Chapter 42: Potion Fountain

Kyle had never expected Kanna to be so skilled at potion-making. Every step, from boiling the nettle solution to grinding the snake's teeth, was executed with precision. He found himself unable to contribute much and sat idly by, watching the cauldron with growing boredom.

Unlike the other young wizards who were flustered and rushing around, Kyle appeared to be on a break. There really wasn't much for him to help with, as potions, like many other classes, involved more waiting than practical work. Most of the time, they simply waited for the potions to brew, much like preparing a soup—ten minutes of preparation followed by two hours of simmering.

That was assuming everything went smoothly, of course. For some students, creating a basic nettle infusion could turn into a drawn-out struggle. Take the two Slytherin first-years on their left, for example. They had already gone to fetch nettles from the storage cupboard seven times, which earned them several disapproving glares from Professor Snape.

Kyle watched as one of them stood up to go to the cupboard again.

Great... eight times.

"Flada, Walker, use your brains for once," Snape finally snapped, his cold gaze fixed on them. "If you don't produce a proper yellow-green solution this time, I'll put your heads in the cauldron!"

The two Slytherin students were dumbstruck, especially the unlucky one heading back to get more nettles. He looked like he was walking to his doom. After glaring at them, Snape dramatically swept his robes aside and moved on to another pair of unfortunate students.

"What is this, licorice syrup? Pour it out and start over!" he barked. "It's not yellow enough—pour it out and start again!"

"Pour it out!"

Snape prowled around the classroom like a menacing bat, leaving a trail of misery in his wake. Wherever he went, there were cries of anguish.

The repeated instructions to "pour it away and start over" had everyone on edge, making them more cautious with their potions. Yet, Kyle remained unfazed. He kept his focus on the cauldron, waiting for the solution to shift from yellow-green to pale yellow before reducing the flame to its lowest setting.

At the same time, Kanna successfully added the ground snake tooth powder to the mixture. A sweet but unpleasant odor soon wafted from the cauldron.

"Perfect," Kyle said with a nod, turning the heat back up. Now came the long wait once more.

Kyle glanced over at Kanna, curiosity getting the better of him. "Did you brew potions before coming to school?"

"No," Kanna replied, taken aback. She shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem really talented in Potions," Kyle remarked. "Usually, when first-year students start brewing, it's a disaster. Sometimes, the cauldrons even explode."

"That's impossible," Kanna said skeptically.

Kyle didn't press the matter, merely gesturing for her to look around.

Kanna, puzzled, glanced up and finally noticed the chaotic state of the Potions classroom. Young witches and wizards were darting between cauldrons and storage cabinets, their once-tidy robes now torn and disheveled. Some even had smoke rising from their hair.

If someone were to walk in at that moment, they might think a Exploding Charm had gone off.

Thick, multicolored smoke drifted above many of the cauldrons, slowly merging into a strange gray-brown cloud near the ceiling. The air was filled with a peculiar odor—part rotten eggs, part burning wool.

Kanna only needed a second or two of breathing it in before her stomach began to churn. She muttered to herself, "How is this possible? Potions are so simple…"

Her gaze shifted toward the Slytherin side of the room. They were all purebloods, and with Snape as their head of house, surely they'd be fine...

Just as she thought that, she witnessed something unforgettable.

The cauldron at the table next to hers exploded.

No, not the cauldron itself—the potion inside it did.

Without warning, the liquid began to foam violently and expand at an alarming rate, filling the cauldron within moments.

But that wasn't the worst part.

In the next second, foam erupted from the cauldron, shooting straight up and hitting the ceiling with force.

The scene was nothing short of spectacular.

"Flada! Walker! You two idiots!" Snape's furious voice rang out, though he didn't immediately punish the two culprits. His professor's instincts kicked in, and he swiftly drew his wand to contain the bubbling disaster.

"Tergeo! Scourgify!"

...

Under Snape's charm, the cauldron and foam were quickly cleaned up. After confirming that no students had been harmed, Snape stormed over to the two Slytherin first-years. He didn't bother scolding them or deducting points; instead, he grabbed them by their collars and unceremoniously threw them out of the Potions classroom.

"Get out and find Filch. Detention!" he roared.

The room fell into an eerie silence as everyone immediately shut their mouths, making sure not to draw any further attention to themselves. The tension was palpable.

Kyle, having little to do, decided to look busy by preparing ingredients in advance. Although this particular step wasn't in Magical Drafts and Potions, Snape required them to make a long slit along the side of the porcupine quills, and the slugs had to be boiled beforehand. The exact reason was never explained, but when Ryan had been bold enough to ask, he was docked three points for his curiosity. Since then, no one else had dared to question the instructions.

Kyle took out a bag of ingredients and selected a porcupine quill that looked suitable. Wanting to pass the time, he cut it extremely slowly, taking over ten minutes to slice through a quill that was less than 30 centimeters long.

His obvious attempt at dragging things out, however, didn't go unnoticed.

Snape appeared silently beside him, like a shadow, picking up one of the quills from Kyle's table. He examined the uneven cut before sneering.

"I recall instructing you to cut a straight line. What is this? A dried Flobberworm caterpillar? Or do you simply not understand what 'straight line' means?"

Kyle blinked, caught off guard. He glanced at Snape, then down at the porcupine quill in his hand, which he hadn't yet finished cutting. It looked fine to him.

Had he forgotten what he'd done?

Or maybe Snape had deliberately picked up someone else's quill just to find a reason to scold him? That didn't seem likely, though. While Snape had a reputation for being ruthless when it came to deducting points, this level of pettiness seemed out of character—especially considering Kyle's last name wasn't Potter.

Before Kyle could say anything, Kanna, who had been standing next to him, timidly raised her hand. Her voice wavered, on the verge of tears.

"Professor... I cut that one," she admitted shakily.