Snape placed the Mistletoe Berries and Salamander Blood in a small dish before he added a single drop of water. Nothing happened because the mixture sat inert and harmless.
Then he added a drop of vinegar, and the mixture began to smoke.
Gilderoy leaned back instinctively while his hand twitched toward his wand, but Snape didn't flinch a bit as he simply watched the thin plume of purple vapour rise and dissipate into the air of the dimly lit room.
"This is why precision matters," Snape said flatly. "Distilled water is neutral because it does not react with either ingredient, but acidic bases like vinegar change the reaction entirely for particular brews. In most brewing situations, that means an explosion, in other words, failure."
"That said, for some brews vinegar is needed, but you need to be very careful using that as a base."
He set down the dish and fixed Gilderoy with a pointed look as he continued his lecture.
"Shrivelfig and Dragon Liver must be added in the right order because if you reverse the sequence, the potion turns toxic. The same ingredients and the same quantities, but the wrong order changes everything."
He paused before continuing. "Textbooks will only tell you the correct order. They will not tell you how to recognise when the sequence has gone wrong because that comes from experience."
Snape picked up the jar of Shrivelfig and turned it over in his hand. "The book instructions say to add Shrivelfig before Dragon Liver, and that is correct. But if you add them in the wrong order by mistake,still the potion does not turn toxic immediately. It changes colour first, from green to a brownish hue. Then it thickens. Then it starts to smell of burnt hair. By the time it turns toxic, it is too late to save it because the potion will melt through your cauldron and anything else it touches. A textbook will not tell you what to look for because those signs are not in the instructions. You must learn to read the potion."
"If you realise you have added the ingredients in the wrong sequence, do not try to fix it by adding more of anything. Just vanish the potion and start again. A ruined potion is better than a toxic one."
Vanish the potion and start again. That reminds me of how many times Snape had to vanish his students' potions before the cauldron melted or exploded. Ha!
"Now," Snape said, turning toward a second workstation where a empty cauldron sat waiting, "you will brew the Aegis Draught."
Gilderoy looked up. "Aegis Draught? The most complex potion in the NEWT syllabus? Slughorn has not taught it to us yet."
He remembered all the Slughorn lessons he had attended this year. For most of the year, he had been fully dependent on Amelia's help. Slughorn had barely spared him a glance when he saw that the first potion he had created in seventh year matched whatever horrible brew he had done since his first potion in first year. Since then, Slughorn had clearly ignored Lockhart as if he had never existed.
Snape smirked as he looked at Gilderoy. "Complex potion? I do not think so. Maybe for a dunderhead like you it is. The Aegis Draught is a defensive potion that temporarily coats the drinker's skin with a thin, invisible magical barrier. It deflects low and medium level spells, hexes and is useful for Aurors and witches and wizards whose jobs are dangerous. The effect lasts approximately fifteen minutes after consumption."
He moved to the shelf behind him and began pulling down ingredients. "This is a NEWT-level potion because it requires precise timing, temperature control, stirring technique, and multiple ingredient preparation methods. It is a variation of the Shield Draught with extra steps to increase potency and duration. Common failure risks include curdling, discoloration, loss of potency, or complete meltdown of the cauldron."
Gilderoy watched as Snape set the ingredients on the workbench one by one. He recognised each ingredient from his memories. Powdered Graphorn Horn, Powdered Dragon Claw, Flobberworm Mucus, Salamander Blood, Ground Unicorn Horn, Shrivelfig, and Water.
"Powdered Graphorn Horn is the primary ingredient because it creates the barrier itself," Snape said as he pointed at the fine grey powder. "Powdered Dragon Claw adds durability to the barrier while Flobberworm Mucus thickens and binds the solution. Salamander Blood gives the barrier resistance and must be added at a specific heat level. Ground Unicorn Horn stabilises the brew and enhances the barrier's magical integrity, and it is added near the end. Shrivelfig is crushed and added at the very end for taste only. It has a Tart yet sweet taste. No magical effect, but without shrivelfig, this potion is so bitter you will vomit it."
"You have one hour," Snape said. "Begin."
Gilderoy nodded and took his position at the workstation. He had brewed difficult potions before with Amelia guiding him, but nothing at this level. The instructions were complex, and the margin for error was thin.
Gilderoy lit the Blackthorn log in the stove with Incendio. The flame caught quickly and flickered orange and gold against the dark wood before he cast Flamma Moderato as instructed in the book, and the flame settled into a steady, moderate heat.
He poured the distilled water into the cauldron and waited for it to heat. Hot but not boiling. The instructions were clear, but the timing was to be precise, so he watched the surface of the water and looked for the first signs of steam.
Meanwhile he grounded the Graphorn Horn into a fine powder. The horn was dense and was too difficult to break down, and it took longer than he expected. By the time he finished, ten minutes had passed.
Next he added the Powdered Dragon Claw. The instructions said to add only a pinch, while stirring clockwise. But Gilderoy was slightly impatient, and he added more than he should have.
The potion curdled and turned cloudy, then lumpy.
Snape stared at Gilderoy unimpressed and smirked.
Damm it
Seeing Snape smirk, Gilderoy cursed under his breath as he stared at the ruined potion.
"Start again," Snape said flatly before he brandished his wand and vanished the ruined potion.
Does he enjoy vanishing potions from cauldrons?
This time he vowed to be more careful.
He heated the water to the correct temperature and ground the Graphorn Horn into a fine powder, working it into a fine consistency. He added all the ingredients in the correct order and got a clear potion.
Gilderoy removed the cauldron from the heat and added the Ground Unicorn Horn a pinch at a time while stirring in a figure-eight motion. Then he crushed the Shrivelfig and stirred it in gently.
He let it rest for a few minutes.
When he looked inside the cauldron, his heart sank. The potion was pale, but the silver magical shimmer was faint and fading. It lacked the distinct shimmer that the instructions required.
Snape leaned over and studied the colour and the clarity before he shook his head. "The shimmer is already fading. You added the Graphorn Horn too early. The potion needs to be cold before adding it." He straightened. "The barrier will only last for a minute. The potion is useless now."
Could you not tell this to me before?
Snape caught Gilderoy's expression and immediately guessed what he was thinking. "Read what is written in the book, dunderhead. You skipped the last line."
Gilderoy moved his finger to the last line and realized indeed he had overlooked it.
And just like that, Snape gleefully brandished his wand again and vanished the potion from the cauldron for the second time.
Gilderoy had to start again for the third time, but this time he was meticulous. He read all the instructions carefully and asked Snape some questions about them, which Snape answered.
He heated the water to exactly the right temperature and ground the Graphorn Horn into a powder so fine it floated in the air like dust motes.
After 10 minutes of potion boiling, he added the Powdered Dragon Claw, a pinch, while stirring clockwise. The potion remained clear.
He then casted Flamma Moderato and added the Flobberworm Mucus slowly while stirring clockwise. The liquid thickened and took on a translucent, viscous quality.
After controlling the flame with Flamma Augeo, the next ingredient added was the Salamander Blood in a single pour before he stirred vigorously clockwise for three minutes.
Next he added the Powdered Graphorn Horn a pinch this time while stirring in a anti clockwise motion.
Soon the potion seemed ready so he removed the cauldron from the heat before he let it rest for fifteen minutes.
This time Gilderoy ensured the potion was cold and then added a pinch of Ground Unicorn Horn while stirring eight times clockwise. Then he crushed the Shrivelfig and stirred it in gently.
When he looked inside the cauldron, the potion was pale silver-blue, translucent and clear. A soft silver shimmer reflected across its surface.
Snape leaned closer and studied the colour, the clarity, the texture, and the shimmer before he nodded slowly.
"Acceptable. Barely."
Gilderoy grinned. "So a successful attempt finally!"
Snape's reply was flat. "You need to practise more, Lockhart, or else I see you failing your NEWTs because you took three tries to do it."
"I know, I know," Gilderoy added embarrassed. "I will practise more."
"Well, we are done now, Lockhart."
They left Slughorn's classroom and made their way toward Snape's office in silence. Snape entered the office and sat back in his chair while Gilderoy bid him goodnight and turned, intending to leave, but paused at the door. "I wanted to apologise," he said quietly.
Snape stared at Gilderoy expressionlessly as if he did not want to say anything.
"For the Occlumency session," Gilderoy continued. "I saw things I should not have seen. Private things. I am sorry."
Snape glared at him while heavy and uncomfortable silence stretched between them,. Gilderoy could see the memory flickering behind Snape's eyes, the shame and the anger and the old wounds that had never fully healed.
Snape did not say anything for a long moment before he spoke unexpectedly. "Thank you."
Gilderoy blinked in surprise as he comically pointed a finger at himself. "Me? Why are you thanking me?"
Snape's jaw tightened as he spoke. "You showed me something from my own memory which I had never noticed before."
Gilderoy grimaced internally as he remembered that Snape had seen Lily smirk at his humiliation. He did not say anything because he could not muster any words to add.
Thankfully, Snape brought up another question. "I want to ask you a question about your mind. It has a natural shield. It blurred all your memories from me during our session. I could not see anything you did not want me to see." He paused. "How did you do it?"
The question was simply curious as if there was hunger to learn more magic.
Gilderoy grinned. "I might tell you one day. As a trade secret."
Snape's expression darkened, but he did not press further. "If everything is done," he said coldly, "I need to do my job as assistant professor and grade the first three years' assignments. So, get lost."
Gilderoy bid him goodbye cheerfully as he stepped out into the corridor.
___
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