Different reactions to a cold (III)

His expression barely changed, but anyone who knew him would have noticed that he reached for neither his quill nor his teacup—he intended to listen closely.

Penelope opened the report and began her presentation in a steady voice.

She spoke at an even pace, pausing just long enough each time she turned a page to give Severus Snape time to examine the data.

"We first conducted a systematic breakdown of the standard revitalizing potion formula." She pointed to the table on the first page. "African tree snake skin is the core ingredient, responsible for activating the body's magical defense mechanisms. However, the incidence of excessive reactions among younger students is as high as sixty-three percent, mainly manifested as black smoke from the ears, brief dizziness, and disturbances in taste. We tracked forty cases and found that the duration of the side effects was inversely correlated with the capacity of the students' magic pools—the shallower the magic pool, the longer the side effects lasted."

She turned a page. "Our solution was to reduce the amount of African tree snake skin by one-third and introduce powdered daisy root as a stabilizer. Daisy root has no medicinal effect of its own, but it can neutralize the overactive magical factors in African tree snake skin. After twelve rounds of controlled experiments, the incidence of side effects fell below fifteen percent, and their duration decreased by eighty percent."

Severus Snape picked up the report, turned to that page, and let his gaze linger on the data table.

His expression still barely changed, but he turned the pages more slowly—he was reading carefully.

Penelope continued, her voice steadier now. "The younger students focused primarily on stability and side effects, while the older students explored another direction—rapid preparation and alternatives for potion ingredients."

A sixth-year boy standing