Argus entered Snape's office.The room was dark, filled with all sorts of oddly shaped materials.
A pungent smell wafted over.
Snape sat at his office desk, a cauldron in front of him in which something was simmering with a bubbling sound.
When Argus walked in, he did not gesture for him to sit down.
"Do you know how to process the shed skin of a Boomslang?"
"Yes, Professor."
Argus briefly explained the treatment method he had learned from the potion book.
"Barely passable," Snape commented.
For a professor who had never praised a student, this was already a very good evaluation.
Ignoring the other person's sarcasm, Argus went straight to the medicine cabinet next to him.
"At the very bottom, in the third cabinet!"
"Yes, Professor!"
Argus arrived at the medicine cabinet and found that there was no defensive magic inside. The materials were neatly categorized and arranged in a certain order.
On second thought, if this place had been truly heavily guarded, Hermione wouldn't have been able to steal the ingredients for Polyjuice Potion from his office in the original story.
Argus took out the snake molt and began processing it according to the steps he had learned from the book.
He had barely finished two when he heard Snape's mocking voice in his ear.
"Mr. Grindelwald, please spare your poor dean's wallet a little. Not everyone is like you, able to open dozens of shops in Diagon Alley at once."
"Based on your processing method, less than half of the entire snake skin will be usable!"
Argus, however, had a good attitude. He didn't argue and humbly asked Snape for advice.
"I'm sorry, Professor, this is the first time I've handled this material myself."
"If there are any shortcomings, please point them out."
Seemingly unaccustomed to Argus's gentle manner, Snape returned to his seat.
"Start from the snake's tail, make a small incision, discard that part, and the rest can be removed intact."
"Thank you for your guidance, Professor."
Argus pondered for a few seconds, carefully examining the snake molt in his hand. After a moment, he began processing it again, following Snape's method.
Before he had even finished two, Snape's voice came again.
"Mr. Grindelwald, I thought only giants' fingers would be so clumsy."
"Go easy! Dealing with snake shed skin doesn't require you to use all your strength like a giant swinging a club!"
"Yes, Professor!"
"Mr. Grindelwald, I think slugs are more suitable for you than dealing with snake molts, because you're just as brainless!"
"These snake skins have already been processed; there's no need to wash them again!"
"Yes, Professor!"
"Mr. Grindelwald..."
By the end of the afternoon, Argus himself had lost count of how many times he had been scolded by Snape.
Now he finally understood why that Ravenclaw lady had been scolded until she cried!
Putting everything else aside, Snape was certainly skilled at insulting people.
Not a single sentence was repeated all afternoon!
However, Argus was not angry.
He could tell that although Snape's reprimands were harsh, every word he uttered hit the nail on the head.
In other words, he was instructing the student on how to handle potions in his own way.
Many of the tips were not found in books; they were his own summaries.
Sometimes, his advice was even more precise than the standard answers in textbooks!
Once you could accept his sharp tongue, he would immediately transform into a top-notch potions master.
As time went on, Snape spoke less and less.
Argus's learning speed far exceeded his expectations.
In just one afternoon, the other party's method of handling snake molts already showed some signs of a professional potions master.
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Snape's eyes.
Many of his proposed solutions required not only talent, but also patience.
And these were precisely what most wizards lacked.
In the past, he had discovered many talented young wizards, but without exception, most of them could not withstand the tedious and boring potion-making process.
They would stay for no more than a week, either finding an excuse to escape or never returning once the confinement ended.
Not only did Argus not complain all afternoon, but he was even able to fulfill all of Snape's requests.
This made him feel a sense of appreciation for talent.
Time passed slowly, and torchlight began to illuminate the area outside the office.
The processing of the medicinal materials was also nearing completion.
Argus stood up and rubbed his slightly sore lower back.
Under Snape's guidance, cleaning the snake's molt was not difficult, just a bit tedious and required careful observation.
It just took a lot of mental and physical effort.
Argus packed the processed snake skin into a box and handed it to Snape, awaiting the latter's evaluation.
But the other person's attention was clearly not on him; he was focused intently on the potion in the cauldron in front of him.
After a while, Snape finally noticed Argus beside him and glanced at him briefly.
"It's still usable."
"Remember to come early tomorrow."
"Understood, Professor!"
Argus was about to leave when his gaze suddenly fell on the corner of Snape's desk.
A lily bud was about to bloom.
The pure white color clashed with the overall style of the room."Mr. Grindelwald, if you don't want your eyes, I don't mind gouging them out for you!"
Snape's cold voice rang out.
"Get out of here!"
Clearly, Argus's gaze annoyed him.
Argus only realized this after being kicked out of the office.
It seemed like it took too long to process the medicinal herbs himself.
It had been so long that dinner was already over and curfew time had arrived.
However, for Argus, the curfew was not important.
Anyway, Filch wouldn't arrest him, and among the other deans, as long as he didn't run into Professor McGonagall, nothing serious would happen.
He made his way to the Hogwarts kitchen and enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Considering that Snape had taught him many good things, Argus thoughtfully had a house-elf deliver a portion to Snape.
Afterwards, he went back to his dorm and had a wonderful sleep.
He slept comfortably, but Dumbledore was a different story!
Argus's dozens of shops in Diagon Alley were practically ripping off several pure-blood families!
In just one day, their turnover had dropped by a third!
This was all before the other party's shops had made a name for themselves!
In a while, when the British wizards found out about these shops, it would be a good thing if they could keep half of their turnover!
To these families, taking their money was like killing their parents!
Driven to desperation, they immediately decided to teach the other party a lesson.
In just one night, Dumbledore dealt with more than a dozen groups of people who came to cause trouble!
The poor centenarian barely slept all night.
He had considered negotiating with the other party, but how could he negotiate such a thing?
"Ladies and gentlemen, please do me a favor?"
They weren't stupid. Did he think Dumbledore could just give up a deal worth tens of thousands of Galleons with a single word?
Left with no other choice, Dumbledore decided to hold out for the time being first.
As for other matters, once the other party calmed down, they would naturally send someone to negotiate.
...
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