Chapter 215 - 215: This Seems a Little Unfair to Harry's Dad

Words : 1794 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Edward and Audrey were both surprised—they had assumed Snape would definitely choose the Apothecary pathway! Dumbledore, however, quickly caught on. His sapphire-blue eyes grew complex, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring himself to voice it. Even he couldn't help but wonder: If the Underworld truly exists, and if it truly is where the dead reside…then once one becomes a Gatekeeper, could they possibly bring those souls back to the living world? But that thought immediately made him feel ashamed. To bring the dead back—wasn't that just a selfish desire of the living? Maybe the departed have long since found peace in the Underworld. Maybe they don't want to be disturbed, don't want to return to this world at all… "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I am," Snape replied with a firm nod. "Wait a moment." Edward retrieved the ingredients for the Corpse Collector potion from his pouch: A desiccated mature Black-spotted Frog, Pure Dew, and more. He tossed them all into a cauldron and began stirring— The entire process was rough and unrefined, so much so that Snape's eyelid twitched violently as he held back the urge to spew venomous criticism. Soon enough, the ingredients in the cauldron fused together, condensing into a single drop of foul-smelling brown liquid. Ding. Edward flipped a coin to confirm the potion's safety, then carefully filled a test tube with the liquid and handed it to Snape. "Here. This is the Corpse Collector potion." "…" Snape accepted the vial, still wearing an expression of mistrust: Even the first potion I brewed at Hogwarts with my feet was more convincing than this! Dumbledore, guessing his thoughts, shrugged. "Severus, when we encounter things that defy explanation, we usually say, 'That's magic.' You can apply the same logic here." "This is magic…this is supernatural ability…this is potion…this is a miracle—take your pick." Snape replied dryly. "Thank you for your comforting words, Albus." "Professor Snape," Edward warned, "after drinking the potion, your body will undergo transformation. You might feel nothing at all…or you might experience severe discomfort and pain. There's also a risk of completely losing control." "I'll be right beside him to 'Placate' him!" Audrey quickly said. "He won't lose control!" "Well…just be careful." "Understood." Snape raised the test tube and downed the potion in one gulp. A few seconds later, the glass slipped from his hand. He staggered backwards, knocking over several tables before collapsing to the floor. His facial muscles twitched violently with pain, and he clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the agony. Bulging veins writhed like worms along his arms. "N-No…Lily…" Suddenly, a flicker of madness surfaced in the depths of Snape's eyes, and feather-like markings began to appear on his skin. Audrey immediately began casting 'Placate' spells one after another, suppressing the madness in his gaze and even easing the pain from the potion's effects. Lilith and Susie looked at each other, both wide-eyed with confusion. Was drinking a potion supposed to be this painful? Isn't it usually just: glug, glug, done? The cat and dog nodded in agreement. Yup! This Snape guy is just a weakling! Another minute passed before Snape's convulsions gradually subsided, and his body began to calm down. Hoo— He let out a long breath and used a table to steady himself as he stood. His face was even paler than before—almost corpse-like—and his voice was calm: "I'm now a Corpse Collector." He looked down at his ghastly pale skin, a touch of uncertainty in his tone: "This sensation is…strange. It's like a whole new awareness just bloomed in my mind—changes in my body, the abilities I gained, the digestion progress of the potion…all suddenly clear." Edward and Audrey spoke in unison: "Congratulations, Professor Snape." Dumbledore smiled gently. "Congratulations, Severus." After a short pause, he asked, "So, have you thought about how you'll do your acting?" Snape nodded. "I have a few ideas. Don't worry, it won't interfere with school lessons." "You know, that's not what I'm worried about, Severus." Snape turned to Edward. His voice was still calm, but his eyes were sincere: "Thank you, Edward." "Thank you for giving my life a new direction and purpose…for making it meaningful again." "I…" "I'll be going now. See you tomorrow." With that, Snape turned and strode off. Dumbledore watched his retreating figure and sighed. "Ah…I just hope giving him the potion wasn't a mistake. Of all the people here tonight, the one I'm most afraid will lose control is Severus." "He carries too many burdens and clings too strongly to his obsessions. Sometimes, those things can give a person strength…but sometimes, they can drag one straight to hell." Then he chuckled suddenly. "Heh…if hell really does exist, that might actually make him less likely to lose control." His words left Edward momentarily dazed—until he suddenly remembered the question Snape had asked earlier about the Underworld. Realisation dawned. "Professor Snape…could it be that he chose the Corpse Collector pathway in hopes of becoming a Gatekeeper and summoning Harry's mother back from the Underworld?" It wasn't that Edward was particularly slow—it was just that he'd been in "lecturer mode" and hadn't considered it from that angle at all. "What?" Audrey was stunned. This…felt a bit unfair to Harry's father, didn't it? Dumbledore blinked and said casually, "Oh? So you two know about the past between Severus and Lily too. Good, good. Saves me the trouble of worrying alone." Edward and Audrey: "…" You sly old man! ——— The next day, when Edward entered the third-year Transfiguration classroom for Slytherin and Gryffindor, with Lilith perched on his shoulder and in his capacity as the Transfiguration professor, he spotted over a dozen unfamiliar faces—students from Durmstrang. Judging from their appearances and heights, at least half of them didn't seem to be in the third year—though perhaps Durmstrang students simply matured earlier and faster. "Good morning, everyone." "Good morning, Professor Edward!" Since it wasn't their first lesson with him, the students gave him a warm welcome—especially the Weasley twins, whose voices were the loudest. Edward placed Lilith on his shoulder with a smile and said, "Looks like we have some new faces today—are you students from Durmstrang?" The Durmstrang students looked at each other. Two or three of the younger ones responded, "Yes!" The rest remained silent, observing Edward with curious eyes. A few stared at Lilith on his shoulder, their gazes flickering, and some couldn't resist whispering among themselves. "Welcome to all of you from Durmstrang. I hope you'll enjoy your time here at Hogwarts." After a brief welcome, Edward continued, "Alright, today we're continuing last week's lesson—transforming beetles into matchboxes." He handed out black beetles to everyone. "Remember what I said last week about the key to Transfiguration? Believe in your emotions, believe in your magic, and channel those emotions." As he spoke, Edward gave a light wave of his wand. "When casting the spell, the movement should be fluid. Let your hand follow your intention, let the wand become an extension of your body...Vera Verto." The beetle on the desk instantly turned into a matchbox. The Slytherin and Gryffindor students immediately began imitating him, waving their wands and chanting the incantation. Cries of "Vera Verto" echoed throughout the classroom, accompanied by the pop-pop-pop of spells being cast. Edward glanced quickly around the room. About half of the students had successfully completed the transformation, another portion had managed partial transformations, and only a few had completely failed. "Good. Those who didn't succeed, please try again. Those who did—don't think you've already mastered today's Transfiguration. You'll need to continuously refine the details of your matchboxes, add engravings and designs, and even matchsticks inside." "When you can open the matchbox you transfigured, take out a match, and light it successfully—that's when you can say you've basically mastered today's lesson." One of the Weasley twins raised a hand. "Professor Edward, I have a question." "Go ahead." "As we all know, Transfiguration has a time limit. After a certain period, the transfigured object reverts to its original form." "That's correct." The other Weasley raised his hand. "We're just wondering—if we transform a beetle into a matchbox, take out a match, light it and burn it to ash, and then wait for the matchbox to revert to a beetle—would the beetle be missing a part?" The two shared a look, their faces full of mischievous satisfaction. "Excellent question!" Edward gave them a thumbs-up. "Actually, that's something I wondered about myself when I first started learning Transfiguration. I asked Professor McGonagall the same thing." "Her answer was: It's possible." The Weasley twins immediately groaned in protest. "That's way too vague!" "It depends on how much magical energy the caster channels into the Transfiguration. The actual transformation is powered by the magical energy embedded in the spell. So, if enough magic is left behind to maintain the form, even if you burn a match and it later reverts—the beetle might still be perfectly intact." As he spoke, Edward picked up the matchbox, took out a handful of matches, and lit them all at once. Then, with a flick of his hand, the burning matches floated into the air and turned to ash. He then lightly tapped the podium with his wand. The matchbox turned back into a completely unscathed beetle. One of the Weasleys raised another hand. "Well then, what if we separate the matchbox from the matches, and then wait for it to revert—would it turn into two beetles?" Edward once again transfigured the beetle into a matchbox, removed the matches and set them aside, then lightly tapped the desk— Both the matchbox and the matches vanished, returning to a single beetle. "I know this may seem a bit strange—or even illogical. So at times like this, perhaps the only explanation is…" Before he could finish, the Gryffindor students chorused loudly, "This is magic!" Everyone burst into laughter. Edward spread his hands with a helpless shrug. "Well done. But unfortunately, there are too many of you, so I can't give out bonus points." "Oh right," he added, "since the two Weasley students asked such interesting questions today, I'm sure they have unique insights on Transfiguration. I'd like each of you to write an essay, no less than ten inches long." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The topic will be: On Where the Missing Parts Go After Transfiguration Reversion." ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 215 - 215: This Seems a Little Unfair to Harry's Dad

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