That night.
I fell asleep and had a dream.
What was really strange was that I knew I was dreaming.
In front of me was Snape. More precisely, Snape as a child.
A woman who looked like Snape’s mother was being beaten by a man who looked like his father. She could have fought back with magic, but she silently endured the violence. Poor little Snape could only cry.
Time passed.
On the train to Hogwarts, Snape told his neighborhood friend Lily Evans that he wanted to be in Slytherin with her, but James Potter and Sirius Black, who happened to overhear him, took offense and picked a fight.
The scene changed.
The Marauders. They ambushed Snape as he was walking along. Ah, yes, [Levicorpus]. A famous spell.
Lily Evans stepped in to stop them. They reluctantly lowered Snape. Humiliated in front of the girl he liked, Snape attacked them, only for James to hang him up again and make Lily even angrier.
When James mocked Snape, saying he had let him off because of Lily, Snape could no longer hold back his rage and finally spat out the one thing he should never have said. Lily was furious.
The two of them could never go back to how they had been before.
The scene changed again.
James cleaned up his disgraceful behavior and focused on Lily. Lily accepted his courtship. But James still picked fights with Snape alone and ignored Lily whenever he could.
The scene changed once more.
Sirius tricked Snape into going to the Shrieking Shack on a night when the full moon was out. James found out too late and rushed over to save Snape.
But Snape ended up hating Remus too, even though he had been another victim of the prank. James also thought he had only saved him because he did not want his friend Remus to become a murderer.
Well, that part was true...
The scenes kept changing.
Snape began associating with people like Avery and Rosier, who would later become Death Eaters, in order to protect himself from the Marauders’ attacks and gain power so no one could look down on him.
Lily despised him even more for it.
Even knowing the truth, it was still disgustingly infuriating.
I wished this damn dream would end already.
*
Jesus, that startled me. I said I wanted it to end, and it actually did?
What the hell kind of dream was that...
After lunch, when the afternoon came around, I packed the food and potion supplies the matron had prepared for me and went to Professor Snape’s house.
"Good afternoon, Professor. The sun’s shining bright for once. Perfect weather for drying laundry."
"Yes, you’ve come, Leonard. You’re a wizard now, so you should know a spell for drying laundry on your own. I don’t have time to teach you such things, so naturally you’ll have to learn them at school. You did remember to bring the supplies, I trust?"
"Of course, Professor. Oh, and the matron sent some food. It tastes pretty good, so please try it."
"No need. I had lunch not long ago, so I’m full. I’ll eat it later tonight. In any case, thank her for me."
"Yes, Professor, I will. By the way, what are you going to teach me today?"
"Today I’ll teach you about the ingredients that go into various potions. Not all of these will be used in the potions you learn over the next seven years, but depending on your ability, you could end up using all of them.
From herbs to magical creatures, and even minerals.
From the easiest ingredients to obtain, the mild and non-toxic ones, to the difficult and troublesome ones. There is a great deal to learn."
*
"A bezoar is a very powerful antidote that can be found in a goat’s stomach. It works against almost all poisons.
However, it does not work against very powerful and dangerous poisons, such as basilisk venom. Unfortunately, basilisks have not been seen for a very long time.
So if you have a bezoar, or know where to get one, treating poison in you or someone you know is a piece of cake."
"Um... Professor? But wouldn’t it be better if we never had to deal with basilisk venom in the first place?"
Snape’s expression suddenly darkened. So this was that mode...
"Leonard, I didn’t expect you to ask such a foolish question...
Of course basilisk is an excellent potion ingredient with nothing wasted. Its scales, fangs, that deadly gaze, even its flesh and organs. It is a precious medicinal ingredient with not a single part to throw away.
It’s also extremely rare, so it’s hard to get your hands on."
"Oh... Then if you could get one, a basilisk corpse would be incredibly valuable, right?"
"Yes, now you’re making sense."
"Naturally, an older basilisk would be worth even more, right?"
"Of course."
"Then how much would a perfectly preserved corpse of a basilisk that had lived for, say, a thousand years be worth?"
"A thousand years... I’ve never heard of a basilisk living that long, but it might be able to come close.
Since basilisk corpses have been traded so rarely, I can’t know the market price exactly, but I can make a rough estimate.
A spider with venom that is very powerful, though still inferior to a basilisk’s, an Acromantula, goes for about one hundred Galleons per pint.
But just because something is a little stronger than that doesn’t mean it would only cost around one hundred and twenty Galleons. That would be an insult to the finest goods. Even at the very least, it would be two hundred Galleons, and that’s for the lowest quality.
But if it were a perfectly preserved corpse, then naturally every ingredient would be top quality, so per pint it would easily go well beyond five hundred.
A basilisk that lived for a thousand years... Naturally it would be enormous, so the venom sac would be huge, and therefore the amount of venom would be considerable. Just the price of the pure venom alone would easily run into the tens of thousands of Galleons.
No, you started spouting nonsense and dragged me into it too! Focus on the lesson."
"Yes, sir! Sorry, Professor."
At least the venom alone would be worth tens of thousands of Galleons...
Basilisk... That’s how it is. But you’ve lived long enough already, haven’t you?
*
All through August, I received special tutoring from Professor Snape.
Meanwhile, the news kept painting an increasingly bleak picture of the Soviet Union’s situation.
I was certain the Soviet Union would collapse this year.
But I still hadn’t found anyone willing to place the bet for me.
I obviously couldn’t ask the matron.
I was practically the hope of our orphanage. What kind of person would she think I was if I asked her to gamble for me?
What would she think of me?
Of course, our matron would never abandon a child once they were under her care.
Taking part in a little gambling wouldn’t turn me into a delinquent.
But I didn’t want to disappoint her.
And I couldn’t ask Professor Snape, the only other adult I knew.
Asking that fussy man to place a bet for me when we had only just started getting along would be practically suicide.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no answer.
I decided I would just get closer to Professor Snape first and ask him later, then put the matter out of my mind for the time being.
But my resolve collapsed not long after.
August 19.
The news broke that a coup had taken place in the Soviet Union and Gorbachev had been ousted.
I didn’t know the exact timeline of the Soviet collapse either, but I knew for certain this was not good news for me.
If I delayed any longer, the money I could get would keep shrinking.
I didn’t want to do this, but I had no choice.
I finally sat down and had it out with the matron.
Of course, I didn’t just ask her to place the bet for me out of nowhere.
I had my own logical basis.
I explained to her, in an orderly fashion, that Lithuania and three other countries had already declared independence from the Soviet Union last year, that earlier this year Georgia and several other countries had announced their intention to leave the Soviet Union, and that a coup had just taken place.
Using those three points, I explained clearly that the Soviet Union would collapse before the year was out.
The matron said she acknowledged the reasoning I presented, but even so, it seemed she did not want me to go down a bad path.
So I had no choice but to give up on persuading her.
But the situation changed in just one day.
August 20.
News reports announced that Estonia would withdraw from the Soviet Union.
The matron, who had been half-doubting whether the Soviet Union would really collapse until just yesterday, immediately added her own five hundred pounds to my five hundred, then set off for London with a total of one thousand pounds.
Late that night, when she returned to the orphanage, she said to me, "...I’m not sure whether this is really the right thing to do."
"Just trust me, Matron. I’m the hope of this orphanage, after all."
"That’s not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean?"
"When I saw that news earlier, I became convinced your claim was right. But as an adult, I should have set an example for you, and instead I ended up joining in on your little rebellion..."
"That’s not your fault, Matron. I was the one who suggested it first."
The matron let out a long sigh, then whispered to me softly, "Leonard. You must absolutely keep this a secret from the other children. Understood?"
"Of course."
*
"Today we’ll do some practical work. We’ll start with a simple healing potion."
"Understood, Professor."
"As I explained before, preparing the ingredients and controlling the fire are extremely important. The idiots at school always boil their potions over high heat. Do they not even bother to read the instructions on the board? Let’s see how you do."
A little while later.
"Oh, your preparation skills are quite good. Have you studied cooking before?"
"I used to cook for the younger kids at the orphanage sometimes. I guess that made me fairly used to preparing ingredients."
In truth, I’d been learning since my previous life, when I lived alone. Still, I really had cooked for the younger kids, so I wasn’t lying.
"The process of brewing potions is similar to cooking in many ways. In general, people who are good at cooking also turn out to be good at potions. At the very least, they don’t make mistakes when it comes to preparing ingredients and controlling the fire, so the quality of their potions is at least somewhat assured."
*
I went to Professor Snape’s house the next day as well and attended potion lessons. And the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that—hey! Not Squidward...
Anyway, my potion skills were improving by leaps and bounds thanks to my determination to adapt to this new world and Professor Snape’s guidance, which was truly excellent in every way.
"Today we’ll learn about Felix Felicis. You remember hearing about it a few times in previous lessons, I trust? If not, I’d be very disappointed."
"Of course I remember, Professor. You said it was an amazing potion that brings incredible luck to whoever drinks it."
"Yes, it seems you weren’t listening to the earlier lessons in vain.
It is said to bring luck, but strictly speaking, it is not really a luck potion. It is closer to a potion that awakens the drinker’s full potential.
People do not always perform at one hundred percent of their ability. Depending on a person’s temperament, their condition that day, and so on, there are very few cases where someone can fully bring out their own skill.
Felix Felicis ignores all those unfavorable conditions and allows the drinker to properly display their natural ability.
It even sharpens the sixth sense. When the sixth sense becomes stronger, one instinctively knows how to handle whatever situation one has encountered.
Because of that effect, anyone who drinks Felix Felicis gains boundless confidence.
Also, drinking more does not make the effect stronger; it only extends the duration. So rather than drinking Felix Felicis all at once, it can be a good idea to take it little by little when needed.
However, because of its tremendous effect, users can become prone to abusing it. As with any potion, Felix Felicis has an appropriate dosage and duration of use.
If one becomes addicted to the good results it brings, one may stop wanting to do anything without drinking it. And excessive confidence leads to arrogance, which is hardly desirable.
And though many people overlook it, there is actually an even more important warning: Felix Felicis cannot make you surpass your limits.
It only allows you to fully use your existing ability. It cannot make the impossible possible."
"That’s a very tempting potion. If the effect is that good, it must be very difficult to make, right?"
"Yes, you’ve seen that correctly. The ingredients—dragon claw, Erumpent tail, four-leaf clover, and so on—are difficult to obtain, but not impossible.
However, the brewing period is absurdly long at six months. That’s six times longer than the Polyjuice Potion you learned about last time.
But the biggest reason this potion is difficult to make is that you cannot make a single mistake at any point in the process.
This is a common problem not only with Felix Felicis, but with many other expensive and precious potions that have long brewing periods. Fundamentally, it is because the magical power contained in the ingredients is extremely strong and difficult to handle.
If you are supposed to stir the cauldron six times clockwise, but you stir it six times and a little more, or if you are supposed to add exactly five dragon claws but a microscopic impurity gets in because you didn’t clean the lab properly, there are countless things that can ruin Felix Felicis.
You must complete every step perfectly! And for six whole months! Only then can you obtain a proper Felix Felicis."
"Professor. Then what happens to Felix Felicis if you make even a small mistake?"
"You throw it all away. For very simple potions taught in first year, such as basic healing potions or boil-cure potions, minor mistakes do not reduce the potion’s effectiveness very much.
Even if you make a more serious mistake than that, the effect is only greatly reduced; it does not disappear entirely.
But for advanced potions like Felix Felicis, even the smallest mistake causes it to turn into a highly potent poison, so it must be completely discarded.
In fact, poison made that way is extremely difficult to antidote as well. That’s because depending on the order in which the mistake was made and how it was made, a completely different poison is produced each time."
"I’m sure you’ve made Felix Felicis before, Professor?"
"What do you take your professor for? Of course I’ve made Felix Felicis several times, and I have never made a mistake once!"
"Oh~! As expected of Professor Snape, you’re amazing."
"Yes, you must understand exactly who you are learning from. I became a full professor at Hogwarts in my twenties, and I developed and improved countless potions. On top of that, I am the youngest member of the International Potions Association. The chance to receive one-on-one special instruction from someone this outstanding is not something you can easily come by."
As Professor Snape straightened his chest and proudly listed his career, I quickly piled on the praise.
As they say, even whales dance when praised, and Professor Snape was no different when it came to flattery.
*
"At this point, I’ve taught you almost everything worth learning at a student level. I’m glad you have some talent for potions."
"Of course. Who do you think I am? A good teacher and a good student help each other out."
"Don’t get cocky, boy. You’ve only just started learning, and already you’re showing off..."
"Oh dear, I’m sorry, Professor. Hehe. So, is special tutoring over now? That’s a shame..."
"Even if I wanted to continue, there’s nothing more to teach you. Anything beyond this is still too early for you."
"Even if it’s not potions, I feel like there’s a lot I could learn from you, Professor. Surely someone like you isn’t only good at potions."
"You really have no respect for your teacher, do you? When are you going to fix that awful mouth of yours? Of course I excel at other subjects as well. And in any case, school starts tomorrow, so how exactly do you expect to keep doing private lessons?"
"Can’t we do private lessons at school too?"
"Oh? I thought you were just a lazy little slacker, but I didn’t expect you to be so eager to learn. Very well, then. Is there anything in particular you want to study?"
"Um... among the superpowers Muggles imagine, there’s one that can read other people’s thoughts. Is there magic like that too?"
"Of course there is. You still seem to underestimate wizards far too much. Magic can do almost anything. Reading other people’s thoughts is called [Legilimency], and defending against [Legilimency] is called [Occlumency]."
"Can you do both, Professor Snape?"
"Of course I can! I can do both [Occlumency] and [Legilimency] perfectly! What do you take your teacher for? Hah... The [Occlumency] you’ve chosen will have to be endured with sheer grit. That magic is extremely unpleasant to learn."
"Formal lessons will start after school begins, but could you show me a little taste of it here? We still have some time, hehe."
"I see no reason not to.
Magic of this sort works both ways: someone who is good at attacking is also good at defending. So [Legilimency] and [Occlumency] are essentially one and the same.
You haven’t used [Legilimency] before, so you’ll start with [Occlumency].
Look straight into my eyes.
When I count to three, I’ll enter your mind, and you must empty your thoughts and stop me from reading your memories.
I won’t touch anything too deep since this is your first time, but remember this: if you don’t want your embarrassing memories exposed, you’ll need to put in a real effort. One, two, three! [Legilimency]!"
The moment the spell ended, I felt magic flow in through my eyes. It was incredibly subtle and sticky.
Let’s empty my mind. But how do I do that? Should I count sheep? No, that’s not it...
I have no thoughts... because I have no thoughts...
It didn’t seem to be working very well. I could feel Professor Snape’s magic combing through my brain. Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think. Mala tang. Tanghulu. Lulu pang lulu pi lulu yap~!
Damn it... I can’t block all of it?
I could feel the magic rifling through my memories. Memories from the orphanage, memories of me scolding the neighborhood kids who bullied Jonathan, and then... it even slipped into the memory of the dream I had last time.
No, I have to stop this.
Don’t come in, don’t come in, don’t come in, don’t come in, don’t come in, don’t come in!
Pop!
[Legilimency] was over.
A brief silence fell.
"..."
"..."
"This wasn’t you entering my mind... What are you? How do you know my memories?"
Oh no... I’m screwed.
"Answer me quickly! Do you think I’ll go easy on you just because we’ve gotten close over the past month?"
"I... well... the night I bought my wand last time... I had a dream..."
"Stop stammering and speak properly!"
"The night I bought my wand, I had a dream, and I think it was Professor Snape’s childhood dream! I’m sorry for hiding it!"
"You had a dream? Don’t lie—no, it’s not a lie. I can tell. But how...? I’ve never heard of anything like this... I can’t say it’s impossible, but I’ve certainly never heard of it. This is something I don’t know."
Snape muttered to himself for a while, then spoke to me in a colder, sharper voice.
"What happened today must never be told to anyone! Do you understand!"
"Yes, Professor... I’m sorry... I won’t tell anyone, ever..."
Damn it... I worked so hard to build goodwill, and one [Legilimency] spell wiped it all out...
But what else could I do? I had to learn [Occlumency] if I wanted to survive in this brutal magical world...
It was better than having that black-company boss Dumbledore discover the memories of my reincarnation...
Ugh... the whole world can go to hell...
"Goodbye, Professor. I’ll see you at school..."
Just as I was packing up to leave, I heard Professor Snape’s slightly softened voice.
"Wait! Tomorrow is the first day of school, and you haven’t even heard how to get there, have you? Listen before you go!"
Phew. As expected, Professor Snape really was an angel! I knew I could count on him!
"There’s an express train to Hogwarts at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in London’s King’s Cross Station. The entrance is a pillar, so don’t panic and just walk straight through it. It departs exactly at eleven in the morning, so don’t be late!"
"Yes, Professor! Thank you~ Have a good night~!"
"Get lost, you damned brat!"
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