Harry Potter: Shadow Eminence

Chapter 18

That evening, the boys' dormitory began a large-scale operation to catch snakes under the supervision of the male prefect.

"Look over there! There's a small one... hurry, it's going to get away!" This was the voice of a terrified boy.

"Here are some eggs; they laid eggs!" a boy yelled, holding a few snake eggs.

"Don't get too close! No! It bit me!" Well, Madam Pomfrey had to come to the rescue of another person.

"No, don't grab it with your hands, use magic! Silver-scaled snake, Accio! Oh, no..." This was the voice of a senior student who tried to summon a silver-scaled snake but accidentally brought the rack it was coiled around as well, getting trapped beneath it. Just as the snake lunged at him, he managed to grab its head.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Brian cast the Full Body-Bind Curse to freeze a snake, then reached out to pick it up.

In the light, this little silver snake looked like a perfect piece of art, its silver scales shimmering, its sleek body radiating elegance, and its two small red eyes sparkling like rubies.

"It actually looks a bit cute like this," Brian commented, stroking his chin. "It seems quite well-behaved."

He casually tossed it into a nearby glass tank and secured it.

Soon, the incident in the boys' dormitory caught the attention of Professor Snape, the house head, who silently glided over in his black morning robe, his expression grim.

"Zabini faced the consequences of his actions, but still, fifty points will be deducted," Snape declared, clearly very angry; it was a life-threatening situation. Brian had never seen Snape look so severe; he seemed ready to draw his wand and cast the Killing Curse at any moment.

"Of course, Brian made a timely intervention tonight, saving that fool's life." Snape continued, his expression softening slightly. "Twenty points to Brian Walker."

"But why have I not received any reports? Reports about a fool bringing dangerous creatures into the school," Snape glared ominously at the surrounding young wizards, causing them to lower their heads in fear.

"I hope tonight's events serve as a warning to you all," he said in a smooth voice. "A wise person should not stumble over the same stone twice."

As Snape left, he took the silver-scaled snake with him and also helped them capture the largest snake that had been missing.

It had escaped the dormitory after biting Malfoy, slipping back in during the chaos and hiding in Crabbe's bed.

Of course, Snape easily captured it using magic.

He departed with a cage filled with a large number of snakes, and Brian sincerely hoped they would not end up as potion ingredients.

The next day during the break, Brian went to visit Malfoy, who was still in the hospital.

His condition was no longer serious, but his face was still swollen, and his eyes were squinting, which was why he refused to be discharged from the hospital.

Malfoy was very unhappy with Snape's actions the previous night; he believed he had played a crucial role. If it weren't for his shout, Zabini and the others would have quietly perished in their beds.

"That night, I was entangled by that large snake. It bit me and stared at me, as if wanting to swallow me whole," Malfoy always recounted after he recovered. "I knew Zabini's situation must have been worse, so I shouted loudly, scared the snake away, and drew everyone's attention to wake them up to save them..."

It was uncertain whether others believed him, but Zabini did.

Zabini was very grateful for Brian and Malfoy's life-saving efforts and maintained a good relationship with them afterward.

He had never had many friends due to his self-centered nature and his mother's not-so-great reputation.

His mother was a well-known widow; she had been widowed six times, and each deceased husband left her a substantial inheritance. People speculated how long her current husband could last.

The day after Zabini was bitten by the snake, that charming woman came to visit him, crying like a beautiful banshee while embracing him. To express her gratitude, she gave Brian a big hug and even kissed him on the cheek.

Brian blushed slightly.

Mrs. Zabini was indeed stunning, with long, wavy golden hair, a curvy and graceful figure, and an enchanting charm in her every smile and movement. Brian even thought he saw a siren, but her aura was clearly more noble and elegant than that.

She was also part of the upper-class circle of Brian's mother.

Brian's father had also commented that she was the most beautiful, captivating, and dangerous woman he had ever encountered. Although this displeased Mrs. Walker, who gave him an unpleasant look for a long time.

"She is indeed a woman with assets, and very dangerous," Brian sighed, consciously keeping his distance from her.

Later, in front of Brian and Malfoy, Zabini also restrained his overly self-important demeanor and managed to get along with them.

However, Zabini clearly developed a psychological trauma regarding snakes; he would gasp and tremble when he saw the snake on the Slytherin badge.

It was evident that he would never consider playing with snakes again.

Malfoy teased him for being a coward, but he himself was clearly also haunted by the memory.

He didn't inform his father about the incident, as he thought it was too embarrassing to be frightened and scream in terror, which would also disappoint his father.

This incident became a topic of conversation among the Slytherins for a while.

"I heard someone saw Professor Snape release those snakes in the Forbidden Forest," Daphne said while recounting the rumors.

"Some even say Professor Snape turned them into specimens," Brian shook his head and laughed.

Opinions about the fate of those snakes varied, but perhaps only Snape knew what truly happened to them.

However, Brian did find a silver-scaled snake egg that had been left behind in a cool, damp corner of the dormitory. He hesitated for a moment, planning to hatch it and then use magic to tame it.

In any case, this kind of snake was quite rare, and its venom was very useful. It was popular and also very beautiful.

He set up a breathable glass box in a corner of the dormitory, simulating an environment suitable for snakes, placed the snake egg inside to hatch, and cast many reinforcement spells on the box. As long as no one intentionally let it escape, it would definitely not get out.

Malfoy was very interested in this and fervently promised that he loved snakes the most and that what happened that night was just an accident.

Daphne clearly didn't like snakes, even though they were the representative animal of Slytherin; she thought they would be better as sculptures. She preferred cats, those fluffy, adorable pets that could be spoiled.

She had a snow-white long-haired cat with light blue round eyes, resembling a fluffy snowball. Her name was Daisy.

Daisy was very picky; she only liked to eat fresh fish and medium-rare beef. Daphne called her a spoiled little princess, treating that cat like a treasure, as it was a birthday gift from her sister.

Daisy enjoys curling up in the armchair in front of the fireplace to bask in the warmth, and her meows are soft and clingy. She is quite close to Brian, sometimes jumping onto his lap while he studies, and taking advantage of his distraction to knock over his ink bottle, dyeing herself into a black cat with the ink, then leaving paw prints all over his homework.

Brian thinks this cat needs some discipline, like starving her for a few days to correct her picky eating habits, which Daisy strongly opposes. However, Brian enjoys stroking her soft fur, as it brings a sense of calm and relaxation.

Recently, Brian has been contemplating how to create more powerful potions.

His magical power is growing slowly, and he has to use a witness point he obtained not long ago to elevate his skills from beginner to proficient level.

Magic is supposed to grow gradually with age, increased knowledge, and constant practice, and using a witness point to enhance his abilities isn't a bad idea.

But he finds that even so, he still cannot use some high-powered spells.

His magical power cannot be significantly increased for now, as he is still young. He can only consider other methods, especially since his current situation isn't very safe and he needs to be prepared for anything.

He has to focus on potion-making, which is currently more likely to yield results.

Brian found a book in the restricted section titled "Powerful Potions," which contains recipes for many potent concoctions, including compound tinctures. He copied the book.

From it, Brian discovered the explosive potion, which works similarly to a Molotov cocktail, capable of exploding and releasing flames that burn continuously.

He thought for a moment; he knew how to make a Molotov cocktail, and it seemed he didn't need to brew a potion.

But obviously, potions are more convenient to carry and somewhat safer and more stable.

Using his spare time, he brewed ten bottles of explosive potions in the Room of Requirement, which could be considered completing the task.

It was really dangerous; if he miscalculated the dosage of certain materials or the brewing time, it could easily lead to an explosion.

Even with the protection of the Room of Requirement, Brian still ended up covered in soot and even had to use the iron armor spell activated by the alchemical item his mother gave him several times.

"Truly a book from the restricted section, it's too dangerous," Brian sighed as he wiped the black soot from his face.