Lucien pushed open the door to the Potions Professor's office.
The familiar scent of potion ingredients filled the air.
His nose twitched slightly, picking up a faint, almost imperceptible whiff of blood among the complex mix of herbal smells.
Hmm, looks like Snape really did get bitten by Fluffy.
Lucien casually took a seat at the desk, glancing at a few open bottles and jars on the table, which only confirmed his suspicion.
"Happy Halloween, Professor," he said cheerfully.
Snape, caught off guard by the festive greeting, hesitated briefly before giving a curt nod.
"Hm."
The clipped response made Lucien smirk inwardly.
Does the old bat ever get holiday greetings?
"Do you have a question?" Snape asked, his usual opening line.
Few students dared to bother him with questions every few days, but Lucien was one of them.
Lucien pulled a small vial from his pocket and slid it across the desk toward Snape.
"Professor, I tried brewing a simple potion. Could you take a look?"
Snape picked up the vial, popped the cap, and peered inside, noticing it contained a solid potion.
He tilted it, letting a single round, white pill roll into his palm.
Bringing it close to his nose, he sniffed, his brow furrowing slightly.
"A healing potion, I'd say. Ingredients include safflower, dew, ashwinder eggs…"
"But…"
"There's one ingredient that's… unusual."
That piqued Snape's interest. As one of the finest Potions Masters of his time, it was rare for him to come across an ingredient he couldn't immediately identify.
Especially one presented by a young student.
Lucien stifled a grin at Snape's words.
Of course it's unusual—Luster's unicorn saliva is one of a kind.
Truth be told, his recent potion studies had been fairly straightforward. Without access to the Philosopher's Stone, he hadn't tried brewing anything with it, so he hadn't hit any major roadblocks worth consulting about.
This little pill was made with unicorn saliva as the main ingredient, mixed with a few herbs.
Lucien figured if he ever needed to brew with the Philosopher's Stone, he might require some seriously rare materials.
And rare materials? Those weren't always something Galleons could buy—you needed connections.
Speaking of connections…
Who better than Snape, the youngest Potions Master with a bright future and likely a vast network?
He might need to trade for rare ingredients through Snape or ask him to track some down in the future.
Building a bit of rapport now couldn't hurt.
Lucien recalled a saying from his past life that always stuck with him: Cherish the chance to connect with your professors. They might be the most capable and influential people you'll ever meet.
Seeing Snape's curiosity about the pill—or rather, its unique ingredient—Lucien knew he'd taken the first step toward his goal.
"Professor, you could analyze it with magic or… just try it? I promise I didn't put anything weird in it."
Snape glanced up at Lucien, his expression unreadable. He knew this student well enough—rule-abiding, diligent, humble, not like certain reckless idiots.
Summoning some tools and drawing his wand, Snape cast a few minor spells to analyze the pill's components.
"Hm, yes, the usual ingredients, but this… unusually potent life force…"
As he studied, Snape levitated a cup of tea and a plate of snacks toward Lucien.
Lucien sipped the tea.
Yup, the usual potion-like brew.
Bitter, astringent, slightly sour—honestly, just awful.
He glanced at the snacks. Dried cheese-frog jerky. Exactly what it sounded like: frog meat with a cheesy flavor.
Lucien grimaced inwardly. Why not just serve cheese? Weird old bat.
"How'd the duel with Draco go?" Snape asked casually.
He was on good terms with Lucius Malfoy, so he kept an eye on the man's son when he could.
Lucien set down the teacup, his tone nonchalant.
"It was fine. He surrendered right at the start."
Snape's lips twitched, barely hiding a wince.
Typical Malfoy kid…
"What did you say, Professor?" Lucien asked, catching only a faint mumble that sounded like "Malfoy."
"Nothing."
"I've looked over your potion," Snape said, steering the conversation back. "The brewing technique is basic. It relies heavily on the ingredients—especially that one unique component."
Lucien nodded slightly.
"You're absolutely right."
After a pause, he smiled.
"So, Professor, want to test its effects?"
Snape went quiet for a second or two before popping the pill into his mouth and chewing.
For a Potions Master, testing potions was as routine as eating candy.
At first, his expression stayed calm. The pill wasn't bad—sweet, easy to swallow.
But after he swallowed…
A warm current bloomed in his stomach, spreading outward.
That was normal enough for healing potions.
Then Snape noticed the pain in his leg easing significantly, and…
He lifted his robe, revealing the bite wound from the three-headed dog. His usually cold, fathomless eyes rippled with shock.
The torn flesh was healing rapidly, but that wasn't what stunned him.
The black miasma spreading from the wound—the dark magic curse from Fluffy's teeth—was dissipating, strand by strand!
For Snape, mending flesh wounds was child's play.
But the lingering effects of dark magic? That was the real problem. Standard spells and potions rarely worked, and it often took time and persistent cleansing to wear it down.
In the moments Snape sat stunned, the black miasma vanished completely.
"This…"
Lucien, blocked by the desk, couldn't see the wound, but he caught Snape's expression.
Yup, looks like it worked pretty well.
He'd seen it before when he treated Harry—the kid had recovered quickly.
Luster's unicorn saliva wasn't just brimming with vitality, speeding up healing; it could also dispel certain curses, like the one from Fluffy's bite. Otherwise, Harry's wound wouldn't have healed so fast.
It was somewhat similar to the unicorn's purifying flame, though probably less potent.
"So, Professor, how's the potion's effect?" Lucien asked.
Snape reined in his surprise, his face resuming its usual impassive mask.
"Hm. The effect is… remarkable."
Snape knew it wasn't the potion itself but that mysterious ingredient that made it special.
He was tempted to ask Lucien what it was and where he'd gotten it.
But he held back. Partly because of his reserved nature, and partly because he figured there was no need to pry into a student's secrets.
Seeing Snape didn't ask, as expected, Lucien stood to leave.
Just as he reached the door, Snape called out.
"On the shelf to your left—pick something."
"And… Happy Halloween."