No one could have guessed what Hermione was thinking.
Everyone knew Hermione was competitive, but no one had expected her to be this competitive-not even Harry and Ron, her closest friends.
Professor Slughorn put the lid on the cauldron of Veritaserum, then opened the second one. "Now, does anyone recognize this one? It's rather more famous by comparison, though I suspect fewer of you will have seen it."
Harry glanced at it. The dark green liquid looked like a piece of emerald.
All the potions Professor Slughorn brewed were like this, approaching absolute perfection. That color, for instance, was clearly something only a perfectly brewed potion could achieve.
Then Harry sniffed lightly and caught a faint smell like boiled cabbage.
Then he looked at Hermione.
Hermione's expression turned a little awkward.
"I recognize this one!" Ron raised his hand-a rare occurrence. The other students looked at him with some surprise. He almost never volunteered to speak in Potions Class.
"Ah, Ron, very good. Tell us about it." Seeing that it was Ron who had raised his hand, Professor Slughorn immediately beamed and nodded repeatedly for him to speak.
"Polyjuice Potion. That boiled cabbage smell is pretty distinctive." As Ron spoke, he too could not help looking at Hermione, whose expression grew even more awkward.
Yes, that clear, emerald-like color was what perfectly brewed Polyjuice Potion ought to look like.
But Harry and the others had seen Polyjuice Potion before, and the Polyjuice Potion Hermione had brewed looked nothing like this.
Hermione's Polyjuice Potion had been practically a puddle of mud, with a taste that made it utterly undrinkable.
By comparison, what Professor Slughorn had brewed was a work of art. Apart from the familiar smell, the two had almost nothing in common.
"Well, it was my first time making it.