Ryan's words were defiant, yet also slightly tentative. Then, he saw Snape visibly startle. Anger flashed in his eyes, then suspicion, then surprise, and finally, barely concealed anticipation. "You have dapoxetine in your vault?" he asked softly, not even pursuing Ryan's obvious sarcasm.
"Of course, Professor," Ryan shrugged. "It's like that little trick I told you about—armadillo bile—that elder left me many things, and dapoxetine was among them..." He began, describing the dapoxetine in the vault—and mid-sentence, he saw Snape staring intently at him.
"Only the branches and leaves of dapoxetine?" he asked coldly, his tone shifting slightly.
"Of course there are others."
"Like its roots?"
"Of course," Ryan said with a smile—he knew the professor had fallen for it. Of course, he wasn't lying. His vault did indeed contain two-headed yangwood, along with a vast collection of ancient potion ingredients now extinct in this era—all bequeathed to him by Hufflepuffs, a quantity that even surprised him.
After reading numerous books, he realized their preciousness. Completely extinct potion ingredients meant that all potions requiring them would be affected—some potions might find suitable substitutes, while others would simply disappear!
So, he hadn't originally intended to spread the word about these items.
But that Potions class changed his mind. Of course, it wasn't Snape's taunts. Snape's tongue was indeed vicious, but not enough to trigger Ryan's fury. Hell, Salazar Slytherin had even a sharper tongue than Snape's, and he was used to that. More importantly, he had discerned Professor Snape's proficiency in potions during that class.
Even amidst his venomous words, he always found the truth about each young wizard's mistakes and offered impeccable suggestions for improvement. This was a rare occurrence in the art of potions—after all, a five-minute simmer missing, or a flame being half as strong, wasn't something an ordinary wizard could detect.
And after Ryan's "confrontation" with Snape, he was even more certain of Snape's proficiency in potions.
"A true Potions Master, so young? Remarkable." It was precisely because he recognized Snape's proficiency that Ryan chose to reveal some of the ancient magical plants he possessed. His teacher, Helga Hufflepuff, had once said, "A great Potions Master craves precious ingredients, brewing potions they've never concocted before. The feeling of a brand-new potion is incomparable." And Snape clearly possessed that quality.
"Very good." And so, at this moment, Ryan heard Snape's voice. It suddenly lost its coldness and hardness, becoming softer. This softness was clearly rarely heard in his voice, making it sound strange. "Mr. Elias's answer is correct," he said, and the young wizards in the classroom—especially the Gryffindors—gazed, their eyes widening as if they had seen a troll suddenly studying alchemy.
They couldn't believe Snape actually praised a student who had just caused a disturbance in the Slytherin common room the day before!
The whole classroom suddenly became noisy. But the next moment, Snape glanced around with a gloomy expression.
"Since Mr. Elias's answer is correct, why don't you write it down? Or have your brains been washed by the troll's snot, completely losing their normal human functions?"
His familiar, mildly venomous words echoed throughout the classroom, announcing that the class would continue. The young wizards once again settled down. For the rest of the class, Snape didn't harass Ryan again, and even reduced his anger towards Gryffindor considerably. The only exception was Harry—he remained Snape's primary target, and for this, Gryffindor lost another five points.
Soon, when Potions class ended.
Snape stepped down from the podium and glanced at Ryan. "About weekend detention—tomorrow morning at nine... You should pray you're not late, Mr. Elias." With that, he left the classroom.
And then...
"Merlin's beard—Ryan, you're amazing!" Ryan didn't have time to react before Seamus, behind him, swooped in. "That big bat, you absolutely had it in your throat!"
Ron exclaimed. "See? His expression just now was like he'd eaten a bunch of slugs!" He danced with excitement, as if he had actually eaten slugs. Harry, standing next to him and facing the most intense criticism of the entire class, was speechless with excitement.
Meanwhile, Hermione stood by and warned, "Ryan, you're going to Snape's detention this week? Then you might want to be careful..."
The little witch's eyes were still red—Snape's words had brought her to tears, and even she, who always respected her professor, now clearly harbored a deep hostility towards him. After smilingly acknowledging the cubs' excitement and thanking Hermione for the reminder, Ryan returned to his dorm.
But even then, a certain confusion remained within him.
He was actually quite puzzled by Snape's demeanor during the latter half of the course. After their interactions last night and today, he felt he had a somewhat better understanding of the professor. He was a typical Salazar Slytherin. He possessed exceptional talent and accomplishments, but his personality was eccentric: cold, aloof, and sharp-tongued, perhaps even a bit extreme.
From what Ryan knew, trying to bend such a person would be harder than prying open the horn of an Erumpent. However, upon learning that Ryan possessed ancient, extinct potion ingredients, Snape's attitude seemed a bit too gentle.
"This professor actually wants ancient potion ingredients so badly? He's worthy of being a Potions Master!" Ryan muttered to himself. Snape's desire for ancient potion ingredients exceeded his expectations. But whatever the reason, Ryan was happy to see it.
The greater Snape's desire for the ancient magical plant in his possession, the more likely he would succeed in obtaining the potion he needed. So, Ryan stopped dwelling on it. More important than Snape's concerns was... tonight's night out.
Yes.
After several days of contemplation, Ryan decided to resume his night outing. And his conclusion was straightforward: since even Shuja'ah didn't know where the Four's treasure was, he might as well search every possible corner of Hogwarts! As Rowena Ravenclaw once said, "Exhaustive search may be simple, but sometimes it can be very effective."
As for where to begin this sweeping search, the answer was obvious. It was one of the most mysterious locations in the entire school this semester, and it had been the subject of much discussion among the young wizards during the first week of school.
"The room at the end of the right corridor on the fourth floor, the restricted area that Headmaster Dumbledore mentioned at the opening dinner!"
Although there was no clear evidence, Ryan was certain that Dumbledore had a very special attitude towards him. He felt the current Hogwarts headmaster might know something. Unfortunately, Ryan hadn't had a chance to speak with him privately so far. Dumbledore's attitude at the start-of-term dinner and in the headmaster's office recently had left Ryan with a vague understanding—he wasn't prepared to confront him.
But Dumbledore's reluctance didn't mean Ryan couldn't investigate on his own.
The room at the end of the right corridor on the fourth floor—a restricted area designated by Dumbledore—was Ryan's first target. Of course, he wasn't optimistic that it might contain treasure left behind by the Founders. He'd already inquired about it, and at least last semester, it hadn't been considered a restricted area.
But...
"Since I'm here, it's only right to check it out!"
The Gryffindor part of Ryan's soul stirred a certain anticipation. So, at nightfall, Ryan once again quietly passed the sleeping statue and vanished into the darkness.
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Author's note
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