Chapter 189: A Potions Class Full of Surprises
Chapter 189: A Potions Class Full of Surprises
Dark clouds loomed overhead, casting a gloomy atmosphere within the Great Hall. Seated at the Gryffindor table, Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan huddled together, whispering amongst themselves as they pored over the latest issue of the magazine, "The Unbelievable."
Professor Sprout's boggart research, which included Albert's contribution, was featured in this issue.
However, that was the extent of it.
No one paid any particular attention to it; it was like a grain of sand dropped into a lake, causing not even a ripple.
While the lack of response was somewhat unexpected, it wasn't entirely surprising given the limited population of the British magical community.
"What's the point of this discovery?" George asked, fixing his gaze on the magazine's pictures and directing a puzzled glance at Albert. "Are we unraveling a millennium-old mystery here?"
"I guess... yes?" Albert replied, equally unsure of what to make of it.
"What are you guys talking about? A millennium-old mystery?" Angelina joined them, casually asking as she sat down across from the group.
"Well..." Fred handed the magazine to Angelina, who, after perusing it, lifted her head and stared at Albert in astonishment.
"You're in the magazine again?"
Albert's lips twitched, and he deflected the topic by asking, "Do we have classes this afternoon?"
"We have a double period of Potions," Angelina replied, her confusion evident. "By the way, why aren't you happy about it? If it were me, I'd definitely try to collect all the books and magazines that mentioned me."
"I don't have that habit," Albert said.
"Oh, and I asked some Hufflepuffs at lunch, and they mentioned that we'd be learning about the Herbicide Potion in Potions class and that there would be an unexpected surprise," Angelina added.
"Herbicide Potion? That's hard to believe," Albert said.
"What do you mean?" The others looked at him, perplexed by his reaction.
"The Herbicide Potion has a nauseating odor," Albert explained, furrowing his brows. "Can you imagine what it'll be like preparing that potion in the basement classroom? The smell will be unbearable."
"It won't be that bad, will it?" The group began to imagine the scenario, their faces reflecting their concerns.
"It's probably going to be awful," Albert predicted, suspecting that this was one of Snape's ideas. He was certain the professor was well aware of the potion's odor.
George and the others discussed the possibility of skipping class to avoid the ordeal, while Angelina flipped through her "Magical Potions and Drafts" textbook, starting to preview the lesson.
"I can't believe you're not worried at all," Fred remarked, impressed by Angelina's composure.
"What's the point of worrying?" Angelina retorted, turning to face them.
The three fell silent, realizing the futility of their concerns.
Indeed, if they couldn't avoid it, then worrying served no purpose.
After chatting with Albert for a while and marking a few key passages, Angelina suddenly asked, "Can I borrow your essay?"
"That's fine," Albert said, pulling out a piece of parchment from his bag and handing it to Angelina, who began studying it intently, comparing it to her own work to identify areas for improvement.
Ever since discovering that completing assignments diligently could significantly increase his experience points, Albert had become more conscientious about his homework.
At the very least, out of respect for the skill experience, he would put in the effort to complete his assignments properly, thereby accelerating the upgrading of his skills.
"What assignment is this?" Fred inquired, turning to face them.
"It's a research paper on the mucus of Flobberworms," Albert explained.
"Merlin's beard! I completely forgot about that!" Fred's expression froze for a moment as he imagined the dire consequences of failing to submit a decent paper to Professor Snape.
George winked at Fred and said calmly, "I've already finished mine."
"When did you do it?" Fred exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Last night. I even asked you to pull an all-nighter with me," George reminded him. "You said you'd have time tomorrow afternoon."
"Let's make a copy now!" Albert suggested, handing Angelina's paper to Fred so he could plagiarize parts from both their essays and create a passable amalgamation.
Fred grabbed a quill and began scribbling on the parchment, his focus intense.
Just before their Potions class, Angelina delivered some unwelcome news.
"Quidditch practice this evening?" George repeated, his tone reflecting his confusion. "But today's not the training day for the Hufflepuff team, is it?"
The four houses of Hogwarts took turns using the Quidditch pitch for practice, and Gryffindor's allotted days were Wednesdays and Saturdays.
"Charlie said the Hufflepuff team had something come up, so we're swapping spots," Angelina explained, her gaze shifting to Fred as she asked, "What are you doing?"
"Homework," came the reply.
"Will you make it in time?" Angelina shook her head, doubtful. "I thought we have Potions class soon."
"Definitely not!" Lee Jordan couldn't hide his schadenfreude.
"Shut up, I'll make it," Fred grumbled, his attention divided between copying the essay and complaining. "Can you guys keep it down? I can't concentrate."
"But Quidditch practice is really tough, especially in this dreadful weather," Angelina remarked, glancing upward at the dark clouds and rain. She turned to Albert and asked, "Is that why you didn't want to join the Quidditch team? Because of the demanding training?"
Noticing the curious stares directed at him, Albert shrugged helplessly and said, "I'm just too busy to commit to training."
"That sounds strange coming from you," Lee Jordan interjected.
"I have to read, do homework, practice magic, attend clubs, write letters, and occasionally visit other professors for tea and chats," Albert listed his activities, counting them off on his fingers. "If I added Quidditch practice on top of all that, it would be like splitting myself in two. Besides, one's energy is limited."
"You seem to be living a more comfortable life than the rest of us," Angelina remarked, eyeing Albert skeptically. "I've never seen you looking busy."
"I'm busy every day," Albert asserted.
This statement was promptly ignored by everyone.
"By the way, how's that glowing spell you were practicing coming along?" Angelina asked.
"I've managed to grasp it somewhat," Albert replied, reflecting on the spell he had been working on recently. He had achieved a basic level of proficiency, but it was still far from perfect.
"Done!" Fred suddenly interrupted their conversation, waving the parchment excitedly.
"Do you think this will really pass muster?" Angelina took the parchment from him, her skepticism evident as she considered the likelihood of this approach fooling Professor Snape.
"Definitely not, but Snape won't say anything. There are plenty of essays worse than this one," Albert said, taking the parchment from Angelina and quickly scanning it before making a few corrections with his quill.
As the bell rang to signal the start of class, the group hurried to Snape's underground classroom, which was even colder and gloomier than the castle above. A chill hung in the air, perhaps emanating from the gaze of Professor Snape himself as he stood at the lectern. His eyes briefly scanned over the collected homework before settling directly on Albert.
"Today, we will be brewing a very common potion, the Herbicide Potion," Snape said, his gaze unwavering. "This potion is used to kill or remove plants and is not for consumption. Of course, I've never seen anyone foolish enough to drink it. As to why, you will soon find out."
At that moment, Albert felt that Snape's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"...Note that if you are careless with the ingredients, during the brewing process... So you need to pay attention to your steps, the amount of ingredients, and the brewing time..." Snape continued, writing the key points to watch out for on the blackboard with his wand. He then turned to face the class. "You have one hour. Begin!"
The Herbicide Potion didn't start off with an unpleasant odor, but as the ingredients were added to the cauldron in strict order and quantity, a nauseating smell began to waft from the cauldrons, causing many students to cover their mouths and noses.
Just as Albert had predicted, the Herbicide Potion that Snape had them brew was nothing short of malicious, and soon the Potions classroom was filled with a putrid stench.
"This is like killing a thousand enemies but damaging yourself in the process," Albert muttered under his breath as he took out a handkerchief, dampened it with water, and held it over his nose.
He wondered how Snape could bear the stench of the Herbicide Potion.
"Ah! This is disgusting, I feel like throwing up," Fred exclaimed, retching over his cauldron.
"I think no one would want to use this stuff," Lee Jordan added, wrinkling his nose.
"Is there no way to get rid of this smell?" George asked, copying Albert by using a handkerchief to cover his nose while he continued to stir his cauldron with a spoon.
"Get rid of the smell?" Albert recalled the benefits he had gained from upgrading his Potions to Masterpieces. "Perhaps adding some crushed dandelion roots and nettles might eliminate the odor."
"Are you sure?" Fred dared not alter the potion's formula recklessly, unsure of what consequences such an action might bring.
"Give it a try and see," Albert said as he took out the necessary ingredients from his potion box and began to grind them together in a specific proportion.
In truth, Albert wasn't entirely certain what the outcome would be, but his intuition told him it should work.
As for the exact ratio of ingredients, that would require some experimentation.
At that moment, the students in the Potions classroom were all holding their breath, their faces turning red as they desperately wanted to rush out of the classroom and breathe in the fresh air outside. Just then, Snape waved his wand, dispelling the awful stench that had filled the room.
While the classroom still retained a strong odor, at least it was now bearable.
Soon after, Snape silently appeared beside Albert, his eyes fixed on the contents of the cauldron. "Anderson, tell me, what is in your cauldron?" he asked.
"Herbicide Potion, sir," Albert replied.
"Then why is the odor of your Herbicide Potion so faint?" Snape had noticed that the potion in Albert's cauldron emitted a much milder smell, almost as if it had been diluted with water.
"Well, before adding two drops of Flobberworm mucus, I put in some other things," Albert explained. "...to make the Herbicide Potion less repulsive."
"Are you saying you've improved the Herbicide Potion?" Snape's tone was light, yet it carried clearly across the room.
"I believe so," Albert said.
At that moment, all eyes were on Albert, and whispers filled the room, with some students snickering, clearly expecting Albert to fail.
"Very well, since Mr. Anderson believes he has successfully improved the Herbicide Potion..." Snape said, his voice trailing off as he waved his wand and produced a flowerpot with some weeds growing in it.
Snape scooped a spoonful of the Herbicide Potion, diluted it with water, and then poured it over the weeds.
Within seconds, the weeds withered at a visible rate, as if they had been left out in the scorching sun for too long, and soon they were completely dead.
Undoubtedly, Albert had successfully improved the Herbicide Potion.
The Slytherin students, who had been expecting to see Albert fail, now wore looks of disbelief, some even pinching their neighbors to make sure they weren't dreaming.
"Well done," Snape said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Albert.
Someone from the back of the room started clapping, and soon the entire Gryffindor house joined in, filling the classroom with applause.
"Silence!" Snape bellowed.
The clapping gradually died down.
"Gryffindor will lose ten points," Snape said coldly. "Mr. Anderson, it seems you've forgotten my warning from last semester about not conducting your damned experiments in my Potions class."
The Gryffindors were taken aback, their confusion quickly turning to anger.
If it had been any other professor, they would have expected to gain points, but Snape not only failed to award any, he actually deducted points from Gryffindor.
"I believe the reason people dislike using the Herbicide Potion is mainly due to its smell," Albert said, unfazed by the point deduction. "An improved Herbicide Potion would surely be welcomed by everyone. Perhaps someone would even be willing to pay for this formula."
"No one will pay for your formula," Snape sneered. "Usually, no one even uses the Herbicide Potion."
"Then why are we learning to brew it?" Sandra asked, raising her hand.
"Silence!" Snape was irritated by the student's interruption but answered her question nonetheless. "At times, we use the Herbicide Potion to deal with dangerous plants or to clear an area of land. No one would spray it on their flower beds, as it would kill the flowers, too."
After Snape dismissed the class, the students hurried to pack up their things and rushed out of the Potions classroom as fast as they could, eager to escape the lingering smell.
"Are you really going to sell the formula for the improved Herbicide Potion?" Fred asked, feeling like he was dreaming.
"Sell it? Why not?" Albert replied.
"You didn't see the look on Old Bat's face just now," George said, winking at Albert. "He was stunned."
(End of Chapter)
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