Snape glanced at the list, then at Charlie.
"You're certain you know what all these ingredients are for?"
"Of course," Charlie nodded.
"Moonstone powder stabilizes potions, mandrake root has restorative properties…"
Snape waved his hand irritably, cutting him off.
"Fine. If you're so confident, fetch them yourself." He gestured to the back of the storeroom, clearly impatient. "I don't have time to pick them out for you one by one."
Charlie blinked.
"I can take what I want?"
"Take what you need," Snape replied without even looking at him.
After all, the boy said he'd pay. Let him. How much could he possibly take?
The moment those words left Snape's mouth, Charlie's face lit up with barely suppressed glee.
He quickly bowed his head, pretending to be seriously browsing ingredients while the corners of his mouth practically reached his ears.
Oh, dear Professor Snape… you've walked right into this one.
Charlie scoured the shelves.
Moonstone powder? Found it.
Three whole jars. He took them all.
Mandrake roots? Entire crate. Mine.
Toad brains gross, yes, but useful.
Snape had over a dozen in stock. Charlie's eyes gleamed.
[Your Majesty's greed knows no bounds. Tyrant Points +5]
Charlie ignored the system message, casually stuffing items into his bag as he muttered:
"Professor Snape is just so generous."
"Don't worry, Professor, I won't let you suffer a loss. I'll pay full market value."
Snape, hearing the rustling, looked up.
That single glance nearly gave him a stroke.
The neatly stocked shelves had been ravaged. Nearly half of them were bare.
Snape's eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.
Charlie, meanwhile, was still raiding like a man possessed.
"Mr. White," Snape said through gritted teeth, "don't you think that's… enough?"
He was hinting for Charlie to rein it in.
Charlie nodded sincerely. "Oh yes, absolutely. This will be more than enough!"
"No need to restock anything, Professor. I must say you really are incredibly generous!"
Snape: ????
When did I say I was restocking!?
That was me telling you to stop!
But what's done is done. He couldn't exactly backtrack now.
So Snape could only watch, aghast, as Charlie continued his spree.
Dragon's blood? Taken.
Phoenix tears? Snatched.
And every time he took something new, Charlie would beam and say:
"Professor Snape, you're too kind!"
Snape's face grew darker by the second.
He now deeply regretted every life decision that had brought him to this moment.
Why why did I say "take what you need"?
The whole storeroom was practically gutted.
At last, Charlie finished gathering every item on his list and clapped his hands in satisfaction.
The once-bountiful storeroom now looked desolate, the shelves glaringly empty.
"All done," Charlie announced cheerfully.
"Professor Snape, I'll never forget your generosity."
Before Snape could say a word, Charlie pulled out a large hunk of gold from his robe about the size of a clenched fist.
"This should be enough, right?" He plopped it onto Snape's desk.
Based on current conversion rates, one gram of gold was worth about two Galleons.
This lump of gold was more than enough probably worth even more.
(Note: Galleons are not pure gold. Though the original books don't state an exact exchange rate, J.K. Rowling once implied five British pounds = 1 Galleon. In 1992, gold was about $12.50 per gram, making the rough conversion about 2 Galleons per gram.)
Snape stared at the gold with a complicated expression.
Yes, the payment was more than fair.
But the problem wasn't money. He wasn't short on funds.
What he lacked now were those rare ingredients.
Some of them could only be obtained through special contacts. Some took months to replenish.
Replacing the inventory Charlie had just pillaged would take at least a month.
"Well then, I'll take my leave, Professor Snape."
"Thank you again for your generosity. It truly moved me."
"If I ever get the chance I'll be sure to return the favor."
Charlie scooped up his goods at lightning speed and bolted out the door, worried Snape might change his mind.
Only after Charlie had disappeared did Snape slowly turn toward his devastated storeroom.
The barren shelves were an eyesore.
He took a long, deep breath and made a silent vow:
From this day forth…
Charlie White and trolls are banned from this storeroom.
Back in the Undetectable Extension Trunk, Charlie sorted the materials he'd looted from Snape.
Rudy and Norbert were snoozing on a pile of gold. The two were getting along fairly well.
As soon as Charlie entered, both of them scampered over to fawn over their "Daddy Boss."
Charlie shooed the dragon and Niffler away, then found a clear space to set up his alchemy kit.
The formula for the Soul Restoration Elixir surfaced in his mind.
It would take a full month to brew, with periodic ingredient infusions required along the way precision was key.
Fortunately, the trunk's isolated environment meant no one could disturb him.
Charlie placed the cauldron, lit the fire, and added each ingredient in sequence.
Then, following the recipe, he began to slowly infuse his own magical energy into the potion.
With his Level 9 Potionmaking talent, the process went smoothly.
His magic blended seamlessly with the mixture no rejection, no backlash.
"Looks like those talent points were worth it," Charlie nodded in satisfaction.
Had he only been at Level 6 like before, this step would've been a nightmare.
Now all he had to do was wait a month and periodically add more components.
That part was simple enough even Neville could probably handle it.
Several days passed.
The final day of their detention arrived.
Hagrid looked to be in great spirits. The moment they met, he started asking about Norbert.
"Charlie, how's Norbert doing lately? Is he alright?"
"He's doing great," Charlie smiled.
"He loves it in the trunk. Eats, sleeps, flies around in the forest patch. Happy as can be."
"Really?" Hagrid's beard trembled with emotion.
"He can fly now?"
"Yup. Not very high yet, but he's lifting off the ground."
Harry chimed in,
"Hagrid, you really should go see for yourself. Norbert's even bigger than Fang now."
"And he listens to Charlie like a well-trained Kneazle," Ron added.
"He's like a whole different dragon," Hermione muttered.
"You should take lessons from Charlie on dragon taming," said Ron again.
Hagrid beamed ear to ear, nearly bursting with pride and excitement.
Hermione, meanwhile, looked around at everyone laughing and chatting.
"Are we sure this is still detention?" she asked dryly.
Relieved by Norbert's progress, Hagrid nodded and said,
"Alright, let's begin today's patrol."
He grabbed his crossbow and led the group deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
"Today's route is a bit farther we're going to check a different trail."
The group followed behind, chatting and joking along the way.
About half an hour in, Hagrid suddenly halted.
He frowned and crouched to examine the forest floor.
"What is it?" Harry leaned over curiously.
Hagrid's face went deadly serious.
At his feet was a shimmering pool of silver-white blood, glowing faintly in the gloom.
"This is bad."
Hagrid's voice was grave. The light-hearted mood vanished instantly.
"That's unicorn blood."
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
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• TL/N •
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
> Naruto: Mind Control
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed