Hogwarts in the shadows

How could he have invented the potion? At best he just had an idea.

All the real research and development work was done by Snape alone.

But he gave the honor to Hephaestus.

Hephaest fell into deep thought: perhaps Snape had long planned to improve his reputation.

This time it happened to be the special contribution award, so Snape took advantage of it.

No wonder Snape has been missing these days, and even his classes are taught by Madam Pomfrey.

He went to Sweden!

That night, Hephaestus waited for the dusty Snape at the door of his office.

Although Snape used to have greasy hair, he was in good spirits.

But today, the lingering feeling of fatigue he felt made Hephis feel distressed.

Snape wasn't surprised to see Hephis.

He had expected that Hephes would be waiting for him here, so he hurried back.

"I saw the newspaper." Snape waved his wand and the office door creaked open.

"I see, Professor." Hephis responded softly.

"You will stay here with me tonight to make the Transfiguration Potion. Someone will come to verify it in three days."

Snape said as he walked towards the cauldron.

"Hey! Professor, you really don't have to..." Hephis wanted to persuade him, but was interrupted by Snape.

"What's unnecessary? I don't know what you want to do, but you can't accomplish anything without fame."

Snape paused, his eyes deep, "Even if you are stronger than Dumbledore."

"Thank you, professor, but I will never accept the strengthening potion." Hephis said.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay."

"Stand behind the cauldron." Snape began to teach.

"Professor, don't you want to take a rest?" Hephis couldn't help asking, looking at Snape's tired face.

Snape shook his head. "No, it's only three days. I'll ask for leave for you later, and you can stay here."

Hephis knew that he would not be able to defeat Snape, so he could only learn it as soon as possible so that Snape could rest in peace.

"Professor, please wait for me, I need to prepare." Hephis smiled mysteriously.

Snape looked at him in confusion: "What are you preparing? I have all the materials here, enough for you to waste eight or ten times."

Hephis chuckled, "I have to give myself a buff."

He turned around and disappeared on the spot.

There was a gleam in Snape's eyes. This was Apparition, and it could be used in Hogwarts.

It seems this little guy has a lot of cards up his sleeve!

Hephis didn't waste any time and went straight to Imperial College London.

When it comes to brains, of course, the top students in the college are the best.

It’s not that wizards are stupid, but the wizard’s shadow contains magic.

He could now only accommodate the shadows of four or five adult wizards at the same time.

But he can eat twenty Muggle shadows without any problem, quantity definitely crushes quality.

Hephaestus didn't have time to wait for those students to go to bed. He would rather learn it earlier and let Snape sleep more.

He acted decisively and knocked out all the students in ten dormitories, cutting out thirty shadows.

Then he Apparated back to Snape's office.

At this time, Snape was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, but Hephes's return immediately made him open his eyes.

"Professor, I'm back." Hephis said.

"Okay, let's get started!" Snape didn't ask any more questions.

Hephis shrugged, "Wait, Professor, I need to eat something."

"Eat?" Snape looked at him puzzledly.

Hephes took out some black balls and swallowed more than ten of them without hesitation.

After adapting for a while, he started swallowing them one by one, moving slower and slower.

He finally stopped after swallowing the twenty-fifth ball.

The more Snape looked, the more surprised he was. At this moment, Hephesus' muscles were noticeably bulging.

"You..." He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't ask.

Hephis did this in front of him so openly, obviously wanting to confront him.

But Snape felt he was not ready yet.

"Professor, would you like to try it?" Hephis stretched out his hand and handed a small ball to Snape.

There was a hint of hesitation in Snape's eyes, but he finally extended his hand.

He held the small black ball in his hand, but could not feel any weight. It felt soft when he squeezed it.

Snape put the ball directly into his mouth.

He felt the magic of the shadow almost instantly.

His muscles seemed to become tighter and stronger, and all the fatigue in his body disappeared.

As his thoughts flowed, many unfamiliar fragments of memories emerged in his mind, as if he had experienced them personally.

"Is this what you are capable of?" Snape muttered to himself.

"Shadow. I can cut other people's shadows and use them for my own benefit." Hephis explained.

"Are these memories that person's?" Snape was obviously looking through the memories in his mind.

"Yes, professor. Devouring a shadow not only increases your strength, but also allows you to gain the other person's memory and wisdom." Hephis continued to explain.

Snape gradually came out of his shock and stared at Hephis, "Why did you tell me?"

"Because I trust you, Professor." Hephaestus looked at Snape calmly, "You are the one I trust most among all the people I know."

A complex emotion flashed in Snape's eyes. He took a deep breath and said, "You... who else knows?"

"Only Theodore," Hephis replied. "I didn't even tell Hermione."

"Theodore Nott..." Snape seemed to be thinking about something, "People in the Nott family can still be trusted."

"He came to me when he first entered school, and I decided to tell him after careful investigation."

"It's right to be cautious. Has he learned Occlumency?"

"I have learned it. Although I am not very proficient in it, ordinary Legilimency is useless to him."

Snape suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up, "You cut my shadow."

Hefeis hesitated after hearing this, "But... Professor, this..."

"Take it!" Snape said in a deep voice.

"You can take out some of your memories," Hephis suggested.

"No need." Snape paused, "I believe you too."

Hephis gritted his teeth and said, "Okay. Professor, please sit down and rest for a while."

He took out a pair of black scissors and began to cut out Snape's shadow.

Snape watched curiously as his shadow was cut off bit by bit.

He didn't feel any discomfort in his body.

Snape had long known that Hephis could control a black object, but he really couldn't imagine that it would be a shadow.

What's even more strange is that there is no magical fluctuation on Hephis' body now.

It's really not magical at all.