Wizet's Cost Control

Combining Arithmancy with Ancient Runes, Wizet worked out the complete potion-brewing process.

Seeing Wizet set down his notebook, Snape raised an eyebrow and asked, "Already finished?"

"Professor Snape, I've only completed a rough outline for now..." Wizet said truthfully. "We can brew a batch first and test the final effect."

Snape rose to his feet. "How many Alihotsy Tree leaves are needed in one batch?"

"Six Alihotsy Tree leaves."

"What about Fwooper feathers?"

"Eight."

"And ambergris?"

"Five portions of ambergris."

"Five..." A glint flashed in Snape's eyes, as though he were calculating something. At last, he nodded. "Begin!"

After saying that, he stopped before a shelf, picked up a glass jar full of earthworms, and walked over to the Horklumps nearby.

As he began brewing the potion, Wizet was considering a question of his own.

He noticed that the potion ingredients Snape had asked about were all relatively expensive. Fwooper feathers, for instance, sold for five Gold Galleons each.

Alihotsy Tree leaves cost four Gold Galleons apiece, while the most expensive ingredient of all, ambergris, cost three hundred Gold Galleons per ounce.

Even calculating only the cost of those three ingredients, this potion that allowed people to recall their fears cost at least 1,564 Gold Galleons to make...

Wizet remembered Snape mentioning that frog brain pulp was cheap, but frog brain pulp imbued with the magical property of "fear" could replace certain expensive potion ingredients.

That was why Snape had said, "They should be happy to contribute to the school"...

Which meant Snape had assessed the potion's cost before ultimately deciding to use frog brain pulp with the magical property of "fear" to replace other ingredients.

Wizet recalled that, for a potioneer, learning how to control costs was also an important discipline.

The questions Snape had just asked were actually