Which arm is better?

Since Soisen gained authority of the castle, the only people able to enter the Hall were the three of them and no one else. Ravenclaw's tiara had already been dealt with, so he didn't have to worry too much about carelessly protecting one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

-What are you doing? -Hermione asked as she stirred a phosphorescent blue mixture in a copper cauldron and poured it into metal containers suspiciously similar to giant batteries.

-"I'm working on an alternate, stronger version of the Grow Bones potion," said Soisen as he added ground mandrake root to his own cauldron, which looked and swirled like a yellow version of Flubber.

-Why? -Silvia asked after finishing welding a piece with the protective mask onto a metal leg.

-Because that's what I usually do? Researching potions, improving them, etc. -He answered while with a large ladle he hit the solution that was trying to escape from the cauldron, leaving it inert again.

-You do," Silvia nodded.

-But always with a goal in mind," Hermione continued.

-You're not selling right now.

-So it's not a product for the store.

-So? -They both asked at the same time when they stopped finishing each other's sentences.

-Can you not do that again? I have a feeling I have the Weasley twins in front of me. They make it look funny, but with you guys I cringe," she protested weakly after feeling a shudder at their behavior and not looking for any more excuses, "Okay, I may have a goal in mind. I want to obtain a potion with the ability to grow a severed arm. Not just bones, but nerves, flesh, blood, skin, nails and the whole package. Or at least one that can recover from the elbow down.

-And what do you need something like that for? -Silvia turned off the blowtorch and lifted the protective mask -It would be easier if you design a prosthesis, I make it and Hermione loves it.

-It's not an acceptable result," Soisen shook his head as he pulled a large hammer from somewhere and hit the mixture that tried to escape again thinking he wasn't paying attention. Only after making sure she wouldn't try anything again did she continue the conversation- The potion is for Snape.

The two were silent as they thought and Hermione was the first to connect the dots, jump out of her chair and put forward her theory.

-Do you want to cut off Professor Snape's arm where it has the mark of you-know-who and use the potion to get the limb back?!

Just as I expected from the second smartest person in the room.

-That's right. For a potionist, having two hands is important to successfully carry out his trade, and with the return of the dark lord sponsored by that Potter twit, he'll have to resume his role as a double spy on Dumbledore's orders.

-And why do you want to get involved in this? -asked Silvia as she left the heavy metal leg on the table to rest and pay better attention.

-Your options are only to "serve" the dark lord while "betraying" Dumbledore and "accidentally" leaking information to both sides in an extremely delicate way to keep the balance. One of them can kill him and the other has no one to trust him because of his reputation. Two extremes that can end very badly, so I am taking the initiative to show a third way.

The mixture stirred in the cauldron, but when Soisen raised the hammer as a reminder and threat, she stood still, resigned to her fate.

Why is it so hard to be a semi-conscious liquid mass these days?

-One where Snape "dies" in the eyes of the dark lord," Soisen continued, "One where Dumbledore stops deceiving him with promises he never keeps. Where he can choose to detach himself from everything and retire, devoting himself to what he loves without needing to obey anyone else.

-You steal a valuable asset for the dark lord and protect someone you like from a manipulator," Hermione commented, realizing what her move was.

-And at the same time you'll gain the gratitude of one of the best potion masters of the age, who won't hesitate to lend you a hand," finished Silvia, almost feeling like clapping.

-An irrelevant side effect, but one I won't deny," Soisen nodded.

Forget Tom and Dumbledore, Snape will be happier "working" for him in the magical bastion. He just needs me to agree to an unbreakable oath while he successfully develops a potion to restore his arm after amputation.

-Haven't you considered that his mark probably involves the soul? -Hermione asked suddenly.

-Oh, it does in a way," Soisen nodded, implying that he was aware of this possibility and that it was, in fact, a certainty, "But I only need to take care of the physical arm, the counter curse expert is Snape and he already has a rough idea of what to do. He just needs some time to verify its viability.

-So he already took the bait... -Silvia saw that the matter was almost closed, so she lowered the mask again and continued soldering.

At last she had achieved the level of desensitization necessary to be with Soisen.

If I told him right now that he had a suitcase full of phoenixes and unicorns, his first reaction would be to ask if he had any golden foals to pet.

-Do you really think you'll be able to develop that potion before the end of the school year? -asked Hermione, who, after hearing her own question, realized what a silly thing she had just said- I didn't say anything -she added as she also went back to her own thing.

Soisen wondered where he had gone wrong looking at the yellow Flabber. He had only been investigating for an hour and hadn't expected to find the desired result so quickly, but it seemed he needed to rethink his initial approach.

Otherwise, all Snape would get would be a mute version of Migi from Parasyte.

Although... maybe he'd find it useful?

He could reach out a lot to grab ingredients, chop finely without a knife, have extra eyes to keep an eye on the mixture while consulting written notes, and more conveniences.

No, focus Soisen, Snape wants a healthy arm.

...

Right?