Terry had an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
From the moment he sat with Sterling in Potions class, an ominous premonition arose. As class time approached, this feeling intensified.
Seeing Sterling's slightly upturned mouth corners, Terry decided to attempt self-rescue.
"I think we've been partners so long, we should try new seatmates..."
"Don't even think about it."
Sterling coldly gripped Terry's robes, preventing escape.
"You know my first Potions class performance was... unsatisfactory..."
More than unsatisfactory. Probably ranking in Snape's top three worst teaching experiences, but while Terry could think this, he absolutely dared not say it.
"Even in the second class, my performance was merely mediocre..."
"Actually quite good. Snape not docking points is the highest praise for non-Slytherin students."
Terry's face lit up. He could say this!
"But actually, my talent as a potions genius hasn't been fully activated. Rigid methods suppressed my gift. I need to use methods suited to me to show Professor Snape my talent, making him acknowledge me and award points."
"Gulp." Terry swallowed, tremblingly asking:
"Dare I ask what this... suitable method is?"
"My first-class technique."
"I want to change seatmates ahhhhh!"
But it was too late. Sterling had timed revealing the truth perfectly. When Terry tried to break through Sterling's blockade to change seats, the class bell rang.
The familiar billowing black robes strode into the classroom, the closing door seeming to take the light from Terry's eyes.
"Tell me you're joking. It's actually April Fool's Day."
"I never joke." Sterling said proudly. He was a good child who rarely lied.
Terry was on the verge of tears, realising Sterling was serious.
Though he didn't know which wire had crossed... honestly, Ravenclaw could afford the points. Even if Snape docked a hundred points, it wouldn't shake Ravenclaw's leading position.
Unless Sterling blew up the classroom, at most fifty points. Recoverable in two weeks of classes.
Maybe Sterling really was confident? Haha...
Terry quietly scooted away from Sterling and the workspace, mainly fearing the explosion's aftermath.
Today's potion was relatively rare and obscure.
Dreamless Sleep Draught, for treating insomnia and frequent nightmares, is a beginner-friendly St. Mungo's standard remedy.
Sterling wasn't familiar with it, but no matter. Vivian had enlightened him. Just believe.
Just believe he could make it, leaving everything else to omnipotent magic.
After enduring the boring explanation phase, Snape gave the order, and the ingredient cabinets opened. Sterling was first to rush up, grabbing a large handful of potion materials.
"...Sterling, these... aren't the materials Snape specified, right?"
Terry's face paled, imagining how Snape would scold them.
"No problem, I think these work."
Sterling was unconcerned. His confidence was abundant, so after lighting the burner under his cauldron, he drew his wand and cast Flame-Freezing Charms on his hands and feet.
"You're not going to..."
Terry's heart died completely when he saw Sterling kick the cauldron to make it spin.
Finding the cauldron didn't spin fast enough after one kick, Sterling wound up his arm and slapped it, making it spin like a top, quickly bringing the water inside to a rolling boil.
Snape was still pressuring Hufflepuff students at this point.
Let's see... fairy wings, chameleon skin, pink Puffskein fur, blue roses, owl feathers, and amethyst powder.
Fairy wings and owl feathers were Sterling's additions, not in Snape's materials list, but Sterling inexplicably felt they belonged at the ingredient cabinet.
Also, Sterling pulled out one of his own hairs.
Adding Sterling's hair, potion materials were now complete.
"Terry, smear amethyst powder on the owl feathers and Puffskein fur on the fairy wings."
Sterling directed Terry to handle menial tasks while he took blue roses, squeezing juice into the cauldron drop by drop.
No timing, no measurements.
When the cauldron slowed, kick it. When it felt right, squeeze some in. After the entire cauldron turned blue, Sterling tossed the withered rose aside and took the chameleon skin.
Throwing in the skin made the liquid slightly viscous and deeper in colour. Black at first glance, but staring longer revealed every colour.
This... actually matched what Snape just described?
Terry looked at Sterling in amazement. Could he really be a genius?
Next required stirring. Terry bent down seeking the silver stirring rod, but when he looked up, he couldn't help shrieking:
"Sterling! What are you doing?!"
"Page! Was your head stepped on by a troll? Stop that!"
Good news: he wasn't the only one shrieking.
Bad news: the other person was Snape.
Seeing Sterling stick his arm into the cauldron as a pestle while kicking it to spin around his arm, Snape's eyes darkened, feeling his teaching career might be ruined by this boy.
He immediately swept past other students, abandoning dignity to run to Sterling's desk, gripping Sterling's head with five fingers.
"Thirty points from Ravenclaw!"
"Stop! Stop wasting my materials!"
Sterling ignored him, completely immersed in his art.
Snape felt veins throbbing in his head. How rare. How many years since he'd seen a student dare ignore his words?
This was beyond ordinary students. Heavy measures are required.
Even students specifically mentioned by Dumbledore, Snape absolutely couldn't ignore such desecration of potions!
Just as he prepared to physically force Sterling's attention, his peripheral vision caught the potion in the cauldron.
Perfect colour and consistency...
Wait? Perfect?
Snape suspected his eyes were wrong. He wiped his face and carefully observed Sterling's still-stirring potion.
Right, perfect. Almost matching his own careful brewing, even superior in colour...
Snape involuntarily released his grip, looking uncertainly between Sterling and the cauldron.
He suspected he was dreaming.
Maybe grading Gryffindor potion essays had caused a mental breakdown, creating such bizarre dreams... The next Potter class would need extra point deductions to relieve stress...
Just as Snape thought this, he saw increasingly large bubbles rising from Sterling's cauldron.
At this moment, Sterling had just inserted the amethyst-dusted owl feather into the cauldron. After powder and feather dissolved into the potion, he tore up fairy wings and threw them in.
"What is that brain stuffed with flobberworms and slugs thinking? Did I say you needed those ingredients?"
Snape raised his wand. He'd long considered whether owl, a dream-concept material, could be added to this potion, but his experiments showed this material emphasised night concepts over dreams.
Clashing with other pleasant dream concepts would not only reduce effectiveness but also cause explosions like now.
He prepared a Vanishing Spell to handle this ruined potion, but Sterling blocked him, preventing spellcasting.
"Professor Snape, my potion is almost complete!"
"Has your laughable arrogance blinded your ears and already dim brain? Can't you see this potion is on the verge of explosion? Sterling Page, move aside. I won't say it twice."
"On the verge of explosion, but hasn't exploded yet, right?"
Sterling turned back, adding his hair, then continued blocking Snape from casting the Vanishing Spell.
But Snape lowered his wand, staring at the potion in fascination.
After that hair went in, the increasingly large bubbles immediately calmed. The entire potion's colour became brilliantly radiant. Just looking, Snape knew this was the Perfect Potion.
Not "perfect replication" matching standard potions.
But truly possessing "perfect efficacy".
The special potion-sensing ability unique to Potions Masters let him clearly feel the "pleasant dreams" concept nearly overflowing from this brew...
Snape flew out of the classroom. He needed to find potion analysis tools in his office, preventing sensory errors.
He hoped he really was wrong.
Otherwise, how could such an absurd brewing method achieve perfection?
Maybe he should first cast a spell ensuring he wasn't dreaming or cursed by the Dark Lord. Didn't Dumbledore say he was still at Hogwarts?
Meanwhile, Sterling in the classroom received everyone's staring baptism.
He could already see his future of recognised potion talent!
Sterling awaited Snape's return to debate potion techniques. This time he would achieve unassailable victory...
Snape, you're the challenger!