Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 21 I am not only proficient in potions

Of the three pharmacists present, Gigg and the Ministry of Magic employees had clearly formed an attitude of blindly following Severus's lead.

No one would question Severus' potion-making skills.

He is a recognized Potions Master throughout the entire magical world, not just in the British magical world.

When all eyes were on him, Severus did not refuse. He walked to the bedside and began to examine the unconscious victim.

In fact, he didn't need to observe very closely. The information he got from Slughorn was enough for him to figure out exactly what was going on with the Living Hell Potion that the girl in front of him had been fed.

What he really wanted to know was what had happened to the victim.

Even if she is the Duke's daughter, she is still a Muggle.

Normally, wizards rarely interact with Muggles. Apart from vicious organizations like the Death Eaters that are almost terrorists, wizards are even less likely to intentionally harm Muggles.

Severus raised his wand and gently tapped it above the girl's forehead to confirm that her current state was indeed characteristic of someone who had taken the Living Hell Potion.

But soon he discovered some other anomalies.

He frowned slightly, lifted the blanket covering the girl a little, and then poked her waist with his wand.

"Did she have health problems before?" Severus asked.

Kingsley turned to look at the Ministry of Magic employee who had been staying there, and the employee quickly spoke up.

"Yes, her family said her name is Patty. When she was 7 years old, she was in a car accident and suffered severe spinal cord damage, which resulted in permanent paralysis of her lower body. She will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair."

"Did she go to school?" Severus continued to ask.

The employee didn't quite understand what these questions had to do with developing a cure, but he answered anyway.

"Based on what we know, after graduating from elementary school, she was homeschooled by a private tutor and completed her Muggle secondary education and part of her university education."

"So, she actually stays at home every day and rarely has the opportunity to go out?"

"Yes, it seems that her family doesn't want her to go out either."

Severus put away his wand and stroked his chin.

"Have you investigated her interpersonal relationships before she was drugged?"

At this point, Kingsley finally couldn't hold back any longer.

“Professor Snape, our main purpose in coming here is to find a way to create the antidote. Other Aurors are in charge of the specifics of the investigation.”

Severus met his gaze and shook his head at him.

"I asked these questions in order to find a way to make the antidote. The Hellish Potion she drank was not just a simple, potent version; it contained an excessive amount of Sleep Beans and about three special ingredients."

"The sleep-inducing beans are easy to deal with, but if we don't understand the three extra ingredients and know their medicinal properties, we won't be able to make a corresponding antidote."

Kingsley's face darkened.

"You mean that if we don't know what's in that potion of living hell, we can't develop an antidote?"

“You can also try different combinations, one by one.” Severus moved away from the bedside to make way for Gigg and another pharmacist.

"But there are countless potion ingredients that can be used to make the Living Hell Potion, and it's impossible to be sure that the ingredients added are those currently known. Finding the antidote using this kind of gamble is a hundred times more difficult than winning the Daily Prophet's lottery."

The bedroom fell silent upon hearing Severus's proposed solution.

Only Harry, who had been standing next to Severus, quietly looked up and glanced at his teacher, who could lie without batting an eye.

If he hadn't gone to the Slughorn's house together, he would definitely believe it now!
Giggs and the apothecary from the Ministry of Magic also checked on the girl named Patty. They did much more than Severus, and even took two drops of blood.

However, they ultimately came to an even less complete result than Severus.

"We can only determine that the medicine she drank was indeed laced with an excessive amount of sedatives."

"But if that's the case, she should have been unable to withstand drinking this potion and died immediately. The fact that she is still alive and unconscious proves that, as Professor Snape said, other potion ingredients were added to the potion to adjust the excessive dose of Sleep Beans."

Kingsley's face turned completely grim; he knew things were about to get really complicated.

"So, we have to find the wizard who brewed this potion first?"

Severus answered his question. "Finding the remnants of the potion would also work; from the potion, we can deduce the ingredients for the magic potion."

Giggs hesitated and looked at Kingsley.

"Have you still not found the source of that potion of living hell? Not to mention Britain, even wizards all over the world should not have many who can further improve this universal potion."

Kingsley shook his head.

“We’ve questioned everyone who has lived in England and could possibly have brewed this potion, but no one has admitted it. The task of finding the source of the potion has been handed over to Robaz.”

He didn't finish his sentence. He had not only entrusted the task of tracing the source to Robaz, but he had also made some progress.

Right now, he's leading a group to find apothecaries across Britain who sell Hellfire Potion, hoping to learn about their supply channels and whether any individual sellers have recently started selling large quantities of Hellfire Potion.

This is an excellent direction, because improving a universal potion like the Living Hell Soup would require a lot of experimentation.

Those failed products with mediocre results would most likely be disposed of and sold by the pharmacist to make up for the lost material costs. If we follow this line of investigation, we might make a big discovery.

Kingsley's silence indicated that he was already wary of Giggs and Snape.

Many people in the Auror office suspected that one of the four—Slughorn, Snape, Giggs, and Polach—was lying. They believed that no one else could brew such a potion except those four!

But the current situation is undoubtedly the worst news.

Only by catching the murderer or finding the source of the drug can an antidote be prepared. This effectively thwarted Auror's original plan to first rescue the victim and then learn about the case from her.

"Everyone, although the chances of concocting an antidote without knowing the ingredients are slim, we should try as long as there is a chance, no matter how small the possibility is."

Kingsley looked at the three pharmacists, including Severus.

"If possible, please try to concoct a universal antidote for the Living Hell Potion within the next three days. The Ministry of Magic will cover the costs of materials and labor. We will only attempt it for three days. If it fails, we will have to wait until we find the source of the potion."

He made this request not only to try his luck with the antidote, but also to use the pretext of preparing the antidote to keep Giggs and Severus in check, hoping to distract them and prevent them from paying more attention to Robaz's investigation.

Giger was an honest man, and he immediately agreed.

Severus, however, keenly noticed the deeper intention in Kingsley's words.

He didn't answer, but instead walked back to the bedside of the girl named Patty and gently lifted her long brown hair that was pressed against the back of her head.

Everyone else noticed his movement. Kingsley stepped forward first and saw two shallow wounds on the snow-white neck that was originally covered by her beautiful hair. They were easily overlooked if you didn't look closely!

"Has anyone noticed this?" Severus asked calmly.

Kingsley's face flushed slightly, and he didn't say anything more in defense.

"This year's newcomers are absolutely terrible!"

Severus shook his head.

“I’m not trying to teach Auror a lesson, but it’s clear that she’s been poisoned by more than just potions. The wound on her neck was clearly left by a dark magic creature.”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone around him, he solemnly straightened his robe.

"And I am not only an expert in potions."

Both the Aurors and the pharmacists exchanged bewildered glances, somewhat puzzled by Severus's meaning.

Seeing that no one responded, Severus couldn't help but mentally criticize Snape the Ghost, saying that his previous idea that he was qualified to teach a certain course was just wishful thinking!

But having said all that, Severus had no choice but to finish his sentence.

He coughed lightly.

"Ahem, besides potions, I consider myself a master of Defense Against the Dark Arts. For years I've been applying to Headmaster Dumbledore to transfer to a teaching position to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Kingsley seemed to understand Snape's meaning, and he asked hesitantly.

"So, Professor, what do you think?"

“Since this case involves not only potions but also dark magic creatures, I think I can stay and assist you in continuing your in-depth investigation.”

(End of this chapter)