After a whole morning of rest, Link's spirits improved quite a bit.
He and John together went to the Great Hall, preparing to properly fill their completely empty stomachs. But just as Link was about to start eating heartily, Cedric's familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Link, I heard you were kept after class by Professor Snape yesterday. What happened?" As Cedric spoke, he very naturally sat down beside Link, which excited John greatly.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to directly interrupt the conversation between Cedric and Link, so he could only sit to the side excitedly swinging his legs.
"It's nothing major, just that I offended Snape during class, so he kept me after to take care of those specimens, that's all." Link pretended to be nonchalant as he lied.
As for the matter regarding the potion, he absolutely wouldn't speak of it. That would do nothing to help his current situation and would only complicate things.
Upon hearing this, Cedric's expression suddenly changed. The hand he had stretched out for bread also froze.
"I... is that so? That really must've been tough for you," Cedric forced out a faint smile and said, "But I think we shouldn't discuss this topic while eating, after all, Snape's specimens are really... a bit too disgusting."
As soon as Cedric said this, he immediately received John's full agreement.
And so, the topic of conversation between them naturally shifted to Quidditch.
Link had no interest in this at all. He casually humored Cedric and John's occasional chat, but his gaze was always focused on a corner of the staff table inside the Great Hall.
Over there, Snape, dressed exactly the same as yesterday, was eating lunch alone.
Obviously, he was just as dissatisfied with Hogwarts' classic-style menu as Link, so after reluctantly eating for a while, he frowned and got up to leave.
Seeing this, Link didn't hesitate at all and quickly put down his knife and fork to follow him.
Cedric and John, who were enthusiastically chatting about Quidditch, didn't even notice Link's sudden departure.
Instead, over by the Slytherin table, a beautiful girl surrounded by others suddenly stood up and also followed after Link and Snape out of the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Link's tracking operation continued. Snape's walking speed was very fast, especially from the perspective of a young wizard like Link.
But relying on his wealth of experience as a detective in his previous life, Link still trailed behind silently and unnoticed.
He had done this kind of thing many times before, there was basically no chance of failure.
But just as he passed a corridor at a turn, an accident happened.
Snape, who had been ahead about 10 meters in front of Link, suddenly disappeared without a trace. Immediately after, a gloomy and cold voice rang out from behind Link.
"Deliberately stalking a professor, Hufflepuff, minus 10 points."
This sudden voice did not scare Link. He slowly turned around, putting on an indifferent expression and smiling, "Good afternoon, Professor Snape."
"It is a rather good afternoon. But I believe it would be even better without a Chester (a magical creature resembling a mix between a dog and a pumpkin, likes to follow behind humans. Due to the large space in its belly, it's often used as a mobile storage chest) following behind me." Snape said through gritted teeth.
"Speak, what do you want from me, Mr. Flamel!" When Snape said Link's name, he deliberately emphasized every word, making it sound like he was mocking Link's surname.
However, upon hearing this, Link didn't show any signs of anger. Instead, he smiled and said, "Ah, I do indeed have something to ask you, Professor Snape. Regarding the suggestion I made last night, I wonder if Madam Pomfrey has passed it on to you? If she has, then what is your answer?"
As Link's voice slowly drifted out, Snape's expression also instantly became darker.
Because Madam Pomfrey had told him about Link's request, and in the middle of the night, no less. Not only that, after he clearly stated his refusal, Madam Pomfrey even pulled Dumbledore out of bed from his office to help persuade him.
Recalling how he was "persuaded" by Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey in turns last night, and how he had no choice but to accept this humiliating condition in the end, Snape's face even began to contort.
This scene made Link feel extremely satisfied. He just loved seeing Snape's expression, clearly very displeased, but completely helpless.
And seeing Link's smirking expression, the anger burning in Snape's heart only grew fiercer. But in the end, he still restrained his rage and said coldly, "Pomfrey indeed told me about it. And yes, I agreed. After all, that potion is extremely expensive. Since you're willing to let me drink it with you, of course I won't refuse, especially since all the costs are to be reimbursed by your mother."
"Oh, that puts my mind at ease. To be honest, if it were coming from Hogwarts' public funds, I would have felt a bit guilty, after all, that's shared property of all Hogwarts students and staff." Link continued to speak with a smile on his face.
He didn't care at all about the cost of the potion, because the original family's centuries of accumulated wealth was astronomical. No matter how expensive the potion, his family could afford it.
After that, there wasn't much left to say between Link and Snape. The two just stared at each other with smiling faces, and the atmosphere instantly turned strange.
Fortunately, this scene didn't last too long. After a short while, Link saw Snape suddenly change expression and shout warily toward the shadow of a corner near them.
"Who's there?! Come out!"
Snape's sudden outburst startled Link. There weren't many people who would have followed them all the way here, so Link instinctively imagined Cedric or John's face.
But when he actually turned his head, he discovered that stepping out of the shadows was none other than Emily Victoria.
For a moment, a trace of astonishment flashed across Link's face.
And as soon as Snape realized it was Emily, the wariness on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a rare trace of kindness.
"Emily, why are you here?"
"It's like this, Professor Snape, I attempted to brew a Polyjuice Potion, but ran into some problems. So I wanted to ask for your guidance." Emily said expressionlessly, and after speaking, even shot Link a cold glance.
Seeing this, Snape immediately understood. He first nodded at Emily, then turned to Link with a cold expression and said, "Do you still have any business, Mr. Flamel?"
Again with the deliberately emphasized tone, but this time, Link, who had already achieved his goal, did not choose to keep bothering him. Instead, he shrugged and turned to leave without hesitation.
Before leaving, his gaze lingered on Emily for quite a while.
This was the first time he had heard Emily speak. He had to admit, her voice was really nice. If only her tone could be a bit softer, that would be perfect.
Thinking this, Link shook his head with a bit of regret.
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