35: Unorthodox Knowledge

Sean's potion-brewing plan went even more smoothly than he had imagined,

because of an accident during Friday morning's Potions class—

Neville had soaked himself head to toe in potion through a mistake, leaving his arms and legs covered in swollen red boils—

so Professor Snape had gone to the hospital wing.

According to Justin's hurried report:

Professor Snape would be staying there for a while, giving Sean at least three hours to brew potions.

The Dungeon was still cold and gloomy,

but Sean's enthusiasm had not dimmed in the slightest. He swiftly took out his ingredients and books, then lit the Cauldron.

Justin was still in the hospital wing, keeping watch on Professor Snape for him.

He had to make the most of this chance and grind out as much proficiency as possible.

Sean thought,

once he had gotten started with potion brewing and showed his improvement in the next Potions class,

Professor Snape would probably let him come to the Dungeon to brew potions, just as he let the older Wizards do, right?

After all, he was a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor.

As long as it was reasonable and didn't violate school rules, Professor Snape probably wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for Young Wizards.

Of course,

that was assuming your name wasn't Potter.

"Light the Cauldron, prepare the ingredients..."

Sean was already thoroughly familiar with those steps. The only things worth paying attention to were—

heat control and stirring.

Just last night, he had flipped through the entire Advanced Potion-Making Guide,

until he froze at the profound words on Master Libatius Borage's page:

Different potions required different methods of preparation.

In fact, from ancient times to the present,

physical phenomena lacking metaphysical insight were as unsatisfying as metaphysics lacking physical expression.

Behind those abstruse words, on a page that seemed like a note where writing had suddenly appeared,

was a passage that could be considered revolutionary in the practical knowledge of potion-making:

Every Potions Master should know that heat control was vital to potion brewing.

If one used the Flame Charm, anyone could brew perfect potions.

But just as I said in Have a Carnival in a Bottle Yourself,

without the peculiar intuition provided by spells, a Cauldron was as unacceptable as scrap iron...

Sean quickly turned the page, and the most crucial part leapt into view.

Although this passage had been mocked as something only "fool Wizards" needed to learn,

and was not acknowledged by tradition, I say, fuck them!

If you can see this passage, then I shall reveal to you:

self-heating Cauldrons can also achieve perfect heat control.

Seeing that passage felt no different to Sean than Harry discovering the Half-Blood Prince's notes, Hermione discovering the Time-Turner, or Tom discovering Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic...

"I—I have everything I need now!"

Sean focused on brewing the slugs and preparing the ingredients.

His stirring was no longer haphazard, but adjusted according to the techniques Professor Snape had revealed.

His heat control no longer followed those vague standards, but Master Libatius Borage's guidance.

There was little light in the Dungeon, but it was enough to illuminate the Young Wizard's figure.

Thin wisps of white vapor rose from the Cauldron, soft and elegant as silk.

Amid a series of bubbling gurgles and Sean's quiet breathing, the potion in the Cauldron once again turned a pale blue-green.

Sean knew that the most important moment had come.

Using exactly the same method as last time, he added the slugs and began the final stirring.

In the cold underground chamber,

the stone shelves around him were lined with all kinds of glass jars, containing twisted roots, animal eyeballs, or strange scales that glimmered faintly.

A cold drop of water seeped from a crack in the moss-covered ceiling,

landing precisely on the back of Sean's neck.

Sean felt nothing. His body and mind, like the spell he had recited and the magic he had released, sank into the hazy steam.

You have successfully brewed a batch of Scurvy Paste to beginner standards. Proficiency +3

The System Panel's notification pulled Sean out of his immersion. His eyes burned as he stared at the ink green, jelly-like liquid.

He understood that the hardest step had already been completed.

What he needed to do next was simple: maintain his current standard, stabilize his potion-brewing skills,

and finally transform the White Trash talent completely.

Sean's heart was blazing with excitement, but he packed up and fled with equal speed.

All the ingredients were stuffed into his bag in an instant.

After carefully storing the Scurvy Paste from the Cauldron in a Crystal Bottle,

Sean flicked his wand.

"S-cour-g-ify!"

The Cauldron instantly returned to normal. Sean carefully placed Advanced Potion-Making Guide and Magical Drafts and Potions into his bag.

Now he understood the difference between the eight-Gold-Galleon Advanced Potion-Making Guide and the two-Gold-Galleon Magical Drafts and Potions.

He inspected the Dungeon once more, making sure there were no loose ends.

As the surroundings grew slightly warmer, Justin's anxious face appeared with the sunlight.

The moment he saw Sean, he visibly relaxed.

"Thank goodness, Sean. Did it go smoothly?"

he asked, panting.

"Yeah."

Sean nodded.

At the same time, around the corner of the corridor, a man with greasy yellow hair and a hooked nose strode forward.

Every Young Wizard who saw him quietly moved out of his way.

Sean and Justin watched Professor Snape walk into the Dungeon,

and the two of them felt like thieves.

"My mother says that bonds formed through doing bad things together are always stronger than bonds formed through doing good things together."

Justin was the first to laugh.

Then he thought for a moment.

"Though this wasn't a bad thing, the result is the same."

?

Sean gave him a baffled look.

Why did Mrs. Finley teach him everything?

In the Magical World, words like science were always rejected. Even in a discipline like potions, which required profound science and precise craftsmanship,

overly metaphysical debates were always excluded.

Well,

Sean hadn't said that. It was said by Libatius Borage, the Potions Master who had written Advanced Potion-Making, Asian Antidote Compendium, and Have a Carnival in a Bottle Yourself!.

His methods of heat control had benefited Sean immensely, so before lunch had even begun,

Sean planned to go to the Library and read his other two works.

It would be even better if they contained more notes like the ones tucked inside Advanced Potion-Making, filled with that "unorthodox" knowledge.

The Hogwarts Library on Fridays always carried a peculiar atmosphere unique to the eve of the weekend, a mixture of urgency and laziness.

Perhaps the Young Wizards had finally realized that they could hardly finish their assignments without spending time in the Library.

The oak tables were nearly full.

Students bent over their work could be seen everywhere.

The scratch of Quills across Parchment formed the Library's main melody.

Fifth- and seventh-year students wore obvious anxiety on their faces, with mountains of books piled before them.

The first-year Young Wizards were no less diligent. Every now and then, one would complain, "A whole foot of History of Magic essay?!"

before Madam Pince "invited" them to fly out of the Library.