Chapter 494: Potions Class
Chapter 494: Potions Class
Liam led Harry and Ron away from Professor Mcgonagall as quickly as possible. At that moment, they were like mice escaping from a cat, their heads down as they followed Liam around the corner to meet Hermione. After catching up, Liam recounted what had happened, and the two of them were amused by Professor Mcgonagall's dry wit.
"Ah, what a bummer. I thought we could finally take a break after writing so much", Ron said with a sigh once they were out of Professor Mcgonagall's sight. He had chosen the same classes as Harry to have a companion in class and someone to copy homework from, but now, thinking about the content of Potions Class, he wondered if he had been a bit impulsive in his course selection.
However, this also showed that Ron's academic level wasn't too bad. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to take these advanced subjects. Many fan works from the previous life that depicted Ron as completely incompetent were likely just biased.
On their way down to the dungeon, they met Hagrid in the school entrance hall. Hagrid happily raised his arm to greet them and said to Liam, "Thanks for helping the Centaurs accept my brother. Otherwise, Professor Dumbledore would have had a lot of trouble this year."
Then he looked at Harry and Ron, "I was a bit disappointed this morning when I didn't see you in my class, but then I thought you're all growing up and have your own goals, so I didn't feel as bad. Harry, I know you want to become an Auror and need to study a lot and practice. I completely understand why you can't attend my class. I wish you the best in achieving your goal and becoming a great Auror." With that, Hagrid waved and left.
"I feel a bit guilty", Harry said, watching Hagrid's retreating back. "As his friend, I should have signed up for his class."
"Don't be silly, Harry", Ron said, sounding a bit frustrated. "We need to put in two hundred percent effort just to keep up with these subjects, not to mention you're the Quidditch Captain and need to spend a lot of time on training. If you add another class, you won't get any sleep this year."
"Besides, there won't be a shortage of people interested in entering the Department of Magical Creatures after graduation, so plenty of wizards will sign up for Hagrid's advanced class. It won't be awkward with no one attending", Liam's explanation helped Harry relax a bit. By then, they had reached the corridor outside the dungeon and saw only about a dozen classmates for the advanced class. This meant that Britain could produce no more than this many Elixir Masters each year, which explained why potions were so expensive.
Before they could say anything to the others, the classroom door opened. Professor Slughorn's large belly appeared before he did. Unlike Snape, who always wore a stern expression, Slughorn greeted the students with a warm smile, especially Harry and Zabini.
Once inside, Liam noticed the basement was already filled with steam and a variety of strange odors. He detected a particular cold, faintly rusty scent, but surprisingly, he didn't mind it. Instead, he felt a growing sense of satisfaction.
"Alright, alright, alright", Slughorn said, his large figure appearing hazy through the steam. "Students, please take out your scales, ingredient kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion Making. We're about to start."
As he walked to the podium, he noticed Harry raising his hand. "What is it, Harry?"
"Sorry, Professor, I don't have a book, scales, or anything else—neither does Ron—because we didn't expect to be in the advanced class. We placed our orders this morning, but the items haven't arrived yet."
"Ah, no problem. You can use the ingredients, scales, and old textbooks from the storage cabinet today. Just return them next time when your supplies arrive." Slughorn strode to the corner storage cabinet, prepared two sets of the necessary items, and handed them to Harry and Ron before returning to the podium.
"This morning, I've prepared some Elixirs to give you a taste of what you can achieve. I believe that if you successfully complete the Advanced Potions course, you should be able to make such potions. Now, can anyone tell me what these are?" He pointed to a cauldron containing a clear, boiling liquid that looked like clear water.
As soon as he finished speaking, Hermione raised her hand straight up. Slughorn nodded at her. Hermione said, "This is Veritaserum, Professor. It makes the person who drinks it tell the truth."
"Very good. And what about this one?" Slughorn pointed to another cauldron that contained a substance resembling boiling mud. Liam immediately recognized it as the Polyjuice Potion he had obtained in Brazil during his second year. This question was no challenge for Hermione. She glanced at it and said, "This is Polyjuice Potion, sir."
"Excellent. Now, let's look at the last one." Slughorn looked at Hermione with a hint of anticipation, and she did not disappoint.
"This is Amortentia", Hermione said confidently. "You can see its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen and the spiraling steam. Most notably, each person smells their most attractive scent. For example, I smell freshly cut grass, new parchment, and—"
Hermione blushed and closed her lips, stopping mid-sentence. Unnoticed by the others, she glanced at Liam, and they both smiled.
"Dear, could you tell me your name?" Slughorn asked. At his age, he was well accustomed to young love and pretended not to notice Hermione's small gesture.
"Hermione Granger, sir."
"Granger? Granger? Are you related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, the founder of the Extraordinary Potion Makers Association?" Slughorn subconsciously associated her name with a famous figure.
"No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born."
Two Slytherin students snickered, but Professor Slughorn, a former Slytherin Head of House, did not show the disdain Hermione expected. Instead, he smiled.
He seemed to understand what Hermione was thinking. "Relax. I once had a very talented Muggle-born student. Unfortunately, she—never mind." He caught himself and glanced at Harry. "For your perfect answer, I'll award Gryffindor's Miss Granger a well-deserved twenty points."
Then, Slughorn addressed the entire class seriously. "The effects of Amortentia vary with the skill of the maker. Some highly skilled Elixirs makers can create potions that induce unconditional infatuation. Of course, the feelings induced by such Elixirs can never be called love. This is probably the most dangerous and powerful Elixirs in this classroom."
He covered the cauldron containing the Elixirs and looked at the somewhat skeptical students, nodding solemnly. "You are all too young and naive. When you have as much life experience as I do, you won't underestimate the power of enchanted infatuation."
Hearing this, Liam suddenly wondered if this professor, who was born into a noble family, possessed great magical power and wealth, yet remained a lifelong bachelor, had perhaps misused Amortentia in his youth.
As Liam's mind wandered, Slughorn cleared his throat. "Now, let's begin our formal lesson."
(End of Chapter)
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