0187 Worries

Hu-hu– 

The gloomy clouds covered the sky again, which had only cleared for half a day. The fine rain beat against the window panes in the strong wind, creating a howling sound that echoed in the empty room. Without the protection of the sun, the temperature of the castle, which was adjacent to a large forest and a vast black lake, dropped quickly. The cold air seeped through the cracks and crevices, making the stone walls and floors feel like ice. Although the wizards with powerful magic had higher resistance to cold and heat than normal wizards, Bryan didn't have to endure it. In order to make the room more comfortable, he lit the fireplace again with a flick of his hand, and watched the orange flames dance and crackle.

After hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the office door, Bryan finally enjoyed the leisure period. He stood by the window and stared at the world in the wind and rain, feeling a sense of detachment from the hustle and bustle of the school. He suddenly remembered the experimental data he had left behind in his shrieking shack, hidden under a pile of dusty books and broken furniture. Although there was an illusion magic to cover it, it was always unsafe to leave it there, especially if someone with a keen eye and a curious mind stumbled upon it.

Naturally, the research on the soul-curse came to his mind again. It was a dark and dangerous topic that fascinated him for a long time, ever since he witnessed its effects. He wanted to understand its mechanism, its origin, and its countermeasures, but he also knew that it was a taboo that few dared to touch, so he must be calm and steady.

"Should I ask Dumbledore for advice? He must be good at dark magic as a white wizard." 

Bryan hesitated in his heart, but after careful consideration, he thought it was better not to be too ostentatious. After all, the things he studied were considered to be one of the most 'evil' types even in dark magic. 

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and there was still a while before dinner. Bryan glanced at the parchment on the table, which he had only turned over a few pages. He had no desire to deal with these "troubles". After thinking about it, he decided to go to the library to look up some information. Maybe he could find some clues or inspiration for his research there.

"I'm not sure if the director of the student safety office has the authority to borrow books from the restricted section, Bryan." 

The librarian, Mrs. Pince, was a strict and very orderly witch. She also had a sharp eye and a sharp tongue, and would scold anyone who made a noise or a mess in the library. She didn't look at Bryan with any respect, but refused him to borrow books from the restricted area because he had lost his professor title. She guarded the books like a hawk, and wouldn't let anyone touch them without proper permission. 

"Okay–" Bryan scratched his hair, and a bit reluctantly returned the "Most Poisonous Magic" to Mrs. Pince.

"I'll check with the headmaster Dumbledore later if I have this authority, Mrs. Pince." 

He left a bit resentfully after saying this. He hoped that Dumbledore would grant him the access to the restricted section. 

Originally, he planned to go back to his office and wait for dinner, but when he passed the corridor, he suddenly thought of Professor Snape, whom he hadn't seen today. He was a bit worried about his mental health, since he knew that Snape had a lot of pressure and pain in his life. Bryan quickly made a decision and sped up his pace to the Slytherin basement.

He knocked on Professor Snape's office door and walked in. The moment he entered, Bryan's nostrils twitched and smelled a slight poison in the murky air. He saw that the room was filled with shelves of bottles, jars, and boxes, containing various ingredients and products of potions. There was also a large cauldron on a fire, emitting a foul-smelling steam. The only source of light was a small lamp on the desk, which cast a dim and gloomy glow on the surroundings.

He took a closer look and saw that Professor Snape was dealing with a cage of Billywig bugs with green wings and pincers. These two were the ingredients for the laughing potion and the sobering potion. Bryan had encountered these two potions in his fourth year, when he had to brew them for his practical exam. He remembered that the Billywig bugs were very difficult to handle, since they could sting and cause levitation and giddiness. 

"What are you doing here instead of enjoying your hard-earned rights in your own office?" 

Snape, whose face was more waxen from the fumes of the Billywig blood and pincers, looked at Bryan who came to visit him, and sneered at the corner of his mouth. 

As soon as he heard Snape's signature sarcasm, Bryan immediately threw his worries behind him, stepped forward and looked at the dazzling materials on the table with interest, and exclaimed, 

"These materials are not cheap, professor. They can sell for at least three hundred galleons on the black market!" 

He was impressed by Snape's collection of rare and expensive ingredients, which showed his expertise and dedication to potions. 

"Your salary is the same as Minerva's, and higher than mine, Bryan." 

Snape said lazily, without looking up from his work. He didn't care about the value of the materials, as long as they served his purpose. 

"That's different, professor." 

Bryan shook his head regretfully and said, "I'm not like you, I don't have so many opportunities to enrich my pockets." 

This time, Snape didn't even have a sarcastic remark to make. 

For a wizard like Bryan, as long as he was willing to show his strength, wherever he went, there would be a lot of people who would stuff galleons into his pocket, begging for his favor or guidance. But he never did so. Snape knew this kid's style very well. Rather than saying he had principles, it was better to say that Bryan treated making money as a leisure and pleasure, something that he did only when he felt like it or when he was bored. 

"Wait!" 

Seeing that Professor Snape was not depressed by being unable to choke him with his words and could not cheer up from his gloomy mood, Bryan left on his own, but when he turned to close the door outside, Professor Snape called him back and said lazily, 

"That werewolf has a third-year defense against the dark arts class on Friday. Maybe you can help him out." 

Bryan's face darkened instantly. 'Miss Clearwater, what did you do to your mouth?' 

"What a rare opportunity to make your dream come true, professor. Are you sure you want to give it up?" 

He replied sarcastically, hoping that Snape would change his mind. But Snape just smirked and waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he had made his decision. 

Bang! 

The office door closed automatically, leaving Bryan with a tick mark on his face outside. 

During the daytime of the school day, every staff member in the castle was busy. Even if they were not in class, they were busy preparing lessons or some teaching tools in their offices. In order not to let others think that he was sitting and getting his salary without doing anything, Bryan had to walk back to his office slowly, pretending that he had some important matters to attend to. 

He walked up to the third floor, passed a corner, and saw two young wizards standing in front of the door of his office, hesitating. They seemed to want to knock on the door, but they didn't dare to do so because of the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. The sign was actually a joke that Bryan had put up to scare away some unwanted visitors, but it seemed to work too well on some innocent students. 

"Potter, Weasley–" 

Bryan smiled and waved at them, and approached quickly. 

"We had three classes today, professor, so we came a bit late!" 

Harry and Ron, who had bright smiles on their faces, explained in a hurry. They had been looking forward to seeing Bryan ever since they heard that he had returned to the castle. 

"I understand–" 

Bryan smiled happily. No matter what, his relationship with Harry was closer than others. So many people came to visit him in the morning, but the three little ones never came to see him, which was a bit disappointing. 

He was glad that Harry and Ron had finally shown up. He opened the door and asked curiously, 

"Why are there only two of you? Where is your good partner, Miss Granger?"

 "Hermione also has classes in the fourth period," 

Ron followed Bryan into the office, looking at the familiar furnishings, and said with a bit of anger, 

"And lately, we have some opinions on some of her actions!"

Bryan walked to the fireplace and brought two cups of tea to Harry and Ron. Hearing this, he smiled indifferently. The personalities of the young wizards at this age were mostly sharp and had no sense of restraint. It was normal to have some conflicts with each other. He had seen many friendships break and mend over trivial matters. 

"Can you tell me what happened?" 

He directed the two little guys to sit down on the comfortable sofa, and returned to his office seat. He asked casually, showing his interest and concern. 

After a round of explanations, Bryan finally figured out what was going on. It turned out that Hermione bought a cat named Crookshanks from a pet shop in Diagon Alley, and the cat had been chasing Ron's rat Scabbers ever since. Ron was furious that Hermione did not care about his pet's safety, and Hermione was annoyed that he quarreled with her because of her cat's instincts. They had been arguing about this for a long time, and their friendship had become strained. 

'No wonder Crookshanks didn't stay in the castle for a while, but always ran to me. It turned out to be this reason,' Bryan thought in his mind.

Ron had hoped that Professor Watson would condemn Hermione's disregard for Scabbers life and health, but seeing that Professor had no intention of intervening in this matter, he was a bit disappointed. But he soon forgot about it and quickly joined Harry in discussing why he suddenly returned to the castle without any warning and became the director of the student safety office. 

"We only heard a little bit of rumors before, professor–" 

Professor Watson returned to the castle, so Harry, who had no worries after having double protection from him and Dumbledore, said cheerfully,

"Professor Dumbledore seemed to be dissatisfied with the situations that might cause the little wizards to get hurt in the castle in the past few years, so he planned to take some measures, but we never found out what he was going to do!"

'I guarantee that if you drop out now, Mr. Potter, there will never be any strange things happening in Hogwarts again'–Bryan smiled without changing his expression. 

"Do you plan to reactivate those alchemy tools, professor?" 

It was Ron's turn to express his opinion. He glanced at the black curtain on the opposite wall with a bit of awe and said, noticing Professor Watson's slightly surprised look, he quickly explained, 

"This is Fred and George's guess, Professor Watson. You may not know, but they have always been obsessed with your skills!"

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