London's number one double agent, Potions Master, future Headmaster, and legendary sharp-tongued bastard—Severus Snape—what secret potion project was he sneaking around with?
Regulus had a feeling it was somehow connected to that little gang his brother was part of.
Word had it that during a Potions lesson last month, Potter's cauldron spewed out a foul-smelling green smoke, ruining a whole row of students' potions. Slughorn turned green with rage, and Gryffindor got more points docked.
Sirius accused Snape of sabotage, but couldn't produce any evidence—earning him a hearty round of ridicule from Snape.
And tit for tat—during the next Transfiguration class, James added Itching Powder to Snape's materials, causing his face and scalp to turn red and itch like mad. Innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire, but it forced Snape to wash his hair, scoring him a reluctant win in return.
Potter had grown up in Godric's Hollow, where the aging wizard population was through the roof. He'd been coddled by old witches and wizards since he was little, encouraged to play with magic and cause trouble, and his magical ability was formidable.
Snape, on the other hand, often relied on risky moves, grit, and unpredictable tactics. He alone held his ground against both Potter and company, going toe-to-toe.
Regulus had to admire that.
When your opponents outnumber you, come from wealthier families, and have no less talent than you do, the only way to win is to work twice as hard.
The drive to prove yourself—to win—was clearly a powerful force.
Not to mention, there was a girl involved, too.
Now was the time for Snape to make his move—what kind of surprise would he pull off?
…
As for Regulus himself, he quickly came to understand the true pain of detention—even with Professor Slughorn going easy on him.
As a student, he had to shuffle between different classrooms for lessons, grind in the library, study, practice spells, deal with piles of homework, prepare for final exams—and still serve detention every single night!
Detention made him long for the freedom he once had. It was like being in prison—detention was a punishment not just of time, but of life itself.
Regulus even started to admire Sirius and his lot. How did they have so much time to stir up trouble?
He wanted to be able to go full throttle all day and still party at midnight, sneak into the Forbidden Forest without sleep—but the truth was… he just got really sleepy!
Thinking about how, once detention ended, he still had homework to finish and parts of the castle to explore, Regulus seriously felt like giving his cheat code a one-star review.
Ugh.. Urgently needed: a Time-Turner!
On Friday night, during detention, Regulus shared some Honeydukes chocolate with Severus.
Snape originally had no intention of accepting anything from a Black, but Regulus had even brought tea, and pointed at the lily decoration on the chocolate and said, "It's lily-flavored. Pretty rare."
The first time's awkward, but the second time—it starts to feel familiar.
Severus had to admit—his impression of Regulus had changed significantly.
This Black was quiet and steady, completely different from that obnoxious Gryffindor Black.
Especially when Regulus looked genuinely impressed by his skills and knowledge, shared snacks, and even poured him a cup of tea—those small gestures struck right at little Severus's soft spot.
What a perceptive young man!
Hardworking, polite, respectful—easy to get along with. Pleasant company.
At the same time, Severus couldn't help but take note of how Regulus subjected the potion ingredients to all kinds of "torture techniques" and meticulously recorded the results afterward.
For Regulus, now that he had access to free experimental materials, it only made sense to test as many preparation methods as possible in pursuit of optimal effects.
After finishing his potion prep for the evening, Regulus shot Severus a look, then, taking advantage of the professor's absence—quickly began writing his homework with lightning speed.
Severus, on the other hand, was brewing a potion designed to enhance mental focus—Wit-Sharpening Potion. It was the most popular potion during exam season, and Slughorn often used it as a reward to boost students' enthusiasm for studying.
"I'm heading off now, Severus. See you!"
…
The next day was the weekend—finally, a chance to sleep in.
Which meant Regulus had something big planned for tonight.
He moved through the corridors cautiously, dodging the occasional midnight wanderer and occasionally pausing to bribe one of the castle's roaming cats—some of which were Filch's informants.
And unfortunately, his stealth mode didn't work on animals.
Thinking about Potter's Invisibility Cloak—that was the real cheat code!
Regulus sighed as he slipped into the infamous girls' bathroom on the second floor of the castle.
He pushed aside the large sign that read "Out of Order" and opened the door.
It was his first time visiting this place since arriving at Hogwarts—filthy, broken, damp.
No need to dwell on the setting details—suffice it to say, it perfectly set the scene for the eerie vibe of future basilisk attacks.
"You're not a girl!"
A pearlescent-faced ghost suddenly popped her head out from above the farthest stall. She wore a dramatic, gloomy expression, had long, stringy hair, and a pair of glasses perched on her nose.
"Obviously."
Regulus hadn't expected to run into Moaning Myrtle right away. He greeted her politely, "Hello, Miss Myrtle."
"You know Moaning Myrtle!"
The ghost floated out of the stall, eyeing him with suspicion. "You look familiar!"
"Hmm.. You must have seen my brother? His name's Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black," Myrtle repeated with a dreamy sigh, her face turning bashful. "So you're the little brother of that handsome black-haired boy—but you're not nearly as good-looking as he is!"
"Right."
Regulus nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. He figured it must be because he wasn't great at talking to girls—living or ghost.
"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you came to laugh at poor Myrtle?"
She launched into her usual self-pitying rant—
"I didn't."
"No one cares about Moaning Myrtle. I have feelings too!"
The ghost's eyes inexplicably welled up with large tears. Then she turned and vanished back into a stall, and Regulus could still hear the splash of water as she dove in.
Regulus shook his head. He hadn't even had a chance to ask anything—Girls and ghosts were truly mysterious creatures.
Just as he began checking each sink's faucet one by one, he heard footsteps approaching from outside. Regulus quickly pulled open one of the smaller stalls, slipped inside, and carefully stood on the toilet lid.
The bathroom door creaked open again. The footsteps came closer. The stall next to him was yanked open. He heard the clatter of ceramic and metal, and soon, the crackling of flames, the bubbling and stirring of liquid.
Regulus stared in disbelief—what kind of bathroom was this?
It was basically Hogwarts' unofficial extracurricular Potions lab.
A soft cough came from the neighboring stall.
Oh no. Regulus put a hand to his forehead—that voice… it was Severus.
After a moment's hesitation, Regulus coughed lightly in return. The clanging from the next stall instantly stopped. He opened the door of his own stall and stepped to the entrance of Severus's.
"It's me, Severus."
A few seconds passed before Severus opened the stall door, carefully shielding the cauldron behind him. He stared warily at Regulus, suspicion written all over his face, clearly imagining all sorts of scenarios.
"I came here looking for Moaning Myrtle," Regulus said matter-of-factly. "I was here first."
Severus's gaze flickered, and his expression softened noticeably.
"What are you looking for Myrtle for?"
"Can you keep a secret?" Regulus thought for a moment and countered with a question of his own.
"Of course I can," Severus replied immediately. "But can you?"
The cauldron behind him gave a loud bubble and pop, and Regulus noticed how Severus was visibly resisting the urge to turn around and check on it.
"Of course. A Slytherin never tattles," Regulus said, pointing at a candle as if taking an oath. "Besides, we're friends. You should probably check your potion."
At the word friends, Snape showed a strange expression, but finally relaxed, turning around and quickly getting back to stirring his potion.
The potion gave off a clean, clear scent that was completely at odds with the dank surroundings. Even with his knowledge of potions, Regulus couldn't tell what it was.
"Have you ever heard the legend of the four founders of Hogwarts?" Regulus said, eyes on the potion, words flowing easily. "I heard from Sirius—he wants to find Hogwarts' treasure."
At the mention of Sirius, Severus's ears visibly perked up.
To make the story more believable, Regulus began adding a few irrelevant details.
"Our great-great-grandfather, Phineas Nigellus Black, was once Headmaster of Hogwarts. We have a portrait of him hanging at home—just like the ones here at Hogwarts."
Severus had indeed heard before that the Black family once produced a Headmaster.
"One time, great-great-grandfather accidentally let it slip—that the legend of the treasure is actually traceable."
"So, you came here to gather clues?" Severus deliberately emphasized the word here.
"Mm." Regulus nodded beside him. "If you tell me what you're working on, I'll tell you what I found."
"You already have a lead?" Severus asked, surprised.
"Guess."
Regulus gave him a mysterious smile.