Potions Class

Adam rubbed his hands together, leaving the Headmaster's Office with satisfaction.

After eating the Coconut Ice just now, he couldn't resist going to Fawkes and politely asking if he could touch him. He originally went with the mindset of trying without losing anything, but he didn't expect Fawkes to stare at him for a while and actually nod in agreement!

The Phoenix—in fact, it should be translated as Undying Bird—the feathers on its wings and tail felt incredibly smooth, while the down on its belly was unbelievably soft. The feeling of rubbing his fingertips against it was simply exhilarating~

Unfortunately, Adam didn't dare to overdo it on their first encounter, otherwise, he would have really wanted to pick Fawkes up and take a deep breath!

But as he snapped out of his entranced state, Adam couldn't help but think.

He still had one question he hadn't asked Professor Dumbledore during their conversation: why would Nicolas Flamel trust him so easily and entrust such an important matter to him?

A complete stranger, the descendant of a friend, entrusted with the Sorcerer's Stone just because he was young?

But when he steered the conversation in that direction, Professor Dumbledore first threw the Fidelius Charm to attract his attention, and then just slipped away, not giving him a chance to ask...

Could it be that he and Nicolas Flamel really have some other kind of relationship?

This question couldn't be verified for the time being, so Adam didn't dwell on it for too long and threw it to the back of his mind as soon as he returned to the dormitory.

The next morning was Potions Class. When Adam took out his cauldron, Eugene next to him didn't say anything, but Klon, who was a space away, couldn't help but say:

"Wait, are you going to use that cauldron from yesterday to brew potions... You're not going to keep using it to cook food, are you?"

Not knowing what he was thinking of, Klon looked pale:

"I don't want to eat food made in a cauldron that's been used to cook Flobberworms..."

"Don't worry, Flobberworms can't be thrown directly into the cauldron. We usually use their juice."

"Is that really the point?!"

Adam spread his hands:

"Is there a problem? Scourgify can clean the cauldron very well... And, logically speaking, Flobberworm juice is a very common thickening agent in potions. You're going to drink those potions anyway, aren't you?"

"That's different!"

Klon shook his head desperately. Drinking potions was something he had to do when he was sick, but eating Adam's delicacies was for enjoyment.

How desperate would you have to be to voluntarily eat something like that!

"This isn't the same cauldron as before."

Eugene suddenly spoke.

Adam looked at him in surprise:

"How did you notice?"

The cauldrons did have markings to distinguish them, but the markings were on the bottom. Besides, these cauldrons were copied using the Twin Card, so there shouldn't be any difference at all.

Eugene thought for a moment and said:

"I guessed. You have high standards for quality of life, you wouldn't save money in this area."

Even if Scourgify could clean the cauldron, the psychological effect would still affect the mood for eating. Unless he had a special fetish in that regard, Adam, who didn't like the food made by the school and directly cooked for himself, couldn't possibly be unwilling to buy even a cauldron.

"Wow~ Eugene, you're really great!"

Adam applauded Eugene's wit, while Klon looked at Adam in shock:

"Then what were you just...?"

"He was teasing you."

Bernard sighed and rubbed his partner's hair.

Potions Class required students to work in pairs. Originally, it was difficult to divide the five people in the dormitory, but Uther had somehow become friendly with the students in a certain girls' dormitory, so he formed a group with the extra person from that dormitory.

"Bang—"

The sound of the door being slammed open suddenly silenced the somewhat noisy classroom. Professor Snape strode to the side of the platform, his black robe swirling behind him, like a group of bats following the footsteps of a demon king.

Turning around, Snape adjusted his cloak and swept his gloomy eyes over every student. Every student he saw shrunk their heads and behaved as docile as quails—except for one exception.

Among the group of cowering gazes, those eyes, filled with excitement, a hint of excitement and admiration, and many complex emotions mixed in, were particularly conspicuous. Snape, who was proficient in Legilimency, couldn't help but narrow his eyes, as if he had suddenly seen something dazzling.

Slightly uncomfortably frowning, Professor Snape began to call names.

"Adam Reed."

Yes, he remembered that name.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic."

Professor Snape's deliberately lowered voice echoed in the quiet classroom. He stepped down from the platform and slowly paced among the students:

"I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't, as I more usually find, a bunch of dunderheads."

"Mr. Reed."

Professor Snape happened to walk to the position behind Adam, and the sudden opening would usually startle the students, but unexpectedly, Adam looked excited instead.

"Yes, Professor."

Meeting those increasingly excited eyes, Snape averted his gaze uncomfortably, turned and walked towards the platform, while speaking:

"How would I deal with a fresh Horned Slug?"

"Remove the innards before steaming."

"Tell me about the precautions when using Lionfish Spine."

"Lionfish Spine needs to be ground into powder before use, but it's important to note that this potion ingredient rapidly loses its potency after being ground, so it must be processed right before brewing the potion. It can only be stored whole normally, and it's best to avoid direct sunlight..."

Because Professor Snape asked a very broad question about precautions, Adam had no choice but to say everything he knew about it.

"Alright, that's enough."

Snape interrupted Adam's answer after hearing third-year knowledge points coming out, "Mr. Reed, do you think you can learn enough without attending class? The first-year curriculum is no longer satisfying you, is it?"

"I know that Potions is a subject that requires precise operation, Professor, and I am very interested in it, but I also know that it is dangerous and foolish to operate based on self-study alone."

Adam thought he saw a subtle hint of "at least you know yourself" in Professor Snape's eyes, but maybe he was mistaken.

"So what I can do is memorize the theoretical part before formally studying this course at school, hoping to be able to focus more attention on listening to the professor's teachings in class."

"..."

Professor Snape squinted at Adam for a while, then suddenly said:

"If I want to brew a Wit-Sharpening Potion, how many slices of Armadillo Liver do I need?"

"...I think the Wit-Sharpening Potion uses Armadillo Bile, Professor, and requires two pints."

Professor Snape made no comment but made a sound of air, then turned around, picked up a book, waved his wand at the blackboard, and said without turning his head:

"In fact, adding two and one-sixteenth pints will make the Wit-Sharpening Potion more effective, but two and one-eighth pints of Armadillo Bile will turn the Wit-Sharpening Potion into a deadly poison."

Adam's eyes lit up, and he opened his notebook and wrote this down.

Whether it's a more effective Wit-Sharpening Potion or a deadly poison, both are very useful!