18 Potions Class

6th September 1991, Hogwarts

There were still some upper-year snakes that were foolish enough to bother me. From Monday to Thursday, I had to give a few lessons about why it is a bad idea to attack me.

But they sure tried. They ganged up on me in the common room, sneaked up on me to strike me from the back, hid behind corners of the dungeons to surprise attack me and some upper-year girls tried to attack me in the female dorms. Foolish snakes. If they want so much to become my training dummies, why should I reject them? So I generously accepted their sacrifice and tried on them some of the new rather mild Spells and Curses that I have learned from the Library until now. Practice is important after all. Having only theoretical knowledge is not enough.

And I also tried to find more ways to use some of the Spells that I already know. My favorite became the Accio Charm, with which I could do a lot of interesting things with the help of a wand and the right intent. For example, yesterday, when one group of fifth-years really annoyed me, I used the Accio Charm and summoned their nails from their fingers. Though, I had to use a Silencing Charm right afterward as they screamed a lot. After this incident, no more snakes tried to bother me.

Anyway, life at Hogwarts is interesting and rather fun. During the day I learn about magic and during the night I am reading books from the Restricted Section, practicing Spells in the Room of Requirements, or just wandering around the castle.

Every Tuesday at midnight, we have Astronomy with the Ravenclaws where we study the night sky through our brass telescopes and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. It was like the Muggle astrology, but we also learn how the positions of planets could affect magic.

Although the Astronomy class takes place at the top of the Astronomy Tower, I don't have to climb up the unreasonably long stairs. When Tracy and Daphne woke me up this Tuesday night, I told them that they could go ahead and I would catch up to them. After that, I walked from the dungeons to the nearest castle courtyard and flew up to the Astronomy Tower while being concealed. Then I just had to wait for the rest of the class. It was amusing seeing Tracey and Daphne, being all exhausted, panting, and with baffled expressions looking at my smirking self.

Three times a week we have Herbology that became my favorite subject so far. You indeed like something more when you are good at it.

The most boring and almost useless class was History of Magic which was taught by a ghost, Professor Binns. His voice was monotone and sleep-inducing with such potency that you could think that it was a wide-scale mind attack. It's best to use this class period for naps.

The Charms class was interesting thanks to Professor Flitwick who became my favorite teacher.

The Transfiguration class was rather boring for me but there were animals in the classroom so it was fine.

The class that most people have been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but the lesson turned into a stinky joke. Everyone could smell the strong scent of garlic that Professor Quirrell kept on himself to hide the smell of rotting flesh of Voldemort at the back of his head hidden by the large turban.

Today was Friday and we had our first Potions lesson. Double-Potions with Gryffindor.

As we walked from the Great Hall after breakfast into the dungeons, Tracey asked me an interesting question. "Suou, why are you barefoot? Where are your socks and shoes?"

I looked at my small feet. I must have forgotten to put on my shoes as when I sneak from the dorms at night, I just put robes over my pajamas and don't bother to change into my uniform. The shoes included.

"I forgot to put them on," I replied blankly. Well, it's not that I need the shoes as my skin is way more durable than the skin of an average human. And Cleaning Charms exist so there really isn't any problem.

"How can someone forget to put on their shoes when they go out?" Daphne said in disbelief and shook her head.

...

The Potions Classroom was a large dark room with walls lined with pickled animals floating in glass jars. Poor animals. In one corner of the room stood a basin into which ice-cold water poured from a gargoyle's mouth, while in another was a cupboard with supplies.

I sat together with Daphne, or the Ice Queen as some other Slytherins call her. When Tracey heard of it, she laughed and made fun of her for hours and made our Ice Queen all frustrated and annoyed.

Oh, I too got a nickname from the fellow snakes. They call me the Blight. The Blight of Slytherin.

The chattering of the students in the class was stopped when the door slammed open and Professor Snape entered the classroom with his robes billowing behind him. He stopped behind his table and started the class by taking the roll call. He paused at Potter's name.

"Ah, Yes," he said softly, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Harry Potter. Our new -- celebrity."

After Professor Snape finished the roll call, he looked up at the class with his cold and empty black eyes.

As I thought. I can make a lot scarier cold gaze.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word -- like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. He has a talent for dramatics.

After Professor Snape roasted Potter with his difficult questions while ignoring Hermione's stretched and quivering hand, the Potions lesson began.

In pairs, we had to prepare a simple potion to cure boils. I already memorized the entire first-year potions book, so I didn't have to look at the instruction and my ability as Apothecary to excel in mixing and creating potions finally came to shine. My body was moving with instinct and in my head appeared ideas on how to slightly modify the potion recipe to make it better. So while mixing the potion I fully relied on my instincts and ignored Daphne's complaints that I am doing it wrong.

During the lesson, Professor Snape stopped by our table a lot of times, to Daphne's panic, but he said nothing and only stared at me with his black piercing eyes.

The lesson ended well for me, but not so much for the others. Daphne stressed for the whole lesson, over how our potion will end up. She only relaxed and sighed with relief at the sight of my perfectly mixed potion. The other unfortunate ones were Neville, that somehow managed to make his potion explode, and Potter who was blamed for it.

{That was the best part of the lesson.} Commented Agony.

Potions are truly fascinating. Just a small mistake is enough to make a simple potion for curing boils, into something rather dangerous.

Before I could take my things and leave the classroom, Professor Snape suddenly exclaimed while sitting behind his table. "Ms. Green! You stay here."

Well, we had a free period after this, so I don't have to hurry to get into another class. I waived at Tracey and Daphne, took a chair that I placed before the Professor's table, and sat down.

Professor Snape sat comfortably on his chair and examined the potion that I made before he looked at me and asked. "Ms. Green, how did you make this potion? You didn't look at the instruction once and you even modified the potion recipe."

"I have memorized the whole 'Magical Draughts and Potions' book so I didn't need to look at the instructions. I have a really good memory." I said as he looked at me with doubt.

"Hmm, believable. And the recipe modification?"

"I don't know. My body just moved on instinct." My blank expression was good in these kinds of situations as I am not that good of a liar.

He kept his cold penetrating gaze at me until his lips curled up slightly. "Ms. Green, how do you think someone becomes a Potion Master?"

"Hard work?" I asked.

"Yes, hard work is important too, but anyone can mix potions with hard work. If someone wants to become a Potion Master, they must create an original potion. For that, they need true talent. They must feel the quality of the ingredients just from the touch, they must instinctively know what reaction various ingredients would have when put together, and they need to be able to pick the right cauldron for brewing. And from what I have seen, you, Ms. Green, have a very great talent for the art of potions-making."

Well, it makes sense that the people that came up with the various potion recipes must have been special as some of the potions have truly weird brewing methods. From what I have read so far, the potions-making doesn't follow any system and it's more like you just randomly throw things into the cauldron and hope for the best. I don't see any subtle science in it as Professor Snape described.

"From now on, you will be working alone in my class as others will only slow you down, and they won't learn what they need while working with you. Any questions?" He asked but from his tone of voice was clear that he didn't expect any questions from me. Not like it could deter me.

"Do I still have to do assignments?"

Professor Snape give me an unamused look and replied in his contained cold voice. "Yes, you do."

What a shame.

"You can go now, Ms. Green."

I bade Professor Snape farewell, took my backpack, which was now heavier than when I came into the classroom, and l went out.

When I was some distance from the Potions classroom, I looked at Woody who was looking at me from the breast pocket of my robes, and asked him. "Did you get everything?"

He nodded.

While I was mixing the potion, I gave Woody a mission to steal the ingredients for the Animagus Potion from Professor Snape's supply cabinet. The mandrake leaf, a dew taken from a place that was untouched by sunlight, and the chrysalis of Death's-head Hawk Moth. It was an easy task as Woody can conceal himself and Professor Snape was occupied by teaching and scaring Gryffindors. Fortunately, he had everything I needed in his cabinet.

I arrived at the Hogwarts Library, grabbed a book about Arithmancy, and sat across from Tracey and Daphne at our usual place, a table at the corner of the library.

"What did Professor Snape want from you? Are you in some trouble? Is it because of the beatings you gave to the upper-years?" The brunette immediately asked me a lot of questions.

"I think that it's because of what she did during the lesson. She ignored some of the instructions, but she still somehow successfully mixed the potion. So Professor Snape probably thought that she cheated." Said the blond smartly and both of them looked at me, expecting an answer from me.

"Apparently, I have a very great talent for Potions. So I will be working alone in Potions classes as others will only slow me down. His words, not mine." I said and opened the Arithmancy book.

"Oh, so my friend is a future Potion Master. Can I expect some friendly discounts when I will need some expensive potions from you in the future?" Asked Tracey.

"Sure," I answered, not taking my eyes from the book.

I plan to learn Arithmancy on my own and in my third year take Ancient Runes and Care of the Magical Creatures as my elective subjects. And I still can take the O.W.L. in Arithmancy, even though I didn't take the classes. I asked Professor Flitwick for confirmation yesterday.

Arithmancy wasn't very difficult. It was like math around the high school level, but the numbers had various magical properties and meanings. And one could also predict the future with it.

And the knowledge about Arithmancy is important for the numerological way of Spell Modification and Spell Crafting. Something that is studied at the N.E.W.T. level classes and something that I really want to learn as there are a lot of ideas about possible Spells in my head that I would love to make into reality.