"On your magic perception—this is the first time I've dealt with anything like it. My recommendation is to route sixty percent of it through the potion straight to your irises."
Snape gave Rock a long, measured look. "Keep the other forty percent moving in your original flow."
"Yes, Professor."
Rock nodded. The plan was clean and safe.
Snape opened his mouth, then closed it and looked down. He hadn't expected such an immediate, straightforward answer.
Rock missed the complicated flicker in the professor's eyes. After a long pause, Snape spoke again. "Remember, this is a long process. If anything feels wrong over the summer, come back to the castle immediately."
"Understood."
Snape gave a dry snort. "You're the least Ravenclaw student I've ever taught. Frankly…"
Frankly, you're more like a Gryffindor.
Rock stayed quiet, waiting.
Snape's mouth twitched. He flicked his wand; the potion rose from the cauldron and divided itself with perfect precision into the waiting vials.
He set the final three doses in front of Rock.
"This is the first dose. After that, one every five days."
Rock picked up the vial, glanced at Snape, and tossed it back in one smooth swallow. Snape's eyelid twitched.
"Professor? Next step?"
Snape levitated the stimulant bottle over. "Two drops. One in each eye."
Rock took the bottle and tilted his head back. The moment the drops hit, a burning heat flared across his irises. His hand froze mid-motion. He clamped his eyes shut and gripped the bottle so hard his knuckles went white.
"The potion is activating. If you feel anything besides the burn, tell me at once."
Snape's voice was right beside him. Rock could tell the professor had dropped into a crouch.
Rock gave a tiny nod. He didn't dare open his mouth—he was terrified he'd actually yell. The burning in his eyes wasn't just heat; it itched like fire ants crawling across his corneas.
Snape didn't hesitate. His wand began tapping the air around Rock while he murmured a low incantation. Ripples of magic shimmered into existence, runes flashing for a split second before sinking into the protective array.
Inside Rock's mind, the Book of Engraved Magic flipped open on its own and stopped on the page where he had recorded the Philosopher's Stone. Runes surged out like a school of silver fish, swirling through his thoughts until they gathered around a glowing silver core at the center.
Rock stared, stunned. Then an even larger school of runes appeared overhead, and he felt like a tiny speck at the bottom of the ocean looking up.
Snape froze. Countless threads of silver light poured from Rock's body.
The light passed through Snape's array and connected to the dungeon walls.
Outside the door, Dumbledore pushed it open and strode in.
"What in Merlin's name…"
Snape had no idea what was happening to Rock, but he was already reaching out to stop it.
"Wait, Severus."
Dumbledore laid a hand on Snape's arm, eyes bright with wonder. "The castle is resonating with him."
Hogwarts is resonating?
Snape looked at the Headmaster like he'd lost his mind. Dumbledore shook his head.
"Believe me, Severus. As absurd as it sounds, Hogwarts has stood for a thousand years. Even I don't fully understand the depth of magic woven into its stones."
"We wait. He's not in danger."
Snape pressed his lips together, wand gripped tight.
Rock felt… different. Or rather, the room around him felt different. Eyes still closed, he could see an invisible shield humming around him.
But something was off. The lines in the shield didn't look right.
While Dumbledore and Snape watched in silence, Rock's hand rose. He tapped the air once—exactly on a flaw in the array Snape had just cast.
"Severus… did you teach him that?"
Dumbledore stepped closer, studying Rock inside the glowing core.
"Are you joking, Headmaster?" Snape's mouth twisted. That defensive array wasn't something you just taught.
Dumbledore reached out. A soft ripple spread across the shield. "And yet young Rock just strengthened it by at least two full layers with a single touch."
Snape's expression turned strange. He tapped his wand against the array. Nothing happened. After a long moment he muttered, "I can't modify it any further."
Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with interest. He began circling the shield, occasionally tapping different points.
"Flawless defense, yet—"
He trailed off, shaking his head.
Snape waited, brow furrowed.
Before Dumbledore could finish the thought, Rock's eyelids fluttered.
Dumbledore instantly vanished under a Disillusionment Charm.
Snape straightened, waiting.
The silver light flowed back into Rock's body. His eyes opened.
His irises now held a slow-turning silver-gray nebula, like living starlight.
He started to tell Snape how it felt—then his gaze stopped on the empty space beside the professor.
There stood Dumbledore, clearly inspecting Snape's hair.
"Headmaster Dumbledore… what exactly are you doing?"
Rock's quiet voice cut through the room.
Dumbledore froze mid-inspection.
Snape's mouth twitched. He turned his head toward the exact spot.
Dumbledore dropped the charm, looking perfectly innocent. "Ah, how are you feeling, my boy?"
He gave Rock a quick wink.
Rock stared at Snape, torn between staying quiet and ratting out the Headmaster.
"Pretty good, actually," he answered honestly, glancing between them. "Headmaster. Professor."
He really did feel good. In his new perception, both men appeared completely different.
Dumbledore was perfectly contained on the surface, but underneath lay the calm before a storm.
Snape was dark, cold, and bitter—yet inside burned something fierce enough to scorch anything it touched.