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Chapter 431: Professor Afternoon Tea
Chapter 431: Professor Afternoon Tea
"A truly effective potion requires the participation of a wand, of course not by foolishly and continuously waving it. A gentle flick at the crucial moment is enough to facilitate the magical transformation of the ingredients in the cauldron..."
"So Muggles cannot experience this wonderful process, and neither can Squibs." Snape spoke slowly.
On the weekend of the first week after the start of the school year, Professor Flitwick hosted an afternoon tea party under the pretext of celebrating Professor Moody's recovery, although Felix thought that the tough former Auror didn't really need such things.
Moody ate the food he brought himself, not touching the exquisite tea snacks on the table at all.
His appearance here signaled the end of Snape's brief stint as a substitute teacher. So when Felix asked about potion-making, Snape seemed rather cold.
Snape sat in a soft chair and spoke slowly, continuing the previous topic: "We also cannot rule out the following situation: some simple potions can be produced without the use of a wand, or even without the fine guidance of magic. However, this is more akin to activating the inherent properties of the potion ingredients. To those who truly understand potions, this merely results in a half-finished product."
Felix understood; the pet tonic formula he gave Filch was a case in point—no wand was needed, and the main ingredient was dragon blood. The other ingredients merely served to activate and moderate the properties of the dragon blood.
For wizards, some potion effects are similar to spells, and the choice between the two depends on the wizard themselves. In other words, they would choose the method they find simpler or more effective to achieve their goal.
Money might also be an important consideration.
For example, the Cheering Charm and the Joy Elixir can often substitute for each other. The Cheering Charm is taught in third-year spell classes, while the Joy Elixir is only covered in advanced sixth-year potion classes. However, if you neglected what seemed like a minor charms class during your schooling, it wouldn't be easy to learn the Cheering Charm on your own, especially since a poorly executed Cheering Charm could have side effects like hysteria and uncontrollable laughter.
In such cases, most wizards would opt to buy a bottle of Joy Elixir from a potion shop.
Flitwick waved his wand, causing a porcelain teapot to bend and fill the cup in front of him. "I've heard that some wizards choose to use magical rituals instead of wands when brewing potions, Severus?"
"And continuous repetition of spells", Snape added. "This was common in the Middle Ages when some shallow wizards couldn't control their magic and thus couldn't guide and manipulate it precisely—much like Squibs. So they chose this method."
Felix muttered, "I think I've read something similar somewhere."
"Probably in Muggle fairy tales? Indeed, some careless wizards were discovered and burned at the stake", Snape glanced at him and said.
"That was a long time ago. Let's talk about something else", Professor Mcgonagall said uneasily, turning to one side. "Professor Moody, are you planning to return to class next Monday?"
"It's been delayed long enough", Moody said, tearing into a piece of rather bland chicken. "I plan to resolve all the issues during the holiday and not miss any classes. But Professor Hep insisted on completing the final round of checks..."
"Has your memory not recovered yet?" Professor Mcgonagall asked, but her eyes were on Felix.
"Voldemort's methods were brutal, and the memory loss is more extensive than I initially estimated. It might be due to Voldemort's soul being tainted by dark magic", Felix said softly.
"At least I haven't become an idiot, right?" Moody gruffly said, letting out a short laugh and reaching for a cup with his greasy hand. At the moment his fingertips touched the cup, he froze as if electrocuted.
Moody silently unhooked a flask from his belt and took a large gulp. After finishing, he gasped, "The original one is gone. This is a new one, a gift from Albus... He's very considerate in such matters."
'But there is still an impact,' Felix thought. 'It's not just the memory loss; his reactions have slowed, and his combat effectiveness is much reduced.'
He had been working to minimize these negative effects as much as possible.
Mad-Eye Moody tore a piece of chicken with gritted teeth and chewed it vigorously, his face twitching. "Compared to old Barty Crouch, I'm doing pretty well. His body is failing, and he probably won't last long in Azkaban."
"Barty Crouch was imprisoned?" Flitwick asked in a high-pitched voice.
Several people turned their gaze towards Moody, who gruffly said, "Yes, Kingsley Shacklebolt told me that he insisted on it. Before being taken to prison, Barty had a private conversation with Fudge—" Seeing the odd looks from the others, he rudely waved his hand, almost hitting Flitwick's nose. "Oh—sorry, Professor Flitwick—don't ask me, I don't know what they talked about, but it might have something to do with Voldemort?"
"As for whether Fudge believes it, who knows?" He took a large gulp of his drink. "That man seems indecisive, but he's actually quite stubborn and delusional. But regardless, he doesn't seem to want to cause too much panic, so he's keeping Barty's situation under wraps. Many people think he retired!"
He grinned, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.
"I can't just listen to him. Some things need to be brought to everyone's attention, better to be prepared than caught off guard—"
"Professor Moody", Professor Mcgonagall pursed her lips, "you, uh, aren't planning to do something to the young wizards, are you? Your previous methods..."
She quickly cleared her throat, looking awkward.
"Are you talking about my previous style? Some of the classes weren't mine, but they did suit my taste—" Moody chuckled, his face contorting. "He imitated me quite well. I taught him for a while, which might be part of the reason."
The others stared at Moody in shock.
Moody laughed loudly. "Old Barty wanted to train his son to become an Auror. So Barty Crouch Jr. started training with the candidates from fourth year—longer than the usual Auror training. By the time he graduated, his performance was outstanding."
"I remember he got twelve O.W.Ls", Flitwick recalled. "Since I started teaching, only a few have achieved that honor."
"I'm not talking about the paper qualifications, but the collective evaluation of the Aurors! I taught him some things—investigation and trap-setting. Everyone thought Barty Crouch Jr. would become an excellent Auror and take over his father's position!" Moody exclaimed loudly.
Everyone felt a bit uneasy. The better Barty Crouch Jr. performed during his schooling, the more stark the contrast with his later transformation—he didn't become an Auror but chose to become a Death Eater.
Flitwick changed the subject. "Felix, I really enjoyed the gift you gave me. I've already looked through it. I must say, some of the hand gestures from Africa are quite impressive and can be used as auxiliary casting. I've already planned to include them in next year's curriculum."
Felix smiled. "I asked several friends to recommend books to me..."
Professor Mcgonagall frowned. "The teaching methods at Wagadu are quite different from Hogwarts. Students there determine their research direction early on, so a lot of advanced content can be broken down and integrated into lower-level classes. But not at Hogwarts. By the time students choose Transfiguration in sixth year, only a small percentage do so."
"What about the human transfiguration part? Maybe it could be included in your Transfiguration Club?" Felix suggested.
"That's a good idea", Professor Mcgonagall said. "My club only accepts sixth and seventh-year students who have already taken their O.W.Ls exams. Many skills come naturally to them, like the 'prerequisites' you mentioned?"
She struggled with the word, then continued, "But the transformation knowledge from Wagadu isn't widely known outside. The transformation of an African elephant is quite common, but if the innate conditions aren't right, it might just result in a malnourished baby elephant. From that perspective, it's not as good as becoming an Animagus..."
Felix nodded in agreement. "Becoming an Animagus is somewhat random and depends on each wizard's mental state. If you end up as a snail, you might as well choose an African elephant."
Professor Mcgonagall looked at him sternly. "Felix, you haven't been secretly practicing Animagus transformation, have you?"
"Of course not", Felix said, rolling his eyes. "For wizards dedicated to mastering Transfiguration, the transformation can help them understand its mysteries, but I'm not. I think the magic is too inefficient."
(End of Chapter)
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