Potions Class

Unfortunately, it seems the idea of directly extracting an enemy's flesh and blood was a bit naive. However, it wasn't long before Anduin had a new idea. Just because the spell couldn't be directly cast on a person didn't mean it was useless in combat.

If he cast the spell on the ground the enemy stood on, he could pull the soil out from under their feet. This would not only affect their balance but also immediately create a trap that hindered their movements. Moreover, perhaps he could also...

Anduin stared at Vanessa's thesis, lost in thought, completely immersed in the ocean of academia. In a way, Anduin was a pure scholar. Although his research often veered into combat tactics, his years of military service in his previous life, coupled with his identity as a martial artist, meant that no matter what he encountered, the first thing he thought of was whether it could be used as a weapon or if it held any tactical or strategic significance.

Flitwick watched Anduin ponder earnestly and smiled with satisfaction. Diligent students always earned the favor of their professors.

Time passed quickly, and the club gathering came to an end. All the students left the room in an orderly fashion. Anduin followed Vanessa back to the Slytherin common room. Older students had a curfew extension until nine o'clock, but younger wizards like Anduin were not allowed to wander the castle after eight. Therefore, Vanessa kindly escorted him the whole way to prevent him from being caught by Filch.

Today's trip to the Spell Club had been very rewarding for Anduin. Back in the dormitory, he continued to study the Extraction Curse. Since the Extraction Curse was a spell only taught after the fourth year, mastering it early, along with more practical casting techniques, made him feel exceptionally satisfied.

The next day in Potions class.

"Perfect, absolutely outstanding. I didn't expect Anduin and Vivian's group to produce a qualified Calming Draught on their first try," Professor Horace Slughorn of Potions praised Anduin's group without reservation. Especially since the cauldrons of other students nearby were either emitting foul black smoke or had been burnt to a crisp.

Vivian, standing beside him, could only smile awkwardly at the professor's praise. She had practically watched from the sidelines during this potion-making session. Her entire role throughout the process was to hand over ingredients. For instance, when Anduin called for "Sunpetal Root Powder," Vivian was responsible for handing it to him. Once, Vivian even handed him the wrong ingredient. If Anduin hadn't checked the ingredient after receiving it, this potion would have been ruined by her passive observation.

Anduin calmly accepted Professor Slughorn's praise, nodding slightly to thank the professor.

For Anduin, the task of brewing potions, which required a standardized procedural process, was very simple. The recipe clearly marked all the steps and ingredient standards. As long as one followed the recipe, it could be done.

He also discovered that brewing potions was no different from cooking. The key lay in ensuring the ingredients met the standards, and processes like cutting, grinding, and steeping required high precision.

Anduin's hands were incredibly steady. During the potion-making process, he was like a human machine, able to cut ingredients to the exact standard size, add them at the specified time, stir at the specified time, and maintain the correct heat for different periods. Everything flowed as naturally as water.

"Brewing potions is pretty much like making soup," Anduin thought to himself.

"The difficulty actually lies in the ingredients. Even the same ingredients can have different qualities. Just like raisins, some are dried out, while others still retain a lot of moisture. These are the key factors that truly determine the quality of the finished product." Although it was his first time brewing a potion, Anduin still summarized a lot of information. The Potions textbook focused more on describing the properties of semi-finished ingredients, the problems that substandard ingredients might cause during potion brewing, and how to solve them.

While Potions didn't fascinate him as much as Charms, the process of brewing potions kept his mind calm and focused, thus Anduin also developed a strong interest in Potions.

"There must be quite a few old textbooks in the Potions classrooms for each year. I should go and scavenge some when I have the time," Anduin began to hatch some mischievous plans in his mind. He had already visited the classrooms for the upper-year Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration classes recently, collecting quite a few old textbooks.

"Damn it, it's just brewing a batch of mediocre potion, what's there to be so proud of," Travers stirred the bubbling black liquid in his cauldron, clearly having messed up the batch. He resentfully spoke ill of Anduin to Rosier beside him.

"Alright, Travers, that guy can't keep it up for long. But we shouldn't bother him right now. Vanessa is watching," Rosier said quietly to Travers, looking helplessly at the now foul-smelling cauldron.

"Hmph, that damned Vanessa woman, she's completely disregarded the nobility of Slytherin," Travers complained bitterly. "Anduin had better not get in our way, or I won't let him off."

With that, Travers turned away from Anduin and looked maliciously in the direction of Gryffindor House. Charles over there had also ruined a batch of potion, and he and his partner were frantically wiping up the spilled potion from the cauldron.

"My father and the others used to complain that the McKinnon family always gets in our way. I heard Charles's aunt over there joined the Order of the Phoenix. Despite being from a pure-blood family, they still protect those lowly Muggle-born wizards. We crippled one of their family members last time, and they still haven't repented. Our mercy has its limits," Travers sneered at Rosier.

"Are you crazy? Don't talk about that here," Rosier said nervously in a low voice, warning Travers.

"What are you afraid of? Dumbledore is old now, he can't block our path. Once the Dark Lord defeats Dumbledore and breaks through the Ministry of Magic, the future belongs to us pure-blood families. We'll find time to deal with that idiot from the McKinnon family," Travers said sinisterly to Rosier.

Rosier glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to them, and quietly asked, "What are you planning to do? I heard Senior Yaxley is preparing..."

"Shh! Don't talk about that here. We'll discuss the specifics when we get back," Travers glared at Rosier and said.

"Didn't you start it?" Rosier glanced at Travers innocently and muttered softly.