can recognize what you're brewing." Snape, with gritted teeth, approached the cauldrons, looking at the processed materials on the table beside him.
He grabbed several types of materials, adding them in batches to one of the cauldrons. With a spell uttered, pearl-like luster and spiraling steam began to materialize.
Even more intense, and with differing scents for each person — Ian smelled the aroma of books. Snape smelled something unclear; he frowned rigidly with a very ferocious expression.
"Now, what else can you explain? You damned Prince! Not only did you brew Amortentia, you even improved its formula, reducing its brewing process from three months to just a few hours!"
"Perhaps I can nominate you for Best Magic Potion Innovation Award? I truly hope you enjoy this honor even in Azkaban!" Snape's emotions were very complex.