Chapter 425: Firenze
Chapter 425: Firenze
Professor Trelawney's dismissal wasn't entirely a bad thing. For instance, Divination Class has now become the most popular course among the young witches at Hogwarts. It seems that most people in this world are superficial, and Firenze's blonde hair, cornflower blue eyes, and somewhat melancholic, mysterious aura have successfully piqued the interest of the young witches. Or perhaps their interest lies more in the handsome Centaur himself.
Liam and Hermione took some time to visit Firenze. His current residence has been decorated to resemble a forest: the floor is covered in soft moss, and several trees have even grown inside. When Firenze realized that Liam and Hermione were at the door, he looked genuinely pleased.
"It's a pleasure to see friends visiting in the castle", Firenze said, gesturing for Liam and Hermione to sit on a tree trunk. He then retrieved two glasses of red juice from behind a tree and handed them over. "Try this. A type of raspberry in the Forbidden Forest has recently ripened, and the juice tastes quite good."
"Never would have thought you'd be the one to become the Divination professor at the school!" Liam said with a smile after taking a sip of the sweet and tangy juice.
"Coming out wasn't easy", Firenze replied, flicking his tail. "You know, there are quite a few conservative Centaurs who believe that working for humans is a form of betrayal."
At this, Firenze looked at Liam. "Thanks to everything you've done, most of my packmates have changed their views on humans, so I was barely granted permission to teach here. Of course, your Aunt Betty played the biggest role. As a Priest of Nature, her clear support really helped a lot."
This is much better than in the original story, Liam thought. After chatting for a while, Liam and Hermione bid their farewells as they had classes in the afternoon.
As they were leaving, Firenze seemed hesitant. Finally, he bent down and whispered an important message to Liam and Hermione.
"A Giant? Has Hagrid gone mad?" Hermione whispered excitedly as they headed upstairs to the Transfiguration classroom. "Why would he do this to himself?"
"Think about Hagrid's heritage", Liam said, and Hermione immediately understood.
"This is just—", Hermione's face twisted in confusion, struggling to express her thoughts. She finally sighed. "Perhaps it's his destiny."
As expected, Hagrid's injuries were piling up. After all, taming a Giant isn't an easy task. Otherwise, Liam wouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures to solve the problem.
However, Liam didn't have much time to worry about Hagrid and his Giant brother, as the O.W.L. exams were drawing closer. Even though Liam was confident, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Of course, this might also be due to the environment: when everyone around you is tense, you naturally become tense as well.
In the meantime, Weasley's Joke Shop was making a lot of money. Liam had obtained a large batch of calming and sleep-inducing herbs from the Elves of the Lord of the Rings world and turned them into incense. Once its effectiveness was confirmed, it became a hot commodity among the fifth and seventh-year students facing exams. After all, for those under immense pressure, what could be more soothing than a perfect night's sleep every day?
Naturally, Liam reserved a batch of incense to sell to the Study Group members at cost price. After all, you have to take care of your own.
"I think I might get an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts this year", she said, watching a silver-white mole hopping around her. The exams had nearly driven her mad, and if it weren't for the mutual support within the Study Group, especially the guidance of members like Su, who had scored high on the O.W.L. exams last year, she would probably be in Madam Pomfrey's care, drinking a calming potion.
The Study Group wasn't just beneficial for Hannah. For instance, Neville privately expressed his confidence that he would pass all his courses this time. Liam believed him, especially after Neville successfully brewed a Shrinking Potion in Potions class. Although Snape's assessment was that Neville's Elixirs were only usable when no one else's were available, this was still a significant boost for Neville. If he could handle the most complex Potions, what else could he not accomplish?
"By the way, how about we have a gathering during Easter?" Celia suddenly suggested. "We'll be idle at School anyway."
"What do you think?" Liam looked around at the others, and everyone nodded in agreement. Even Neville, who would definitely visit his parents at St. Mungo's during the holiday, said he would return early to join the gathering.
"If I knew about your gathering, my grandmother would definitely kick me out early to come join. As she says, becoming excellent is worth sacrificing the holiday", Neville shrugged. "Of course, I also think spending time with you all is more fun than being alone in the old house. My grandmother does care about me, but she can be a bit too strict sometimes."
"Alright, then let's meet during Easter. I'll post the details on the School notice board", Liam said as the meeting concluded. This was one of the benefits of being a recognized organization: it made contacting members and arranging the grounds much easier.
Time flew by as everyone eagerly awaited Easter, and soon it was the last week before the holiday. On Wednesday evening, Liam and Hermione spent a long time in the Library, only leaving when Madam Pince waved her feather duster to shoo everyone out.
"Is your Alchemy Vial working well? Don't waste my potion", Hermione asked as they walked along. After learning about Liam's research on Werewolves, Hermione had volunteered to help. She spent several days brewing a Wolfsbane Potion, which was now stored in a new Crystal bottle Liam had made.
It's important to note that one of the main reasons Wolfsbane Potion is so expensive is its short shelf life. This means a skilled Elixirs Master must start brewing it several days before the full moon and repeat the process every month. Considering the average income of a high-level Potion Master, it's easy to understand why Wolfsbane Potion is so costly.
Liam's solution was to create a container that could preserve the Wolfsbane Potion for a longer time. This was the only way he could think of to help Werewolves in the short term, much simpler than improving the potion or finding a cure.
"It should work. This is an Elven technique for crafting containers. Since they managed to preserve the Light of Eärendil for so long, a similar technology for an Alchemy Vial shouldn't be too far off", Liam said, looking at Hermione with some uncertainty. "But to be honest, the original Elven technique is too expensive. I've made a lot of changes to reduce the cost so that poor Werewolves can afford it. I hope nothing goes wrong."
"How much can you reduce the cost to?" Hermione asked, knowing from Lupin's appearance that Werewolves generally didn't have much money.
"Thirty Galleons", Liam quickly explained when he saw Hermione's widened eyes. "This isn't for one person. The bottle can hold enough potion for 15 people for a whole year. I originally made it for the Werewolves on the farm in Norway to use together."
"I see", Hermione nodded. At two Galleons per person, Werewolves should be able to afford it. Besides, as Liam said, good things should be prioritized for those who need them most. Once these Werewolves benefit from it, more might be drawn to join.
After that, the two headed towards the Room of Requirement to check on the potions they had stored inside before going to bed.
(End of Chapter)
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