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"We're not studying, Maurice," Hermione rubbed her temples. "We're looking for someone."
"who?"
"Nico Flamel." Hermione looked at him. "Do you know this man?"
Morris shook his head. "It sounds like a French name."
Hermione sighed. "You read so many random books, haven't you ever seen this name in the corner of any of them?"
"If he's a Potions Master," Maurice shrugged, "I'd certainly know that. Is this guy important enough to have the three of you here so early in the morning, flipping through books like you've been drained of your souls."
"It's very important," Harry replied, "but explaining exactly why we can't tell you is a bit complicated."
Although Morris was somewhat curious, he did not press the matter.
He doesn't like troublesome things.
"Oh, right," Morris suddenly remembered something and said, "Since you're looking for someone, could you also keep an eye out for this person for me?"
As he spoke, he took out a photograph from the inner pocket of his robe—the very photograph of the young blond man he had found in the cabin in the gap world.
Harry and his two friends immediately gathered around.
"Is he a celebrity?" Hermione examined him closely. "I don't recognize him."
"Oh, he's really handsome," Ron exclaimed softly.
Harry nodded. "Looks like a celebrity."
"If you see similar portraits or photos while you're flipping through the books, please make a note of them for me," Maurice said. "I will also keep an eye out for the name Nicolas Flamel."
"No problem," Hermione said.
Chapter 62 Maurice's Eye Drops
It was nine o'clock.
Harry was the first to leave because he still had Quidditch training, and Ron also slipped back to the common room early because he gets sleepy as soon as he starts reading. Only Hermione was still relentlessly flipping through the heavy books, rubbing her sore eyes from time to time.
"Do you need eye drops?" Morris asked considerately, while taking a small bottle containing a bright green liquid from his pocket. "I saw the recipe for this eye-relieving potion in an old book, so I tried brewing some with the leftover ingredients from Potions class."
"Thank you." Hermione accepted it.
"I haven't used it myself yet," Morris said honestly, "but theoretically it should work well."
Hermione's expression became subtle. After hesitating for a moment, she pushed the small bottle back to Maurice. "I think I'll pass."
He didn't really believe in Morris's "theory".
This guy seems unreliable no matter how you look at it.
"What a pity."
Morris shrugged, picked up the eye drops, and without hesitation, put two drops into his eyes.
A cool sensation immediately spread from my eyes.
He blinked, and his vision did become a little clearer.
"The effect is very good," Morris commented. "I feel like I can read much more clearly now, and—"
"Maurice!" Hermione interrupted him, her voice tense. "Your eyes have turned green! And they're glowing!"
Morris calmly closed the book in his hand. "Don't worry, Hermione. A few side effects are normal and within my acceptable range."
After all, he made slight adjustments to the formula, so it's reasonable that the results were a bit unexpected.
Hermione was speechless for a moment.
It's Maurice who should be worried!
She was certain that there was something wrong with Maurice's potion, because Maurice's eyes were blinking like a green flashlight that kept flashing.
"You must go to the infirmary and have Mrs. Pomfrey examine you," she said earnestly, standing up as she did so. "I can come with you."
"It's alright, the effects are almost over." Morris waved his hand, his tone relaxed.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the green light in his eyes quickly faded, returning to its usual silvery-gray hue.
"See?" Morris smiled. "It's all right now."
Hermione sighed and sat down.
Using an unknown potion on her own eyes was, in her view, an outright act of self-harm.
She simply couldn't understand it.
Aren't you afraid of going blind?
In fact, if Maurice knew Hermione's thoughts, he would definitely correct her.
He was not reckless; although the formula had been modified, every step was based on solid theoretical grounds.
Those potion books weren't read for nothing.
In conclusion, the potion must be safe, otherwise he wouldn't have given it to Hermione.
Morris and Hermione stayed in the library until noon.
During the conversation, they also had a frank discussion about the spells they had learned.
To be honest, Morris thought Hermione was amazing; in less than half a semester, she had learned almost all the spells in the textbook.
There are even some advanced spells outside of class, such as the Expansion Spell and the Shrinking Spell.
That's a spell that you can only learn in third grade!
Indeed, none of the students at Hogwarts should be underestimated.
I must never be arrogant or complacent; I must work even harder to improve.
Meanwhile, Hermione was even more surprised.
She was so diligent every day, studying with all her might, spending almost all her spare time on her studies, and even secretly practicing the spells used by older students.
As a result, the number of spells he mastered was actually less than that of his opponent?
Morris...could he be the legendary genius?
This quietly ignited a competitive spirit within her.
Thus began the secret rivalry between the two Hogwarts book kings.
...
After lunch, Morris returned to his dormitory.
He didn't have any plans for the afternoon.
He doesn't really want to go to the interstitial world right now.
Not only because he had explored all the areas he could in the interdimensional world, but also because his life-and-death water was running out.
Quite a few of Snape's ashes remain.
After meditating on his bed for half an hour, Maurice decided to have a long-awaited chat with his Potions professor and ask him some questions about potions that he had been accumulating for a long time.
Before setting off, he habitually checked the book of mages.
This time, new content appeared on the pages.
"Undead Creature Advancement Ritual"
This headline instantly perked Maurice up.
He immediately put everything else aside and focused on studying the new material.
As the title suggests, this is a systematic ritual process.
It looks like an advanced version of a necromancy transformation ritual, and even the magic circles used are quite similar.
But there is an additional crucial requirement—a massive supply of magic or energy.
Upon seeing this, Morris immediately recalled the gap energy crystals he had created in his spare time in the gap world by gathering energy.
He must begin the experiment immediately!
However, there is a practical problem: the space for drawing the magic circle is not large enough.
According to the description in the Book of Mages, the magic circle needed to be about half the size of a basketball court is required to complete the ritual for the advancement of an undead creature.
The dormitory cannot meet this requirement.
Morris thought for a moment.
He remembered... there was an open space next to the Forbidden Forest?
...
Half an hour later, Morris arrived at the open space.
Located behind a small slope on the outskirts of the forbidden forest, the terrain is flat and offers a wide view, yet it is also secluded enough.
Under normal circumstances, no one would come here specifically to conduct activities.
Moreover, this place is not strictly within the prohibited forest area, and does not violate the school rules that "prohibit entry into the prohibited forest".
Of course, Morris didn't refrain from entering the Forbidden Forest because of school rules.
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