Chapter 10: The Library

The water in the cauldron quickly emitted white steam. Wade added snake fang powder and then nettles, stirring clockwise twice and counterclockwise three times. The nettle pieces quickly melted as if they were ice.

Suddenly, there were screams from the classroom. A thick green smoke hissed out, and students who had failed in potion-making found their skin corroded, screaming in pain. Theo was startled, "What happened?"

"Stay focused!" Wade didn't even glance over, counting silently in his mind for ten seconds before adding a booger into the mixture.

"Theo, take the cauldron off the flame."

Theo immediately complied (while still wearing dragon-skin gloves), and Wade waited a moment before adding two porcupine quills and stirring clockwise five times.

The potion immediately underwent a visible change; the nauseating brown-green liquid rapidly transformed into a shimmering green, jelly-like color—just as described in the book when the potion brew was successful.

Theo looked at the potion in surprise, then at the book, exclaiming, "We did it! Wade, you got it right on the first try!"

At the other end of the classroom, Snape, who had just dealt with a potion accident and reprimanded several students to the point of tears, heard the commotion and strode over. He looked down, scrutinizing carefully, before grudgingly saying under Theo's nervous gaze, "Not bad, it's up to standard. One point—each."

"——It's said that Professor Snape rarely gives points to houses other than Slytherin. I mean, getting back the points we lost is great." Theo excitedly told his friend Ryan on the way after class, "And after finishing our potion, we could use the remaining time to preview next class's Cough Potion. Next time Professor Snape asks questions, I won't be speechless again!"

Ryan was happy for him and added, "Our group's potion was always a bit off—giving off a strange smell; I wonder if it's because we brewed it for too short a time..."

"Hey, Wade!" A voice called from behind. Michael hurriedly caught up with Wade, asking, "I wanted to ask, how did you brew that light green color? I followed Professor Snape's steps exactly, but for some reason, the color was a bit dark."

"If there was no mistake in the steps, it should be a difference in material handling," Wade looked at his partner Theo, "Theo handled the materials perfectly, and our final product was almost impurity-free."

Michael looked in amazement at the Hufflepuff.

Theo, seemingly unaccustomed to praise, blushed slightly and quickly changed the topic: "By the way, do you have classes this afternoon? How about we go to the library to do homework?"

Before the class ended, Snape had asked them to write an essay on Boil-Cure Potion, at least six inches (about 15 centimeters) long.

"It's not due so soon, is it?" Michael was reluctant, "It's not due until Friday; we've got a few days."

He naturally included himself in the group, although Theo initially asked only Wade and Ryan.

"I'm going to the library," Wade said, "It's just six inches, it won't take long. Better than fretting over it."

Ryan nodded, "Library."

Michael seemed a bit reluctant, lingering, looking longingly at classmates planning to explore the castle or take walks by the Black Lake. Two girls giggled, inviting Michael to the Quidditch pitch, but for some reason, after hesitating a moment, Michael jogged to join Wade and the others.

"Not going to play?" Wade asked him.

Michael sighed, "If everyone was going to play, I would too. But knowing someone is doing homework makes me feel guilty if I don't."

The Hogwarts Library, located on the west side of the castle, was far larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. Wade was certain some kind of expansion charm had been used. The library had several levels, with staircases moving among them, shelves crisscrossed silently with thousands of books, and rows of brown tables sitting between them.

On the first day of school, the library had few students. When the four young wizards stood at the entrance, marveling at the endless number of books, Madam Pince, the librarian, immediately noticed them.  

Theo, standing in front, nodded.

"No tearing, folding, dirtying, damaging, or throwing books; no loud noise, and no eating in the library. Understand?" Madam Pince said sternly.

Theo quickly nodded, as if he had seen Professor Snape.

"Don't go to the restricted section. You can look at books in the general area, but do not write or draw on them! If you want to take them out, you need my permission. Got it?"

Everyone nodded again.

Madam Pince then asked, "What books are you looking for?"

"Uh... Boil-Cure Potion... books on potions," Michael replied.

Madam Pince waved her wand in a circle, and a dozen books flew over from several shelves.

"These should suffice. Go study," Madam Pince said, a faint smile appearing on her face.

The group, with arms full of books, found a window seat to settle into. Michael flipped through a few of them, thinking there were two copies of each book for the four of them, but even the thinnest was about an inch thick—when would they finish reading them?

He flipped through a few books randomly, not really registering any of the words, pondering whether he could just copy a hundred or so words from the textbook, then make up the rest from some book quotations to meet the length requirement. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a quill swiftly scratching across parchment beside him.

"Wade?" Michael asked in surprise, "Do you already know what to write?"

"Hmm?" Wade didn't look up, "It's not hard."

Several books were spread in front of him, and within moments he had written four or five lines without enlarging his handwriting.

Both Michael and Theo gaped, even the usually reserved Ryan couldn't help but glance at what Wade was writing.

Wade, seeing their expressions, realized he had overlooked something—these kids were eleven years old, not his university classmates who could easily churn out thousands of words for papers. These kids, if from wizard families, hadn't even had systematic school education, and even if they had attended Muggle primary schools, probably hadn't written many essays.

He didn't mind sharing his essay-writing experience with them.

"Writing an essay is actually simple," Wade pulled out a blank parchment, writing as he spoke softly, "Just construct a basic framework and fill in the appropriate content. First, briefly introduce the Boil-Cure Potion; second, its history, like who invented or improved it; third, the brewing process and precautions; fourth, analyze potential failures and accidents, and how to handle them; fifth, delve into the functions and interactions of ingredients, you can refer to 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' and 'Magical Drafts and Potions'; sixth, discuss the potion's relevant conditions, causes, symptoms, usage, past cases, and compare it with similar potions in terms of ingredients, brewing time, cost, and effectiveness. Finally, a simple conclusion with personal thoughts. There's plenty to write about, just choose two or three points, and you should be able to complete a qualified essay."

The three fell silent for a while, then simultaneously pulled out parchments, quickly jotting down notes—not their homework, but everything Wade was explaining.

"You're a genius, Wade!" Michael praised as he copied, "This is like an essay cheat sheet!"

Theo nodded, "Agreed! I feel like I can handle any essay in the future—forget six inches, I could write six feet!"

Ryan paused, thought about it, and earnestly said, "Not six feet! Six feet is still too much, I couldn't write that."

Wade and the others couldn't help but laugh.