#29 - In Potions Class

Unfortunately, it seems the idea of extracting enemies' flesh and blood was a bit naive. However, after a moment, Anduin had a new idea. Just because you can't directly cast spells on the human body in battle doesn't mean this spell is useless.

If you cast the spell on the ground where the enemy is standing, extracting the soil beneath their feet, it would not only affect their balance but also immediately create a trap that hinders their movement. And perhaps, it could also…

Anduin stared at Vanessa's thesis, lost in thought, completely immersed in the ocean of academics. In a way, Anduin was a pure scholar, although his research often strayed into combat tactics. His years of military service in his previous life, as well as his identity as a martial artist, made him think of whether something could be used as a weapon or had tactical or strategic significance whenever he encountered it.

Flitwick smiled with satisfaction as he watched Anduin's earnest contemplation. Diligent students always win the favor of professors.

Time passed quickly, and the club gathering came to an end. All the students left the room in an orderly fashion. Anduin also followed Vanessa back to the Slytherin common room. Upperclassmen's curfew could be delayed until 9 p.m., but low-grade wizards like Anduin were not allowed to wander around the castle after 8 p.m. Therefore, Vanessa kindly took him along the way to avoid being caught by Filch.

Anduin gained a lot from today's Charms Club trip. After returning to the dormitory, he was still studying the content about the Extraction Curse. He felt particularly satisfied to have mastered the spell in advance and to have more practical casting techniques, as the Extraction Curse could only be learned after the fourth year.

...

The next day, during Potions class.

"Perfect, very excellent. I didn't expect Anduin and Vivian's group to be able to make a qualified Calming Draught on their first potion brewing attempt." Potions Professor Horace Slughorn looked at the potion brewed by Anduin's group and praised them without reservation, especially since the cauldrons of other students nearby were either emitting foul-smelling black smoke or even burning.

Vivian, hearing the professor's praise, could only smile awkwardly, because she had almost entirely watched from the sidelines during this potion brewing process. Vivian's role throughout the process was to hand things over. For example, Anduin would call out 'powdered asphodel root,' and then Vivian would be responsible for handing it to him. Once, Vivian even handed the wrong material. If Anduin hadn't checked it after receiving it, this potion would have been ruined by this strong spectator.

Anduin calmly accepted Professor Slughorn's praise, nodding slightly to express his gratitude to the professor.

Brewing potions, a process that requires standardized procedures and techniques, is very simple for Anduin. The recipes clearly mark all the procedures and material standards. All he has to do is follow the recipe.

Moreover, he discovered that potion brewing is actually no different from cooking. The key lies in the fact that the material preparation must meet the standards, and the cutting, grinding, soaking, and other processes require a high degree of precision.

Anduin's hands were very steady. During the potion's production, he was like a human-shaped machine, able to cut materials that perfectly met the standard size, put in the materials at the specified time, stir at the specified time, and maintain different heat levels at different times, everything as if it was a natural process.

"Brewing potions is actually similar to making soup." Anduin thought silently.

"The difficulty actually lies in the materials. The same materials have different qualities. Like the same raisins, some are dried very thoroughly, while others still retain a lot of moisture. These are actually the key elements that determine the quality of the finished product." Although it was only his first time making potions, Anduin still summarized a lot of information. The potions textbook mostly describes the properties of semi-finished materials, what problems will occur in potion making if substandard materials are used, and how to solve them, etc.

Although Potions wasn't as fascinating to him as Charms, the process of brewing potions could keep his mind calm and focused, so Anduin also developed a high interest in Potions.

"There should be a lot of old textbooks in the Potions classrooms of each grade. I can take some time to scavenge them." Anduin couldn't help but have some bad ideas. He had recently visited the upper-grade classrooms for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration and collected a lot of old textbooks.

"Damn it, is it just brewing a pot of broken potion? What's there to be so cocky about?" Sampel Travers stirred the boiling black bubbles in the soup with a stirring rod. Obviously, this pot of potion had been ruined by him, and he said bad things about Anduin to Randel Rosier beside him fiercely.

"Alright, Travers, that guy won't be able to pretend for long, but let's not go looking for trouble with him now. That woman Vanessa is still watching." Randel helplessly looked at the stinky pot of soup and whispered to Travers.

"Hmph, that damn woman Vanessa has abandoned the nobility of Slytherin." Travers complained hatefully, "That guy Anduin better not get in our way, or I won't let him off."

After saying that, Travers stopped looking at Anduin and turned to look unkindly in the direction of the Gryffindor House in the distance. Charles over there had also ruined a pot of potion and was frantically wiping the potion overflowing from the pot with his partner.

"My father and the others complained before that the McKinnon family always got in our way. I heard that the aunt of that Charles over there also joined the Order of the Phoenix. As a pure-blood family, they still have to protect those lowly Muggle wizards. Last time, we crippled one of their family members, and they still don't know to repent. There is a limit to our mercy." Travers sneered at Rosier.

"Are you crazy? Don't say that here." Rosier looked at the resentful Travers and warned in a low voice nervously.

"What are you afraid of? Dumbledore is old and can't stop us. When the Dark Lord defeats Dumbledore and breaks through the Ministry of Magic, the future will belong to our pure-blood families. Let's find some time to clean up that idiot from the McKinnon family." Travers said to Rosier in a sinister manner.

Rosier looked around and, after discovering that no one was paying attention to this side, whispered, "What are you going to do? I heard that Senior Yaxley is preparing…"

"Shh! Don't say that here. We'll talk about the specifics when we get back." Travers glared at Rosier.

"Weren't you the one who started saying it first?" Rosier glanced at Travers with a slightly innocent expression and muttered in a low voice.