Hoare was so troubled by Potions that he couldn't even enjoy his dinner.

  At the head table, every professor resent, except for Headmaster Snape, who didn't show up in the Great Hall.

  Hoare's heart skipped a beat. Had the potion's effects worn off?

  Was the headmaster too embarrassed to attend?

  Hoare could only pray that Headmaster Snape wouldn't be sed as to silence him permaly.

  It was no surprise that Snape hadn't e looking for Hoare yet.

  But he also khat the headmaster hadn't e because he had to report to the dungeons at eight.

  Why bother looking for Hoare beforehand?

  Was Snape worried Hoare would run away?

  o worry, after all, Hoare was the Potions css assistant.

  The reason he wasn't there today was that Marcus Flint had gotten permission from the headmaster for his absence.

  Hoare covered his face, realizing that when Marcus Flio get the leave approved, the headmaster must have already been affected.

  He thought it odd that the headmaster would actually let someone go today.

  After finishing his dinner, Hoare found a quiet pce to walk and digest, hoping time would slow down.

  Unfortunately, time waits for no one.

  7:15 PM.

  Hoare thought about many things.

  The headmaster had only taken a small dose of the Joy Potion, so its effects wore off quickly.

  And now, with the headmaster so angry, Huessed the main reason was that he felt his authority had been challenged.

  Thinking back to a, which student would dare to defy a teacher and prank them?

  7:45 PM.

  Hoare li the dungeorance for a while, as he usually went in around this time.

  8:00 PM.

  Hoare pushed the door open.

  Snape, whose face was as dark as his clothes and the night, gred at Hoare with gritted teeth.

  Before Snape could speak, Hoare quickly pced the potion bottle oable, pleading, "Headmaster, I really made a healing potion. This is another bottle from the same batch. Please verify it."

  He also pced his researotes oable. "I added biting cabbage and hemlock esseo the potion, which together produ effect simir to peppermint, rexing the user's nerves."

  Hoare straightened up and turo the page in his notes where he had recorded this.

  He admitted his mistake, "This was my ht. I didn't expect the effects to vary based on the severity of the injury, causing different side effects."

  "Hmph!" Snape snorted coldly, his anger evident. "Is your brain filled with slugs? Utterly foolish!"

  Sood up, pointing at Hoare and scolding, "You wasted fifteen mi the door over something so trivial!"

  "Yes, yes, I... huh?" Hoare looked up. "Headmaster, you're not angry?"

  "Angry?" Snape's expression remaiern, but Hoare noticed a hint of fusion.

  "Because of my potion...?" Hoare reminded him.

  Snape's expression surprisingly showed a trace of appreciation. "Your healing potion is excellent, much faster than regur dittany."

  "The injured recover quickly and feel no disfort during healing."

  Snape seemed very pleased with Hoare's creation.

  "But—what about the side effects?" Hoare was still unsure. After making it, he had calcuted the effects based on various ingredients.

  Si o soothe the nerves of the injured, it tained some non-addictive herbs.

  He hadn't expected the soothing effects to vary based on the severity of the user's injuries, causing different side effects.

  When Hoare tested it, he only made a small cut on Scabbers, so Scabbers' rea wasn't signifit.

  But Snape had a deep, gaping wound, making the side effects unusually pronounced.

  He became a pletely different person.

  Snape showed a rare look of realization, surprising to see on his face.

  He finally uood why Hoare acted the way he did upoering.

  "So, that's why you hesitated at the door?"

  Hoare awkwardly scratched his head.

  "Henry William, is your brain filled with knotgrass?" Snape sneered. "I'm a potions master. Before taking someone else's potion, I'm prepared for any side effects."

  "Besides," Snape paused, "su excellent healing potion, a little side effect is nothing."

  He looked directly at Hoare. "You must uand, potions aren't alerfect. Sometimes, to achieve high efficy, a few fws are quite normal."

  "You 't demand perfe all the time."

  "Uand?"

  Snape asked loudly.

  Hoare finally realized he was too obsessed with perfe. "Uood, thank you, Headmaster."

  Snape nodded. "I have something urgent. You go back today."

  Hoare thought for a moment, nodded, and turo leave, closing the heavy wooden door of the dungeon behind him.

  His steps were heavy. Snape had just said he was too obsessed with perfe. Was that why there was nress with the Squib Potion?

  For potion users, as long as they could have magic, even knowing there would be side effects, they would gdly accept it.

  Maybe he could ge his approach to the potion.

  Initially, he aimed for a single dose to grant magic.

  But now, it could be ged to temporarily restore magic.

  Of course, this temporary effect should be much strohan the initial potion.

  To have magie would o keep taking the potion.

  This way, the Squib Potion's price could be adjusted to be more affordable for everyday use.

  Lower the cost, increase sales.

  The more Hoare thought about it, the more excited he became, eager to experiment. He already had a few materials with promising effects from previous experiments.

  But back then, Hoare dismissed them for not meeting his expectations.

  However, the materials were all in the dungeon.

  Hoare thought he would go early tomorrow to experiment, redug Quidditch practice since he was just there to py along.

  It was rare for him to stroll around Hogwarts at this time, finding it a bit novel.

  Usually, when Hoare left the dungeon, it was almost eleven, and he would rush back to his dorm to sleep.

  The sery along this path was a rare sight for him.

  Stars dotted the dark sky, and a crest moon hung on the horizon.

  In the silent Hogwarts, apart from the wind and Hoare's footsteps, there were no other sounds.

  Just as Hoare was about to marvel at how early everyone was resting, he heard hurried footsteps in the distance.

  "Harry? Draco?"

  This was a bination Hoare never expected.

  "Henry!?"

  "Henry!"

  Harry and Draco turned around when they heard someone call them, surprised to see a familiar face.

  Draew Hoare usually stayed in the dungeon until te, so he looked at the moonlight, puzzled. "Why are you heading back so early today?"

  Hoare shrugged. "The headmaster had something urgent."

  "What happened?" Hoare was curious about their unlikely pairing, knowing these two were natural rivals.

  They could argue for hours over whether pumpkin juice or potato juice tasted worse! Hoare thought both were ary disasters. What was there tue about?

  "Why are you two together?"

  0Niffler0