https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-370-Not-a-Single-Sane-Person-Amongst-Them/12538630/
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Chapter 371: A Unique Potions Talent
Chapter 371: A Unique Potions Talent
The first class of the morning was Potions, attended by both Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors.
From the moment the class began, the Gryffindors were relentlessly targeted.
Katie, a member of the Quidditch team, was deducted five points as soon as she entered the classroom for wearing a hat. McCorkindale McCragen was also deducted three points because his book had a crease in it.
Everyone knew the reason for these deductions.
In their third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Neville had faced a Boggart that had transformed into Snape and dressed him up in his grandmother's clothes, quite strikingly so.
This incident could have been minor, and even if Snape had been angry, he would have only taken it out on Neville.
However, the problem was that some mischievous individual had brought a camera to class… and Snape's photo in drag had spread throughout Hogwarts.
Although this matter was quickly stopped, and all the photos were forcibly confiscated... that was just on the surface.
There were still quite a few copies circulating secretly.
To find the instigator, Snape had tried all sorts of methods, from coercion to temptation, from tracking to investigation... but to no avail.
The students were unusually united this time, and no one would admit to knowing anything.
Even Professor Lupin himself seemed to be clueless, claiming he hadn't seen anything, much to Snape's frustration.
So, the Gryffindors, who were the first to spread the photo, were out of luck.
To put it bluntly, even if Kyle had been deducted a hundred points, the Hufflepuff house points still led Gryffindor by a large margin.
And this was just the start of Snape's onslaught for the day.
Right from the beginning of the year, Gryffindor was plummeting towards a record-breaking low score.
Even Professor McGonagall couldn't say anything, as she had also seen that photo, and to be fair, she couldn't blame Snape for being so angry.
"The Vitality Potion!"
It wasn't until Gryffindor had been deducted a total of twenty points that Snape returned to the podium and drawled, "Angelica, ginger root, and a horn of a unicellular bison... Mr. McCragen."
He suddenly asked, "What treatment is required for the bison horn when brewing the Vitality Potion?"
"Roast it and then grind it into a powder, Professor," McCorkindale stood up, glanced at the blackboard, and answered confidently.
"Haha, Snape has miscalculated this time."
Kyle heard someone whisper behind him, "Lucky guy, all this information is on the blackboard. Just a glance is all it takes."
"Oh?"
Snape raised an eyebrow and took a step to block the view of the blackboard. He continued, "Then how long does it need to be roasted?"
"Twenty minutes," McCragen replied without hesitation. "After that, you need to scrape off the outer layer before starting to grind it."
"Do you think you're so clever..." Snape said sinisterly, "...to remember all that from just a glance?"
"I didn't look at the blackboard, Professor!" McCragen insisted, "I had read the book beforehand, that's why I know."
"If you had read the book in advance, you would know that the Vitality Potion requires a horn from a horned camel, not a unicellular bison..." Snape sneered, "...Gryffindor loses five points!"
McCragen's expression froze, and he protested, "But you wrote unicellular bison on the board! I couldn't have mistaken that!"
"Oh, that..." Snape turned and erased that line.
"...was because I made a mistake," he drawled. "You claimed you didn't look at the blackboard, yet you're lying to a professor. Gryffindor loses another five points."
Next, they proceeded with the rest of the ingredients.
"Kyle," Ryan leaned over, using the pretext of borrowing something, and whispered, "Have you seen today's Prophet?"
"No," Kyle shook his head. "Anything interesting?"
"Someone spotted Sirius Black," Mick whispered back.
"Where...?"
"In Croft County, just south of Hogsmeade," Mick replied, sounding excited. "A Muggle saw him... Of course, he had no idea what was going on and thought Black was just a regular criminal, so he called the hotline. By the time the Ministry folks got there, he had vanished."
"That's really not far at all, less than fifty miles from Hogsmeade," added McCorkindale, leaning in closer.
"You don't think he'll come here, do you?" Connor asked, looking worried.
"Impossible," McCorkindale stated confidently. "Don't forget about the Dementors guarding the school gates. If he shows up, he's walking right into their arms."
"Still, something doesn't feel right," Mick mused. "With so many places he could go, why did he turn up so close to Hogsmeade?"
"Maybe he doesn't know about the Dementors here," McCorkindale snorted. "I wish he'd come sooner. As soon as the Dementors spot him, he won't get away.
Once he's captured, the Dementors will leave the school, and to be honest, just thinking about those creatures guarding the gates gives me the creeps. Even the wind blowing from that direction feels chilly."
The group fell silent, making sure to separate before Snape turned their way.
"Kyle, if Black were to come to Hogwarts, do you think the Dementors at the gates could really stop him?" Connor asked quietly.
"Hard to say," Kyle shook his head. "He's already escaped them once, and that was in their stronghold... Not to mention there are only two Dementors now. But don't worry, I promise nothing bad will happen."
Hearing Kyle's assurance, Connor finally relaxed and began scraping the skin off the ginger root with a small knife.
As the class drew to a close, Snape began inspecting their potions.
Kyle and Connor's cauldrons both contained a bright yellow potion, the normal color, indicating no issues.
Snape didn't even glance their way and moved on.
However, the others' potions were a different story, displaying a variety of odd colors.
Mick's potion, in particular, caught Kyle's attention. It was a strange purple color with wisps of brown smoke rising from it.
Even the well-versed Snape paused upon seeing this potion.
He could at least pinpoint the issues with the others' potions... such as an excess of an ingredient or insufficient stirring. But with this one, he was clueless.
He couldn't fathom how angelica, ginger root, and a unicellular bison horn could result in this concoction.
It was truly an eye-opening experience!
"Hufflepuff loses ten points," Snape declared, his eyes fixed on the peculiar potion. He then turned to Mick, "And you, Mr. Boot, will serve detention. Be at the underground classroom by eight o'clock sharp on Saturday morning and remain there until you can brew a proper Vitality Potion."
(End of Chapter)
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