Dragged out of the darkness by Harry, Cho Chang was jolted back to her senses by the blinding white and freezing cold world outside.
This went way too smoothly.
Since when was Professor Snape so easy to talk to?
Forget Harry—even if someone from Slytherin had gone to him, they wouldn't have gotten anything good out of it.
She glanced at Harry walking ahead, calm and composed.
Clearly, Harry wasn't surprised at all, as if he had already known this would be the outcome.
This was... puzzling.
Even someone as clever as Cho found her mind a complete mess.
"Harry, what's going on exactly?" Her big black eyes were filled with confusion.
Harry said, "Isn't the answer obvious? You just didn't think in that direction."
Cho replied, "I don't get what you mean."
Harry said, "Isn't it strange that I handed over the Half-Blood Prince's book to Professor Snape? Most people wouldn't do that, right?"
"Of course," Cho said.
"So why wouldn't someone hand it over to a teacher? People have selfish tendencies. Okay, maybe calling it selfish is a bit dramatic. But when a student finds a spellbook filled with unique knowledge and no one's claimed it, they'd definitely want to study it themselves, right? Even if they were going to hand it over eventually, it'd be much later. So why did I give it to Professor Snape without a second of hesitation?"
Cho wasn't dumb. After thinking about it carefully, she realized why Harry had been so confident Snape wouldn't think they were just messing around, why he hadn't hesitated to tell Snape about the book, and why Snape had actually agreed to Harry's bold request.
It was just that the truth was a bit hard to wrap her head around. She had never considered that possibility.
"Snape… really is the Half-Blood Prince?" Cho asked in astonishment. She already knew the answer in her heart, but the shock was so overwhelming she wanted to hear it confirmed aloud.
"That's right," Harry nodded.
Then the question came: "But how did you figure it out?"
"That… was due to my unparalleled brilliance and ninety-nine percent intuition. Once I ruled out the impossible, the answer was clear," Harry said, completely making it up.
Cho didn't care too much about the matter, so she didn't press any further.
If it had been Hermione, she wouldn't have let it go until Harry came up with a perfectly logical explanation.
Cho said, "I didn't expect Professor Snape to be so brilliant at Potions—and even spellwork. And to think he invented all those things when he was still a student… He must be even more powerful now. So why doesn't he publish any of it? That would be great for his reputation, wouldn't it?"
Indeed, wizards like that were highly respected in the magical world. They were like scientists in the Muggle world.
Publishing one's discoveries could bring both fame and fortune.
Take Headmaster Dumbledore, for instance—even before defeating Voldemort, he was already a highly respected wizard. He was known, among other things, for discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, which made him famous in the magical academic community.
So if Snape had made real achievements in Potions and Spellwork, sharing his findings would indeed make sense.
Harry didn't know the exact reason, but he could guess.
It was probably because of Snape's personality.
He was withdrawn and self-conscious, but he knew he was brilliant. He had no interest in showing off, yet carried a deep-rooted pride. After Harry's mother died, he likely had even less desire to put himself out there.
. . .
Harry and Cho chatted as they made their way to the dungeon where Potions class was held.
The dungeon's environment was terrible.
Cold wind roared through, rattling the glass windows.
What a great location... Harry couldn't understand how this building worked—it was like a wind tunnel.
He could only comfort himself by thinking: Well, at least it's nice in the summer.
Harry really didn't want to do experiments here. It was remote, and every time they came, they had to cross several courtyards. In this freezing weather, he had zero interest in exposing himself to the snow and ice.
Thinking hard, he suddenly remembered a good spot.
Quiet, spacious, free of clutter.
It was the old classroom where Professor Dumbledore had once kept the Mirror of Erised. Though it hadn't been used in ages and the abandoned desks were thick with dust—
But for a wizard, that's hardly a problem.
Still, there was an even better place for what Harry had in mind.
The Room of Requirement!
Harry could wish for a room specifically for brewing potions, stocked with scales, cauldrons, and all sorts of magical brewing tools. It could even be filled with an endless supply of ingredients.
But—yes, here comes the "but."
But Harry didn't know where the Room of Requirement was.
Now that was awkward.
.
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⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter
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