Harry held the gift he'd prepared for Cho Chang in his hand, wondering how he should give it to her. Today was clearly not an option—tomorrow was Christmas.
But if he handed it to her in person tomorrow, it would ruin the surprise. There was something special about waking up, digging through a pile of presents, and unexpectedly finding one from Harry.
"If only I knew how to turn invisible," Harry muttered. Then he could sneak into Cho's dorm and drop the gift off himself.
…Although, thinking about what he might really do with that spell made him feel a little evil.
No, I'm a gentleman. I'm a good person…
While heading toward the Great Hall, Harry ran into Professor Snape at a corner. Snape gave him a blank, downward glance, then walked on without a word.
In the Great Hall, he quickly spotted Cho's graceful silhouette.
He was just about to walk over when his steps froze. Something caught his eye.
A boy was nervously approaching Cho. He looked extremely tense, constantly glancing back at his friends—two other boys who were clearly egging him on from behind.
The boy finally reached her and said something. From the way he awkwardly fidgeted, not knowing where to put his hands, Harry could tell the poor guy was blushing like mad.
Cho looked up, responded briefly, and the boy ran off in a panic, clearly retreating as fast as he could.
Cho, unfazed, simply went back to her book as though nothing had happened.
Harry pulled out a chair and sat down beside her.
Even though she didn't look up, he knew Cho had sensed it was him. If not, she probably would've told him to leave already—like she had with all the others.
That "can-I-sit-here?" opener had become standard protocol for guys trying to talk to her. Harry figured if they weren't always using that same lame line, he might at least respect their guts.
"You haven't been sitting here since this morning, have you?" Harry asked.
Cho responded softly, "No. After lunch I went back to the dorm to rest. I just got here."
"Good to hear."
…
Harry was flipping through Snape's old potions textbook. The revised potion techniques in there were so concise, he was dying to try them himself.
They were way simpler than the step-by-step instructions in standard textbooks.
And Harry was never one to delay once he got an idea in his head.
He liked reading, sure, but it was hard to focus when everything was so quiet during the holidays. Now that this idea had popped up, it became the perfect excuse to get moving.
He stood up.
Cho gave him a questioning glance.
"Remember we said we'd ask Snape for potion ingredients so we could test these out? I'm going to go do that now."
"But he's never going to say yes," Cho said. "We're just first and second years. He'll think we're fooling around."
"Don't worry. I've got a good feeling about this."
Seeing how determined he was, Cho sighed and closed her book. "Alright, I'll go with you." She figured even if Snape didn't like Harry, he might restrain himself with someone else present.
…
In the cold, gloomy dungeon—Snape's office.
The professor leaned back in his chair, one pale hand resting on the desk. Some unknown light source faintly illuminated his sallow face and bony fingers.
His voice came out raspy, chilling the room even further: "What do you want?"
It was Cho's first time facing Snape like this. Much more intimidating than in class. Her hairs stood on end. When Snape looked at her, she felt like a snake had set its sights on her. Instinctively, she edged closer to Harry.
Harry stepped slightly in front of her. Scare me all you want—but not my girl.
He spoke casually. "Well, Professor, I found a book in the potion classroom's cabinet…"
Cho froze. She couldn't believe Harry was being so upfront. With an excuse like this, Snape would surely think they were messing with him.
It sounded too made-up: an old book in a dusty cabinet, full of improved potion techniques, with an anonymous author.
But she hadn't noticed the subtle tremble in Snape's hand when he heard that first sentence. He quickly recovered, though, hiding it behind a mask of indifference.
Harry continued, "It was Advanced Potion-Making, and the previous owner signed as the Half-Blood Prince. Don't worry, Professor—it might sound dark, but the book doesn't teach dark magic or anything."
Snape's face—already shadowed—seemed to darken further.
"I saw a bunch of improvements on potion recipes in there and wanted to try them out. But I don't have the ingredients. So I hoped you might help me out—maybe even give some advice."
Cho tugged nervously at Harry's sleeve, but he ignored it.
"I know what you're thinking: sounds like a lie. But hear me out—the guy even invented new spells! I tested one, and it works! Anyone smart enough to create a brand-new spell wouldn't just scribble random garbage in a textbook, right? There's one called Sectumsempra—crazy powerful. A teacher asked me why I wasn't using a knife to cut my watermelon and I said, 'Because I've got Sectumsempra!'"
Harry delivered his pitch at lightning speed without giving Snape time to interrupt.
Cho was completely stunned. He's teasing a cobra… with his bare hands. She braced for an explosion.
But nothing happened.
Snape stayed silent, face unreadable.
Harry walked up and placed the filthy book on Snape's desk. "This is it."
Snape didn't open it. He just stared at Harry for a moment and said coldly, "If you need ingredients, come get them from me."
Wait—WHAT?
Cho's jaw dropped. Her confusion had now surpassed her surprise.
How is this working!?
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Professor."
"I want to brew a Draught of Living Death tomorrow. Can I take some ingredients now?"
"They're in the cabinet by the wall. Find them yourself."
Harry already had the ingredients memorized. He found everything in no time.
"Alright then, we'll be going."
He tugged a dazed Cho out of the office.
…
Back in the dungeon, Snape slid the book toward himself. A few days ago, he had witnessed someone use Sectumsempra, then discovered his old notes were missing from the potion classroom. He'd been wondering who had taken them.
And now Harry Potter had unknowingly brought the book right back to him.
Snape's eyes flickered, mind racing. He drew his wand and muttered, "Incendio."
Whoosh.
A burst of flame erupted from the book, reducing it to ash.
From that day on… the Half-Blood Prince was no more.
.
.
.
📢 Harry Potter Fans! 📢
You can now read early access chapters of The Rebirth of Harry Potter on Patreon! ⚡📖
And don't miss our other ongoing fanfiction: Cyberpunk: The Relentless, with 20+ chapters ahead available exclusively on Patreon! 💥🌆
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon name:SrMagnus
Thank you for your support! 🙌