"Damn it!" Devereux exclaimed aloud.
The effect was simply too powerful! The potency of any potion was doubled. No wonder the trial batch of Polyjuice Potion had suddenly turned out almost identical to a finished product.
And the ability to understand a potion's brewing method just by looking at it was insanely overpowered!!
Devereux made up his mind on the spot. Tomorrow, he would head to the potion shop in Diagon Alley and look at every single potion. Moreover, he should be able to deduce other methods from the brewing processes of these potions. Combined with his trait of doubling potion effects, he could cut corners, rely on cheap ingredients, and brew extraordinary potions! Just like this time.
After a brief surge of excitement, Devereux slowly calmed down.
"Well, now that I have this trait, maybe I can make money by improving potion recipes in the future. Once I have money, I can visit more secret realms and continue upgrading my trait's attributes!"
Brilliant! He now possessed a perpetual motion machine!
Devereux cheered up for a moment, then checked his inventory. He remembered that he still had an unused Spell Mastery Card. His recent experience in Knockturn Alley reminded him that he needed a way to make a quick getaway. Therefore, Apparition could be said to be an essential skill to master right now.
However, as he had thought before, he had doubts about the safety of practicing this spell on his own. Using the mastery card for this now was undoubtedly the most cost-effective and appropriate decision.
Without further hesitation, Devereux directly used the Spell Mastery Card.
[Beep!]
[Spell Mastery Card used!]
Devereux instantly felt a massive amount of experience regarding Apparition flooding into his mind. If it were anyone else, they might have been completely overwhelmed by this massive stream of information and passed out on the spot.
Fortunately, Devereux was a Magic Prodigy; he could still handle this level of input. After recovering for a short moment, he was fine.
What replaced his fatigue was immense surprise, because he saw in his spell library:
[Apparition (Mastery/Audible)]
He hadn't expected it to jump straight to Mastery! This was equivalent to a wizard who had held an Apparition license for about three years. It meant that he could basically go wherever he wanted now. He was practically a veteran driver!
Suddenly, just as Devereux was pondering where to go for a stroll, a voice came from behind him.
"Tom?"
Devereux stiffly turned his head and saw Professor Snape standing at the doorway, staring at him with sharp eyes.
"Tom?" Professor Snape's voice was low and filled with suspicion. "What are you doing here?"
Devereux's heart tightened, knowing things were going badly. For a moment, he couldn't think of how to explain, and could only stutter, "Uh, Professor Snape, well, um..."
"Where is Devereux?" Professor Snape's expression grew even darker, his eyes fixing on Devereux—who was transformed into Tom—like a snake.
"Oh, actually..." Devereux felt miserable inside. Come to think of it, if this trait hadn't upgraded and doubled the effect of the Polyjuice Potion, Snape would definitely have seen right through Devereux's incomplete transformation. But now, there were almost no flaws.
Devereux was still trying to figure out what to say so that Snape wouldn't hand him directly over to the Ministry of Magic.
"Did you go to Knockturn Alley today?" Before Devereux could explain, Professor Snape suddenly dropped this question.
His hand was already reaching behind his back, as if gripping something tightly, his eyes locked onto Devereux's every move. Devereux knew he must have misunderstood, and quickly waved his hands.
"No, no, no, Professor, you've misunderstood."
He forgot, however, that he was still holding his wand!
"Expelliarmus!" Professor Snape shouted sharply.
A red beam of light shot from the tip of his wand, heading straight for Devereux. But as a Magic Prodigy, Devereux's training over the past few days hadn't been for nothing. Reacting quickly, he immediately chanted the spell, "Shield Charm!"
A transparent barrier formed in front of him, narrowly blocking Professor Snape's attack. Magic sparks flew in all directions. Devereux immediately realized that Professor Snape's spell power was clearly superior to his own, and he had barely managed to block it. Was this what an adult wizard was capable of?!
However, Professor Snape didn't give Devereux any time to think. Showing no mercy, he waved his wand again.
"Stupefy!"
A blue beam of light flew toward Devereux. Devereux quickly dodged while counterattacking, "Accio table!"
A table leg suddenly flew up and smashed toward Professor Snape. Snape nimbly dodged it and continued casting.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A purple light coiled toward Devereux. Devereux chanted the Shield Charm once more, but this time he felt his magic power running a bit thin. He knew he couldn't fight head-on; he had to explain!
"Professor Snape, listen to me! I am Devereux! I took Polyjuice Potion to turn into this, and I only went to Knockturn Alley for fun!"
Professor Snape let out a cold snort, his face as gloomy as water. "Expelliarmus!"
Another red beam of light shot at Devereux.
"A child who hasn't even started school can brew Polyjuice Potion? Do you think I'll believe that?" When Professor Snape said this, his voice was terrifyingly low, as if he were deliberately suppressing his anger.
Devereux barely managed to fend it off, but he could feel his magic power draining rapidly. He gritted his teeth and persisted—he had to change tactics!
"Apparition!"
Bang! Devereux vanished instantly.
Without missing a beat, Professor Snape cast a spell directly behind him. "Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Both wands emitted red light simultaneously, and both of them were knocked back by the spells.
Snape merely lost his wand and took a few steps back, but he managed to keep his footing. Devereux, however, had it much worse—he crashed directly into the hallway wall and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
He had originally intended to teleport behind Snape and disarm him, but Snape's combat experience was simply too rich, enabling him to counterattack instantly. Naturally, given the massive gap in their magic power levels, this was the inevitable outcome.
Snape quickly picked up his wand again, grabbed Devereux by the collar, and pressed the tip of the wand against Devereux's chin.
"Tell me quickly, where is that boy? Which witch did you sell him to?!!"
Devereux had never seen such an expression on Professor Snape's face; he looked terrifying right then. Devereux was struggling heavily, feeling pain all over his body. He could clearly feel the clothes on him becoming ill-fitting.
At the same time, Professor Snape's terrifyingly gloomy expression shifted into confusion, and then turned into sheer astonishment!
"Devereux?! It really is you!!"
Snape's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the young boy in front of him who was gradually returning to his original appearance.