57 Fourth Year Part 3

The next step is preparing said ingredients. Some of them have to be processed separately, while others are added raw into the cauldron. Everything has to be done manually, however, since spells usually alter their magical components, so we avoid it as much as possible to achieve the highest quality. I took care of grinding what had to be, while Susan cut off and weighted the parts we'll need. That's when I noticed her first mistake. She was a perfectionist. She didn't want to waste any part of the ingredients, and cut dangerously next to what would be considered impurities within our potion. I pointed it out immediately, saying that humans cannot operate with such precision, and that it was a waste of time. Better play it safe. How much waste we left behind is also graded, so it is relatively important as well. But it's all for naught if the resulting potion is rubbish.

She nodded and did just what I told her. I noticed Snape look in our direction briefly, before nodding and moving on to another group.

We proceeded next to preheating the cauldron. It was easy business, we use spells to check the temperature, while the stove it was on could be controlled with our wands. You just had to point to a specific section, and pour some mana into it, then increase or decrease it slowly. Susan did most of the work, as she wanted me to observe her errors, which I gladly did. Her technique was alright, she followed the instructions to the letter. We didn't have to make calculations beforehand, as professor Snape prepared everything for us. All we had to do was follow simple instructions on our books and on the board.

One of the mistakes she made was during her stirring. At some point, there was an irregularity within her pace, probably because her arm felt sore, which I could understand. We were lucky I was paying attention enough to take over before she stopped midway. That's most likely the reason why she did not get good grades in the subject. The instructions also specified a speed at which we need to stir, along with direction. It isn't always clockwise or counter clockwise, sometimes we stirred alternatively in a straight line. It depends on several factors I won't bore you with.

We finished the potion on time, handing two vials to the professor. He examined them closely, taking out his wand and casting several spells silently, before he nodded. "Good. I think you can try it on yourselves." He divided the content into two vials, and handed them to us. "Drink." Professor Snape had no reason to poison us… right? Besides, if there was any harmful effect, I'm sure Susan's bracelet would detect it. She somehow understood that fact, and gulped it before I did, before smiling at my direction. I smiled back, appreciating her understanding of my paranoia. I drank the potion too.

"What can you tell me about the taste?" Professor Snape asked.

"It was sweet, but also… bitter at the same time? I'm not sure." Susan answered uncertainly.

"You are correct. The potion however is supposed to be a little sweet. The bitterness you tasted was due to the unwanted components in it." He nodded. "What about the effect? How long before you felt it?"

"It was almost instantaneous. I immediately felt the effect of the potion." I answered this time.

"Indeed." He confirmed. "And while that would seem like a good thing, it isn't in most cases. The human mind is a fragile thing, such abrupt change isn't very good for it, especially when used repeatedly. Which is the reason why this particular potion is never used outside of academic purposes." He paused for a bit before continuing. "Under normal circumstances, your potion would earn you an O (Outstanding) as fourth years. But I expect a lot more from you, I believe you can do even better than this. For next week, I want an essay on the various spells used in the selection process, along with their uses. Focus on those you will be using for the next potion. You are dismissed."

As we made our way out of the classroom, Susan couldn't stop herself from cheering. Apparently, she never got anything above "Acceptable" before.

"What do you have next?" Susan asked me.

"Transfiguration, you?"

"Charms."

"I guess I'll see you after classes then?"

"Definitely. We told Cedric about the meeting by the way, he said he'll be there. Should we ask someone else?" Susan was very interested in what I had in store for them.

"Do you have any suggestions?" I asked back. "It has to be someone trustworthy, to whom people would listen."

"There are some seventh years who meet those conditions, but I never spoke to them before. It's best if Cedric asks them after you speak to us."

"Alright." We talked for a while, before it was time for the next session. I bid her goodbye and went to the transfiguration classroom.

"Good morning, professor." Professor McGonagall was sitting on her desk, resting for the next class.

"Good morning to you, Mr. Lunar." Her lips curved into a smile that gave off a different picture to her usually stern face. "You had a productive summer, I hope?" She gave me a knowing smile. Hm? What's this about?

"Definitely, professor." I took a seat, and was shortly joined by Daphne. She also got out early from Potions it seems.

Soon the rest of the class entered, though one of them, a blonde boy with a punchable face that's hard to miss, gave me hateful glares for whatever reason. If he thought it would affect me, he clearly miscalculated the amount of fu- anyway.

Class started on time, as always. Professor McGonagall was unforgiving to those who came late, saying it was unbecoming of wizards and witches to show such disrespect for the others by being late. Everyone values their precious time. Thankfully, that was hardly a problem with Slytherins and Ravenclaws.

In today's lesson, we would be a piece of wood into an animal of our choice and animate it. It is more difficult than it sounds, especially in my case. My control was already horrible, so there was no way I will excel at Transfiguration who relied most on it. Every time I tried the spell, it would give inappropriate results. And even when it succeeded, it quickly reversed back.

"Your spell is unstable, Mr. Lunar. You need to work more on your control." Professor McGonagall instructed me.

"Yes, professor. I'll do my best." She nodded in understanding and moved on to the others. She definitely knew I performed rituals, it was glaringly obvious, especially to someone as observant as her.

A few of my classmates were looking at me suspiciously, especially one Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson, wondering how I couldn't get the spell right, even though I always did in the previous years. It wouldn't take long for them to figure it out though. Most descendants of noble families undergo rituals at this age to boost their magic, and some boost their sensitivity as well. They will notice my huge reserves sooner or later, it's only a matter of time.

I also noticed some shooting me looks of glee, namely Draco Malfoy, and even my house mates: Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot. I guess outperforming me once must be a huge accomplishment in their books. Even better, since Daphne wasn't faring any better than me. We did manage to get the spell right halfway through the session, then we did the same control exercise as the previous day but with this particular transfiguration spell in mind.

Once professor McGonagall was satisfied with everyone's progress, she told us to practice the spell some more as an assignment; we were now permitted to practice Transfiguration outside of class. She then began lecturing us on the more theoretical aspect of transfiguration, moving on to an elementary runic study of the field. I already knew this part by heart, since it was needed for my "Screen" project. I did however pay attention, answering questions and earning Ravenclaw a few points in the process. Class ended fairly quickly, we hardly noticed by the time it was over. It was an interesting subject after all.

"Mr. Lunar, Miss Greengrass, a word if you don't mind." Professor McGonagall asked us aside.

"Certainly professor." She waited until everyone left before speaking to us.

"I can't help but notice that your control over your magic degraded this year." She began, studying our reactions while doing so. We were practiced enough in Occlumency not to give anything away, not that it mattered anyway. Even though rituals were forbidden by the ministry, most ancient families practice them regardless. And rituals to boost one's magic aren't uncommon, though the one we have undergone are vastly superior of course. "I won't ask about how this happened, but I believe I have a way to help you get it back quickly." That definitely got our attention.