This was Harry's first time in Snape's office.

In the basement, it was dim and gloomy, filled with the strong smell of herbs, and there were rows and rows of cabinets with countless glass bottles filled with specimens.

But there was no sign of any private life; even Professor Binns's office was more lively than this.

Even a photo.

"Put away your dirty eyes!" Snape scolded, took out his wand and pointed it at Harry: "Potter, I think I need to remind you."

"After you go back, don't think about looking for Evans. Oh, now you have to call her Mrs. Dursley. Don't think about asking about my past!"

Harry laughed. "The professor is concerned about Aunt Petunia's life? He even knows who she married."

"I thought the world between wizards and ordinary people was completely isolated."

Snape pointed his wand at Harry's forehead: "Mark my words."

Harry shrugged noncommittally.

"Now, let's begin the test." Snape glanced at the clock on the table. "There are still three hours until dinner. If you can make this potion, you will pass."

He waved his wand.

Parchment and a quill flew over, scribbling a long string of words, and landed in Harry's hands.

"Healing potion."

Snape mentioned it in class. It is the most important content in the third grade. If you want to work at St. Mungo's, this is a potion that you must master.

"Evening primrose, water wormwood..."

Some common herbs with remarkable healing properties.

And the two most important magical materials.

"Hokklap, the horn of the unicorn."

The potion was not too difficult for Harry - if the dosage was noted.

"Professor, did you lose it..." Harry frowned and asked.

Snape sneered: "Only the stupidest potion master would completely believe what is in the book. Everyone's potion is unique."

"I think I have mentioned this many times in class without getting tired of it."

"Are your ears like trumpets, which only let in but not out?"

"You only have three hours, oh... now it's two hours and fifty minutes. The materials are in the cabinet over there. I allow you to borrow my crucible."

Harry nodded and got busy.

The essence of brewing potions is to use magic power to harmonize the medicinal properties and make them change. The recipe given in the textbook is the most regular and least error-prone recipe, but this does not mean it is the best.

Everyone's magic power is different, so the amount of materials used requires subtle adjustments.

As Snape said in his first lesson at the beginning of the school year - this is a "delicate art".

The first hurdle is to select the right medicinal materials.

Snape deliberately mixed some herbs together, for example, he mixed some evening primrose with some night glories. They look very similar, the biggest difference is that evening primrose has only one layer of petals, while night glories have two layers.

What Harry felt was a pity.

Snape hadn't mixed up the unicorn's horn with the bicorn's horn.

Don’t you think these two materials are really similar?

Many wizards have trouble distinguishing the individual horns.

As a holy creature, the unicorn's horn naturally has holy meaning, but it does not have the medicinal properties of "healing" or "curing", it only has the ability to "purify" and "relieve".

The Hoglarpu is a magical animal that has almost no lethality.

But it is hard to kill.

Housewives regard dirt and chaff as the same as goblins, which only encroach on the original space in the garden.

It is one of the materials commonly used in healing potions, but... it is also often used to make herbicide potions.

Its blood, or juice, is poisonous.

The unicorn's horn is used to neutralize this poison...

Harry gradually had an idea of ​​how to brew the potion, and now it was time to start.

The three-hour time was very tight, and Harry had to slowly test the compatibility of the medicines. Until the very last moment, a pot of bright red potion was finally boiled out.

Harry put it in a round-mouthed bottle and placed it in front of Snape.

"It's time. Should I be glad that you were able to finish it on time, or should I be glad that you didn't blow up my cauldron?" Snape sneered, picked up the medicine bottle, fanned it and sniffed it.

"You put so much evening primrose. Do you think the wounded man is not bleeding fast enough? Do you want to speed it up?"

"The mixture of Hoglarp juice and unicorn horn is so-so, the ratio is acceptable, at least it won't kill you if you drink it."

"You are barely qualified, slightly better than the troll."

Harry nodded, "Thank you, Professor. Perhaps you should be more forthright."

"Are you bossing me around?" Snape narrowed his eyes.

Harry shook his head, "No, just a most sincere suggestion."

Snape said nothing, but opened the bottom drawer and, with one swift movement, he pulled out a notebook, snapped it, and slammed it shut.

But Harry saw it all the same.

An old but beautifully preserved photo.

The woman with red hair and green eyes was not very old, only fourteen or fifteen years old. She smiled sweetly and stood still. In the photo, only the wind was moving and the clouds were floating.

He had never seen a woman who looked like this, and she didn't resemble Aunt Petunia much, but he recognized her immediately: this was his mother.

"Take it!" Harry had never seen Snape so gentle, in his tone, actions, and eyes.

He placed the notes gently on the table.

In a tone that contained no malice, he said softly, "This is the first notebook of your mother's notes. During the summer vacation, think carefully about the contents above."

"Evans is a witch who is very good at potions. She is much smarter and more talented than you."

"Don't defile it!"

Snape slowly moved his hand away, little by little, along the cover, the spine, to the last corner of the book, and finally pulled it away with force, with a light touch left on his fingertips.

Harry hesitated.

After a while, he hesitated and said, "Professor, if you want to cry, I can borrow a wig from a senior sister and wear the sunglasses you gave me..."

Snape did not hesitate and drew his wand.

Without chanting any spell, the magic power surged.

Harry dodged quickly, and the silent spell almost grazed his scalp and hit a glass specimen on the medicine cabinet behind him.

With a loud crash——

The glass bottle turned upside down, and the bottle cap fell to the ground, breaking into pieces. The specimen inside, a dead green heart, fell heavily to the ground, pierced by the debris, but no blood flowed out of the hollow, only the pungent liquid flowed all over the ground.

"Take the notebook and get out of here!" Snape gritted his teeth and slammed the table heavily, "Otherwise I will let you personally test the potion you brewed!"

Harry solemnly picked up the notes, stuffed the healing potion into his hat, and turned away without hesitation.

He stepped out of the door, turned back suddenly, poked his head out, and said seriously: "Professor, I mean it, a very sincere one--"

Still couldn't finish the words.

A spell was fired.

It was nailed hard on the door, leaving a very deep mark.

Harry slinks away.

Men, why can't you be more frank?

Gryffindor Common Room.

Ron and Hermione were so anxious that they couldn't sit still and kept pacing around. Even the Weasley brothers didn't dare to provoke them at this time.

Whenever someone came in, they would look over eagerly. When they saw it was not Harry, they would sigh heavily and continue walking.

One person, two people, three people...

Until it gradually gets dark.

They finally got the person they were expecting back.

"Harry, you're finally back." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, "You know I was so worried!"

"Professor McGonagall sent someone to the school infirmary. I thought it was you..."

"Are you hurt?"

Harry waved his hand and said in a relaxed tone: "Don't worry, I'm fine. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." Ron shook his head - he was also anxious, so anxious that he didn't even have time to eat.

Harry reached into his hat and pulled out some muffins and cakes. "I brought them from the Great Hall. I was planning on having them as a midnight snack tonight."

"So... you didn't come back immediately and went to eat?" Hermione took the cake blankly with a resentful tone.

Do you know how long you have been sitting there waiting?!

Ron munched on a muffin and said, "You didn't even call me for dinner!"

Is the point of eating?

Hermione glared at him, but Ron's mind was full of muffins, and he sighed that it would be better if there was more honey.

"Professor Snape took me there for an exam," Harry said innocently. "It was lunchtime when I got to the hall, so I had a meal there."

Hermione nodded and thought about it. No matter how hungry she was, she couldn't be like Ron. She waved her hand and turned a quill into a spoon and started eating in small bites. "What other exams does Professor Snape have?"

"My mother's Potions notes are with him. He can only give them to me after I pass the exam," Harry replied.

"Notes!" Hermione's eyes sparkled when she mentioned this. "Can I see it?"

Harry nodded in agreement: "Of course."

The exam week is over and the little wizards are having the most relaxing time of their lives at school.

Harry also entered the most free period of his life.

During the day, he read his mother's notes with Hermione in the common room. As Snape said, his mother was very talented in potions.

Some perspectives on potions and thinking about some theories helped Harry to resolve many of his doubts.

This frustrates Hermione.

She looked at her notes and was confused by many parts - they had all studied magic for a year, so why was there such a big gap?

At night, Harry would put on the invisibility cloak, avoid Snape's siege, and go to the Forbidden Forest.

Occasionally I would go see Hagrid to see what other materials he could get.

The matter of the dragon egg was resolved by Dumbledore, and Hagrid was not punished, but he was still crying - he couldn't keep this dragon, even in the Forbidden Forest.

He was sent to a wizard named Newt Scamander.

Harry was very familiar with the name; the wizard's name was written on almost every book he had seen about magical creatures.

He was a little disappointed. It seemed that it would be difficult for him to obtain dragon materials in the future.

During the last week of the semester.

Harry still failed to catch the Bicorn, but the good news was that the area of ​​activity marked on the map was getting smaller and smaller. Maybe within a month next semester, he would be able to get what he wanted.

if……

If there is a way, it would be great to get this thing during the summer vacation.

Last day of the school year.

The air is filled with the joyful feeling of "holiday is coming".