allendalepharm Chapter 149 Severus's Potions Class
Chapter 149 Severus's Potions Class
Chapter 149 Severus's Potions Class
The warm sunshine in the early spring afternoon was very pleasant.
Lockhart sat by the window, holding a glass of iced tea. A gentle breeze carried the cheers from the Quidditch pitch and, from further away, the faint screams emanating from the Chamber of Secrets, an adventure on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Gidero, I don't know how to pursue beauty and happiness..."
Snape's voice was no longer deep; it had a very unique bass tone.
Lockhart looked at him with some confusion.
It's quite interesting that Old Si's expression wasn't the kind of lifeless, depressed, and confused look, but rather a kind of bewildered look with longing, like a vampire from hundreds of years ago crawling out of a coffin, or like a toddler taking his first steps out of the house.
He was somewhat agitated.
"I mean, I obtained a powerful spell from a potion. It's a Guardian Charm. Maybe if I can master it completely, I'll be able to use it to fight the Dark Lord."
"But I need to find my own happiness and joy to truly sustain its power, and Lily... Lily can't bring those."
"I……"
Snape was silent for a moment, then looked longingly at the sunlight outside the window. "Well, to be honest, I also long for beauty and happiness."
Lockhart chuckled. "Hey, man, what's there to be ashamed of? Everyone craves happiness and joy."
"What should I do?" Snape asked again.
"I don't know," Lockhart said, shrugging.
"???" Snape was stunned for a moment, looking at him in confusion.
“Really.” Lockhart sipped his iced drink, smiling as he looked out the window. “Everyone’s life experience is different. If you ask me what makes me feel good, I would say magic is good. My magical creature companions also bring me good things. I even find my interactions with my students quite wonderful.”
"Harry's obsession is hilarious, Draco's pride is hilarious, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna, Black, George, Fred, Cedric..."
"They are all very interesting. I actually quite enjoy being a professor. I can feel wonderful and happy from interacting with students."
"But that's mine."
"The beauty and joy in your life are something you must seek out."
Snape nodded and fell into thought.
Lockhart ignored him and began working on the final draft. After six months, Snape's "Potions Class of Severus" was finally finished.
According to the teaching schedule of the Potions course at Hogwarts, this book is clearly more suitable for third and fourth-year wizards. By this time, the young wizards have studied potions for two years, learned some basics of herbalism and potions, and have two years of practical experience. They can finally begin to gain a more comprehensive understanding of potions and start to delve into the deeper concepts of potions.
With its solid foundation and masterful concepts, this book will be of great benefit to anyone aspiring to study potions.
Lockhart benefited from this.
He hadn't actually studied Potions very seriously, but by simply helping Snape organize this book, he naturally stumbled into the mysterious realm of Potions, which was quite interesting.
In fact, Lockhart and the original author had different approaches to writing books.
This stems from their perception and biases about the world.
The original author was more concerned with shaping his own image, so he focused more on the parts where he showed off during his adventures. As a result, although the content of the book was substantial, it always remained superficial.
Lockhart, on the other hand, cared more about the beauty of magic. Therefore, his writing always aimed to describe the splendor and mystery that magic should have in a more precise and intimate way, and everyone could feel his love for magic from it.
Of course, he didn't write it into a dry, technical book. In fact, that was impossible; in his philosophy, magic comes from life and adventure, and it cannot be narrated in isolation from life.
But will this still become a bestseller?
Lockhart didn't know.
He doesn't care either.
His Gringotts bank vaults are already overflowing with Galleons, and his fame has spread worldwide; he doesn't necessarily need to continue dominating the bestseller lists.
He only wanted to write about his own happiness and joy.
Even another book that is about to be completed, "Voldemort the Mysterious Man: A Pureblood Supremacist with a Muggle Father?"
This is not just a cheap, low-quality book promoting Voldemort's private gossip.
As Lockhart and Tom Riddle engaged in deeper conversations, Lockhart began to understand Voldemort's magical philosophy and his knowledge of magic from the perspective of this powerful wizard who was pursuing the mysteries of life through magic.
Lockhart wrote all of this in the book.
Furthermore, he also wrote about some of Dumbledore and Grindelwald's magical ideas as a comparison, as well as some of his own humble opinions, hoping to present readers with a more wondrous and complex magical world.
It is so dazzling, whether it is white, black, or gray, it is all so wonderful and interesting.
By writing a book in this way, Lockhart would feel that he had lived up to his mission of time travel and his fervent love for magic.
As for what Voldemort or Dumbledore will think at that time, well, that's none of their business.
Whatever.
He was unwilling to change himself for the will of others, even if these two big shots were so powerful.
"Done!"
He handed the completed manuscript to Snape, "Check it one last time. If there are no problems, I'll have Rita contact a bookseller and prepare for release."
Snape took the manuscript and gently stroked the cover.
Publish a book...
This was an extremely unfamiliar experience for him. He had told Lockhart that magic was an expression of one's own will, and the same was true for potions. The many potion-making ideas in this book undoubtedly laid bare a part of his inner thoughts to countless readers.
This made him feel a little embarrassed and uneasy, but it eventually turned into a little bit of anticipation.
He turned to the first page of the manuscript and saw Lockhart's recommendation for himself, a scene he had actually witnessed before in a rather uninteresting adventure.
There, the magic master Lily wrote the foreword for his book, "Severus's Potions Class," as a good friend.
In reality, the magic master Lockhart did this as a good friend.
The former seemed somewhat illusory, which always made him feel pain.
The latter is more authentic, so authentic that it evokes a sense of beauty.
He pursed his lips and turned the pages one by one. The words inside were light and airy, written in Lockhart's unique style. The wisdom of potions was profound and weighty, reflecting his own life.
"Actually, I did some thinking about how wizards and Muggles should get along back then."
Lockhart was puzzled when Snape suddenly brought up the topic.
"Potion!"
"I've imagined the Muggles' desire for wizard potions; being needed naturally brings recognition, status, resources, and everything else."
His eyes were glued to the words on the page, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face. "An antidote with added dung stones can cure many neurotoxin injuries that Muggles have been unable to cure until now."
"Soothing agents have a significant effect on bipolar disorder and depression. When combined with euphoric agents, the effect is even better. The 'water of life and death' can calm the body's agitation and induce the most soothing sleep..."
"There's also bone-regenerating medicine, blood-replenishing agents, burn treatment ointment..."
"Muggle technology is always limited, but potions are never limited. Theoretically, their effects can be infinite, as long as the alchemist who prepares them is powerful enough or legendary enough."
Snape looked up at the front of him, his eyes somewhat unfocused. "Actually, I once discussed this topic with the Dark Lord. He is the most powerful apothecary I have ever met, without a doubt."
"His potions always touched on life and death. At that time, I had no doubt that he would be able to make a potion of immortality in the future and live for hundreds or even thousands of years like Nicolas Flamel."
"Once, I assisted him in preparing a very magical potion called the Water of Despair."
"This liquid cannot be pulled in by hand, nor can it be separated, scooped dry, or drawn out. It also cannot be made to disappear with a vanishing charm, deformed with magic, or have its properties altered in any other way."
"The only way for people to make this liquid disappear is to drink it."
"But the wizard who drinks it will definitely not feel good. It will constantly pull the wizard's mind toward despair and eventually death."
"I once thought it was the most terrifying drug in the world."
"However, he said that this is actually a resurrection potion, which only needs to be slightly modified in one of its preparation steps."
"The boundary between life and death has become blurred."
Snape let out a long sigh and looked at Lockhart, who was listening quietly. "When a wizard becomes too powerful, he will eventually become arrogant. When life and death are no longer restrictions, the shackles on his mind will be completely broken. He becomes more and more terrifying, and eventually becomes a ruthless demon."
"He doesn't understand love," Lockhart said.
"Huh?" Snape was taken aback.
"That's what Dumbledore said, and of course, I've done a little research on it too," Lockhart explained. "Life's journey is a process of self-tug-of-war. When that pulling force is lost, one is not far from destruction, like a wild horse that has broken free and is ultimately rushing into an abyss."
"I have no doubt that some of you who followed the Dark Lord back then had the ambition to change the world, but you followed the wrong person. The Dark Lord has no vision of the world, only of himself."
Not every realm of magic is wonderful.
Lockhart obtained some memories from Coban Yaxley, whom he had captured, including a saying left by their ancestor, who called himself the "Time Explorers"—obsessing over the illusion of the past will only make you lose sight of the reality of the present.
The Yaxley family has always been very cautious in using this bloodline power, which is adept at using time converters, and has shown great restraint.
Knowing how to exercise restraint is already a great strength of a pure-blooded family.
Dumbledore appeared very restrained, as did Grindelwald and Nicolas Flamel; this is the difference between a master wizard and a great villain.
That's the end of the Voldemort topic; in fact, Lockhart and Snape were not too keen on mentioning him.
They focused more on the Muggles and potions mentioned earlier.
This is clearly a good starting point.
To help more people realize their self-worth and create more possibilities for the struggle between Muggles and wizards.
"Why didn't you stick to this idea back then?" Lockhart asked curiously.
Snape glanced down at the book, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Who knows?"
(End of this chapter)