Chapter 679: Mind-Stabilizing Potion
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"Must I first explain the complex procedure of opening a textbook, or is there at least one student here capable of managing it without assistance?"
Snape had always had a dark, cold presence. The kind of teacher who seemed completely indifferent to whether his students lived or died.
As for Riddle... what he radiated was pure, naked pressure. Between his higher power and nature, the weight of his presence was far beyond what ordinary students could handle.
That single shout just now had sent chills crawling up everyone’s spine.
The entire classroom fell silent. And the students hurriedly lowered their heads and opened their textbooks as instructed.
Then they immediately ran into a problem.
Wait. You haven’t taught us anything yet.
How are we supposed to know which page to open?
Fortunately, Cho was in the class. Otherwise, nobody would have dared raise their head and ask Tom what exactly they were meant to do.
Knowing Tom well enough to recognize that he was currently in a playful mood, Cho smiled helplessly and raised her hand, looking every bit the model student eager to ask a question.
"Miss, what would you like to ask?"
The girl stood up and asked brightly, "Professor Riddle, you haven’t told us what today’s lesson is about. Which page are we supposed to read?"
Good. Very good.
Tom nodded repeatedly to himself.
This little roleplay was surprisingly fun.
He should definitely try it with the other girls in private sometime. Though next time, he wanted to switch roles.
"Excellent. Five points to Ravenclaw."
With a grand wave of his hand, Tom announced, "I appreciate students who aren’t afraid to ask questions. That’s what a Ravenclaw should be. That’s the proper attitude toward knowledge."
The young wizards in the classroom: "..."
Could your favoritism be any more obvious? Were they somehow part of this weird little game too?
At this point, some of them were seriously beginning to suspect that Tom had sent Snape to the hospital just so he could have this classroom scenario all to himself.
Everyone was screaming internally. But not a single person dared show it on their face.
After all, nobody wanted to be remembered by a certain notoriously petty individual.
"Ahem!"
"At Headmaster Dumbledore’s request, I will be serving as Professor Snape’s substitute during his absence and helping you further your studies in this fascinating discipline."
A thin mist suddenly rose around the podium, shrouding his face in hazy shadows and making him appear mysterious and enigmatic.
Several students twitched at the corners of their mouths.
He even brought special effects with him? Seriously?
"You still lack a proper understanding of Potions," Tom continued. "Although you’re already fifth-years, I believe many of you still fail to grasp its true nature."
"Here, you won’t be flailing your wands around like idiots. In fact, you might even start to wonder if this is magic at all."
"You will never truly understand the wondrous power contained in the liquids that flow through human veins, the enchantment that can captivate the mind and cloud the will..."
"I don’t expect you to appreciate the delicate wafts of white steam or the faint aroma curling from a perfectly brewed cauldron. Nor do I expect you to understand the exquisite allure of a potion that glows like blood and holds the power to enthrall the senses... Yeah, I know that may be difficult for your brain to comprehend."
"But I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stop death—if, and only if, you’re not the hopeless morons I usually have to deal with."
Those words...
Why did they sound so familiar?
Many students frowned.
They had to admit Tom delivered the speech with remarkable charisma. But something felt off.
Those weren’t words meant for them, right?
Weren’t those supposed to be said to first-years?
"That’s it!" A boy suddenly slapped his forehead in realization. "Didn’t Professor Snape say that exact thing during our very first Potions class?"
The smile on Tom’s face faded. "Hufflepuff, minus twenty points."
The entire classroom froze.
"So what if Professor Snape said it before?" Tom replied coolly. "There are as many interpretations as there are readers. Instead of appreciating the deeper meaning behind my words, you waste your time worrying about where they came from. That’s stupidity beyond saving."
The student who’d lost points looked like he’d just been sentenced to death.
He didn’t even dare look at Tom. Head lowered, he sat there trembling.
Terrifying. No wonder he came from Slytherin.
This was practically Snape’s teaching style taken to the heart.
They used to think the most terrifying thing imaginable was ending up in Snape’s Potions class.
That belief didn’t last long. A new entry had appeared on the list: something worse than Professor Snape... Professor Riddle.
Fortunately, Tom was a good Riddle and didn’t pursue the matter further.
Ignoring the unfortunate student who had exposed him, he pulled out his wand and gave the blackboard behind him a casual flick.
Instantly, the previously blank board filled with densely packed potion formulas, brewing procedures, and pages of precautions and notes.
There wasn’t even enough space.
But Tom simply conjured a second blackboard and filled in the remaining content.
"Mind-Stabilizing Potion?"
The students stared blankly at the large title written across the top.
None of them had ever heard of such a potion.
It certainly wasn’t in their textbooks.
Before long, everyone began looking hopefully toward the brave girl who spoke before, silently begging her to speak up again.
Feeling the weight of their expectations, the girl reluctantly rose to her feet. "Professor Riddle, the Mind-Stabilizing Potion isn’t part of the curriculum. And, well... you know there isn’t much time left before the exams."
"Don’t worry." He waved a dismissive hand. "I know it’s not in the curriculum. Forget fifth-years, even seventh-years won’t be tested on it."
"But that doesn’t mean I’m wasting your time."
He tapped the blackboard with his wand, circling several key sections in red.
"See these? This potion places extremely high demands on brewing technique. Stirring, mixing, ingredient processing... every single step requires precision."
"By practicing this one potion, you’ll improve your proficiency in multiple areas. That’s the whole point of training."
"But these ingredients are incredibly expensive..."
A Hufflepuff student couldn’t help blurting it out.
Powdered moonstone. Dragon heartstring. Thestral tail hair. Silentbird feathers. Dew essence
Not a single item on the list came cheap.
The dragon heartstring alone was so valuable it was sold by the milligram.
"That’s even less of a concern."
Tom seemed to have remembered something delightful, because the smile on his face grew even brighter.
"Although Professor Snape is currently recovering at St. Mungo’s, his heart remains with Hogwarts."
"I’m sure that if it helps improve your grades, he won’t mind a little extra material consumption. As a matter of fact, I already gathered everything we need today from his office."
The students suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.
"All right, enough wasting time." Tom clapped his hands. "Groups of three. Send one representative from each group to collect ingredients from me."
His grin widened.
"And don’t be afraid of wasting materials. If you run out, I’ve got plenty more right here. Just keep coming back for more."
"I want Professor Snape to return and find real progress, enough to warm even his heart, regardless of the cost of learning."
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