Trouble with the Wolfsbane Potion

Spinner's End.

Lucien was puzzled when Snape said that the matter was troublesome, but he still waited for Snape to finish making the potion.

Snape stood beside the table, waiting for the potion to boil for another cycle, before continuing, "Finding that person is troublesome. And selling the Wolfsbane Potion is also troublesome."

Lucien didn't rush to ask further questions, but waited quietly for what was to come.

"Damocles has cast a secret spell on his residence," Snape said. "It requires a specific key to access."

Lucien immediately understood; there were some spells that could conceal locations, the most famous being the Fidelius Charm.

He had used a key the first time he met Nicolas, so he was familiar with it.

Snape stirred the potion in the cauldron with his wand, his movements unhurried, and said calmly, "That person's potion-making skills are quite impressive, but his dueling skills are rather mediocre. Fearing Werewolf retaliation, he had no choice but to hide his home in a rather secretive place."

"The Werewolf ' revenge?" Lucien frowned.

He was indeed somewhat surprised. The Wolfsbane Potion was meant to help Werewolf better survive the night of the full moon, so logically they should be grateful. Why would it instead invite revenge?

Snape stopped stirring, glanced at the color of the potion in the cauldron, and explained, "You should know that there are innate and acquired differences among Werewolf. For those born Werewolf, Werewolf bitten and infected by them are essentially their familiars or subordinates."

His tone was laced with undisguised sarcasm. "Ha, Werewolf are born as beasts. They have some relationship with humans, but not much. How could they allow their minions any hope of escape? So they unleashed their savagery and fury on Damocles, the inventor of the potion."

Lucien immediately understood: the Wolfsbane Potion gave the unfortunate Werewolf who had been infected a choice—to allow them to maintain their sanity on the night of the full moon and no longer be completely driven by their animal instincts.

This is good news for those who want to return to a normal life after being bitten, but for those born Werewolf who want to keep the "pack" firmly in their grasp, this potion weakens their control, which is why they cause trouble for Damocles.

But the potion recipe has already been made public, so this is simply an act of revenge.

With Snape's explanation, Lucien understood why Damocles was so hard to find.

Despite being Potions Master, Snape lived openly in the Muggle neighborhood, and no one dared to cause him trouble—because besides being a first-rate Potions Master, his dueling and fighting skills were also top-notch.

As Snape poured out the potion, he said, "I can take you, but on one condition."

Upon hearing this, Lucien immediately perked up his ears, wanting to hear what Snape would ask for. Had he already used up that large bottle of Qilin Saliva used for making potions?

"Write three papers on potions," Snape said, "At least to the point of being publishable in * The Practical Potioneer *."

Lucien grumbled inwardly, "What do you mean 'at least publishable in <Practical Potioneer>'? That's already a top-tier potions journal, and they need three articles..."

"No problem, Professor."

To complete the Emerald Tablet, I would have continued developing potions anyway. As for systematically organizing the knowledge into papers, that was something I was used to in my previous life; it was just a matter of course.

Snape's eyes lit up with satisfaction upon hearing Lucien's quick agreement.

"The glory that potions can bring you is no less than that of alchemy..."

As he spoke, Snape pulled a thin book from his pocket, held it in his hand, and shook it; it was a book of Instant Whisper.

Although he had mostly stayed indoors brewing potions during this time, he was still aware of Instant Whisper's existence, given the sensational impact of this alchemical creation.

"You haven't put enough effort into potions; you've only glimpsed a fraction of what lies ahead. The scenery beyond is far more captivating..."

These words instantly brought Lucien back to his first Potions Class, with its opening lines. "Break glory, stop death—"

So Snape made me write a potions paper because he felt he hadn't burned enough cauldrons.

As for glory, well, we're doing all this for the advancement of magical civilization...