Chapter 93: Harry: Dylan, I Dreamt You Killed Me, My Mum, and My Dad
"Don't talk nonsense!" Dylan glared at Ron.
Ron shrank his neck. "It wasn't me who said it."
Harry shook his head. "I just didn't sleep very well."
"Didn't sleep well?" Dylan blinked. "What happened?"
Harry sighed. "I've just been having nightmares lately."
"Nightmares?" Hermione looked over. "What kind of nightmares?"
Harry glanced at Dylan. "Well, it's..."
Seeing his hesitant expression, Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Could it be related to me?"
Dreams could occasionally be prophetic, especially Harry's dreams.
Dylan was a bit curious about what he had dreamt.
Could it be when Professor Snape was chasing him, he directly used Harry as a shield and took Snape's Cruciatus Curse?
Harry's lips moved. "A little, but it's mostly the nightmares I've had before."
Before?
He was probably referring to the scene of little Voldy killing his parents, right?
But how was it related to him?
Dylan pressed. "What happened to me in your dream?"
Harry opened his mouth again. "You... well, you used to just appear occasionally in my dream, watching that person kill me, but now..."
"When I dream about you, you're always standing in front of me, fighting that person, and..."
Harry's expression was hesitant.
"And what?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.
Why was this little brat being so long-winded? He almost wanted to hit him with an Accelerating Charm.
Harry paused before continuing, "And your spells are more skilled, more evil, and more powerful than that person's... I saw you beat that person very badly, and you were chasing after him to kill him."
"..." Dylan's lips twitched.
Huh?!
The secret he had hidden so well, even Dumbledore hadn't discovered it, but it was foreseen by Harry's dream?
Thoughts raced through his mind like lightning. Dylan's expression didn't change, but a helpless look appeared in his eyes. "Is that the violent maniac image you have of me in your heart? It seems you have a deep misunderstanding of me."
"Good heavens, there's no one in all of Gryffindor who loves peace and kindness more than I do."
Ron: ? Hermione: ? Neville nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Dylan is really friendly."
Harry also nodded thoughtfully. "It seems so."
Dylan smiled. "Right? How could I fight back and forth with that person, exchange evil magic, and chase after him to kill him? That's too un-magical."
However, Harry then wore a strange expression. "That's it—that dream was too real, making it a bit difficult for me to adjust every time I woke up."
"The most crucial thing is that you accidentally cast some of those evil spells on me—and then I was, well, taken care of by you."
"Then, you killed my dad too."
"And my mum."
"Pfft!" Ron burst out laughing. "Did Dylan happen to kill You-Know-Who as well?"
Harry nodded seriously. "That's right. After Dylan dealt with all of us, he suddenly released a burst of flames that burned everything, and then I would wake up at that moment."
"The strange thing is, even though I had already died, I could still feel the pain of being burned. That's the real reason I haven't been able to sleep well all day."
Good heavens!
So I've become the source of your nightmares?
Dylan almost spat the mouthful of milk he was drinking onto Harry's face.
Hermione also shook her head. "Your dream is nonsense. Dylan wouldn't deal with you."
Harry nodded. "Of course I know that. It's just a nightmare."
After breakfast, Dylan and Harry went to class together.
Dylan had an even bigger headache because of Harry's dream.
"Forget it, I'll just play possum. Anyway, I can brew the potions in Potions class with my eyes closed."
Professor Snape couldn't possibly find fault with him in class.
Until class started.
Dylan quietly observed Professor Snape's expression while constantly activating Occlumency to prevent Professor Snape from ambushing him when he passed by.
When it was time to brew potions, Dylan whispered to Neville, "This time, I'll handle these ingredients, and you brew the potion. I'll teach you the specific steps from the side."
Neville's eyes lit up. "Dylan, are you going to guide me personally? That's great!"
Dylan forced a smile. "Yes."
He processed the ingredients quickly, and Neville watched with wide eyes. "Dylan, your technique looks so skilled!"
"After all, Professor Snape taught me himself. If I couldn't even do this well, wouldn't I be scolded to death by the professor?" Dylan smiled.
But just then, Neville suddenly closed his mouth, his expression became serious, and he turned to fiddle with the cauldron.
Dylan felt a chill behind him.
Not good! Enemy attack!
"Have I ever scolded you, Mr. Hawkwood?"
A cold, low voice sounded behind Dylan.
Dylan almost cut his own hand.
He quickly turned his head, putting on a smiling face. "Of course not, Professor."
Professor Snape narrowed his eyes and stared at Dylan, then scanned the ingredients he was processing.
Seeing nothing wrong, he turned and left without a word.
Neville dared to breathe a sigh of relief only after Professor Snape had walked far away.
"Good heavens, when Professor Snape stood here, I felt like a prisoner about to be sentenced!"
Dylan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's the pressure from Professor Snape..."
"Alright, hurry up and get the fire going. I've processed almost all the ingredients."
Neville nodded gently.
Under Dylan's guidance, Neville's technique became increasingly smooth. After the potion was brewed, Dylan didn't take over the task of handing in the finished potion.
—After all, the reason he and Neville switched their usual tasks was to avoid this moment.
However, Dylan thought the difficult class was finally coming to an end.
But when Neville returned, he brought rather unfortunate news.
"Dylan, Professor Snape actually didn't criticize me just now!"
"That's great. That's a good thing, it shows your level has improved."
"It's all thanks to you! Oh right, the professor also said to remind you not to forget to go see him this weekend to study."
"Ah?" Dylan felt his heart suddenly thump.
What did Professor Snape mean by this?
Was he going to catch him and kill him?
Dylan's vision went dark, but he had to respond—he felt the cold gaze from above the platform.
Dylan forced a smile. "I know, I know. That's an agreement I had with Professor Snape before. Of course, I won't forget."
After class, although he still had to face Professor Snape alone on the weekend, at least Dylan could finally breathe a sigh of relief for now, instead of having to endure the old bat's gaze throughout the class.
"This is school. Professor Snape can't attack me. Dylan, rest in peace, I mean, relax, don't be so flustered!"
Dylan and Harry went to the Great Hall for dinner together. Harry chattered excitedly with Ron about how Professor Snape hadn't been as harsh to them in Potions class today as before.
It was as if the professor's attention wasn't on them at all. Gryffindor hadn't even lost many points this time!
"Has he changed his personality? That's a rare thing," Ron exclaimed with wide eyes.
Walking halfway there, as they passed a corner, suddenly, everyone's footsteps stopped.
Dylan's gaze was fixed straight ahead at the end of the corridor.
Harry and Ron followed his gaze, and they too saw a strange shape hanging in mid-air.
It was a long, black object, like a piece of torn black cloth. Just then, a gust of wind blew, causing the cloth to flutter and snap loudly.
Dylan's eyes flickered, and for a moment, he almost thought he saw a Dementor.
Ron was even more stunned. "Gave me a fright! I almost thought Professor Snape was hanging there."
Dylan: "..."
Did this guy not want to live?
Dylan looked around, making sure Professor Snape wasn't nearby, before letting out a sigh of relief.
This dead kid was so reckless with his words. If he wanted to die, he shouldn't drag Dylan down with him!
Hermione also frowned. "Don't say things like that. Be careful the professor doesn't hear you talking about him behind his back. Professor Snape will definitely deduct twenty points from you!"
Ron pouted. "I just thought it looked like him."
"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and eat," Harry said.
In fact, he had also been startled when he saw the piece of cloth fluttering in the air earlier—it really did look a bit like Professor Snape's robes.
The entire day of classes ended.
Time passed bit by bit, and finally, it was time for his appointment with Professor Snape.
Dylan carefully arrived at the door of the professor's office and gently knocked. "Professor Snape, I'm here."
"The door's not locked. Come in," Professor Snape's low voice replied.
Listening to Professor Snape's voice, although it still wasn't particularly cheerful, it didn't seem as angry as Dylan had imagined.
Dylan pushed the door open and entered.
But he saw a set-up cauldron and the prepared ingredients beside it.
Dylan was stunned.
What was this?
A 'Hongmen Banquet' of potion brewing?
"The heat has been sufficient. If you were any later, you could prepare everything again yourself."
Dylan glanced at the prepared ingredients and immediately understood. This was the potion that Professor Snape should have taught him to brew last week after practicing Occlumency and Legilimency.
The Draught of Living Death!
Dylan quickly stepped forward and placed the valerian sprigs, the foul-smelling bat spleens, and the unicorn hair into the cauldron in order.
First was the valerian. The cauldron was already slightly warm, perfect for adding it.
Whish
A puff of purple smoke rose, and Dylan quickly began to stir.
Next, the bat spleens, which seemed to have been cut into small pieces by Professor Snape, were slowly added to the cauldron.
As soon as the spleens touched the liquid, they emitted a "sizzling" sound, as if bats were struggling within.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Dylan's forehead. He was completely focused but didn't dare to slack off in the slightest.
Finally, he picked up the unicorn hair and gently placed it in. The entire cauldron instantly bubbled, the liquid changing from black to red, and then to a flickering, eerie green.
Dylan stared intently at the cauldron, constantly adjusting the heat and stirring speed according to the complex recipe and steps Professor Snape had taught him earlier.
As time passed, the Draught of Living Death gradually took shape, emitting a chilling aura. Dylan let out a long breath.
No matter what, he had finally completed the brewing process.
"Barely adequate," Professor Snape said, getting up to take a look.
Having reached his level of potion mastery, Professor Snape could directly judge whether a potion was successful and of sufficient quality simply from the color of its appearance and the scent it emitted.
"It's good enough to catch your eye," Dylan murmured.
Professor Snape glanced at him. "It seems your Occlumency and Legilimency are progressing reasonably well."
Professor Snape's sudden evaluation surprised Dylan.
The potion he brewed just now was only barely adequate, but now his magic was progressing reasonably well?
What was reasonably well about it?
Was he genuinely praising him, or was he being sarcastic?
Dylan couldn't quite tell.
However, Professor Snape was actually willing to bring up the matter again?
Dylan had thought that the professor would have some psychological shadow left by his Legilimency and would never teach him anything about it again.
But Professor Snape was bringing it up again now. What did it mean?
"Hmph, your emotions are a bit chaotic."
Professor Snape's voice suddenly sounded.
Dylan was taken aback, then quickly composed himself.
"When you were brewing the potion just now, I tried to probe your mind, but all I saw were the images of you brewing this potion. This shows that your Occlumency is progressing reasonably well, and your Legilimency is also surprisingly effective."
Dylan could hear a hint of gritted teeth in Professor Snape's last sentence.
He shrank his head and didn't dare to speak.
However, Professor Snape had actually secretly infiltrated his mind?
That was too... inappropriate.
How could he do that to a young wizard like him?
Fortunately, after another week of study, his research into Occlumency had also improved, reaching level six.
—This was also thanks to learning from the Occlumency that Professor Snape had mastered.
So, when Professor Snape had just secretly and not fully invaded his consciousness, Dylan had involuntarily activated Occlumency as soon as he entered the door, which happened to defend against Professor Snape's move.
Professor Snape stared at Dylan, noticing that the other boy's emotions had returned to normal. Without focusing his attack, it was difficult for him to break through Dylan's defenses. He snorted again coldly.
"Considering your current age, your level deserves my praise, but don't think of becoming arrogant. You haven't even qualified to touch the dust on the threshold of magic."
Dylan's lips twitched, but he could only force a smile. "You're right."
Professor Snape had become a Hogwarts professor in his early twenties, his talent was definitely extremely strong.
Dylan wasn't surprised to hear these words from him.
"Hmph," Professor Snape snorted again, then flicked his hand.
"You have passed my test. Regarding Occlumency and Legilimency... continue to learn on your own. I will teach you a new spell."
Dylan's eyes widened as he caught the small booklet flying out of Professor Snape's hand.
"A new spell?" A spell that could make a potions professor like Professor Snape personally teach it must at least be a dark magic spell on the level of Legilimency, right?
Sure enough, when Dylan opened the booklet, he saw not only a Hex-level spell but also its counter-curse!
"It's actually..."
(End of chapter)
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