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Chapter 13: Wonderful Answer
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 18:11:52 +0000 UTC
Stirring the sage and sliced caterpillars in the crucible, Noah propped his head up with a bored expression.
Evan, Kenn, and Lance were in a similar state, but their only entertainment came from watching the famous Mr. Potter being lectured by Professor Snape once again.
"It looks like you were right, Lance. He really didn’t answer a single question," Evan said lazily. Of course, he still kept an eye on the potion’s temperature—he didn’t want to burn it.
"It’s really pathetic. To be honest, I don’t quite understand. Sage and caterpillars, plus fresh tree sap and water, can be mixed to create a potion that attracts owls. Is that such a difficult question?"
Kenn was also puzzled. The question didn’t seem difficult at all.
"It’s not difficult. Maybe Harry just has a mental block," Noah shrugged. "It’s like dealing with werewolves—most people only think of using fire. But there’s a simpler way: refining a curse potion using wolf hearts and reed roots. Just one drop, and a werewolf won’t be able to stand it."
"Come on, who’s unlucky enough to run into a werewolf?" Kenn gave Noah a look. "Unless you already know one is after you, who would bother making something like that?"
"Yeah, it’s like dealing with a Lethifold. Unless you’re prepared in advance, where would you get some residual oil? And even if you knew, you might not have it. They say some wizards eat it too—it’s addictive," Evan added.
"Please, I was just giving an example. No need to take it so seriously. Do we look like the wicked witches from fairy tales, stirring our cauldrons like this?"
"You’re a wizard yourself. Why specify a witch? And whether good or evil, all wizards stir cauldrons, don’t they?"
Noah shook his head in exasperation.
These guys were certainly top students, but their knowledge was limited to the wizarding world. Naturally, they couldn’t grasp what he meant.
Not that Noah minded—after all, they weren’t wrong. He was a wizard now.
"What are you whispering about over there?"
Just as Noah assumed Snape was too busy reprimanding Harry to notice them, the professor suddenly turned his sharp gaze their way. The group, who had been enjoying themselves at Harry’s expense, immediately fell silent.
"You must be quite confident—discussing how to handle werewolves and Lethifolds while I’m teaching," Snape sneered. "Very well, tell me what you get by adding daisy roots to shrivelfigs, sliced caterpillars, and finally a drop of rat bile with a little leech juice?"
"Uh… It’s the Shrinking Solution, which causes objects to shrink. The shrivelfigs need to be peeled, Professor," Noah replied.
Glancing around, he saw that Evan and the others had frozen under Snape’s intimidating presence. With no other choice, Noah stood up and gave the answer.
"Mr. Finniell, have you forgotten that in my class, you must raise your hand and receive my permission before speaking?" Snape’s voice remained icy, even though Noah’s answer was correct.
"Apologies, Professor. That was my mistake," Noah responded sincerely. Though he didn’t feel it was entirely his fault, he had no intention of arguing over trivialities.
"Good. Your attitude is worth learning from—especially for Mr. Potter."
Snape’s expression eased slightly, but he wasn’t finished with Noah just yet.
"You were just discussing magical creatures. Then tell me, how would you handle a Boggart?"
"Well, the best method is Riddikulus—"
"This is not a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and that spell is beyond your level. I’m asking about potion-based solutions."
"You’d need demon blood, bicorn horn powder, and powdered daffodil root to create Boggart-Banishing Oil. Of course, if I had the money, I’d just buy a Moon Dust Bomb—it’s safer."
The room fell silent.
This knowledge was well beyond what a first-year should know. Strictly speaking, it was considered an advanced alchemical topic.
But Noah had a system library, and his memory was improving. He remembered everything he read.
Snape nodded. He was well aware that his question had been far beyond their curriculum—alchemy, even. Yet this Ravenclaw had answered effortlessly. That was unexpected.
"Excellent answer. Ten points to Ravenclaw."
However, Snape’s voice quickly returned to its usual cold tone.
"Mr. Finniell, whether or not Mr. Potter struggles in my class is none of my concern. That being said, you and your friends should refrain from discussing irrelevant topics while I’m teaching. Understood?"
"I understand, Professor. I apologize again."
"Sit down."
Noah did so without argument. That had been troublesome.
Fortunately, Snape’s main target remained Harry Potter, which meant Gryffindor took the brunt of his wrath.
Noah was a Ravenclaw. He had actually passed the test quite smoothly—and even earned ten points for his house.
Class ended quickly. The Gryffindors left feeling particularly miserable, while the Ravenclaws were in high spirits.
Especially Hermione.
She felt awful. No matter how many times she raised her hand, eager to answer and earn points for her house, Snape ignored her completely.
Instead, he frequently called on Ravenclaws—specifically Evan, Kenn, and Lance.
Now that the three had recovered from their earlier shock, they had no trouble demonstrating their academic prowess. Every answer was confident and precise. Even when Snape asked questions beyond their grade level, they answered fluently.
By the end of the lesson, their dormitory group had collectively earned fifty points for Ravenclaw.
The Ravenclaws were ecstatic.
Previously, many students had viewed Noah and his friends as oddballs—they rarely visited the common room to study. At first, it had only been Noah, but eventually, Evan, Kenn, and Lance followed suit. Some had even assumed the four of them had slacked off.
Now, it was clear that they hadn’t fallen behind at all. In fact, they had surpassed everyone.
After class, the four of them headed straight for the Room of Requirement to continue studying.
The events of the day had left Evan, Kenn, and Lance exhilarated. If they wanted to keep up this momentum, they had to work even harder.
But just as they reached the door, a voice stopped them.
"How do you know so much?"
A girl stood in their path.
