Sean had originally thought that brewing potions would not be too difficult. After all, the steps seemed strict and orderly.
But reality was far less simple than he imagined.
He knew he was supposed to toss dried nettles and crushed snake fangs into the cauldron to simmer, then add the porcupine quills after the fire was put out.
Yet those were only the broad instructions. Once he began to brew, countless uncertainties arose.
How finely should the snake fangs be ground? How long after extinguishing the flame should the porcupine quills be added?
How vigorously should he stir? At what angle? And at what point in the process?
None of these details were recorded in the textbook. Professor Snape, of course, offered no explanations.
Sean suspected these were the sorts of things wizards did not need to be told. Perhaps it was instinct, the same uncanny sense he had felt when he first practiced the Levitation Charm, some strange guidance that came naturally to them.
If that were the case, then everyone else would realize it soon enough even without instruction hence, no one bothered to teach it.
Professor Snape certainly did not. And as a Potions Master, there was little chance he had overlooked such questions.
"But I seem to be the poor student here. Those little details have become my stumbling blocks," Sean sighed inwardly.
His suspicion was confirmed soon after. Following the textbook's steps to the letter, and trusting whatever instincts he could summon, Sean brewed the potion.
And, as expected and much to Justin's bewilderment the contents of their cauldron had turned bright blue.
"I don't remember boil cure potion being this colour," Justin muttered, scratching his head in disbelief.
The cauldron bubbled, the blue mixture growing thicker by the second.
Snape's expression darkened alongside the potion.
"Idiots!"
He strode over, his billowing robes cutting sharp arcs through the air.
"I suppose the problem lies not only in your mixing and your heat control, but also very likely in your ingredient preparation…"
With a flick of his wand, a stool appeared. Snape lowered himself onto it with his usual dark grace, his eyes fixed on the cauldron's contents.
He watched in silence for several seconds before sneering.
"Porcupine quills blunted, nettles bruised like weeds, and snake fangs non-venomous? You two are fit to be hung on a dungeon wall as a warning mural!"
He barked the words mercilessly, then swept his wand to vanish the contents of the cauldron in a single motion.
"You should be grateful you followed the recipe at all. Had you erred even slightly in the steps, you'd have learned what lesson fools often meet in potion-making through pain!"
His voice was as sharp and chilling as the cellar's icy draught.
"One point deducted for each of you."
Justin had already sensed trouble the moment Snape advanced on them, but the barrage of ridicule still brought a flush to his cheeks.
Sean's wide eyes lost their brightness. Just as when he had first tried learning spells, there was no instinctive spark guiding him in potion-making.
He could already guess where his talent for Potions lay.
…
Even after class ended, the first-years did not dare speak above a whisper. The shadow of Snape's lesson still hung heavily over them.
"Don't worry, Sean. We'll win the points back," Justin said, his voice sounding more like encouragement for himself than for his friend.
"Mm."
Sean seemed distracted, but inside he was calm.
If he had let difficulties, obstacles, or ridicule stop him, he would never have mastered even the Levitation Charm.
What preoccupied him now were Professor Snape's words.
Failure to control heat, improper stirring, or errors in ingredient selection… these were the foundations of potion-brewing and precisely the problems Sean faced.
Two paths stretched before him.
One was to brew potions blindly, as he had once practiced spells, relying on trial and error to muddle his way forward.
Sean dismissed that path at once.
Potions were not like charms. They were a dangerous branch of magic. Careless brewing could lead to poisonous fumes or worse. Playing by luck in potion-making was the same as gambling with disaster.
That left only one choice.
He would have to understand this discipline thoroughly, identify every possible problem, and solve them systematically.
Only then could he improve through practice, gain mastery, and truly develop his talent.
This path was far more demanding than the first but it was feasible. And once he managed to succeed even once, the pace of his progress would quicken.
"Solve them one by one, and quickly," Sean told himself. "Hogwarts has more to offer than this single subject."
Only Sean could hear his own thoughts.
The long tables in the Great Hall were laden with food: roast turkey, sausages, peas with butter, gravy, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding, turkey sandwiches, flatbread…
An endless feast spread before him.
Snape's sharp tongue and his own poor showing in Potions had done nothing to dull Sean's appetite.
Merlin's beard… this is delicious.
He attacked the meal with speed and precision.
It had been half a year since he had eaten his fill. Even at last night's Welcoming Feast, he had only eaten until he was about seventy percent full.
Back at the orphanage, with no steady income, expenses had to be cut. Nurse Anna once insisted that a child only needed one meal a day.
The acid reflux at night was unpleasant.
At his hungriest, Sean had even considered the stray dogs at the orphanage gates as emergency food reserves.
"Hermione! Over here!"
Justin waved, calling to Hermione, who was scanning the hall for a place to sit.
She came over at once, cheeks slightly flushed.
"You're too loud!" Hermione scolded, glaring.
"Sorry, I just didn't want you to miss me," Justin said, dimples showing as he grinned.
"Our first lesson this afternoon is Herbology. I noticed it's the most frequent subject on the timetable… I figured it must be important, so I memorized the textbook again hoping it might help. By the way, I heard you took Potions yesterday…"
Hermione's face lit up, and she rattled off words like a machine gun.
"Herbology sounds brilliant! We'll get to study magical plants, right? As for Potions, I have to say…"
Justin listened closely, and soon the two were deep in discussion.
Their voices faded into the background as Sean pulled out his own schedule thoughtfully.
Wednesday morning: Herbology. Wednesday afternoon: Herbology. Friday afternoon: Herbology.
It was indeed the most frequent class.
Surely there was meaning behind Hogwarts' course design. The heavy emphasis on Herbology had to be for a reason.
Why?
"…The problem lies in your ingredient preparation…"
Snape's words echoed in Sean's mind, and after a moment, their meaning became clear.
Herbology taught wizards how to handle and prepare magical plants. Ingredient preparation was the very first step of potion-making.
It wasn't difficult to conclude: to truly learn Potions, one must first learn Herbology.