Chapter 28: Chapter 28 "Professor Snape's Office"
After dinner, Wentworth was alone on his way to Professor Snape's office.
Even Cedric had refrained from following him this time.
He knocked on the door, which creaked open to reveal Professor Snape's stern face.
"Back for another round of your hot pot antics? It's late," Professor Snape snapped, not waiting for Wentworth's explanation.
He turned around and went back into his office.
With a shrug, Wentworth followed Professor Snape inside.
Perhaps due to its subterranean location, Professor Snape's office was shrouded in darkness.
Glass jars lined the shelves, each containing an assortment of unsavory items floating within.
Professor Snape pointed to a nearby table, and Wentworth wisely seated himself there, waiting obediently.
Professor Snape retrieved a cloth bag from another corner and tossed it to Wentworth.
Opening it, Wentworth discovered that the bag contained bean-like plants.
"I hope you're not about to tell me you don't know what these are. Judging by your performance in class today, you should be familiar," Professor Snape said.
Wentworth nodded and responded, "Of course, Professor Snape. These are Sopophorous Beans, and they can be used to..."
Before he could finish, Professor Snape interrupted him, "I don't need you to elaborate on their uses. YOU WEREN'T EVEN IN THIS WORLD when I started using them to brew magical potions."
"Tonight, your task is to extract at least 10 grams of juice from these beans. I hope you won't waste an entire bag of Sopophorous Beans like the fool before you, yet fail to extract enough. Do you understand the extraction process?"
Wentworth nodded.
He had learned from Cedric the previous night that Sopophorous Beans needed to be carefully chopped into small pieces using a sterling silver knife.
Each cut released juice, which could enhance the reactions of many potions.
Seeing Wentworth's agreement, Professor Snape said no more.
He tossed a sterling silver knife to Wentworth and then went about his own business.
Wentworth held the knife and regarded the Sopophorous Beans on the table.
He was relieved that Professor Snape hadn't immediately set him to brewing a potion today, sparing him from having to return to his bedroom.
However, he quickly realized Professor Snape treated him more like a laborer than a student.
Professor Snape's anger seemed unwarranted—after all, Wentworth had used a cauldron to make a hot pot, so why such lingering bitterness?
Hasn't he had two days to calm down?
No wonder Lily ultimately chose Potter—Professor Snape was unreasonably unattractive! Wentworth inwardly criticized Professor Snape.
Once he started working, Wentworth realized he had underestimated the task's difficulty.
The beans appeared smooth and hard, but the moment he made an incision with the knife, the beans moved unpredictably, narrowly avoiding his fingers.
Wentworth struggled to handle each bean, extracting only a few drops of juice with great effort.
With a target of 10 grams, the task felt like a monumental challenge.
"Mr. Wentworth, do you plan to spend the night in my office?" Suddenly, Professor Snape's voice came from behind him.
Seeing Wentworth's performance, a hint of disgust crossed Professor Snape's face.
"I'm heading to Headmaster Dumbledore's office. When I return, I hope you'll have extracted an additional gram of Sopophorous Bean juice. Also, employ some common sense—your intellect isn't much superior to a troll's!"
Professor Snape turned and left his office, leaving Wentworth alone in the dim space.
As Professor Snape departed, Wentworth let out a sigh of relief.
Professor Snape's presence was undeniably imposing, and Wentworth found himself significantly burdened by it.
Immediately, he opened the old textbook bearing the name "Half-Blood Prince" on its cover.
Soon, Wentworth discovered a note beside a potion recipe requiring Sopophorous Beans.
The note read:
"Extracting juice from Sopophorous Beans can be painstaking. However, you can apply force to the beans with the blade, producing more than twice the juice. Given their toughness, use a power-enhancing spell on your arm before attempting this technique. The incantation is as follows..."
Reading the notes, Wentworth sighed.
Perhaps Professor Dumbledore's refusal had led Professor Snape to continue teaching Potions instead of becoming the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
This was likely because Professor Snape was an unparalleled potion genius.
Observing the dense notes, occasionally interspersed with spells invented by Professor Snape himself, Wentworth's resentment at being relegated to this laborious task gradually waned.
Well, he supposed he could consider it a form of tuition.
The content in this book could certainly be considered a priceless treasure.
Armed with the methods and magic spells outlined in the book, Wentworth's efficiency significantly increased.
It wasn't clear how many times, but he had amassed 10 grams of Sopophorous Bean juice before long.
The bag Professor Snape had provided still held half its original contents.
With his task completed, Wentworth was now left alone in Professor Snape's office.
He gazed around the room, observing the glass jars and their unpleasant contents.
He couldn't help but ponder on the mental resilience required to work in this space.
"Wentworth, have you already given up entirely? If that's the case, I won't be surprised, given your affinity for cauldron cooking. Potions simply aren't in your destiny."
Suddenly, Professor Snape's voice broke the silence from behind Wentworth.
Startled, Wentworth turned to find Professor Snape standing at the office's entrance, his eyes fixed on Wentworth with evident annoyance.
"Professor Snape, allow me to explain!" Wentworth began.
Professor Snape cut him off impatiently without allowing him to elaborate, "Spare me the details. Students of your ilk are unwelcome in my domain. Leave immediately!"
Seeing Professor Snape's disposition, Wentworth decided to remain silent.
He returned to the table, pulled out the vial containing the Sopophorous Bean juice he had extracted, and held it up for Professor Snape to see.
Silence descended upon Professor Snape's office for a moment, creating an awkward atmosphere.
The discomfort, however, wasn't emanating from Wentworth, who resisted the urge to whistle.
"Why, do you find yourself remarkable? Given the size of that bag of Sopophorous Beans, anyone could extract that much juice. Your pace isn't too shabby either," Professor Snape commented, feigning indifference after a pause.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Scaramousse
Scaramousse Chapters will be updated daily at 23:00 GMT+7!
Don't forget to leave power stones and you can read up to 40 chapters ahead on [p][a][t][r][e][o][n].com/Scaramousse
Community Discord server: https://discord.gg/fUTE3bckdX
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone