Hermione and Regulus Black slept in until they woke naturally, then used the Time Turner to return to the early morning before everyone else got up.
At the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower, the two of them said their goodbyes. Hermione's face was bright red—she was just short of giving a farewell kiss.
But Hogwarts had portraits everywhere, and the characters in those paintings were far from ornamental—their ability to pass on information surpassed even that of Peeves the Poltergeist.
So Regulus Black simply gave a few parting instructions and sent Hermione back to her own dormitory to wash up.
Feeling a bit guilty, Hermione walked into the common room. Luckily, Ravenclaw students weren't usually up at this hour, since most of them liked to sleep in. Even if someone overslept, it didn't matter—just turn back the Time Turner a few hours.
Hermione immediately returned to her private room, sank into a warm bath, and began to recall everything that had happened the day before.
"I was way too bold... just sleeping in the same bed with Mr. Black like that. But that comforting atmosphere was so real. Now that I think about it, I'm already looking forward to the next time I can stay over."
Talking to herself, Hermione quickly splashed her face with water to wake up.
"Hermione! Are you up?"
Zhang Qiu, being the responsible older sister type, had arrived right on time to serve as an alarm clock, and to ruffle Hermione's fluffy hair as usual.
Hermione got dressed in the bathroom and came out quickly. The two of them, holding their books, chatted and laughed as they walked into the common room. Naturally, Hermione didn't tell Zhang Qiu a word of what had happened last night. That would forever remain a secret between her and Regulus Black.
Ravenclaw students began trickling into the common room. On the table were cups of coffee or black tea prepared by house-elves, each laced with potions designed to offset the side effects of Time Turner use.
After their morning tea, Professor Flitwick arrived right on time. Being greeted each morning by a group of energetic students always put him in a good mood. He loved that feeling—so much so that ever since becoming the Charms professor, he hadn't missed a single morning in the common room.
"Good morning, students! It's another great day for learning."
"Good morning, Head of House!"
"Headmaster, are you planning to give us a day off?"
"If we get a day off, let's just spend it studying in the library!"
A typical mix of respectful greetings from the prefects and playful teasing from the younger girls.
Professor Flitwick was quite pleased with the lively atmosphere—it made him feel years younger.
"Don't forget about this afternoon's tea gathering. A meeting of minds is always something to look forward to."
Cheerful as ever, Flitwick ignored the requests for a break and led the way down to the Great Hall. He knew the students weren't being serious—they just liked to joke around. Ravenclaw was, after all, the house most devoted to learning. Even if you gave them a break, they'd just use the time to study on their own. Still, class was class.
Normally, Ravenclaw students were enthusiastic about every subject—except for Professor Snape's Potions class. That was the one class guaranteed to end in tears for several students, and there had even been instances of the entire class breaking down.
But now that Snape had a teaching assistant—Mr. Regulus Black—the situation was completely different.
Though Regulus Black appeared cold on the outside, he had a way of neutralizing the terrifying atmosphere Snape often brought into the classroom.
At this point, Snape mostly left the lower-year classes of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to Regulus Black. As the assistant professor put it, he was gaining valuable teaching experience for his future as a full-fledged professor.
The result was astonishing: Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students saw a dramatic rise in success rates, with most potions passing even Snape's strict evaluations.
And it wasn't cheating. Whenever a student ran into issues during potion-making, Regulus Black would spot the problem immediately, intervene, and suggest a correction—all while encouraging them to build confidence in their abilities.
Even the most self-deprecating Hufflepuff wouldn't dare mess up in Regulus Black's class.
"Professor! Please discipline us mercilessly!"
The female students stole glances at Regulus Black, their eyes brimming with admiration.
Snape always watched such scenes with a cold sneer, only stepping in at the end to "spit venom" during final evaluations.
The students managed to get through it—yes! If all they had to endure was the venomous critique at the end, wasn't that something they could survive?
There was only one situation where these two would clash—and it was a serious one: their differing attitudes toward Potions.
"Potions is a rigorous discipline. You must be precise, meticulous, highly sensitive, and patient. You don't need to wave your wands around foolishly, and you certainly don't need the kind of wild imaginings that come from a troll's brain…"
These lines were among Professor Snape's usual repertoire. If someone were to collect them, they could publish a whole book titled The Poison-Tongued Quotations.
However, Snape's true intention was to push students to be precise and unaffected by external distractions—including his own biting sarcasm.
"Potions is an intuitive subject. We know that many potions can only be made properly through feel and instinct. In fact, some potions have even given rise to magical creatures. Yes! You heard right. Many magical creatures originated as accidental outcomes of potion-making. Once you've learned to identify potion ingredients and analyze their properties, you can rely on your own ideas and instincts to create potions. Of course, you'll bear the consequences—things could go horribly wrong, or you might end up with something unexpectedly amazing!"
On one occasion, when Snape was absent and Regulus Black had full responsibility for the Potions class, he actually allowed each student to receive a basic potion kit containing 25 different ingredients.
There were no instructions for the potion's formula—no requirements for brewing time, temperature, or even how to stir. None of the fundamentals were dictated. Instead, a piece of parchment hung in front of each student, faithfully recording the entire potion-making process.
The result? Three cauldrons exploded, and most of the potions had no effect at all.
But miracles did occur. One student produced ruby-like granules—pea-sized, but glittering. Another's cauldron erupted with threads resembling chameleon silk. The final one created a cauldron full of heart-shaped bubbles—and that student was Hermione.
As a result of the chaos and the outcomes of that class, Snape and Regulus Black ended up arguing in the Headmaster's office.
Eventually, Professors Flitwick and Sprout—heads of house for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff—had to step in to mediate. The students from both houses promised to take Professor Snape's assignments seriously from now on, but they begged to keep Assistant Professor Black's "interest-based class"—even if it was just once a term.
In the end, Dumbledore made the final decision: once every half-term, Regulus Black would be allowed to teach a freely designed Potions class.
Regulus Black personally funded the purchase of three potion recipes. While Snape disdained such commercial behavior, he was nonetheless very intrigued by the recipes—though his pride prevented him from showing it.
Regulus, generous as ever, shared the recipes with him. Although students had achieved certain results during the experimental class, those were deemed coincidental. Even though the entire process had been recorded, no one could fully understand how a student's innate magical power had functioned at the time. These subtle differences made it nearly impossible to replicate the same result.
Therefore, the answer was: experiment, experiment, and more experiment.
Only through repeated trials could every detail be confirmed, every issue uncovered, and every possibility explored.
After a week of tireless effort, Regulus Black and Snape finally succeeded. The three potion recipes could now be handed to any wizard capable of potion-making, and so long as they followed the instructions, the success rate was as high as 99%.
"Professor Snape! Interested in opening a shop?"
Regulus Black extended the offer. After all, with Snape's help, the outcomes were clear—and selling finished products through a shop was a steady source of long-term wealth.
"No need. You did more than I did. And the recipes were bought by you—they're yours, and no one can take them from you."
Snape's unwavering dedication and pride when it came to potions was unmatched. His response was firm—he would not take part in any commercial endeavor.
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