Chapter 445: The Powerful Laxative
Chapter 445: The Powerful Laxative
It seemed that the events of the dragon egg and the unicorn hunt had yet to unfold, and Albert wondered if he could trigger related quests from these incidents.
As he walked back to the castle with his familiar, Tom, Albert pondered the possibilities. Undoubtedly, the most convenient way to gain experience was to obtain quests related to the known plotlines.
As for whether Potter would ultimately follow the path of the original story, Albert couldn't be sure, but he tended to believe in the so-called "law of historical correction." Some things would not be easily altered.
When Albert brought Tom back to the common room, he noticed that his three roommates were huddled together, whispering and giggling about something.
There was a subtle expression on George's face that Albert found peculiar, and Fred and Lee Jordan seemed to be struggling to hold back their laughter.
"What's up with him?" Albert asked.
Lee Jordan managed to stifle his laughter. "George took a very small amount of U-No-Poo, and it seems to have had a side effect."
"Is he having diarrhea?" Albert didn't look directly at George, lest he burst out laughing. "Why don't you go see Madam Pomfrey and have her give you something for your stomachache?"
"I just have a bit of an upset stomach," George replied, reluctant to go to the school hospital. Besides, how could he possibly explain to Madam Pomfrey that he had ingested U-No-Poo?
"It won't just go away…" Albert started to say, but before he could finish, George had already rushed off to the bathroom, clutching his stomach.
As soon as George disappeared around the staircase, Fred and Lee Jordan burst into laughter.
"Stop it, you two," Albert said to the pair, who were laughing so hard they could barely stand straight. "Didn't you find a cure for stomachaches?"
"No," Fred shook his head regretfully.
"Then we'll have to go see Madam Pomfrey. Just tell her that Peeves put a small amount of what looked like U-No-Poo powder into George's food and see how she resolves the issue." Albert suggested.
Since they couldn't find a solution, it was best to leave it to the professionals.
And as for who would take the fall? Well, Peeves was the perfect scapegoat.
The two boys looked at each other, surprised by this suggestion. After all, Madam Pomfrey was the authority on medical matters, and if anyone could help with an upset stomach, it was her.
None of them felt particularly guilty about blaming Peeves, as the mischievous poltergeist had pulled similar pranks in the past.
And even if Peeves found out later, they could always placate him with some U-No-Poo powder, turning the incident into a fait accompli.
About ten minutes later, George reappeared, looking slightly better but still a bit pale. Fred immediately told him about Albert's suggestion, and before he could agree, they were already escorting him to the school hospital.
Albert followed, wanting to make sure that he conveyed the story to Madam Pomfrey accurately, just in case Fred and Lee Jordan accidentally let something slip.
"U-No-Poo powder, you say?" Madam Pomfrey listened to Albert's description and glanced at George's appearance, but she didn't seem suspicious. After all, who would expect someone to put U-No-Poo in their own food?
Curing an upset stomach was a simple task for Madam Pomfrey. She opened a cabinet and took out a small bottle, pouring a tiny cup for George to drink. The effect was immediate, and his stomachache was soon cured.
"What potion is this?" Albert asked.
"An anti-diarrheal," Madam Pomfrey replied, shooing them out.
The four boys thanked Madam Pomfrey and immediately made their way to the library to look up the recipe for the anti-diarrheal potion. They flipped through several books until they found it in a book titled "Treatment of Common Magical Ailments."
However, what surprised them the most was that one of the ingredients required for the anti-diarrheal potion was U-No-Poo.
"Am I seeing things?" Fred rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was reading.
"No, you're not," Albert said, holding the book. He then went to find Mrs. Pince to borrow the book so that he could study it further.
Preparing the anti-diarrheal potion wasn't difficult, but the tricky part was handling the U-No-Poo. This particular ingredient required an alchemical process to roast and remove the oil before it could be used. If the U-No-Poo was not properly prepared, the resulting potion would not only fail to stop diarrhea but also act as a powerful laxative, making the condition worse.
"We can write to the apothecary and purchase pre-processed U-No-Poo. However, I suspect this ingredient will be quite expensive," Albert warned.
Certain medicinal ingredients required tedious alchemical processes before they could be used, and such ingredients tended to be very costly.
Of course, it wasn't the ingredient itself that was expensive but rather the intricate processing required.
"The anti-diarrheal potion is indeed very effective. It cured the stomachache instantly," George remarked.
"I bet it would also make a great prank," Fred said, already envisioning a group of people suffering from diarrhea, overwhelming the bathrooms, and creating a hilarious scene.
"Stop thinking about such weird things," Albert said, giving Fred a sidelong glance. "Unless you want to be dragged into the bathroom and beaten up one day."
"That won't happen," Fred said with a mischievous smile. "I'm just thinking out loud. Besides, we're selling the anti-diarrheal potion, aren't we?"
"If you plan to sell this to students at school, it's best to wait until after we graduate," Lee Jordan muttered. "I don't want to deal with stomachaches every day."
Albert ignored the twins as they stood shoulder to shoulder, performing an odd little tap dance. Instead, he carefully perused the contents of "Treatment of Common Magical Ailments," certain that this was a common book found in wizarding households.
"Have you never used an anti-diarrheal potion or any similar remedy before?" Albert asked.
"Not that I can recall," Fred shook his head.
"What about this book?" Albert asked, pointing to "Treatment of Common Magical Ailments."
"No, but we do have a book called 'A Handbook of Healing Spells' at home," Fred replied.
"So, what do you do when you have an upset stomach?" Albert frowned.
"Dad would get potions from St. Mungo's, and they'd fix us right up," George said thoughtfully. "You know, the healers there sell simple remedies for common symptoms to wizards who aren't good at brewing potions. I bet that's the anti-diarrheal potion we're talking about."
"Yeah, since we don't get stomachaches that often, it's easy to forget about it," Fred agreed. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Albert said. "I just think that if we're serious about selling this, we should look for an alternative recipe. I don't expect you two to learn how to process U-No-Poo anytime soon, and I certainly don't want to waste time and energy on this in the future."
(End of Chapter)
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