Hogwarts i am snape

The sky was a gloomy grey, pressed low by dark clouds, and rain snaked down the transparent windowpanes.

"Owls!" someone shouted.

The Great Hall erupted with the flapping of wings as owls swooped through the rain-splashed windows. Water droplets shook from their feathers, sprinkling onto students' heads and breakfast. The owls circled the tables until they found their recipients, dropping letters or packages onto laps or plates.

Snape instinctively raised his arm to shield himself, but then he saw a tawny owl flying straight for him, clutching a large, squarish package in its talons. The package seemed incredibly heavy; the owl almost lost its balance at the last second. It landed with a "thud" between his jam dish and sugar bowl, making the silver cutlery clatter crisply against the porcelain.

"What did you buy?" Avery whistled. "A brick?"

Snape ignored his teasing. The parchment wrapping was damp with rain, but the wax seal was intact—it was the mark of Practical Potions Master. Tearing open the packaging, he found a thick, brand-new issue of the journal. The first line of the title boldly read: "Complete Wolfsbane Potion Formula and Its Clinical Applications."

Snape instinctively looked up, his gaze sweeping across the noisy Great Hall to the Gryffindor table. Halfway down the Gryffindor long table, Lily looked up from an identically wrapped journal, her emerald eyes lighting up when she saw the same magazine in his hands. Their gazes met across the hall, and they shared a small smile.

Not far from Lily's seat, James gripped his fork, his hand trembling. Sirius followed his gaze and snorted, "Forget about them, James."

"Shut up, Sirius," James's voice was frighteningly low, a hint of gloom Sirius had never seen before flashing in his eyes.

Unaware of the distant hostility, Snape lowered his head again, eagerly turning the pages. He quickly scanned the table of contents. This issue of Practical Potions Master was almost twice as thick as usual, and when he turned to the section on Wolfsbane Potion, he understood why.

The first paper was merely a lengthy introduction, with the author, Damocles, emphasizing the difficulty of preparation in an almost intimidating tone: "...—I must warn all readers that the Wolfsbane Potion is certainly not for amateurs to attempt lightly. Its core ingredient, Aconite – which I prefer to call Wolfsbane Aconite, a far more fitting name – possesses extreme toxicity—"

"Incorrect temperature control, adding common auxiliary ingredients like sugar, and so on, will all lead to the potion's failure, resulting in enormous waste. I strongly advise patients in need to contact me directly to purchase the finished potion. This is far more practical and economical than attempting it yourself."

Snape couldn't help but sneer. From what he knew, most werewolves were at the bottom of society and utterly unable to afford the price of the finished potion. He quickly flipped to the end of the article, where it said "continued on page 67," to find the complete formula and preparation process. He discovered that the entire latter half of the journal was dedicated to the key points of brewing the Wolfsbane Potion.

"Look at step three," he said to Pandora, pointing at the page. "What does it say after 'Add three drops of dragon's blood'?"

"'Recommended to use Australian Opaleye blood,'" Pandora squinted, pulling the book closer. "'Other dragon breeds may lead to reduced potency—' That won't be cheap."

"No," Snape said, calculating the prices of the various ingredients in his mind. "This isn't something an ordinary family could afford."

After a quick skim, he was even more certain that brewing the Wolfsbane Potion was no simple task. It was not only costly but also ridiculously complicated: Aconite, a highly toxic substance previously thought to have no medicinal properties, required extreme care in handling to remove any toxic characteristics. The auxiliary ingredients included many expensive and rare materials such as dragon's blood, moonstone powder, Runespoor eggs, and Mandrake sap, and there were additional requirements regarding their specific quality. Moreover, the entire brewing process was riddled with vague descriptions like "two pieces," "three drops," and "medium temperature."

"No wonder Damocles published the potion formula in full," Snape scoffed to his friends. "Even with this, how many wizards could actually brew this potion? Besides, aren't these descriptions just like when you're cooking a Muggle dish and they tell you the oil needs to be 'four parts hot,' add 'a pinch of salt,' 'an appropriate amount of sugar,' and 'a dash of vinegar'?"

If they were to rely on repeated experiments to produce the finished potion, the cost would be beyond what most wizards could bear. Furthermore, the market was limited, so there wouldn't be much commercial value in making it, Snape thought, unless he could standardize the process or find alternative ingredients...

After dinner, the morning Potions class was about to begin. Snape stuffed the journal into his bag and headed towards the Potions classroom. The air in the dungeon classroom was thick with the complex aromas of various potions. He skillfully used the side of his silver dagger to crush sopophorous beans, but his ears caught snippets of conversation between Lily and Mary at the other end of the classroom.

"The toxicity of Wolfsbane Aconite is too unstable," Lily's voice drifted over. "According to Gobarrot's Fourth Law, the auxiliary components should—"

The bell for class rang, and Snape immediately packed up his equipment, moving even faster than usual. He pulled Practical Potions Master from his bag and murmured to Avery and Pandora, "You two go on ahead. I have some questions about the Wolfsbane Potion for Professor Slughorn." Pandora and Avery exchanged knowing glances, nodded, and left.

Snape headed towards the front of the classroom, seeing Lily also moving towards the desk from another direction, clutching the same journal. Their eyes met again, and Lily winked at him.

Slughorn was busy locking several precious samples into a cabinet. He turned around, saw Snape approaching, and a flicker of alarm crossed his face. "What do you want, Severus?" he asked, clutching his chest, his voice clearly flustered.

"Professor, about the Wolfsbane Potion in Practical Potions Master," Snape said, pretending not to notice the professor's defensiveness.

"Oh, that!" Slughorn visibly relaxed, wiping away non-existent sweat from his brow. "I thought you had another terrible new discovery!"

Lily eagerly stepped forward, opening the journal and pointing to a page. "Professor, look here. The addition of dragon's blood as an auxiliary component should theoretically enhance the potency of the target potion, which contradicts the principle that auxiliary ingredients must not conflict with the main ingredient itself—"

"Miss Evans," Slughorn looked at her in surprise. "You've already studied Gobarrot's Fifth Law?"

The three quickly fell into a heated discussion. Snape pointed out the difficulties of temperature control, Lily questioned the proportions of certain ingredients, and Slughorn shared several adjustment methods for rare materials. Other students gradually left the classroom. James stopped at the classroom door, watching the scene with a gloomy gaze. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, complex emotions flickering in his eyes.

"Come on, James," Sirius said, pulling his arm. Lupin also placed a hand on James's back, and together they pulled him out.

"—So the key lies in accumulating experience at each step," Snape summarized, his finger tracing a densely packed paragraph on the page. "Drying, grinding, brewing, and dosage – all must be precisely measured."

Lily bit her lip in thought. "But it's so hard to achieve perfect precision—"

"Muggle lab equipment," Snape suddenly said, and both looked at him in surprise. "Beakers, droppers, mechanical scales – electronic devices don't work at Hogwarts, but old-fashioned mechanical ones are fine. And thermometers and timers."

"Severus, that's brilliant, why didn't I think of that!" Lily's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but slap the book, making a dull thud. "I used those things in primary school!"

"It's just the obvious choice," Snape said with a shrug. Young wizards came to Hogwarts for magical education at eleven, so even Muggle-born witches and wizards missed most of their scientific education in school. He, however, was an excellent student who had completed nine years of compulsory education.

"My dear children," Slughorn looked half-skeptical, his face filled with confusion. "Potion-making is a magical art. What help could Muggle—listen—toys possibly be?"

"Precision, Professor," Lily immediately replied. "If it's truly as difficult as Mr. Damocles says, then simply judging the temperature by counting the bubbles in the cauldron won't be nearly enough."

"However," Slughorn continued, "the Ministry of Magic strictly prohibits the use of Muggle artifacts."

Lily froze, clearly she hadn't considered this aspect.

"Professor," Snape calmly interjected, "I've discussed this topic with Mr. Arthur Weasley from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. The Ministry only prohibits applying magic to Muggle-made things; using Muggle items themselves is not illegal."

"Alright," Slughorn rubbed his round belly, his expression gradually relaxing. "This might just work—"

"We might need to borrow your laboratory, Professor," Lily said. "And ingredients."

"If Dumbledore agrees, I can lend you the laboratory," Slughorn looked troubled. "But as for ingredients, I'm just an ordinary teacher. Aconite is now twenty Galleons an ounce, not to mention dragon's blood, moonstone powder, Runespoor eggs—"

"I can go to Professor Dumbledore," Lily immediately said. "I think he'll be interested in this."

"I'll go with you to see him too," Snape said. "I still need to leave school to buy laboratory equipment from a Muggle shop."

As they left the dungeon classroom and arrived at the gargoyle, Lily suddenly froze. "Oh no, I don't know the password..."

Just then, Snape had already started chatting with the gargoyle. "Is the Headmaster in?" he asked, his tone as familiar as if he were greeting an old friend.

"I imagine Albus is taking his afternoon nap," the gargoyle replied, its eyes swiveling. "Are you truly not considering living here?"

"No need," Snape said. "As a handsome young man, living with an old man would never be a good choice."

"Dreadful prejudice," the gargoyle grumbled. "Though you're practically living here anyway—speak the password. It's the rule."

"Toffee Eclairs," Snape said.

The gargoyle leaped aside, revealing a spiral staircase.

"How did you know the password?" Lily's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Professor Dumbledore often needs my advice," Snape said. "Come on, let's go in."

The spiral staircase led them to a wooden door. Just as Lily was about to knock, the door opened automatically—Dumbledore, wearing a nightcap embroidered with stars and moons, was dozing behind a long table. Hearing their footsteps, he looked up and said gently, "Ah, Severus, Lily, what brings you here?"

"Wolfsbane Potion," Lily said. "Professor, we hope to gain your support."

For the next ten minutes or so, they took turns explaining their plan and needs. Dumbledore listened intently, his long fingers forming a steeple.

"A very forward-thinking idea," Dumbledore said when Snape mentioned the Muggle lab equipment. "The combination of magic and non-magic can sometimes yield unexpected results." He turned to Lily. "As for the ingredient costs, I can personally support you somewhat. I hope you'll use it sparingly."

"If we can simplify the process or standardize production," Lily nodded, saying, "this will help many werewolves live relatively normal lives—"

"Lily," Snape interrupted her. "Even if we succeed, we can't announce the results for now. Werewolves being able to control themselves isn't necessarily a good thing for us."

"You mean—" Lily looked at him in confusion, furrowing her brows in thought, then said with a sudden realization, "They could be enemies..."

Dumbledore smiled faintly in approval. "To avoid misuse," he said, "your results need to be kept secret. I'll have a word with Horace about it later." Finally, Dumbledore gave Snape a peculiar charm: "Just tap the chain lock on the school gates, and the main gate will open—"

At the same moment, by the Black Lake, the atmosphere among the Marauders was even gloomier than the lake's surface. James mechanically threw stones into the water, each one with all his might.

"Find another girl, James," Sirius said, gripping his wrist as James threw his tenth stone into the water, a strange glint in his grey eyes. "You don't need to be so fixated—"

"No," James shook off his hand and threw another stone viciously, his voice laced with suppressed anger. "No one's like her."

"I think Sirius has a point, James," Lupin's old robes flapped in the wind, his face paler than usual. "There's nothing wrong with giving up on something impossible."

James spun around abruptly, the stones in his hand grinding. "All I know is, only I deserve to be with her. What's that Snivellus compared to her?"

Peter cringed, his eyes darting nervously between the three of them.

The lake's surface regained its calm, reflecting the silent figures of the four.