Old Bat's Afternoon Tea

The smile on Jon Hart's face nearly froze in an instant.

His mind started racing...

What on earth?

Snape invited him for afternoon tea?

Why didn't he remember Snape's habit of having afternoon tea?

However, Daphne didn't give him a chance to learn more and almost turned around and fled.

Jon glanced at his watch. It was already 12:45, less than half an hour before Snape's appointment.

There was no time to waste; he knew the consequences of being late when facing Snape.

Jon hurried to the Great Hall, ate something hastily, and made his way to the dungeon.

Around 1:10 in the afternoon, he arrived at Snape's office. Pausing for a moment, Jon took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

The room was dimly lit. Bookshelves on both sides were filled with various glass containers, holding slimy specimens of animals and plants floating in colorful potions.

These seemingly "grotesque" specimens didn't make Jon Hart feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, compared to the human specimens, diseased tissues, and parasite specimens he had encountered in his previous life, these were much less "disgusting."

The familiar scent of formalin was no longer in the air, which made him feel a bit nostalgic.

Before he could focus on a specimen of a female pig's uterus, the door of the office swung open.

"You're early, Mr. Hart!" Severus Snape's cold voice came from the shadowed doorway.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Jon quickly averted his gaze.

"Sit down!"

Following Snape's command, Jon sat down calmly, while Snape moved towards the light and took a seat opposite Jon.

"Aren't you afraid of them?" Snape asked casually, glancing at the specimen racks.

"Of course!" Jon nodded, honestly answering, "I just find them fascinating, so I look at them more."

"Fascinating?" Snape's pale lips slightly pursed, and he then said coldly, "Well... Hart, go and cut out a portion of the five-legged beast's heart for me. It's in the specimen holder, the sixth row, and the fourth column from the top."

"Okay, Professor!" Jon promptly stood up and put on a pair of dragon leather gloves from the shelf. Standing on the nearby stool, Jon's slender body struggled a bit to remove the glass bottles filled with dark red liquid.

"What's this liquid?" Jon asked curiously.

"Human blood!" Snape replied with a grim face. "Five-legged beasts are evil magical creatures that feed on human blood. The blood they consume is stored in their hearts... Even when the heart is removed, it can occasionally spurt out a considerable amount of human blood."

"I see," Jon's face showed neither fear nor disgust but rather curiosity. He had already opened the glass bottle. "No wonder I can smell the strong metallic scent."

Snape furrowed his brow, staring at the young first-year student in front of him. Jon held a short knife, about twenty centimeters long, reached into the bottle, calmly grasped the five-legged beast's heart, and began cutting it.

"How much do you need, Professor Snape?" Jon asked as he continued his work, maintaining a calm expression.

"Ten ounces."

Five minutes later, Jon had cut off a piece of the five-legged beast's heart muscle the size of a wine glass. He placed it on an iron plate and handed it to Snape.

Even though it was just a part, the heart muscle continued to writhe, spewing blood. The entire potions teacher's office became stained with blood, and Jon and Snape were also quite splattered.

"Is this alright, Professor?" Jon asked softly.

"Hmph!" The old bat snorted coldly, then took out his wand and waved it lightly. The blood on his clothes and on the table vanished, and the cut piece of myocardium flew into another glass bottle.

"Sit down!" Snape ordered once again.

Jon pursed his lips and obediently sat back down.

...

"What do I need to drink?" the old bat said coldly.

"N-No... Professor..." Jon stammered.

Apart from having just witnessed such a gruesome scene, the thought of having afternoon tea now made him feel a bit tired. Moreover, who would dare to drink a beverage provided by a potions master without knowing if something strange had been added to it? It could end badly.

Fortunately, Snape didn't insist any further.

"I wrote to the Zig Potion Material Shop in Diagon Alley. They told me that you purchased some double-horned beast horn powder and African tree snake skin from them over three months ago," Snape asked again.

"Yes, Professor!" Jon replied, not surprised.

"In that case, may I know what potion you were preparing with those ingredients? I've heard a mocking smile in Snape's voice. The double-horned beast horn powder is used to make the slow-acting potion, and the African tree snake skin is an important ingredient for brewing the nightmare draught!" Jon responded calmly, "I couldn't find these two ingredients in the potions classroom, so I had to seek help from Diagon Alley."

"Those are potions typically accessible to third and fourth-year students!" Snape grumbled sternly. "So, your attempt failed... Right, Hart?"

"Of course not!" Jon's face showed fear for a moment before he shook his head. "If my calculations are correct, I should have succeeded... I placed the finished potions of both varieties in the potions classroom, in the cabinet labeled with my name."

Snape was taken aback. He paused for a moment before saying, "I will verify this!"

"Alright, Professor." Jon stared fearlessly at Snape's black, hollow eyes.

"Are you sure you're not lying?"

"I'm sure, sir!"

...

Several minutes later, Severus Snape averted his gaze.

"I don't believe you lied," he said calmly.

Jon couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After going through so much effort to cover up and act in secrecy, it was reassuring to hear Snape's response.

"Severus! Severus!" A familiar voice came from outside the door, interrupting the conversation between Jon and Snape.

"I heard that you actually invited a student for afternoon tea... How rare, Severus! I didn't expect you to have such a hobby!"

The cheerful voice was unmistakable...

It was Gilderoy Lockhart.