Rumor had it that Snape had a special storeroom for various ingredients—perhaps there were even more valuable items there. If he could plunder that room, he wouldn't have to worry about materials for years.
"If I lose something, I'll be sure to come to you first."
"Lawrence, put away those greedy eyes. You're here for a lesson, not for shopping," Snape's cold voice interrupted, surprising Wayne, who hadn't noticed Snape had put down his newspaper and was now sitting next to him.
"Professor, you misunderstand me," Wayne replied calmly. "I'm a Hufflepuff, how could I steal from you?"
"However, are you selling that African tree snake skin? I've written several letters to Diagon Alley, but they've been out of stock for quite some time."
Snape paused for a moment before his demeanor normalized. "Interested? Trade me some phoenix tears."
"Never mind," Wayne shook his head, "the phoenix is my best companion, my first pet. How could the mere snake skin compare to her tears?"
"Then you'll have to pay!"
What???
Snape's abrupt change of conversation nearly made him choke, but he quickly recovered with a look of intense interest. "Lawrence, name your price."
Galleons are essential to many wizards, second only to wands, but to true masters, they are just numbers. Those precious treasures are worth more than what Galleons can buy, such as the Deathly Hallows, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Pensieve…
For example, the Eye of the Phoenix is known for its rare properties. Perhaps for Snape, even the value of the three Deathly Hallows pales in comparison to the tears of the Phoenix.
"Talking about money is rather vulgar," Wayne shook his head. "You are my professor, how could I possibly accept your money?"
"I won't ask for much – a split of thirty-seventy on the potion made with Phoenix tears."
"Thirty percent?" Snape frowned. "That's too much. I can only give you twenty."
"Professor," Wayne kindly reminded him, "seventy percent is mine."
Snape's face turned a shade of green from anger. "And I'm left with thirty percent? That'd be like begging for food on my knees!"
"Let's not waste time," Snape said, trying to suppress his urge to cast a curse on Wayne. "Let me first see how much of a genius the Hufflepuff prodigy really is in potion-making."
Snape was certainly aware of the other professors testing Wayne. However, he didn't seem particularly shocked. After all, who wasn't a genius in their school years? He himself had developed many spells back then, including some shadowy dark arts.
As Wayne faced Snape's inquiries, he felt somewhat embarrassed. When it came to pure theoretical knowledge, Wayne had a memory palace that allowed him to know the origins and properties of countless materials like the back of his hand. He was also fluent in the various potion-brewing techniques.
After over ten minutes of questioning, Snape offered his assessment: "You only know how to parrot what's in the books, lacking personal insight. The contents in textbooks are outdated; believing in them entirely will only limit your potential for the rest of your life."
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TL Note:
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