"Hey, Terry, wake up, it's time for class."
Terry felt someone calling him and groggily opened his eyes.
He saw the handsome face of his roommate, Lucien.
"Ah, is this the dorm room?"
"I remember coming back last night and smelling a fragrance…"
Lucien's mouth twitched, and he turned his head away.
How did this kid still remember?
The improved Sleeping Draught had made Terry sleep for an entire night; if he hadn't woken him up, he probably wouldn't be awake yet.
It seemed the Potion's sustained effect was quite long, which wasn't bad.
"You must have been too tired from class yesterday; you fell asleep as soon as you got back."
"Hurry and get ready. The first class this morning is Potion Class, taught by Professor Snape."
Hearing Lucien's reminder, Terry sat up abruptly.
The senior had warned them that the teacher they absolutely couldn't offend in the entire school was Snape!
"Oh, right, right! I'm getting up. I absolutely cannot be late for his class!"
Witnessing Terry complete the entire process of waking up, changing clothes, and washing in less than five minutes, Lucien couldn't help but sigh.
This was the formidable reputation of Snape.
"I'm ready! Let's go quickly!"
…
Potion Class classroom.
As soon as the class bell rang, the classroom door burst open.
A tall, slender man with a large hooked nose walked in.
His quick strides made his black cloak billow, like a large bat.
At the same time, a harsh, cold voice came from his mouth:
"In my class, no waving wands, no casting spells."
"Personally, I don't expect most of you to grasp the subtleties of Potion Class."
"However, for the very few, those with aptitude."
Saying this, Snape scanned the classroom.
His gaze lingered briefly on Lucien; he had some impression of this student.
A student who made history at the Sorting Ceremony and was even specifically mentioned by Minerva.
"I can teach you how to bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses."
"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even… stopper death!"
Many Little Ravenclaws and Little Hufflepuffs were awed by Snape's presence.
Some had already straightened their backs, seemingly beginning to yearn for that beautiful prospect.
Lucien, however, listened to Snape's lecture with a calm expression.
Hmm, it was quite infectious, but compared to glory, fame, and stopping death, Lucien thought Snape probably wanted a resurrection Potion to reverse life and death, or a regret Potion that could change facts, even more.
Snape waved his hand, and writing began to appear on the blackboard.
"This class, we will learn to brew the Sleeping Draught."
"This is a kind of…"
Lucien, sitting below, heard the name, and his eyelids twitched.
What a coincidence?
"…after use, a Wizard will fall asleep in ten seconds, while magical creatures, depending on their size, will fall asleep in thirty seconds to six minutes."
Listening to Snape's explanation, Lucien nodded almost imperceptibly.
The improved Sleeping Draught he had learned was indeed much stronger than the original.
Especially when used on magical creatures, the time required for the improved version to take effect was significantly reduced.
At that time, he would first burn incense to make them sleep, which would make it easier to observe and record them.
After introducing the effects and uses of the Sleeping Draught, Snape began to explain the brewing techniques.
This made Lucien pay close attention.
Because Lucien knew that no matter how harsh or foul-mouthed Snape was, he was the youngest Potion Master of his time.
His teachings, his explanations, could only be heard so casually by someone like himself, attending Hogwarts.
"Sopophorous Beans must be squeezed for juice with the side of a silver knife, not sliced, and stirred counter-clockwise until clear…"
Old Bat mentioned a small detail in material processing, which made Lucien's eyes light up.
Indeed, Snape had something to teach.
Although he had already mastered the improved Sleeping Draught, he had to admit that some of the techniques Snape taught were still very useful.
While quickly taking notes, he compared Snape's explanation with the improved formula, thereby deepening his understanding of Potions.
"Alright, begin brewing the Potion."
The young Wizards immediately got to work.
As Lucien prepared to process the ingredients, he suddenly thought of something and asked the system:
"System, to repay the formula loan, I need to brew 5 Potions."
"Can the improved Sleeping Draught and the original version count as two different ones?"
[No, Host, this is not a hidden repayment method]
"…"
Lucien was speechless. Since he couldn't use the original Sleeping Draught to exploit a bug, he would just brew the improved version.
Hmm, if he borrowed another finished Potion, it would be equivalent to consuming one set of ingredients but yielding two Potions!
After Little Qilin woke up, Lucien planned to go to the Forbidden Forest to find 5 magical creatures and record their information.
To be safe, he could prepare more Sleeping Draught as an auxiliary tool.
"I want to borrow a Beginner Finished Potion (Daily Loan), and the content is the improved Sleeping Draught."
[Loan successful, item has been stored in system space, please check at any time]
On the other side, Snape also stepped down from the podium and began to inspect the students' operating techniques.
"Bones, why aren't you wearing a mask? Are you planning to wash your face in the cauldron?"
"Abbott, oh, don't cry. When brewing the Sleeping Draught, there's no need to add a little girl's tears!"
…
It was the first Potion Class for the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and also their first time witnessing Snape's "terror."
Lucien had just weighed the Valerian Sprigs and taken them off the scale, preparing to grind them.
A chilling voice sounded behind him:
"Tell me, Grafton, did I forget to mention that Valerian Sprigs require eight grams? Why did you only weigh five grams?"
Hearing Snape's question, Lucien didn't stop his movements, placing the Valerian Sprigs into the mortar and grinding them finely.
"Yes, Professor, you said eight grams."
"However, if ground into powder, five grams is enough."
Snape continued to press, his tone even colder:
"But I requested slices. Powdered Valerian Sprigs will quickly lose their efficacy once added to the cauldron."
Lucien was not intimidated by Snape's tone and replied while grinding:
"So, when adding them, the flame needs to be lowered to 150°C, allowing the Valerian Sprigs powder to integrate more slowly."
Lucien believed that as long as he clearly explained the reason for doing so, Snape would be able to judge whether the operation was correct.
Since his operation was not problematic, there was no need to back down because of his questioning.
This time, Snape fell silent.
With his knowledge and experience, he instantly realized that Lucien's proposed operation was feasible and consistent with the properties of Valerian Sprigs.
It also had no impact on Potion brewing and indeed slightly reduced the required amount of Valerian Sprigs.
"Grafton, mere opportunism is not applicable in the field of Potions."
Snape dropped this remark and turned to leave, without saying whether Lucien's operation was right or wrong.
Terry whispered to Lucien beside him:
"Even though he was asking you, I couldn't help but tremble just now. Aren't you scared?"
"Why should I be scared? Was my operation wrong?"
"But Professor Snape just now…"
"If I had done something wrong, shouldn't he have scolded me until I corrected it?"
Terry scratched his head, finding Lucien's words unrefutable.
Glancing to the side, Lucien kindly reminded him:
"If you don't stir, your Potion will burn."
"Oh, no!"
And so, Lucien continued to brew the improved Sleeping Draught.
Snape would occasionally drift behind him, relentlessly questioning his operations.
But Lucien not only answered fluently, his hand movements were as steady as an old dog.
Finally, Lucien's Potion was the first to be completed.
He handed the Sleeping Draught in his hand to Snape, who stood by.
"Professor, would you like to check if it's up to standard?"