This Christmas feast exclusively for Hufflepuffs didn't end until deep into the night.
Everyone had a great time. Especially those members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.
The Nimbus 2000 that Link gave to Cedric was like delivering charcoal in the snow for the entire Hufflepuff team.
They finally saw a sliver of hope for winning the championship.
But they couldn't laugh for long. Because before dawn the next day, Cedric got up and went into each of their dormitories to drag them out for training.
This made them miserable beyond belief, you have to know that outside, the cold wind was howling, and training in such weather was simply torture.
But Cedric didn't care. In his words, since everyone unanimously agreed to accept Link's gift after discussion, then they must show some results and cannot let Link and all the Hufflepuffs down.
This chaotic scene just happened to be seen by Link. Looking at those team members being dragged into the snow by Cedric, Link couldn't help but empathize. Because he also had to get up early and head to Snape's office.
"This is pure torture."
Link complained after being jolted by the cold wind outside the common room. In his view, only a warm bed in winter was his eternal haven. Of course, this was just a fantasy.
Sighing, Link eventually rubbed his hands together and walked into Snape's office.
Snape's office was still in its broken-down state, not a bit different from when Link left last night.
Snape was still sitting at the workbench brewing potions. Thanks to the cauldron constantly bubbling, the temperature in this underground room was actually quite high.
But the air here was filled with a strange smell caused by not opening the windows for too long. Snape's hair and face were greasy too, making Link wonder if Snape had become a cultivation hermit.
This was a rather reasonable guess, you must know Snape had stimulant potions and nutrient potions to stave off hunger. Cultivating immortality was as simple for him as eating or drinking.
Taking off his heavy coat and hanging it on the rack, Link silently moved farther away from Snape.
People who had stayed up all night generally smelled unpleasant, and Snape was no exception.
Snape, upon noticing Link had arrived, glanced at the hourglass in the corner, found that Link wasn't late, and then lowered his head again, saying, "You're here. Start practicing on your own."
"Practice on my own?"
"Yes. First, use Sectumsempra to cut a small slit on the back of your own hand, then practice the counter-curse."
Snape said impatiently, and upon hearing this, Link's eyes lit up.
Once he mastered the counter-curse to Sectumsempra, then by going through this entire routine, both skills' experience values would increase.
Link got right to it. 'This method... is brilliant.'
Link nodded, then couldn't wait to raise his wand and cast on the back of his hand.
And then, Link clearly overestimated his proficiency with Sectumsempra.
A barely visible flash of light passed, and a deep gash down to the bone appeared on the back of Link's hand.
"Ugh!"
The sound on Link's end attracted Snape's attention. He quietly glanced over, and his eyes instantly widened.
"You truly are a genius, Mr. Flamel." Snape said sarcastically, heavily emphasizing the tone.
"Cut it out. Stop with the sarcasm. Look at how much blood is coming out! Hurry up and give me a counter-curse!"
Link complained, raising his still-bleeding hand toward Snape as he spoke. But Link's movements were a bit large, and the blood droplets flung from the wound nearly splashed into the cauldron.
"My potion!" Snape immediately cried out in pain, clutching his head.
He instantly pushed Link away and hugged the cauldron, inspecting it for a while. Only after confirming the potion inside wasn't damaged did he look back at Link with a gloomy face.
"You are a stupid fool!"
Snape let loose a barrage of scolding at Link, who just stood there silently clutching his hand.
As a student with top marks in Potions, he naturally understood, if his blood had splashed into the cauldron, that whole batch of potion would've been ruined.
That was the precious potion Snape had brewed all night long. His reaction was perfectly normal.
But seeing Link's pitiful expression and his still-bleeding hand, Snape finally sighed, raised his wand with some effort, and waved it at Link.
Something magical happened. The deep wound on Link's arm closed up rapidly like a zipper being pulled, finally leaving behind only a faint scar.
"Go practice on your own! Stay far away from my cauldron, you cursed child!"
Snape scolded while walking away, and Link rolled his eyes at Snape's back before raising his wand again to resume practicing.
Practicing the counter-curse to Sectumsempra did not go smoothly. Fortunately, though Snape grumbled and scolded constantly, whenever Link failed, he would turn around to shout some insults, and point out what Link did wrong during casting.
Under this unique method of teaching, Link eventually managed to erase the scar on the back of his hand.
[Sectumsempra: Counter lv1 acquired!]
Seeing the message before his eyes, a smile appeared on Link's face.
Happily, he approached Snape. This startled Snape, who had been prepared all along, he swiftly grabbed a lid and covered the cauldron.
"I did it."
Hearing this, Snape turned his head to glance at the back of Link's hand. Sure enough, that scar had completely disappeared.
"Tch!"
Snape clicked his tongue, his expression a little complicated.
He looked at Link's slightly smug expression, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he closed his mouth again, and after hesitating for a moment, coldly said, "Continue."
With that, Snape lowered his head and resumed potion brewing.
Link didn't walk away. He secretly observed Snape's expression. Seeing that he wasn't angry, Link finally said slowly, "Professor Snape, shouldn't you start teaching me Occlumency now?"
"Hmm?"
Snape suddenly lifted his head and stared at Link with those deep, hollow eyes for a while before saying:
"When did I ever promise to teach you Occlumency?"
"Just yesterday." Link said, pretending to be surprised.
Hearing this, Snape looked expressionlessly at the cauldron.
What Link didn't know was that brewing inside was his special calming potion. This kind of custom potion involved an extremely complicated process, even a potions master like Snape had to work through the night to finish it before Link needed to drink it.
The potion inside the cauldron was still bubbling, and Snape quietly asked, "Why do you want to learn Occlumency?"
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