Chapter 92: Free Labor

Snape entered his potions room first, gesturing for Tom to follow.

He took out several jars and a box while instructing Tom to prepare tools like mortar and pestle, crystal vials, and more. The box, upon opening, revealed a stepped interior with layers of small compartments. Some emitted a faint mist, indicating the need for special storage conditions.

Snape's box seemed to be charmed with an Undetectable Extension Charm, as he pulled out a bunch of fresh roses from it. However, the roses in a Potions Master's hands were not destined for perfumes or romantic gestures.

"Remove the thorns from these roses, then dry and grind them into powder. Afterwards, extract the oil using castor oil," Snape commanded.

Rose petals and thorns were common ingredients for beauty potions, perfumes, and certain love potions. The extracted rose oil could also be employed in potion-making, but Tom wondered about its role in the Wolfsbane Potion.

Tom, following Snape's instructions, carefully removed the thorns, dried, and ground the roses into powder. Snape observed closely, offering critiques and guidance.

"Decent drying, but remember to take out the petals midway; some of them are almost burnt. The grinding needs to be finer," Snape remarked.

Tom continued grinding until Snape approved, and then he proceeded to make rose oil. Holding the oil, Snape examined it near a candle flame and even sniffed it after removing the stopper.

"The oil is acceptable. Now, stir the potion counterclockwise until it becomes as clear as water. If you stir in the wrong direction, you can leave," Snape instructed.

Tom went to work stirring the potion until it transformed into the desired state. It required intense effort, and the potion finally met Snape's standards.

By now, Snape had prepared other potion ingredients. After confirming Tom's progress, he acknowledged the assistance, acknowledging that without him, the potion-making process would have been delayed by at least half a day.

Mixing the various magical ingredients and powders together, Snape's wand danced rapidly. The liquid began swirling in the cauldron, emitting a hazy, moonlight-like glow.

Satisfied with the potion's progress, Snape looked at Tom and announced the end of their work for the day. He assured Tom that he would be notified in advance when his assistance was required again. With that, Snape ushered Tom out.

Exiting Snape's house, Tom felt a sense of fatigue but also a significant gain. His experience bar in potion-making had increased considerably, roughly three times more than what he'd gain from a regular class.

Expecting to figure out his own way back to London, Tom was surprised when Snape, expressionless, used Apparition to transport them directly to the Leaky Cauldron.

This act was unlike Snape, but he didn't engage in conversation with Tom and headed straight to Gringotts, intending to withdraw money.

Tom's life returned to normal, but the newfound knowledge sparked his curiosity. He revisited the dusty diary he had received from Riddle.

"You're back."

"I'm back."

"I thought you wouldn't return."

"The time between visits was a bit prolonged. I needed time to digest your words."

Diary: ...

"I believe you're correct," Tom continued writing. His plan was to gain Reed's trust, manipulate him like a scoundrel, extract everything useful, and eventually leave him knowledgeless before sending him to meet Merlin.

Of course, Tom was a scoundrel, and Reed was now a Horcrux with at least one life lost to create him, possibly more – his entire family, his uncle's family...

A grand act of filial piety.

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(End of this chapter)