Chapter 18

"Dinner time!" I announced, carrying a large tray into the base's living room. Tonight's dinner was special, courtesy of the kind house-elf Tito, who had prepared a Chinese meal for us. "Come and try this—it's Chinese food!"

Lily quickly emerged from the practice room, drawn by the delicious aroma filling the air. "It smells amazing... Chinese food, huh? I don't know why you love it so much. Maybe I should give it a proper try; it certainly smells good."

"Yeah, it's just something I've always loved. And it's not just the smell—everything about it is perfect! Tito is really talented; he just learned the recipe and already makes it so well." I set the dishes on the table provided by the Room of Requirement and arranged forks and spoons for everyone. I didn't expect them to use chopsticks. "Lily, can you fetch Severus? If he doesn't come, tell him I'll vanish his potions—"

"No need to vanish my potions," Severus interrupted, emerging from the potions lab. I made a face at Lily.

"Come on, forget about your potions and eat!" I pushed Severus into a seat while Lily had already settled down. After giving them a brief introduction to each dish, I eagerly watched them take their first bites. "Well?"

"Hmm…" Lily nodded as she chewed. "Chinese food is pretty good. It's different from what we usually have. Where did you first try it, Sawyer?"

Severus seemed particularly interested in a plate of spicy tofu. I had no idea where Tito got the ingredients.

"You seem to know a lot about Chinese food. Have you been to China? Did you go before you were five?" Severus asked, puzzled. After all, we'd known each other since we were five, and we were in frequent contact.

"These things are something I just know," I said mysteriously, winking.

Severus gave me a look like I was an idiot. "Are you trying to imitate Headmaster Dumbledore?" He shook his head. "You're not cunning enough."

Lily, a Dumbledore enthusiast, started to argue. "The Headmaster isn't cunning; he's wise!"

"Yes, Lady Lily, the Headmaster is a wise bee, not a cunning fox—" I teased.

"Ha, precise," Severus smirked.

The conversation drifted to other topics.

The next day, Bobo delivered a cage full of mice, about ten in total. I carried the cage into a newly designated room in the practice area, meant specifically for medical spell experiments.

Shutting the door, I faced the cage of squeaking mice and let out an eerie laugh, feeling like an evil scientist. Shaking off the odd thoughts, I used magic to pull out a mouse, not wanting to touch it with my hands—just the thought gave me goosebumps.

Faced with the unconscious mouse on the experiment table, I hesitated. To heal, there must first be a wound, so I needed to cut the mouse and draw blood before practicing the hemostatic spell. Although it was just a mouse, and unconscious at that, it was still a living creature. I had never done anything like this before, never even killed a chicken. Where to start? After hesitating with the sharp knife for a while, I decided to make a decisive cut to the neck.

Thus began the blood-soaked experiment session...

After dealing with two dead mice and one barely alive one, I let out a sigh of relief. 

It wasn't as difficult as I imagined. Initially, I was nervous, startled by the sudden spray of blood. In my flustered state, I botched the spell, and Mouse Number One almost bled out. After a few tries, I adjusted and got used to controlling my magic during the spellcasting, becoming proficient. The healing spell, based on the hemostatic spell, was easy to master. The remaining mice, now just a bit short on blood, were placed in another cage and were soon as lively as ever once the binding spells were removed.

The morning passed quickly. I had successfully learned the two spells, at least on animals. The afternoon would be for further practice.

After lunch, I returned to the lab.

Prepared with a new set of tools, I rolled up my left sleeve and picked up the silver knife with my right hand. I made a deliberate, calm cut along the inside of my left forearm. As the blade pierced my skin, my composed expression broke, and I winced in pain. My previously steady right hand now trembled slightly. Persisting, I completed the cut, tears welling up from the pain. It hurt terribly; I was not good with pain.

Blood began to drip from the wound onto the experiment table. I put down the knife and took a moment. It didn't hurt as much now as it did when I made the cut. Picking up my wand, I prepared to cast the spell. Just then, Severus walked in, holding a letter.

"Sawyer, you've got mail... What are you doing?" He quickly strode over, his black robes billowing dramatically, and grabbed my bleeding arm. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Ah—" I gasped, the sudden tugging making the wound sting sharply. Realizing this, Severus loosened his grip but didn't let go.

"Wait…" I motioned for him to calm down, focusing my attention as I pointed my wand at the wound and murmured the incantation. The bleeding stopped, revealing the open flesh. Then, I cast another spell, and the wound began to heal rapidly. It wasn't deep, and it soon closed completely. After cleaning the blood, my arm was smooth without any trace of the cut.

I proudly showed Severus my work, but he still held my arm. "See, I'm fine now. I healed myself! I learned the hemostatic and healing spells. You saw it—it was successful, not even a scar!"

"But you still lost blood!" His expression didn't soften.

"Just a little! I was careful with the cut…" Seeing his expression darken further, I quickly changed my tone. "Alright, I did lose some blood. But Severus, you can brew Blood-Replenishing Potion, right?" This tactic was sure to work.

Sure enough, Severus let go, huffed, and tossed the letter from my family onto the table before turning away. I heard him mutter, "...Gryffindor."

Ha, was he calling me a brainless Gryffindor? No matter, there were plenty of brainless Gryffindors; one more wouldn't make a difference.

I wondered if Severus was really going to brew the potion. It wasn't easy to make, at least a fifth-year level. But if it's Severus, he'd manage.

That evening, long past dinner time, Severus finally emerged from the closed potions lab. Without a word, he handed me a potion bottle and took the dinner I'd saved for him.

Looking at his expressionless face, I stifled a laugh. What a stubborn person.