novelslam Chapter 90, Section 89: Mara's True Form! Snape's Face-to-Face!
Chapter 90, Section 89: Mara's True Form! Snape's Face-to-Face!
With Ariana's identity revealed.
The identity of Teacher Mara is the biggest mystery that troubles Ian.
Just like his other good friend Pendro in the dreamlike world, he was unable to find any clues about their identities in either the Nameless Bookstore or the Hogwarts library.
There is no such record in history.
It's not found in any biographies or even fairy tales.
The only certainty is that both of them lived before the founding of Hogwarts, a fact that can be largely verified by the student roster of Hogwarts over the past thousand years.
Of course, it's possible that both of them forgot their own names, but judging from Mara's teaching methods and Pandro's behavior, it's not hard to see that they might have lived in the same era.
The early Middle Ages.
This is probably the one thing Ian is most certain of.
After all, Barnabas had commented that Ian's style of doing things, which he had learned from Mara the witch, had the air of an old-fashioned wandering wizard, and both Mara and Pendro had no recollection of Hogwarts or the other magic schools. For wizards who came from academies, their student days would likely be among the most unforgettable memories.
All indications suggest that Ms. Mara and Pendro were active in an era predating Hogwarts.
So Ian didn't really hold out much hope of finding any clues about their identities.
In any case, the journey that begins in the Enchanted Realm is a new beginning, and there is no point in Ian trying to find out the truth. It is not a bad thing to just remember the bond he built with them in the Enchanted Realm.
This is how Ian convinced himself after his fruitless search.
however.
He never expected that, when he wasn't planning to spend time and effort searching, clues about Teacher Mara's identity would appear before him in such an unexpected way that made him sigh with emotion.
"These are the books I need to borrow. Thank you, Ms. Pince." Ian watched with a slightly impatient expression as Mrs. Pince completed the borrowing registration.
"Take care of them. Since most of the books in the restricted section contain magic, many of them are unique and cannot be copied. Losing any one of them would be a great loss to us." Mrs. Pince carefully wrote down the name of each book, and then even took out several sheets of wrapping paper to carefully wrap up all the books that Ian had borrowed.
She was indeed the kind of person who cherished books extremely. "Although I believe you won't do that, I still have to remind you, never eat while reading. If I find any food scraps on your books, even if Dumbledore came, I would punish you severely."
Mrs. Pince's feather duster was incredibly powerful, awakening long-dormant memories of Ian's past life. He shuddered and immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"I promise I'll treat them like I would my pants," Ian solemnly promised, subtly borrowing the persona of his good roommate once again.
William probably wouldn't care even if he knew, and might even feel proud and happy about it.
"very good."
Mrs. Pince was very satisfied with Ian's attitude and handed him the wrapped books. Ian picked up the books and immediately ran towards the library door.
"??????"
Seeing Ian's hurried manner, Mrs. Pince wondered if she had forgotten to register the name of a book, which made the little wizard feel that he needed to escape before she could react.
"Let me quickly discover your secret identity, my dear mentor!" Ian returned to his dormitory, which was usually deserted at noon, and eagerly grabbed the ancient book.
Mind Manipulation: From Legilimency to Soul Seduction
The title itself reveals the content of the book; it's definitely not something a proper wizard should learn. Just as Ian sensed, the witch Mara is probably not a good wizard at all.
"The author's name—...it's a bit blurry—...the gold lettering has almost completely worn off." If Ian could find the information he wanted on the book's cover, he certainly wouldn't need to wait until the book was borrowed back. He didn't feel disappointed or regretful, after all, the author of this book was someone else entirely, as one could tell from the first page that it wasn't the Witch Mara herself.
Just as Mrs. Pince said, some books contain magic, and this book is no exception.
As Ian turned to the first page, he seemed to hear an old woman's voice.
She was speaking.
She and her story.
When I was her apprentice, I always felt like I was the one who wasn't getting any attention. My fragile and pathetic pride always affected me, making me feel resentful and jealous of her and her other apprentices. This prevented me from opening my heart as she wished during my magical training.
Who would want others to see their ugly heart? My teacher, she was always so radiant and dazzling; even my own beauty, which I was always so proud of, seemed to pale in comparison to her!
The longer I spent by her side, the more my inferiority complex and jealousy grew within me. I knew I could never become a witch as extraordinary and powerful as her.
Dark thoughts began to grow in my mind. Perhaps I could attribute them to the influence of magical forces, but deep down I have always known that I have always been this despicable person.
From my older sister to my younger sister, I envy anyone more outstanding than me, even someone I can't even see. I still resent that I haven't received God's favor.
Looking back now, there's much more to reflect on than just this. However, the thing I can't forgive myself for is stealing her favorite treasure when I chose to betray her.
That mirror.
We don't know why she cherished that mirror so much; she just kept it in her bedroom and would occasionally marvel at the miraculous power it possessed.
It's merely a mirror that speaks, reflecting certain things. Those who know how to use it can see the truth, while those who don't can only see their inner desires.
How can this be called a miracle?
[I may never figure this out in my entire life, but when I was young, I was convinced that the mirror was perhaps the reason she was far more powerful than the other witches.]
Jealousy, twisted emotions, madness—I stole it, betrayed her, and smugly congratulated myself on being smarter than everyone else, believing I could escape to a place she would never find.
[Leaving for a distant land.]
I married someone I didn't love; I only loved his wealth and power. He could provide me with enough resources to become the powerful witch I wanted to be.
This was probably my destiny, destined for tragedy. Ever since leaving my homeland, I've always had the right to use my husband's influence to investigate whether she was hunting me down.
Of course, mirrors also help me when I ask who the most beautiful woman in the world is.
The mirror always reflects her image and where she is.
At the time, I felt fortunate that the chaotic era had kept her from dealing with me, and I lived a peaceful life for a very long time.
[Until—the news of her death arrived. I think I had been waiting for this day all along, but what I saw in the mirror left me depressed for a considerable period of time.]
Sadness is plaguing me, and memories of the past keep resurfacing. I think it's because I've never forgotten the time and years I spent learning magic from her.
Only there, when I wasn't facing a husband who coveted my beauty, or a vile Muggle who hated and feared my magical powers, was she perhaps the only truly sincere person I've ever met in my life.
Realizing this, I was filled with remorse. Every day, I clung to a sliver of hope, wishing I could see her again in the mirror, hoping it was all a ploy by her to lull me into a false sense of security while she was hunting me down.
[If that were the case, I would feel much better. However, every morning I ask myself this question in the mirror, but all I see in the mirror is the version of myself I've imagined countless times.]
I should be laughing with joy, yes, I should—perhaps she just wanted to fulfill my wish; that's just the kind of person she is. How could someone as strong as her possibly die?
That was our teacher who personally taught us how to make the potion of immortality!
I asked myself this question every day, and I comforted myself with it every day, until my husband's increasingly beautiful and dazzling daughter replaced me as the answer the mirror gave me.
This shattered the last vestiges of my illusions! The daughter of a lustful man! How could she be worthy! Anger and madness completely consumed my reason during this period.
There is a very long monologue by the author that follows.
While writing this book, Ian was still struggling to control his emotions. From the tone and voice of the voice he heard, he could easily tell that it was an old witch who wanted to record what she had learned from her teacher in order to prevent the transmission from being lost. This was a thorough analysis of her life when she thought of her teacher.
"The story just sounds so familiar." Ian frowned. He could tell, of course, that the "she" the author was referring to was probably Mara, the witch from the dream world.
According to the backup, the author of this book should be my senior, right? No, strictly speaking, she should be my senior sister. She recorded the knowledge she had learned from her teacher in her old age.
As for why the cover depicts the witch Mara, it's probably the author's final remembrance of his teacher—Ian's feelings were somewhat complicated after the voice in the book's preface faded away.
after all.
The more he listened to the author's past in the preface, the more familiar it seemed to him.
"The beautiful white stepmother of Snow White is actually my ancestor's sister!?" Ian finally came to his senses. No wonder the author's monologue gave him such a strong sense of déjà vu.
He truly hadn't expected that the Muggle fairy tales were actually a history of wizards. Absurd? Bizarre? Fantasy? Ian didn't know how to describe his feelings for a moment.
"Teacher Mara, what kind of students have you taught?----" Ian knew some of the truth about the past, but this obviously still did not answer the questions in his heart.
The latter part of this book, "Mind Manipulation: From Legilimency to Soul Stealing," is almost entirely about the mental realm. It's a detailed training and learning method that starts with Legilimency as an introduction and then gradually leads to becoming a master in the mental realm. It's clear that my senior sister had already become a master witch when she wrote this book.
only.
Ian wasn't in a hurry to learn the contents, since these things could be learned anytime. He simply kept turning the pages, trying to extract the information he wanted.
Finally, as the book neared its end, I was almost ready to curse God for playing a cruel joke on me.
Ian, having been tricked by the disgusting man, finally found the answer he was looking for.
It wasn't until I was nearing the end of my life that I finally mustered the courage to write this book for her.
She taught me so much, even before I betrayed her, she had already guided me through life. I cannot bear to take this knowledge to my grave.
[Perhaps I am no longer qualified to call myself her apprentice, but please forgive my final selfish act of dedicating this book to my teacher, the Morgan le Fay Witch.]
[On the path you have paved, your lowly apprentice can only go this far. May we meet in the land of the dead, and may the ravens of the land of the dead carry me to your side.]
The last few pages.
This is another long monologue by the author.
The monologue is dominated by the theme of being busy and regretful.
However, Ian eventually found the truth in these words.
"Morgan le Fay!"
Ian was shocked. He was prepared that his teacher, Mara, was a bad witch, but he clearly hadn't expected her to be this bad.
Wizards also have ranks.
Albus Dumbledore may have already made his mark on history, but clearly this headmaster has not yet achieved true legend, while Morgan le Fay has long been a legendary dark witch in the annals of history!
Having been in the magical world for quite some time, how could Ian not know about that epic story? He truly never imagined that he would have any interaction with a legendary figure!
"Wow, Mara—my first teacher, Morgan von Schereschewsky, she can actually fight Lady Ravenclaw?!" Ian recalled a sudden thought he had on Rowena Ravenclaw Island. Originally, he thought his first teacher was just an ancient witch lost to history.
Who would have thought things would turn out this way?
Ian felt that it wasn't that he disrespected the founders of Hogwarts.
He simply felt that if the two were to actually face off, what were Rowena Ravenclaw's chances of winning?
Perhaps it really isn't as high as he previously guessed.
"It has to be me! I can easily latch onto a powerful figure!" Ian was eager to enter the dreamlike realm again, to bring Dumbledore his longing while exposing his teacher's disguise.
The teacher's expression is going to be priceless!
"Sigh, there are still several days of cooldown left. I wonder if there's any way to shorten it." Ian had never felt time pass so slowly.
This is probably why he had so many problems after the start of the semester.
The afternoon class is herbalism.
Nothing unexpected happened.
In fact.
For three consecutive days.
Ian's studies proceeded smoothly without any unexpected disruptions, except for the vacant Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which remained unattended and without a substitute teacher. It was rumored that Snape had strongly requested to substitute, but Dumbledore rejected him, deeming him too wicked and capable only of teaching Dark Arts, not Defense Magic.
This is a rumor from Gryffindor, and its credibility has never been very high, especially when it involves the Slytherin Headmaster, the professor most hated by Gryffindor students.
"I love this atmosphere!"
Another morning.
The Dementors and the Ministry of Magic have left, and the results of the investigation have not been released to anyone. Professor McGonagall gave the young wizards a vague response at the dinner party, assuring them that there was nothing to worry about.
Most of the young wizards believed it to be true.
However, Ian and some older wizards, judging from Professor McGonagall's forced smile, could easily deduce that the murderer of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was probably still at large. The best-case scenario was that a suspect had been found; the worst-case scenario was that no suspect had been found at all.
There's no need to worry.
It's just to avoid causing panic and unrest.
"It's none of my business!"
After finishing breakfast.
The morning class was Snape's Potions class.
Ravenclaw continued to attend classes with the young Slytherin wizards.
After Michael's attempts to team up with the black girl failed, he was forced to become a gene again with William, who had no other friends. Aurora, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, was already sitting in the Ravenclaw area.
When Ian arrived at the classroom, Aurora nodded to him, used a copying charm to split her "limited edition" textbook, and gestured to Ian to sit in the empty chair next to her.
"I have a notebook from the Half-Blood Prince. I'll copy it for you next time. The Half-Blood Prince is really powerful; he's definitely more powerful than the Potions Master in your grandfather's Saints' ranks."
Ian flipped through the copied textbook and compared it with the notebook he hadn't brought. It wasn't that Snape surpassed the Potions Master from Saints in every aspect.
At least in terms of clear and concise explanations, the annotations in Aurora's textbook are easier to learn.
Snape's strength lies in his ability to modify the recipes for different potions.
Perhaps because Snape didn't have as much money in his early years, he could always find cheaper alternatives to potions that would require a lot of Galleons to prepare, and the potions might even be more effective.
"Who is the Half-Blood Prince?" Aurora tilted her head in confusion.
"It's a relative of mine who can make potions." Ian might be a bit eccentric at times, but he clearly understood that revealing Snape's delusional past wouldn't end well for him.
"Oh? Isn't your relative Snape?"
Aurora looked completely puzzled.
Her heterochromatic eyes reflected Ian's face, a mixture of panic, glancing around nervously, and then letting out a sigh of relief.
Ian's hand was already covering his mouth.
"Woo-woo-woo~"
Aurora exclaimed in bewilderment.
"Keep your voice down, don't let him hear. I saw him brewing a potion last night when I was out for a night stroll. It smelled terrible. I think it's a stench potion he's preparing to deal with me."
Ian's voice carried a hint of resentment.
Snape did indeed threaten to feed him the worst-tasting potion.
"You go out at night too?"
Aurora stared wide-eyed in surprise.
"Huh? You're questioning my character?" Ian now felt even more treacherous and disloyal than Aurora.
He took out a pre-prepared Marauder's Map from his pocket and handed it over.
"What is this?"
Aurora looked at the map, which displayed her name next to Ian's, with other dots on it, but only the names of people near the classroom were shown.
At a slightly greater distance, the images appear as small dots, while the names of the Hogwarts professors are constantly highlighted with special patterns.
It's as if each professor corresponds to an animal icon. Snape is a bat, Professor McGonagall is a kitten, and Dumbledore is a bee wearing a nightcap.
The painting style is somewhat abstract.
However, it is not difficult to identify.
"I've done my best!"
Ian noticed the strange look in Aurora's eyes.
He defended his painting skills.
"Perhaps I can update these patterns in the future." Ian now has an additional level 0 [Painting] skill.
As for skills, he only needs to set aside some time to practice drawing to improve his memory.
Breaking free from Picasso and surpassing Li Zhengchu is definitely not a dream.
"Is this a return gift?"
Aurora blinked.
She seemed to be constantly thinking about the return gift from Ian.
"Of course not, this is a promotional item for you. You can keep it for yourself, but you have to promote it in Slytherin, saying it comes from the legacy of that mysterious person whose name cannot be mentioned." Ian muttered his own little scheme, confident that his false advertising would be very effective in Slytherin.
"Really? How did Voldemort's stuff end up in your hands?" Aurora became the first person to be fooled, perhaps because she trusted Ian too much.
Ian looked at Aurora, who was full of curiosity, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer.
"You're so naive. Of course I lied to them, to create a false story for the product to help with dumping—you know I don't have a good reputation in Slytherin."
"It's different without a nose. Although we don't like people without noses, it's a legacy from his student days."
That will definitely get those hidden scoundrels in Slytherin to offer a high price!
M
"The higher the price you can sell it for, the better. I'll give you 20%—no, let's just give you 10% as a bonus. You're too young; I'm worried you won't be able to handle too much money."
Ian spoke with a straight face, adding at the end, "Chu Zhang knows quite a few people from other colleges at the university, and my share of the profits for her is only a fixed rebate of two silver coins per map. Each map is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and uses precious materials; it needs to sell for at least five gold galleons to be worth anything!"
Yes.
Aurora wasn't the first Palu Ian had his eye on; it was Miss Qiu Zhang from the same academy. Actually, Senior Penelope probably knew the most people in the entire academy.
It's just that asking the prefect to help him sell contraband is a bit risky. Well, the prefect is probably much more shrewd than the junior wizards, which is why Ian didn't want to ask his upperclassmen for help.
"So that's how it is. This is your cunning, so time-consuming, laborious, and expensive—Ian, you've always been wicked since childhood." Aurora seemed to realize this belatedly. She didn't care at all about the sales commission Ian mentioned; instead, she was somewhat excited because she knew she was going to deceive people.
Her little face was rosy.
"nonsense!"
Ian retorted, "I'm not grown up yet."
Looking at the indignant Ian in front of her, Aurora seemed to suddenly realize something.
"Dumbledore came to see me yesterday."
She felt that there were some things she shouldn't hide from her accomplices. "He said he hoped I could become his apprentice so that he could kill me if he found out I was going to do something bad."
Textbook-level reading comprehension skills.
"Huh?!"
Ian, who had been beaming with excitement, was suddenly dumbfounded.
"What the hell?"
Ian's brain was a little slow to process what had just happened. Hadn't he been having a great time chatting with Dumbledore last night? What happened to him becoming Dumbledore's favorite kid at Hogwarts?
"Dumbledore is worried that your extraordinary talent will attract a large number of followers, just like my grandfather, so he hopes that I will become his apprentice and a White Lord to restrain you." Aurora always seemed to have her own unique insights into certain things, and her words made Ian feel a sense of familiarity.
"Holy crap! Old Bi is doing it two ways!"
Ian realized what trick Dumbledore was up to.
However, he was still somewhat resentful.
"Why didn't they just lock me in the Hogwarts kitchen and never let me out again? Why did they have to kill me!" Ian felt incredibly wronged.
"So, you don't want to be killed?"
Aurora's little face was full of earnest instructions; perhaps she didn't actually have a problem with reading comprehension.
That was the only way she could think of to guide Ian away from doing bad things.
"I shouldn't have stopped Dumbledore from hanging himself!"
Ian was furious.
reply?
photo?
What a load of crap! A reply and photos!
His somewhat exasperated remarks caught Aurora off guard—the little witch stared wide-eyed in bewilderment, clearly not witnessing the reaction Ian had anticipated.
"Is Dumbledore going to hang himself?"
Aurora seemed to sense something.
Before she could even ask.
Snape strode into the classroom through the door in a flurry of activity. As before, he waved his wand and closed the door, leaving the young wizards following behind him outside.
They were all young wizards from Slytherin.
I never expected Snape to have such a selfless side.
"Today we're learning about energizing potions."
Snape's mental state wasn't very good, perhaps because he had been brewing potions all night. As always, he used a teaching method that was difficult for his dull students to understand.
As if casually passing by Ian, while explaining the precautions, he swiftly reached out and plucked a tuft of hair from Ian's head.
"Will this ever end?!"
Ian didn't dare to retaliate against Snape in class, since Snape did indeed take a cut. He could only glare at him and touch his somewhat bulging robes.
It was just a precaution.
Since Snape was ruthless, he can't be blamed for being unjust!
"Alright, now, go get the materials to make the invigorating potion. It's such a simple recipe, don't blame me for not warning you. If the situation gets out of control like in the last class, I will definitely punish you severely."
When he said this...
Snape glared at Singed and Ziggs, who were sitting at the Slytherin table. The fact that the two of them had huddled together again made him feel incredibly uneasy.
Everyone found the medicinal herbs and began processing them. Ian had wanted Aurora to secretly make two batches while he just stirred things up to improve his skills, but Snape was watching him more closely than anyone else.
He could only reluctantly set up his crucible.
"The white dictamnus leaves need to be chopped."
"Mr. Parker, are you sure you've got a Hokrap Mushroom? Are you going to see your great-grandmother?"
You're brewing a magic potion, not boiling boogers! Throw away all that disgusting stuff in your pot and start brewing again.
My white sage leaves were ruined by your damned sneeze!
The main ingredients for this healing potion are Hocrab juice and white sage, and the brewing process is indeed simple. However, some people at the Slytherin table were still flustered.
"Idiots! You're a disgrace to me!"
Snape's expression turned grim when he realized that the Ravenclaw wizards, who had received private tutoring, were far too skilled, and the Slytherin side was in stark contrast.
"Who taught you to juice like that?"
The more I looked at it, the more something seemed off.
Snape caught a young Ravenclaw wizard who was handling materials.
"Huh?"
The flustered young wizard stole a glance at Ian and saw Ian shaking his head frantically at him. Faced with Snape's pressure, he could only stammer out the introduction that Ian often mentioned in class.
"He's a half-blood prince, Professor."
He didn't know who this title came from, but he did know that after Professor Ian finished his Potions class, he would lead everyone in giving thanks to their ancestors, Hogwarts, and the Half-Blood Prince.
"Ian Prince!!"
Upon hearing this, Snape immediately realized the problem. He let out a furious growl from his throat, his face flushed, and turned to glare at Ian with the fiercest look he had ever given him.
Snape had heard that Ian was secretly running private classes to earn Galleons, but he never expected that Ian would also teach others how to process potions, and most importantly, he used his shameful name when processing potions!
That damn bastard!
Don't you have a name of your own?
"Professor! My potion!"
Ian handed the freshly packaged potion directly to Snape.
His pockets were already empty.
"Heh, it looks flawless, but it's obvious you didn't put your heart into it. It's still a soulless, rote-written piece."
Snape's expression softened considerably when he saw that the potion was of much higher quality than the one from the previous lesson. However, he still criticized Ian's work, just as Ian had expected.
"Only when you understand that brewing potions requires pouring your heart and soul into it will you be able to distinguish yourself from those mediocre fools."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Snape shook the potion, then uncorked it to smell its aroma.
then.
Ian had anticipated Snape's request and carefully crafted this potion.
"You'll scare me to death!"
A soul manifests from it.
Peeves pressed his face against Snape's as he approached.
[P.S.: I have debts. Tomorrow, January 1.2nd.]