https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-233-The-Dangers-of-Subpar-Products/12526381/
Chapter 234: The Diluted Potion
Chapter 234: The Diluted Potion
Albert and his friends fell silent, well aware that Master Dagworth's words were merely a scare tactic. While there might have been some truth to such cases, they were surely a minority.
Having personally prepared the ingredients for the Baruffio's Brain Elixir, Albert knew exactly how many Galleons it would cost to gather them all. The expensive ingredients were suffocating to think about; one attempt at brewing the potion would cost at least fifteen Galleons.
Failure was heart-wrenching, not to mention the difficulty of brewing such a potion. The tiniest imperfection could render the Brain Elixir useless.
Even top potioneers would not directly consume the potion after brewing it.
"The original inventor of the potion, a French wizard named Baruffio, drank his own brew and ended up with some issues up here." Master Dagworth pointed to his head. "Later, he also made a famous blunder by mispronouncing a spell, turning a 'f' into an 's'. He found himself lying on the floor with a bison on his chest."
"I know, Professor Flitwick mentioned that before." Lee Jordan had no idea that the story originated from here.
"The wizard Professor Flitwick mentioned was called Baruffio, I believe. The translator probably messed up the name." Albert recalled and shook his head. "The translator was probably some second-rate fellow."
"Initially, Baruffio wanted to create a potion that would enhance intelligence, so he combined various ingredients that stimulated the brain. Of course, after a long period of improvement, the Brain Elixir was truly completed. However, the probability of brewing failures remained high, and low-quality potions could easily cause users to become overly excited, leading to brain damage. Thus, the potion was soon banned by the Ministry of Magic to prevent substandard potions from harming others." Master Dagworth shared the origin and history of Baruffio's Brain Elixir with the four students.
"So, can it really make people smarter?" The trio was a little excited; who wouldn't want to become more intelligent?
"Yes, the genuine Baruffio's Brain Elixir can indeed make one smarter." Master Dagworth poured cold water on their excitement. "But the user has to bear significant risks, and the improvement is limited."
This statement calmed Fred and the others down a bit.
"Later, there was a potioneer named Aster Belcant whose son, Albert, failed his Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology exams. He tried to make his son smarter by brewing this potion." The Potion Master continued the story.
"Did he succeed?"
"He did, but he also failed." Master Dagworth spoke meaningfully, "At that time, he worked with another potioneer named Bilius Finbok, and they indeed brewed a substandard Brain Elixir."
"Did his son turn into an idiot?" Everyone seemed to guess the unfortunate outcome for the poor boy.
"No." Master Dagworth shook his head. "They tried to dilute the potion and gave it to Albert to drink. As expected, Albert passed all the tests. Seeing a huge business opportunity, they began selling the Brain Elixir on the black market."
The Potion Master continued, "Later, on one occasion, Bilius Finbok was bitten by a Runespoor while harvesting its eggs. The Runespoor escaped."
"The Ministry of Magic arrived in time to rescue Bilius Finbok and searched for the snake, but because of this incident, the Ministry prosecuted the two unfortunate fellows for illegally breeding Runespoors and confiscated all the Brain Elixirs. That's how the matter came to light, and Baruffio's Brain Elixir was officially blacklisted."
"After that incident, the Brain Elixirs on the black market were all diluted. This greatly reduced the potion's harm to the human brain, and people used it as a short-term brain-enhancing potion.
"Of course, drinking too much of a low-quality Baruffio's Brain Elixir can still be harmful to the brain, especially those brewed by some idiots, as the effects are particularly noticeable."
As expected of Potion Master Dagworth, the secrets he revealed were indeed startling, and no one expected there to be such hidden intricacies.
"Now, you understand why I must get that gold card back," Dagworth glanced at Albert and said calmly.
Without that gold card, Dagworth's acquisition and use of certain rare ingredients in his potions might be deemed illegal by the Ministry of Magic, or at the very least, the means of obtaining them would be.
Albert nodded, not adding anything further as he understood Dagworth's implication.
"When I brew Baruffio's Brain Elixir later, I will explain the process to you, but you must not speak or ask any questions. If you cannot do that, it's best to leave now. You can go to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer, or to Honeydukes for candies," Dagworth said, looking at Fred and the others. "I suggest you choose the former."
The trio could tell that Dagworth was hinting for them to leave, so they bid their farewells and departed promptly.
"That was a bit rude of you," Albert said, frowning slightly as he watched Fred and the others leave.
"I believe they won't be able to last till then, and it's better for them to go out and have fun than to stay here and suffer," Dagworth explained calmly. "Also, their potion-making skills aren't up to par, so it would be pointless for them to stay. They might even end up hindering us."
"You make a fair point, perhaps you can remind me of this in your letter as well," Albert didn't mean to blame Dagworth as he agreed with his reasoning.
"I'll explain as I brew the Brain Elixir later. You can ask questions afterward, just remember not to disturb me during the process," Dagworth said as he took out the necessary ingredients from a box and quickly entered his potion-making zone.
Albert also focused himself, ready to learn.
As Dagworth mentioned, Baruffio's Brain Elixir was essentially a combination of various ingredients that stimulated the brain and enhanced memory.
"Moreover, the Jumping Spider Mushroom is poisonous. When making the Brain Elixir, it must be treated alchemically before it can be used," Dagworth explained as he handled the red-headed mushrooms with white spots. The mushrooms were soaked in a liquid resembling oil, and oil-soaking was the best way to preserve these mushrooms.
In fact, Albert's Jumping Spider Mushrooms were stored in the same way, and he had used quite a bit of olive oil for that.
...
The frog brains had to be fresh, but the problem was that the dissection process had to be quick, and usually, a helper was needed.
However, Dagworth didn't need any assistance. In just a minute, he dissected three frogs, took out their brains, and tossed them into the heated cauldron.
During the brewing process, Dagworth only spoke up at crucial points, and it was more like muttering to himself than explaining, such as when to add dragon claw powder, how to stir, when to add Runic Snake Eggs, and how to determine if the potion was ready.
The entire process took nearly an hour, and the final product was a green, thick liquid. Dagworth held the test tube in front of him, carefully observed it, and said to Albert, "It's done. But for safety, we should dilute it slightly, at a ratio of ten to one!"
He poured some of the Brain Elixir into a test tube and diluted it with water, causing the color of the liquid to lighten.
Dagworth took a small sip from the test tube, as if tasting the potion's effects, and only after a moment did he nod in satisfaction. "This should do. However, for safety's sake, I still don't recommend you consume the undiluted Brain Elixir."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
