Chapter 718: Conna's Moment of Glory
Chapter 718: Conna's Moment of Glory
As Kyle and Conna approached the exit of the Room of Requirement, it was almost time for their afternoon classes. Instead of returning to the Common Room, they headed straight for the underground classroom.
The afternoon schedule consisted of back-to-back Potions classes, and it was also their first time attending Professor Slughorn's class.
When they arrived in the corridor outside the underground classroom, there were already several students inside, including Autumn, who was seated at the desk closest to the podium with a few other Ravenclaws.
Kyle and Conna entered the classroom.
Professor Slughorn's personality was a stark contrast to Professor Snape's; before this year, this classroom was never exposed to any sunlight, relying solely on the flickering torches that permanently lit the room.
Additionally, the surroundings were filled with peculiar items, such as various internal organs of frogs and rats, or the mucus of slugs, scattered everywhere. It didn't resemble a classroom at all; instead, it felt more like the shops in Knockturn Alley that sold Dark Arts items and illegal potions.
But Professor Slughorn was different; he didn't appreciate the dark and gloomy atmosphere.
The wall-mounted torches had been removed, and the various bottles and jars were either put away (perhaps taken by Professor Snape) or replaced with cauldrons emitting white smoke and steam.
The curtains were drawn open for the first time, and Professor Slughorn seemed to have cast a spell on the windows, making them resemble the Great Hall's ceiling, allowing Kyle to see the bright sunlight outside from the underground classroom for the first time.
It was a refreshing feeling.
"Look, that's the Revitalizing Potion," Conna whispered beside him.
The Revitalizing Potion was the potion Conna had invented for the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters' assessment, with effects similar to the Wake-Up Potion, both keeping one alert and refreshed.
If the Wake-Up Potion was a stimulant, then the Revitalizing Potion was like coffee; while it couldn't suppress fatigue, it could keep one's mind sharp throughout the day, each with its own advantages.
What surprised Conna was that her potion hadn't been officially announced yet, but it was already being used in the Potions classroom.
"It seems Professor Slughorn does have some connections," Kyle remarked.
The two of them approached the cauldron containing the Revitalizing Potion and sat down. As they drew closer, Kyle caught a faint scent of mint, like a gentle breeze caressing his cheeks, very refreshing.
"Now, students," Professor Slughorn stood at the podium, his plump figure appearing and disappearing in the steam.
"Before we begin, I've prepared a few special potions to broaden your horizons, but don't misunderstand, this isn't meant to be challenging, it's purely out of personal preference... I believe these magical potions might spark your interest in this subject."
"Let's start with this one." He pointed to the nearest cauldron, "Does anyone know what this is?"
The cauldron contained a pale blue potion, emitting white smoke.
"I know, it's the Baffle Brain Potion!" Autumn was the first to raise her hand.
"Excellent," Professor Slughorn said with delight, "The Baffle Brain Potion, one of the graduates' favorite potions, but I must say, using it during exams is illegal, and it will invalidate your scores.
"But for regular studies, having a sip is perfectly fine."
"What about this one?" He pointed in another direction.
This time, the potion in the cauldron wasn't as visually appealing as the previous Baffle Brain Potion; it was a grayish, sticky substance resembling cement.
No one in the classroom raised their hand.
Professor Slughorn appeared slightly disappointed, but just as he was about to reveal the answer.
"It's the Invisibility Potion," Conna raised her hand.
"Absolutely correct," Professor Slughorn was both surprised and delighted.
"Indeed, the Invisibility Potion, applying it to your body allows you to disappear... But to be honest, I'd probably never use this."
"Why?" A Hufflepuff boy asked curiously, the closest to the cauldron, examining the sticky substance inside.
"Anyone?" Professor Slughorn asked with a smile, his gaze fixed on Conna.
"I suppose it's because of the nature of the Invisibility Potion. It must adhere tightly to the body, and once it comes off, it loses its effect. And giant's snot is the best adhesive."
Giant's snot?
The Hufflepuff boy took a step back, then another, and covered his mouth as he dry-heaved.
Others in the classroom also took a step back.
"Don't be so excited, it's just a potion ingredient," Professor Slughorn said, "You should know that during the war, this potion was the most valuable thing, it could even save your life."
Despite his words, no one seemed eager to get closer, especially those sitting next to the cauldron, as the thought of the scent of giant's snot in the air made them desperate for a seat further away.
But it was class time, and Professor Slughorn would surely disapprove.
In addition to these, there were also the Stimulating Potion, which enhanced one's strength, and the Dandelion Potion, which allowed one to fly.
Both of these potions were identified, one by Conna and the other by a Ravenclaw boy.
"Well, I must admit I underestimated you. The knowledge of potions among seventh-year students is indeed more extensive."
Professor Slughorn slowly made his way to the last cauldron, where Kyle and Conna were seated.
"But I must say, you definitely don't know what this last potion is.
"He had a smug look on his face, "Although this might seem a little unfair, but this is an unreleased potion, invented by the youngest member of the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters."
Kyle glanced at Cona, but was met with a stern stare in return.
"Of course, some members of the Association might be puzzled as to why they haven't seen the new member list, right?"
Slughorn continued, "That's because the list won't be announced until after Christmas. However, luckily, one of the examining wizards this year is my student. So, after the examination, he couldn't wait to share the news with me."
Murmurs spread around, everyone was surprised by Professor Slughorn's well-informed news, which made him even more proud.
"Professor..." At this moment, Kyle blurted out, "What if someone knows what this potion is?"
"Then I'll give him a hundred points." Slughorn said casually, not believing in such a possibility.
"So..." He cleared his throat, "Let me proudly introduce to you all, this is..."
"Revitalizing Potion," a familiar voice whispered, interrupting Professor Slughorn.
He opened his mouth, turning to Cona in disbelief.
"You... How could you possibly know..." He seemed to have realized something, "You are...?"
"Cona Prince," Cona replied.
"Prince... Prince..." Slughorn murmured, then his face lit up with uncontrollable joy, "That's right, it's Prince... You must be the girl who went for the Association's examination last month, right!"
The room buzzed with whispers again, this time louder, as everyone's attention turned to Cona.
"I did attend the examination, and the Revitalizing Potion is my creation." Cona nodded, "But I'm not sure if I passed or not."
"I assure you, there won't be any issues. Don't forget, I have insider information." Slughorn winked, "Oh, and remember to keep it a secret. According to the rules, this is not to be disclosed."
He then turned to Kyle, complaining, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Just wait and see."
"Sorry, Professor, I thought you knew." Kyle said, "Didn't you see the list? Cona's name is on it."
"I really should have looked at it." Slughorn felt a bit annoyed, he preferred to know everyone in class rather than through a list.
But he didn't expect this habit to cause such a blunder today.
However, Slughorn wasn't truly angry, and knowing about Cona Prince in his class was a small matter.
"Well, it's time to fulfill my promise." Slughorn said, "Hufflepuff, add a hundred points... Well, let's make it fifty points instead. I forgot I'm no longer the Head of House, and I don't have the authority to award large points. But rest assured, I'll find Dumbledore."
Cona shook her head, indicating it didn't matter. In her opinion, getting fifty points was already great, as Kyle didn't have good intentions to begin with.
"This is a well-deserved score."
"And your potion is excellent too," Slughorn said, "I'll be adding a bit of it to my breakfast every day, so I can better prepare for each class."
"Thank you for your evaluation, Professor."
As a renowned Potion Master, Slughorn's approval meant a lot to Cona.
"Alright, today has been full of surprises." Slughorn waved his wand, and the cauldrons on the table disappeared, "But now, let's get back to class. Open your 'Advanced Potion Making' to page twenty-seven."
The class, still curious, took out their textbooks.
"Professor, you haven't told us what's in here yet." A Ravenclaw boy pointed at the small black cauldron on the podium.
The liquid in the cauldron seemed like melted gold, or golden fish, swirling and jumping inside without a drop spilling out.
"Ah, you've finally noticed it." Slughorn smiled, "This is a very unique little potion, I'm sure some of you know what it is."
"It's Felix Felicis," Autumn said excitedly.
This work is organized by Liu Shuyi~~
"Also known as Luck Potion!" Her neighbor added.
"That's right, Ravenclaw, add five points." Slughorn said, "I must say, teaching seventh-year students is so relaxing. It seems like Snape's advanced class is really strict."
Just as Kyle had thought, Professor Slughorn used Felix Felicis as the prize for this class.
The entire classroom erupted in excitement, everyone was surprised by the generosity of the new Potions teacher.
Felix Felicis! He was going to give it away?
Professor Slughorn looked at the podium, satisfied with the scene, just like the one with the sixth-year students.
As an experienced professor, he was well aware that his biggest challenge was to gain the students' approval.
And this was his solution, with just a small bottle of Felix Felicis, the problem was perfectly solved, and it was a great deal.
Of course, he couldn't do this with every class, even if he had seven bottles of Felix Felicis, that would be too much.
"Let me repeat that." Professor Slughorn raised his voice, drowning out the murmurs in the room. "The best one will win a bottle of Felix Felicis."
"We were talking about... oh, turn the book to page twenty-two. You have a little over an hour to work on a portion of the Polyjuice Potion."
"Yes, a portion. You'll find that this is not a potion that can be completed in a short time. It's an increasingly complex process, and as the time goes by, it becomes the biggest difference from the seventh-year Potions class."
"Accordingly, the difficulty of potion-making will also increase. Because if there's any mistake in the process, all previous efforts will be in vain."
"Good luck to you all."
No one could resist the allure of a bottle of Luck Elixir, and as soon as Professor Slughorn finished speaking, everyone scrambled to get their copies of 'Advanced Potion Making'.
Professor Slughorn had already prepared all the necessary ingredients, including Fluxweed that had been brewing for twenty-one days, and placed them in the storage cabinet by the door.
This potion wasn't particularly challenging, even second or third-year students could manage it. It just required patience, which was why Professor Slughorn didn't want to waste more time on it.
As Kyle got up to collect the ingredients, he noticed that the room wasn't as crowded as it used been in their fifth year when they were taking Professor Slughorn's advanced class.
By the time Kyle obtained the Fluxweed picked under the full moon, someone was already working on the Earwig.
Everyone was focused on their own tasks, but they couldn't help but be concerned about others' progress, fearing they were falling behind.
The only person in the room who wasn't fidgeting was probably Cona, whose gaze remained fixed on the cauldron in front of her.
Kyle added three portions of Fluxweed to the cauldron, then two bundles of Earwig. When the potion in the cauldron turned a light shade of tan, he quickly took out his wand and stirred the potion clockwise three times.
The potion turned a light pink, the best state.
From this point on, Kyle didn't need to keep an eye on it.
He put down his wand and calmly started dealing with the Flobberworms on the table. Cona's speed was even faster than his.
"Kyle," Cona whispered, "What do you think is Professor Slughorn's criteria for evaluation in this class? Is it based on this potion or after the potion is completed?"
"It should be after the completion of the potion," Kyle thought for a moment and replied.
According to the time, they could only brew the Fluxweed in this class, which was just a part of the Polyjuice Potion. It would be difficult to use it as an evaluation standard.
After dealing with the Flobberworm, Kyle added two spoons of Fluxweed to the mortar and began to grind it finely.
This was the most time-consuming part, and the finer the Fluxweed was ground, the more stable the potion's effect would be.
Sixty minutes later, the potion in the cauldron had turned a tea brown color. Kyle quickly adjusted the flame to the lowest setting and added four portions of Flobberworm and the finely ground Fluxweed powder.
"Bang!"
Just then, a loud explosion sounded in their ears.
Kyle's first reaction was that someone's cauldron had exploded, and indeed, a Ravenclaw boy seemed to have been keeping an eye on them, treating them as rivals.
This caused Kyle to neglect his own cauldron.
When the boiling Fluxweed met the finely ground Fluxweed powder, it was like pouring flour into the fire, causing an explosion on the spot.
"Shield Charm!"
Cona's voice reached his ears, and the splashing potion was blocked in front of Kyle, less than five feet away.
"Thank you," Kyle said, he hadn't reacted in time.
"No problem," Cona shook her head, "I just smelled a faint burnt smell and guessed that someone's cauldron was about to explode. Fortunately, I was in time."
But others weren't so lucky. The splashing potion was like a rain shower in the classroom, and wherever it landed on someone, it would burn them, making them howl in pain.
Even Professor Slughorn wasn't spared. Kyle noticed two drops of the potion had landed on his bald head.
"You need to lower the flame before adding the Fluxweed powder. How could someone make such a low-level mistake?" he said, covering his head with one hand and waving his wand with the other. The potion on his head instantly disappeared.
"Ravenclaw loses five points," he said.
The Ravenclaw boy looked a bit dejected. He really didn't want to miss out on the Luck Elixir.
"Alright, since it's your first mistake..." Professor Slughorn sighed, "There are still a few days until the potion is fully completed. After class, I'll allow you to use this classroom for an hour. Remember, only an hour."
"Thank you, Professor," the boy said happily, then ran quickly to the storage cabinet.
The Fluxweed solution needed to be brewed for another 20 hours before the next step, and Professor Slughorn had probably adjusted the schedule so that the next morning was also a Potions class.
If the Ravenclaw boy was fast enough, he might still be able to catch up with the others.
Half an hour later, the bell rang.
Professor Slughorn slowly walked between the tables, checking each cauldron one by one.
After inspecting each one, he would tap the table with his wand, and a circle would appear around the cauldron.
This was to prevent anyone from having ill intentions and sneaking in to sabotage others' potions when they weren't in class.
This step wasn't originally necessary, but ever since he experienced the intense gunpowder scent between Gryffindor and Slytherin the other day, he felt it was necessary.
It was a bit troublesome, but better than wasting two class periods.
(End of Chapter)
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