Chapter 23: Magical Encounters and Potion Preparations

As I approached the academy entrance, Lily came into view . I Approached her 

" Hi , I'm sorry, have we meet? "

" He he he , james. Of course we've meet before."

" I've just seen you here. And I'm ..... Speechless. You look gorgeous. Who are you, beautiful lady ? "

" Phew, James. Don't make me blush. "

" What are you doing sweetie ? "

She replied " nothing too exciting. Just going to class. "

" I thought you got house points for attending. Or are you going for something else ? "

" I'm going to collect points. But knowledge never hurts. And that's all so interesting. "

" Very well said. I'm trying to mix business with pleasure too. "

She looked surprised" really? And how's the point collection going? "

" Well... I'm in the preparatory phase. I'm trying not to miss any classes. "

" That's a good start. I have a few more ideas on how to score points. "

Her enthusiasm scares me ... " Tell me about it " 

" I had a walk with our librarian Amelie. Did you know that the local magical creatures steal textbooks. "

" Yeah, sure."

" And that they leave them all over the academy. I was shocked. I mean, everybody talking about it. "

" Yep, she told me. "

Lily appeared visibly irritated. " and you didn't say anything. "

" Well... Why does it matter? " 

" Because Amelie gives house points for books , it's our chance to rub everyone's nose in it. And it's something to do in our spare time. Isn't it awesome ? "

I've been exploring and searching for books during my free time, but spending all my spare moments on that is something I cannot afford

" if we do this together. Then .."

Ah, you want us to do it together. Well, that changes everything.

" we can definitely win the house competition. "

" Sounds like a plan. "

" Let's make a deal , we'll each return three books. And then we'll discuss our future plans. Deal?"

" Sure. Come consider the books on Amelie's desk. And the house points already on leonheart's scoreboard "

Lily smiled " yes. That's the spirit. Good luck champ. "

That's right. She's a leonheart fanatic. What did I expect? " Thanks. "

We reached the classroom and upon entering, we discovered that Victoria was about to begin the class.

" Class. Attention. The lesson is about to begin.

 Today's topic: mastering the source of power . Would anyone like to talk about their progress? "

Victoria paused for a moment, then gestured towards me, saying, " how about you , Mr. Pogger? "

I answered in shock " who? Me ? "

" Yes, you. So have you found your source of power? "

It's about time I showed the power Leona gave me . " Of course. What did you expect? "

" You sound pretty confident in yourself. That's commendable."

" It's only natural. "

" So tell me, what is the source of your strength?"

I answered" This may sound rather unusual. But none of the elements of nature fit me. "

Victoria spoke with a mocking tone, " oh really? So what did you do ? You found another solution? "

" Exactly,"

" Then tell me."

" I don't know exactly what it is . But it's burning feeling inside. The Desire to be first. "

" I wonder..... You're not an athlete by any chance. Are you? "

" How did you know that? "

She answered " Oh, it all makes sense to me then. It's the power of motivation. Athletes have been motivated by achievement since childhood. No wonder that's the path closest to you. "

Whew.... Good thing it worked out.... If it weren't for my past.... It would have been hard for me to explain Leona's ' gift ' 

" Well done , James. Keep looking for sources of power . It will help you feel your magic better. "

" Thank you for the advice. "

" Anyone esle wants to tell me about their source? "

A boy began to speak. " yesterday, as I was roasting marshmallows on the fire. It hit me.... "

Victoria stopped him " wait what ?..... Were you roasting marshmallows on academy grounds? Interesting. Tell me more about it " 

After a long and uninteresting story about roasting marshmallows. 

" Oops. I totally lost track of the time. Thank you all for your attention. That's the end of our lesson for today. "

Exiting the dull class, I make my way to Sabrina's room. Upon entering, Sabrina commences the lesson.

" Students. Take your seats, class is about to begin. 

The topic of today's lesson will be: preparing the workplace. "

Expressing dissatisfaction with the class atmosphere. " yes yes , I know that safety classes aren't the most fun. But in the last class I let you know that it's important. 

First and foremost for your own safety."

Sabrina looks so unhappy when she teaches theory. It will be interesting to see her when we start making potions. 

" So your workstation should consist of: A cauldron of the capacity indicated in the recipe. For studies, we use table cauldrons, like mine. So the consequences are more easily managed. 

Next, your potions textbook. The textbook must be for your year. No missing pages. 

Next, the WFAK set. "

Someone asked " I'm sorry, what is WFAK? "

She replied " wizard first aid Kate. It's given out at the beginning of the practicum. It's a little potion that freezes you in time. For a while until the nurse can repair the damage. After Wich we unfreeze you. "

"Holy crap, that sound a little too cool"

" No one said the experience won't leave a mark. So it's the best to follow the safety precautions. 

Next, the alchemist's toolkit. It includes a scalpel, tweezers, a jeweler's hammer. In short, everything you need to process the ingredients. It's given out at the beginning of the tutorial. 

If you wish to make a potion outside of class. It's best not to. Or at the very least consult me. 

Remember, these rules are not her to coddle you. You are mature enough. This is an attempt to keep young and talented wizards from dying young. "

I thought Sabrina really didn't like theory. But despite that, she takes it very seriously. 

" That's it for today. You're all free to go . " 

Leaving the classroom, I strolled through the inner garden and spotted Lily and Naomi by the fountain. Approaching them, I intended to strike up a conversation.