Hogwarts: I can infinitely load entries!

"Devero!? It's really you!!"

Snape was utterly shocked.

This completely upended his years of expertise as a potions master.

This child had somehow brewed Polyjuice Potion—one of the most complex and advanced potions—using nothing but scraps and low-quality ingredients he had intentionally left behind for practice.

And judging by the potion's flawless effects,

it wasn't some shoddy knockoff.

There were no height mismatches or physical deformities,

issues commonly seen in poorly brewed Polyjuice Potion.

It was absurd!

Even Snape himself, at Devero's age,

might have managed it only if he had the proper materials.

But with those scraps?

Absolutely impossible.

But this wasn't the time for Snape to wallow in disbelief.

"Professor Snape, is something wrong?"

The real Tom appeared at the bottom of the staircase,

staring at Snape, who was currently pressing his wand to Devero's chin.

"Nothing, Tom," Snape said smoothly.

"Devero made a mistake, and I'm giving him a small punishment for it."

He tapped Devero lightly with his wand.

[Ding!]

[New Spell Added to Repository!]

Devero glanced at the notification.

[Reviving Charm (Beginner/Silent)]

Perfect! Another spell added to the list!

"Yes, Tom, it was my fault. I accidentally added the wrong ingredient,

and the professor is just making sure I learn my lesson," Devero said earnestly.

Still, he could tell that Tom didn't fully believe him.

After all, what kind of punishment involved casting offensive spells?

And the room—now resembling the aftermath of a brawl—did little to support Devero's explanation.

But Snape didn't care whether Tom believed them or not.

He had given an explanation. That was enough.

Grabbing Devero by the collar, Snape hauled him into the room,

leaving a thoroughly suspicious Tom staring after them from the foot of the stairs.

"How did you do it?"

Snape immediately cast a Silencing Charm on the room

before bombarding Devero with questions.

"Polyjuice Potion? Do you think this is something any novice can just brew?

You lack the required skill and materials.

The only explanation is that you've been making shady deals with those dark wizards in Knockturn Alley."

"That's not all.

You've mastered Apparition and a host of other advanced spells.

Even senior students at Hogwarts struggle with these.

Tell me, how did you learn them?"

"And most astonishing of all,

you've been casting magic freely outside of Hogwarts!

Do you realize how serious a violation that is?

Or are you so reckless that you've already given up on attending Hogwarts?"

Snape's rapid-fire accusations overwhelmed Devero,

leaving him momentarily flustered and at a loss for words.

His initial attempt at explaining was a mess,

leaving Snape more confused than before.

For a moment, it seemed like Snape might just pull out his wand

and use Legilimency to get the answers he wanted.

Fortunately, Devero quickly calmed down.

He decided to address Snape's questions one by one.

"Let's start with the Polyjuice Potion," Devero began.

"I bought the bare minimum of ingredients from the apothecary: Bubotuber roots, foxglove, and jumping toad juice, among other things.

"Then I substituted unicorn tail hair with red horsehair.

I knew the effects wouldn't be perfect,

but I also added…"

Devero continued explaining,

carefully outlining his thought process and how he had pieced together a simplified version of Polyjuice Potion.

Of course, much of it was thanks to his Potions Genius (Gold) trait.

Snape's expression shifted from skepticism to astonishment as he listened.

By the time Devero finished, Snape was staring at him in sheer disbelief.

"This... this is almost identical to my own thought process..."

Snape was secretly stunned.

Back when he was a student, Snape had also experimented with brewing Polyjuice Potion.

And what Devero described matched his own approach almost perfectly.

Could this boy possess a talent for potions on par with his own?

How had he not noticed it before?

Devero always seemed so clueless and scatterbrained.

But as that realization sank in,

Snape's expression darkened with suspicion once again.

"Even so,

this method shouldn't have produced such a flawless potion.

When I saw you earlier, there wasn't a single flaw in your transformation.

How do you explain that?"

Devero had anticipated this question and was ready with an answer.

Ever since he had unlocked the Potions Spirit (Red) trait,

he knew exactly how to refine his Polyjuice Potion recipe to achieve better results.

The flaws of his initial formula had been completely resolved.

"It's true that the original method wouldn't have worked perfectly," Devero admitted.

"So, I made some adjustments.

I divided the addition of Bubotuber roots and foxglove into multiple stages over days 14 to 21 of brewing.

This allowed for…"

Snape, being the potions expert that he was,

immediately recognized the genius in Devero's modification.

Though the method likely couldn't replicate the perfection of the original recipe,

it would definitely produce a much closer approximation.

In fact,

if someone continued experimenting along these lines,

it might even lead to the creation of an entirely new Polyjuice Potion formula.

Snape's composure faltered as the implications hit him.

Could this boy, without even realizing it,

end up making groundbreaking contributions to the field of potion-making?

Suddenly, Snape's expression shifted.

He seemed almost… relieved.

"Yes, of course," he muttered to himself.

"How could his child be ordinary?"

"If anything,

his talent for potions might surpass even mine…"

Snape's mind was racing,

but all Devero could see was his professor's face constantly shifting between surprise, suspicion, and even a hint of admiration.

He had no idea what Snape was thinking.

"Your explanation is... acceptable,"

Snape finally said, nodding stiffly.

After a moment of thought, he added,

"Now, write your process down on parchment—oh, no! I forgot!"

Snape abruptly stopped mid-sentence,

realizing something important.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance,

then turned toward the chaotic room.

With a wave of his wand,

he cast Reparo,

restoring the broken furniture, shattered glass, and scattered debris to their original states.

Then, he turned back to Devero.

"Where is your luggage? Pack it up immediately."

Devero raised his wand and cast a spell.

"Al, come here!"

The moment the spell left his lips,

a dark green blur shot out from a corner of the room,

landing in Devero's hand.

"It's all here!"

Devero placed his toad, Al, on his shoulder and looked at Snape.

Snape's expression twisted into one of unmistakable disgust.

It was clear he deeply disliked the toad,

though Devero had no idea why.

"Fine.

Today is the day you leave for Hogwarts.

I'll take you to the train station—"

Snape froze mid-sentence,

his face darkening as realization hit him.

"Wait! You've been using magic outside of school?!"