Harry Potter: Transmigrated Detective Link

Listening to Link muttering nonstop, Snape's expression grew darker and darker.

He was very clear that just doing experiments wouldn't consume that much material, so some part of it definitely went into Link's own pocket.

Staring dead-on at Link for a while, to the point even Link noticed something off and shut his mouth, only then did Snape finally give up on the idea of asking Link to return the materials, frowned, and said, "Call it whatever you like. After all, this is a potion you created. What to call it is your freedom."

Hearing this, Link finally let out a sigh of relief. Just now, Snape's eyes were way too terrifying, to the point he didn't even dare speak.

After speaking, Snape no longer had the intention to keep talking to Link. With a wave of his wand, a silver doe, completely formed of holy radiance, appeared out of thin air, hopping away with an almost mesmerizing gait, and rushed out of the office.

"Ah… this is…" Link spoke with some hesitation, but just as the words left his mouth, he was stopped by Snape's stare.

This was the first time Link had seen such a cold look in Snape's eyes.

This kind of cold was completely different from the apathy he showed when activating Occlumency, this was a chill that could seep into the bones, making one stiffen all over without even trying.

Fortunately, Snape didn't stare at Link for too long. Once he confirmed Link wouldn't ask further, he turned his head again and said lightly, "I've already informed Dumbledore. In a bit, if he thinks your potion meets the standard, then we can apply for the Order of Merlin through his channels. Trust me, that'll be much faster than if you tried doing it yourself."

"Okay."

Now free from Snape's oppressive gaze, Link let out a breath and said.

And Dumbledore didn't make Link wait long. Before much time passed, he pushed open the office door and entered. What surprised Link, however, was that alongside Dumbledore came Emily.

"Link!"

Emily bounced into the office with a gait very much like that magical silver doe from earlier.

She seemed to have just gotten out of bed, not only was her hair unbrushed, she hadn't even changed out of her pajamas. But that magical gait, combined with her flushed cheeks, gave off a very adorable feeling.

"I'm right here."

Watching Emily walking straight toward the materials storage, Link couldn't help but call out.

Only then did Emily finally notice the semi-transparent Link. She moved closer, widened her eyes, and cautiously poked at Link's chest. Feeling the solid texture, a smile blossomed on her face again.

At this time, Dumbledore finally arrived beside the lab table.

He first looked at Link with a smiling gaze for a moment, then picked up the sample of the Polyjuice Potion that Link hadn't finished drinking, dipped a finger in it, and tasted it.

"A very good potion. The effect is quite interesting." Dumbledore's eyes lit up immediately and said, "To be able to independently develop such a potion in just third year, that's truly remarkable!"

"Thank you for your praise, Headmaster Dumbledore."

In front of Dumbledore, Link dared not be careless. He tilted his head to dodge Emily's little hand that was reaching for his face, and solemnly bowed to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, hearing this, chuckled and nodded, then looked toward Snape and said, "I should congratulate you too, Severus. You've trained another excellent student!"

"Cut the nonsense," Snape glared at Dumbledore and directly said, "You know perfectly well why I asked you to come. Just say whether or not you're willing to act as a recommender and submit this potion to the Order of Merlin."

The moment Snape said this, Link and Emily both became a bit nervous.

They were both well aware, as the strongest wizard in the world, one of the very few current holders of the First-Class Order of Merlin, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Dumbledore's recommendation held massive weight.

You could even say that as long as Dumbledore was willing to vouch for it, even if Link submitted a bottle of mineral water, those Order of Merlin reviewers would obediently award the medal to Link.

That was Dumbledore's prestige in the wizarding world.

Listening to Snape's blunt words, Dumbledore's smile grew even wider.

"But of course. The Order of Merlin was originally established to reward those wizards who made outstanding contributions to the magical world. And Link, you're absolutely worthy of a Third-Class Order of Merlin! It is my honor to serve as your recommender."

"Here, I represent Hogwarts and all wizards in thanking you! Your actions not only affirm the meaning of Hogwarts' existence, but also take a solid step forward for wizards on the endless path of potion research!" Dumbledore spoke with great solemnity.

So solemn that even Link and Emily were a bit surprised.

But Dumbledore didn't feel this was over-the-top at all. Because for Link to apply for the Order of Merlin using the Polyjuice Potion essentially meant he was opening up the recipe.

You have to know, potion development involves absurd upfront investment, but once successful, it can bring astronomical profits to the inventor.

Just like Harry Potter's grandfather, Fleamont Potter, who once developed a hair potion called Sleekeazy's Hair Potion.

With that potion, Fleamont directly elevated the Potter family from a declining pure-blood family to one of the top families in Britain's magical world.

(T/N: The author guesses that Snape doesn't like washing his hair because Sleekeazy's, the most common and best-selling hair potion on the market, is made by the Potter family. Of course, that's just a fun theory, not a logical one.)

In terms of practicality, Link's Polyjuice Potion was not inferior to Sleekeazy's Hair Potion at all. Which meant Link was essentially giving up a huge fortune in exchange for a Third-Class Order of Merlin.

Of course, Dumbledore also clearly knew, gold galleons meant nothing to Link anymore. But that still doesn't diminish Link's contribution.

In Dumbledore's eyes, Link's actions were still great. Link and Emily didn't know all this.

But upon hearing Dumbledore's confirmation, they were still very happy, especially Emily. She was even more excited than Link, holding his hand and hopping in circles.

Then after all the excitement, Emily suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned her head, looked at Dumbledore expectantly, and asked, "Headmaster Dumbledore, do you know when Link's Order of Merlin will be awarded?"

"Hmm… child, the review process for the Order of Merlin is quite complex, so it'll probably take some time."

Dumbledore pondered for a moment and said, "I estimate the result will come out around Halloween. As for the official award ceremony, that should be around Christmas."

"Ah~ That's too slow!" Emily pouted and complained.

Her impatient look made Dumbledore laugh heartily again.

But not far away, the still semi-transparent Link had a shadow pass over his face.

He muttered softly to himself, "Halloween… huh?"

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