As the knocking sounded, Mr.
Merrick stood up to open the door.
John and his mother followed to greet the guest.
Standing outside was a tall man with a hooked nose, sallow skin, a somber expression, and long hair.
Draped in black robes, he stood motionless at the door like a frozen statue.
Only when he saw Mr.
Merrick open the door did he give a slight nod.
“Severus Snape, Potions Professor at Hogwarts.
The school sent me to deliver the admission letter.” Upon seeing them, Snape introduced himself coldly.
He then reached out wordlessly, holding an envelope between two fingers, and handed it to John’s father.
From the first moment John saw this man, he knew the teacher would be difficult to get along with.
“Oh, hello Professor.
Thank you for coming.
Please, come in…” Seeing Snape deliver the letter so efficiently, combined with that expression that made it seem like everyone owed him money, Mr.
Merrick froze for a moment before inviting him inside.
However, Snape did not enter right away.
Instead, he walked over to John and looked down at him with cold eyes.
John was not afraid.
He stared back at Snape with curiosity because he could smell some strange scents on him.
Then Snape produced a green bean from somewhere and held it in front of John’s eyes.
“Crush it.
If you haven’t drooled within three seconds, it proves your magic is at least stronger than a troll’s.” John took the bean.
It did not look special, but judging from the professor’s words, this seemed to be some kind of test.
Without hesitation, John squeezed the bean with his hand.
The bean offered no resistance.
It shattered like an ordinary one, and a bit of faint juice trickled out.
John blinked.
The moment it broke, he suddenly felt drowsy, as if his consciousness was being pulled away.
But John quickly steadied himself.
After silently counting to three, he looked up at Snape.
Snape had been watching John’s reaction with cold eyes.
Only when John looked up did he give a cold snort.
“Hmph.
It seems you are at least no worse than a troll, but that is all.” With that, Snape drew his wand and gave it a simple wave.
The bean residue on John’s hand vanished.
Snape did not explain what the bean was.
It was actually an immature Sopophorous Bean.
Crushing it would cause intense drowsiness, and while resisting the urge to sleep, one would unconsciously drool.
Only those with sufficiently strong magic could completely resist this drowsiness or ignore it altogether.
Clearly, John belonged to the latter group.
According to the records, John Merrick’s name had suddenly appeared in the Book of Admittance last July.
He had been detected without any magical outbursts or accidental magic.
People like this were usually geniuses.
Their magic was powerful enough to be noticed by the book without them casting a single spell, yet they had enough self-control to never lose control.
However, none of this mattered to Snape.
He had seen plenty of geniuses, and many people had called him one as well.
Right now, he was more concerned about a certain person who had escaped from prison a few days ago, and the man who had taken the Defense Against the Dark Arts position from him.
Snape walked into the house on his own and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
“You now have ten minutes to ask me questions.” Professor Snape’s attitude made the Merricks frown slightly.
But they said nothing.
John, however, did not mind.
This behavior perfectly matched his first impression of the man: difficult.
He thought perhaps it was because his talent seemed mediocre that the professor showed no interest.
If that was the case, it was easy to see that even in the wizarding world, the law of the jungle and acting for personal gain still applied.
John walked over to his father, took the admission letter, and opened it to check the enrollment instructions.
He would need to take a train from King’s Cross Station to reach Hogwarts.
The ticket would be sent the day before school started, and the shopping list for school supplies, along with where to buy them, was clearly written.
However, he did not recognize the place name ‘Diagon Alley’ at all.
“Professor, where is Diagon Alley?” “Charing Cross Road.
Look for the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron.” “Do I need a password or some kind of identification?” “If you can find the Leaky Cauldron, that is the best identification.” Hearing this question, Snape gave a cold smirk.
John simply ignored Snape’s cold snort.
The ‘Basic Guide to Magical Households’ had mentioned a spell called the Muggle-Repelling Charm.
This magic prevented Muggles from noticing certain wizarding activities or buildings.
It was the main way wizards hid within society.
The people walking through walls and those appearing out of thin air that John had seen before, the ones he thought were hallucinations, must have been using this kind of magic to avoid being noticed by Muggles.
The Leaky Cauldron should work the same way.
Since he could see those “hallucinations,” he would definitely be able to find the Leaky Cauldron.
“Will there be someone to help guide Muggle families in Diagon Alley?” John continued to ask.
“What?
Can’t Muggle families even manage to buy things by themselves?” “If you need help with the very first step into the wizarding world, then I suggest you do not enter at all.” Snape’s words were as sharp as ever, but they were not entirely wrong.
In Britain, Diagon Alley was theoretically the first contact Muggle-born children had with the wizarding world, a world completely different from the Muggle one.
Perhaps the intention was to let young wizards integrate into this new world through their own exploration and understanding.
So in essence, this was a test from the magical society for newcomers.
“Alright, I have no more questions.
Mom, Dad, do you have any?” John looked at his parents and asked.
The Merricks had watched the conversation between John and Snape without interrupting.
Even though Snape’s words displeased them, they stayed silent.
They let John handle the talk alone because this was something he would have to face at Hogwarts sooner or later.
Perhaps they understood that as ordinary people in the so-called wizarding world, they could not help John much, so he had to face it by himself.
Moreover, they had confidence in John.
After all, he had never let them down since he was a child.
The parents glanced at each other.
Finally, the mother spoke.
“Professor, I would like to know more about Hogwarts.
What kind of school is it?
Is learning magic safe?” Hearing this question, Snape shot a cold glance at John.
“As long as he isn’t like certain idiots who run around the school causing trouble all day, or as brainless as a troll, then I think he will be safe.” It sounded like Snape was making an insinuation, but the Merrick family did not understand it.
Did he mean that as long as John behaved, there would be no danger?
So there actually is danger…
With that, Snape pulled a thick book out of nowhere and tossed it onto the table.
“All other basic questions about Hogwarts are on pages three to forty-seven.
You have only five minutes left.” John leaned in to look.
It was a book titled ‘Hogwarts: A History.’ It seemed to be a kind of encyclopedia for the school.
“Can this book be bought in Diagon Alley?” John was not going to flip through such a thick book in such a short time, so he simply asked if it could be purchased.
Snape: “Yes.” John: “Then I’m fine.” With that, the living room fell into an awkward silence.
John had no more questions.
The Merricks did not know what else to ask, and Snape was too lazy to speak.
“…Right, I’ll make some tea.
Is black tea alright, Professor?” Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Mrs.
Merrick offered to serve tea out of politeness, even though she was unhappy with Snape’s attitude.
“Much obliged, but unnecessary.” Snape remained cold.
“Since you have no more questions, I shall take my leave.” Seeing that the Merrick family had nothing else to ask, Snape did not plan to stay.
He stood up, swept his black robes, and walked out of the house like a bat spreading its wings.
He never looked back.
Before they could say anything, Snape turned into a gust of black wind and vanished from the hallway with a twist.
Whoa, he’s truly annoying, but he’s also truly cool… Watching Snape’s departure, John could not help thinking that he definitely had to learn that move.
Not for anything else, just for the sake of looking impressive.
Wait, he didn’t take the book.
John noticed that Snape had left ‘Hogwarts: A History’ behind.
He picked up the book and pretended to chase after him to the door, calling out a couple of times, “Professor, you forgot your book!
Hey!” When no one responded, John kept the book with a clear conscience.
No, he was just holding onto it for now.
He would return it to Professor Snape when he had the chance after arriving at Hogwarts.