previously in chapter 7
While the Quidditch match was going on, the resident deadboy was back to pulling sleepless nights. He was currently in his potion-making room, with his mana deactivated as he let it recover. He had just made a potion using the troll's blood and some other ingredients, and it was safe to say Gray wasn't a genius. "Fuck, is this even a potion?" he asked himself as he looked at the description of the potion.
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Chapter 8
[ Name: Unstable Troll's Brew ]
[ Grade: Low ]
[ Description: This experimental Troll's Might Potion was made with level 2 Potion-Creation skill. It barely increases the user's strength by 13% for 30 minutes, but the side effects are severe. Created using mountain troll blood, crushed lizard liver, powdered bicorn horn, and essence of belladonna, the potion failed to harmonize properly. The drinker experiences drastic cognitive decline, severe dizziness, and impaired motor functions immediately after use, making the potion highly unreliable. No permanent effects. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 100%, the freshness of the potion ]
"This isn't a potion, it's a pois—" he stopped himself, "It's not a potion," he chuckled as he repeated to himself, "It's not a potion, it's definitely not a potion." He continued to chuckle before calming himself down. "Although it's not a potion, it can definitely be a poison if used on the right target," he pondered to himself before continuing. He knew why the potion failed, or at least had the severe side effects—it wasn't properly harmonized. So, he focused on that, trying his best to harmonize the potion's ingredients.
Which meant he had to try different materials and ingredients. "Good thing I sold my sleepless potion to students, otherwise I don't know how I could afford all of these ingredients," which was the main reason he sold his potions, to gain enough funds for his experiments. So, he continued to experiment, with each potion being better than the last, until the very next day, when the full deadboy was back—complete with dark circles underneath his eyes and extremely pale skin. "Finally," he yelled in his mind as he held the completed potion.
[ Name: Troll's Might Potion ]
[ Grade: Medium ]
[ Description: This potion, created with level 2 Potion-Creation skill, temporarily increases the user's physical strength by 200% for up to 1 hour. Mountain troll blood serves as the main ingredient, providing raw power. Auxiliary ingredients include crushed dragon liver, powdered bicorn horn, and essence of belladonna, all of which enhance the potion's effectiveness while keeping it relatively easy to brew. Prolonged and continuous use comes with the side effect of reduced cognitive function, making the user more prone to confusion and slower thought processing. No permanent effects. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 100%, the freshness of the potion ]
"Fuck," he was exhausted beyond measure, and he had run out of sleepless potions. In fact, he hadn't slept for 24 hours straight. "Fuck," he cursed again as he put away his equipment and new prized potion before dragging his body through the open field of Hogwarts, where he passed by Hermione and Ron, who were walking along the path with Hagrid.
Hagrid scoffed at the idea of Snape cursing Harry's broom. "Nonsense! Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" he asked.
Harry replied, "Who knows? Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Hagrid stopped, suddenly suspicious. "Who told you about Fluffy?" he demanded. Ron, confused, repeated, "Fluffy?" Hermione, equally baffled, asked, "That thing has a name?"
Hagrid nodded. "Well, of course he's got a name. He's mine. I bought him off an Irish feller last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the..." When Harry pressed him further, Hagrid abruptly cut himself off. "Shouldn't have said that. No more questions! That's top secret, that is," he insisted. But Harry pushed again. "But, Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it." Hagrid dismissed the idea. "Codswallop. Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."
Hermione, however, was unconvinced. "Hogwarts teacher or not, I know a spell when I see one. I've read all about them. You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking." Harry agreed, "Exactly." Hagrid sighed, warning them, "Yer meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous."
Hagrid let slip one more clue before he left. "What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel," he muttered. Harry, curious, repeated, "Nicholas Flamel?"
Hagrid mumbled to himself, "I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that," and hurried off, passing Gray as he said, "Goodness lad, you're alive," but Gray didn't answer as he walked past him and the trio. "Gray, are you okay?" Harry asked. Gray mumbled something before leaving. "I'm guessing it's 'I'm fine' in the language of the dead," Ron joked as Hermione jabbed him. "Shut up. He probably stayed up all night learning spells and potions," she said as Ron groaned before the trio left.
— Scene Change —
Later, as Christmas approached, the castle was decorated, and Gray, who for some reason was not only taller, but his robe seemed to tighten around him. That was because of his muscles—not from exercise, of course, unless losing sleep counted as exercise—but because Gray managed to create not one but two Troll's Might Permanent Potions, which increased his strength by a total of 400%. This meant he was stronger than the average adult, which explained his new jacket. Gray could now be seen holding the 6th grade Standard Book of Spells, which was about non-verbal spells. He waved and flicked his wand, which was still resisting his soul, but he didn't get the effect he wanted.
"Hm, vocalizing magic allows a wizard or witch to focus their magic into the intended target, and without vocalizing, it's hard to hit your target or even cast it," he paused as he turned to the next page.
"Although not impossible," he sighed as he looked around. Most of the students were packing to return home for Christmas, and Gray, as an orphan, didn't have a place to return to. But with his increased strength, a new spell he had mastered yesterday, and potions, Gray was planning on visiting the Dark Forest. The reason being, Gray wanted ingredients, and not just any ingredients. He wanted the blood of an Acromantula, the feathers and egg of a Diricawl, which was a magical flightless bird that resembled a dodo. But it had the annoying ability to use an ability similar to the spell Apparition, which was why he had to master a new spell specifically for that bird.
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A/N like i said, he ain't a genius when it comes to potions making but with the system by his side,
Ps: I forgot to clarify but gray uses cauldron to make potions which means that every time he makes a normal potion he has a cauldron full of it. Except for the permanent ones, the rest of the cauldron loses its permanent status the moment he takes a sip of it