Wolfsbane Potion

After lunch, we had Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindor.

Hagrid brought out Hippogriff Magical Creatures, but unlike in the original story, Draco had become much more serious about his studies this semester. He strictly followed Hagrid's instructions to bow to Hippogriff, successfully riding it and flying around in the air. However, not long after, everyone could see Hagrid hurriedly carrying Blaise Zabini towards the Hospital Wing. Blaise had a deep, long gash on his arm, and blood was flowing down his arm into the corridor.

The story quickly spread among the students: Blaise had been attacked by a Hippogriff named Buckbeak in Hagrid's class.

If you're wondering why there were Hippogriff in the classroom, it's because it was Hagrid's first Care of Magical Creatures, and to make a lasting impression, he brought twelve Hippogriff to class. Unsurprisingly, the lesson ended in complete failure.

Although the Gryffindor students could all testify that Blaise's attack by Buckbeak was entirely his own doing, it still cast a bloody shadow over the already somber atmosphere in the school.

As a member of Slytherin, Skylar followed them into the Hospital Wing. He saw that Madam Pomfrey healed Blaise in just one minute, but Blaise was still pale and complained that his arm hurt. He criticized Hogwarts' teaching methods for disregarding the students' safety and vowed to take the matter to the Ministry of Magic.

Blaise's mother, Madam Zabini, was a famously beautiful widow with secret, intimate relationships with many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic. It was said that even Minister for Magic Fudge had to give her some face. Skylar sneered inwardly but did not intend to stop the matter. Draco had originally wanted to inform Lucius to get involved, but he had to give up in frustration under Skylar's obstruction.

Skylar wasn't on Gryffindor's side, but he knew perfectly well that in the current Wizarding World, going against Dumbledore was unwise, at least until he had grown up...

Blaise didn't reappear at the Slytherin table until breakfast on Thursday. He entered the Great Hall to the cheers of the Slytherin students, his right arm wrapped in bandages and slinged around his neck like a hero who had survived some terrible battle.

Harry and Ron looked at him with disdain, but Blaise himself was smug.

Many people in the Great Hall were looking down at today's Daily Prophet. "What are you looking at?" Blaise asked curiously.

"It's the latest news about Sirius Black!" Pansy whispered, handing him a newspaper. Blaise saw that it read: Black was seen by a Muggle somewhere not far from Hogwarts. By the time the Ministry of Magic arrived, he had already left and is currently being pursued. It is speculated that Sirius Black is trying to enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Most of the young Slytherin wizards had already been instructed by their parents and knew exactly what was going on.

Draco whispered to Blaise, "Black's target is Potter. I think that guy's about to be in trouble. First, he saw Grim in Divination Class, then his dear Giant friend might be expelled, and now it's Black..."

With that, Draco gave a smug smile, stood up, and walked towards the Gryffindor table. He stood behind Harry, his eyes gleaming with malice. "So, Potter, do you think you can catch Black all by yourself?"

"What's it to you?" Harry retorted.

"Of course, if I were you..." Draco's thin lips curled into a sly smile, "I would have done something about it long ago. I wouldn't stay in school and be a good boy; I would definitely go out and find him."

"What nonsense are you spouting, Malfoy?" Ron said irritably.

"You don't know, Potter?" Draco said in a low voice, his gray eyes narrowing.

"What do you know?"

Malfoy let out a low chuckle. "Perhaps you're unwilling to risk your life," he said, "And prefer to let the Dementor deal with him, is that it? If it were me, I would definitely seek revenge; I would hunt him down myself."

A cough that was clearly feigned came from behind, and Skylar slowly approached the group.

Harry and Ron immediately became wary. They couldn't help it; Skylar's reputation was too great. Harry didn't think he and Ron together could stand up to Skylar. Hermione, however, bravely stood up, looked Skylar straight in the eye, and asked sharply, "Malfoy, this is the Great Hall. What do you plan to do in front of everyone?"

Skylar frowned, and an awkward silence fell over the room.

Skylar ignored Hermione's provocation, turned to Draco, and broke the silence. "Brother, have you forgotten Father's instructions?"

Draco had already said what he wanted to say, then feigned displeasure with a cold snort and turned to leave.

Skylar gave an apologetic smile and handed Harry an invitation. "As you all know, there will be Dementor patrolling outside Hogwarts this year, and the Patronus Charm is the only known spell that can ward off Dementor. I plan to organize a spell exchange event soon, where I will explain my understanding of the Patronus Charm and help students practice and master it. Students from any house are welcome to participate. If you are interested, please join us." With that, Skylar left the invitation, turned and left gracefully, leaving Hermione looking embarrassed.

Hermione felt a pang of Skylar, as if she'd been punched in the gut, a dull and unpleasant feeling washing over her. She didn't know why she'd confronted Skylar so directly; she only remembered feeling a sudden, inexplicable anger surge within her upon seeing Skylar, making it impossible for her to control her emotions.

A few days ago, she saw Skylar with three girls behaving intimately on the train, and she felt a vague unease. At the time, she thought it was due to the influence of the Dementor and didn't think much of it. But today, she felt that unease again, and this time the anger was so clear and so intense.

Seeing Hermione's unpredictable expression, Harry and Ron wisely refrained from saying anything that might provoke her, and instead began discussing the so-called "spell exchange" activity in hushed tones.

Skylar then approached Percy, who was having a meal, Percy him to help spread the news about the event to the Gryffindor Common Room. He then asked Penelope to help spread the news to the Ravenclaw Common Room, and Cedric to help spread the news to the Hufflepuff Common Room.

Although he wasn't particularly familiar with these three people, he had at least chatted with them a few times during Merlin's Trial. Asking them to help post a notice on the bulletin board was a simple favor, and he figured they wouldn't refuse.

Harry seemed surprised by the invitation and hesitated. Ron, on the other hand, scoffed, pointing out that it must be a Slytherin conspiracy and strongly advised everyone not to go. He suggested that if they wanted to learn spells, they could simply ask the professors, and the library certainly had plenty of information on the subject; there was absolutely no need to participate in Slytherin's activities. Hermione stared at the invitation, deep in thought, her true thoughts impossible to discern.

After breakfast, the young wizards from Slytherin and Gryffindor gathered in the Potions classroom.

"Today we're going to make a Shrinking Solution." Snape strode into the underground classroom like a dark cloud, his flowing black robes blooming in the air like flowers. He drew his wand and tapped the blackboard, where the preparation process and key points for the potion immediately appeared silently.

"The most important ingredients for the Shrinking Solution include daisy root, fig peel, and Wolfsbane." Snape's tone remained somber, but the students could clearly sense the underlying displeasure. "Potter!" he suddenly called out.

Harry stood up, bewildered.

Tell me, what's the difference between * Aconite and Wolfsbane *?

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry replied with utter innocence.

"I remember asking you that same question during your very first Potions in your first year, Potter." Snape's eyes were frighteningly dark, as if he'd been upset about something. "You clearly haven't improved at all in the past two years. It seems reputation really can cloud one's judgment..."

"Why aren't you going to write down what I'm about to say!" he shouted at the whole class, and everyone hurriedly pulled out quills and parchment.

"Daisy root is used for concentrating the essence and is often used to increase the concentration of medicines; here it's used for extracting the essence of the raw materials. Fig peel has a mild medicinal property, which can prevent concentrated medicines from causing too much harm to the user due to their rapid effect, and it has a wide range of applications in various oral recovery medicines. As for Wolfsbane, they are mainly used to assist in Transfiguration. Since Shrinking Solution often involve changes in form, it is also indispensable. This herb is mainly used in Polyjuice Potion, Trans-species Potion, Wolfsbane Potion, etc..."

"Excuse me, Professor!" Hermione raised her hand.

"Oh, Miss Granger? Is there something you need?" Snape turned to her, his dark eyes fixed on her, his tone unsettling. All the students present noticed his odd behavior: when had he ever asked Hermione, "Is there something you need?"

Hermione, however, seemed completely unaware of this. "Professor, what kind of potion is Wolfsbane Potion? I haven't seen it described in any Potions book."

"An excellent question, Miss Granger." Snape, seemingly determined to push his luck, did something even more surprising. "To ask such a question shows you've been diligently studying the subject. Five points for Gryffindor."

The room erupted in uproar.

Everyone gaped. This was probably the first time Hermione, and even Gryffindor, had not only not lost points but had actually gained points for asking a question in Potions. Ron frantically picked at his ears; Harry took off his glasses and began rubbing his eyes desperately; Neville's hand holding the fig was suspended in mid-air; Draco's hand trembled as he tried to cut the daisy root, slicing his index finger.

Skylar roughly guessed Snape's intention, and he let out a low groan.

Snape glanced around, and wherever his gaze fell, the students sat up straight. His eyes lingered on Skylar, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Skylar, you answer?"

After reviewing all the information about the Potions in his mind, Skylar answered loudly, "Wolfsbane Potion is a newly invented Potions from last year, created by Damocles Belby, who was subsequently invited to join the Society of Extraordinary Potioneers and obtained the qualification of Potions Master. This potion is specifically used to treat Werewolf. While it cannot turn Werewolf back into a normal human, it can allow a Werewolf to maintain their sanity on the night of a full moon. This potion needs to be taken at a fixed time every day, starting a week before the full moon, to be effective. However, this potion is not without its drawbacks. Its ingredients are extremely expensive, almost unaffordable for Werewolf, and due to the potent toxicity of Wolfsbane, the preparation process is very difficult. Any mistake will result in a deadly poison, making it extremely difficult to find Potions Master capable of preparing this potion."

"Excellent answer, Slytherin, 15 points!"

Watching Skylar speak so eloquently, Hermione pursed her lips tightly, her mind racing with various thoughts, the most intense of which was her unwillingness to admit defeat.

Next, Snape quickly made people realize that Snape was still the same Snape. Neville was still being ridiculed, Ron was still being blamed, and Harry was still in the eye of the storm. All of this quickly made the students abandon their speculation that "Snape had taken the wrong medicine" on Atlantis.

Concocting the Shrinking Solution was quite challenging for third-year students— Neville almost failed because he added too much leech juice and rat spleen. Snape even threatened to feed Neville's creation to Neville's pet Trevor. Fortunately, with Hermione's help, the mistake was corrected, Trevor successfully turned back into a tadpole during the Potions test.

This discovery greatly surprised Skylar, because he had always thought that the Shrinking Solution was only used to shrink the user, but he never expected that it could also restore a creature to its juvenile form. This made him very interested in the other uses hidden in this potion.