"Ah?!"
Deviro's mind went completely blank when he heard Snape's words.
What does he mean by "use them freely"?
Does that mean he can use all the ingredients and finished potions in this room?
In terms of value, the contents of this room are worth more than five thousand Galleons!
Even selling Deviro wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of all these rare ingredients!
"Pro...Professor, do you mean I can use them to brew potions?" Deviro asked hesitantly, still reeling from the shocking news.
Snape frowned. "Which word didn't you understand? Yes, that's exactly what I mean."
Deviro immediately straightened up, giving Snape a respectful salute.
Oh my god!
This Snape standing in front of him felt unfamiliar!
Is this still that cold, stern old bat?
Why is he being so generous today?
Snape, naturally, couldn't stand Deviro looking so smug. A sneer formed at the corner of his lips.
"Of course, I own eighty percent of the potions you make."
Deviro was stunned.
An 80-20 split?
Eighty percent goes to Snape?!
Deviro instantly wanted to argue.
This was exploitation!
These potions were crafted using his unique skill — the [Potion Spirit Body].
You couldn't even find those potions on the market!
He should get at least thirty percent!
"Professor! That's an unreasonable deal!"
Deviro wasn't the same helpless kid who once ate Snape's food and lived under his roof.
Now, his wings had hardened.
Snape's eyes narrowed.
And so began a long back-and-forth negotiation.
After much reasoning and persistence on Deviro's part, Snape finally compromised:
Deviro would get twenty-five percent.
Under Deviro's strong insistence, Snape reluctantly signed a paper contract.
Originally, Deviro wanted to make an Unbreakable Vow, but there was no witness present.
He decided to save that for later.
For now, a written contract would suffice.
He wasn't worried that Snape would go back on his word.
Satisfied, Deviro carefully tucked the contract into his pocket.
Snape didn't look pleased.
As if signing the contract with Deviro had put him in a foul mood.
But to Deviro, even Snape's usual sour expression looked especially pleasing at this moment.
His mood was at an all-time high!
He immediately wanted to grab some materials and head to the underground classroom to get started.
However…
Even with his [Potion Spirit Body] ability, and a general intuition about the ingredients' uses, he figured it was still best to hear Snape's explanations first.
Especially regarding safety precautions.
Snape's face darkened.
"Alright. You need to understand a few things before you blow up the entire storage room."
He walked over to a wall lined with preserved magical creature remains.
His fingers glided across the bottles, his tone indifferent yet professional.
"These are magical creature remains I've collected over the years. Each one has unique properties."
"For example," Snape picked up a vial, "unicorn tail hair has gentle characteristics. It's an essential component in beauty potions."
He turned to Deviro, eyes sharp, ensuring he was paying attention before continuing.
"But remember—hair-like materials are extremely volatile. Unicorn tail hair is delicate. If damaged, its magic dissipates quickly. So don't touch these bottles carelessly unless you want to ruin something priceless."
"Of course, if properly processed, it becomes more stable—but the effectiveness of the potion will be reduced."
Deviro nodded solemnly, making mental notes.
After all, now that he had this contract, a quarter of this massive storage room belonged to him—by right of potion production.
He needed to treat these ingredients like treasure.
Snape continued introducing various magical creature remains, one after another.
Deviro nodded each time to show he understood.
He was a [Test-Taking Genius] now, after all.
He had to absorb all the key points that Snape was repeatedly emphasizing.
Snape shot him a suspicious look.
Deviro wasn't taking any notes, nor did he seem strained from memorizing everything.
"Did you actually remember all that?" Snape asked, slightly annoyed.
Deviro grinned and tapped his temple.
"Professor, I'm not exaggerating. My brain is just... freakishly good."
Snape's mouth twitched.
But he said nothing more and turned away.
He moved to the wall of magical herbs next.
"These magical herbs are basic ingredients used in most potion recipes."
He picked up a bottle filled with dry powder.
"This is Dittany. You should've studied it in 'A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.' First-year material."
Deviro gave a small nod.
"Dittany has magical healing properties and is commonly used in various potions. But be careful—during the drying process, it must be kept at a consistent temperature. Otherwise, its potency drops significantly."
"There's also agave," Snape said, holding up another jar. "It enhances a potion's effectiveness, but overuse can cause serious side effects..."
He went on like that, carefully introducing each herb, emphasizing both usage and caution.
Deviro followed closely, his eyes darting between the jars as he tried to commit every detail to memory.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the long wall of herbs had been covered.
Deviro squinted and rubbed his temples.
Even for a test-taking genius like him, that was a lot of information to absorb in one sitting.
It felt like he had crammed a full semester's worth of Herbology into a single hour.
Meanwhile, Snape seemed to be enjoying himself.
His expression had become noticeably smug.
Deviro inwardly complained:
Snape must hate seeing him perform well.
So he was deliberately cramming all this knowledge into his head just to exhaust him.
It was probably some weird hobby of his.
As Deviro cursed him silently, Snape approached the central wall and paused.
Then, very seriously, he turned around.
He raised his hand and pointed to a shelf filled with finished potions.
His expression became even grimmer.
"These are all potions I've carefully brewed. Every one of them is either extremely dangerous or incredibly valuable."
"I won't explain what each one does."
He stepped in front of the shelf, blocking Deviro's view with his body.
"But listen closely: these potions are all extremely dangerous. Some may even be fatal!"
Snape's voice turned even more threatening.
"I don't want to return and find a corpse in the storage room. And—"
He sneered again.
"These potions are expensive. If you break even one, the contract terms will change to a nine-one split. You'll only get ten percent. The rest belongs to me."
Deviro cursed Snape's stinginess in his mind.
As if he didn't already know the effects of these potions just by looking at them!
Still, on the surface, he bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Professor. I'll be very careful."
Finally, Snape stood up straight and brushed past Deviro, heading out of the storage room.
Somewhat tiredly, he said, "Alright. I've explained the storage room. Let's talk about the Polyjuice Potion recipe."
As he spoke, he conjured a parchment that looked like another contract and placed it on his desk.
Deviro reluctantly tore his eyes away from the ingredients.
He really wanted to get started right away.
But then a thought struck him.
"By the way, Professor—I've figured out a way to complete the Polyjuice Potion within seven days."
Snape froze mid-step.
"What?!?!"
He suddenly sprang up from his chair.
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