Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 204: Gobalot's Potion Prize
Cellars always require wizards to tighten their robes more than other places.

Tira had already huddled inside the blankets in Sheen's pocket and wouldn't peek out again.

Bowtruckles almost never leave with wizards; the last time one did so was by the old man of Hufflepuff.

So even now, Sheen doesn't know if the living environment he provides will make Tira feel at ease.

He decided that once he got back, he would have to build a small house for Tira, otherwise it wouldn't be reasonable for her to stay in her robes all the time.

As the stairs gradually darkened, a gust of cold wind rushed in as Sheen opened the door.

There was no fire in the cellar, and the crucible that used to bubble was now cold, just like Severus Snape standing by the wall, without making a sound.

"Professor Snape."

Sheen's arrival brought a bit of life to the place, and he skillfully began to organize the materials.

Wrinkled fig, daisy root, caterpillar, mugwort, leech, rat spleen, hemlock extract...

After organizing the storage cabinet on the left, Sheen collected all the materials for the shrinking potion.

Shrinking potion is a magical potion that shrinks a creature or reverts it to a juvenile state. It is usually a bright green acidic liquid.

It can be used to deal with large monsters that are resistant to spells, or to transfer livestock—shrinking an entire herd of pigs into a wizard's pocket.

This potion will help Sheen perfect the Bowtruckle magic ritual, since a wizard who is a few centimeters tall is always easier to shapeshift than a wizard who is over a meter tall.

Then, Sheen took some materials for a resurrection potion, which can cure dead plants.

Its function is to help plants grow cells.

By using the rituals involved in brewing these potions, the intuitive Sheen could glean some other essential information about the Bowtruckle transformation ritual.

Potions and alchemy are thus connected by the thread of origin.

The firelight from the crucible seemed to be the only light in the cellar; Professor Snape had not lit any candles, and only faint moonlight shone through the windows.

He was already irritable, and seeing Sheen frantically trying to learn how to use the shrinking potion for the first time only made him more annoyed.

"stupid!"

As a renowned potions master in the magical world, how could he be such a stupid wizard?

For a long time after that incident, he was unable to accept it.

Even though his talent is gradually emerging, it is still too slow, still too slow.

So slowly, in fact, that he feared he might not live to see that day.

"Put down your crucible... Sheehan Green, you'd better take a good look!"

His wide robe billowed rapidly, and in just two seconds he was standing in front of the cauldron beside him. His movements carried a long-standing refinement and elegance, and Sheen watched intently, not daring to miss a single detail.

"Heh—for the next batch, you can use your pretty good method."

Professor Snape watched as Sheehan meticulously copied the steps to complete the creation of the shrinking potion, then gave a barely perceptible nod.
"If your brain is larger than an almond, you'd better perfect the enhancement ritual before you try it."

As the cauldron boiled and then calmed down, Sheen's cooking technique reached the standard required for an apprentice's practice.

His next step should be to adapt to the different types of potions and guide the wizard's spiritual power to improve the quality of the potions.

This is exactly what he has been studying at the library recently.

He quickly succeeded and raised his proficiency in the shrinking potion to the apprentice level.

After that, he took out his notebook and wrote "Shriveling Potion (Incomplete)" after "Scabies Potion", "Swelling Potion", "Swelling Relief Potion", "Ecstasy Potion", and "Common Antidote".

Since inheriting this knowledge from Master Polachi's secret notes, Sheen has been continuously adding to the ritual content on them.

However, this is an extremely long process. Even a simple improvement to a ritual can result in countless variations. The most effective way to find the truly correct outcome is most likely to possess keen talent. Sheen has already sensed that he has reached the upper limit of his current talent.

Creation is somewhat rough, but improvement is almost endless.

As Sheen frowned, the notebook he had left in the cellar came into his hands in an arc.

"With your monstrous talent..."

Professor Snape gave a chilling laugh, and the only sound in the cellar was the rustling of Sheen flipping through his notes.

After a while, only one thought remained in Sheehan's mind—just how high was Professor Snape's talent for potions?
But he quickly put aside his useless questions and went on to study the regeneration agent.

"White... idiot! Watch carefully!"

Professor Snape's roar echoed from the cellar once more.

The crucible would boil and then subside, a constant occurrence in the cellar.

As Sheehan prepared to leave the cellar with sufficient understanding, Snape's gaze grew even colder:

"Given your incompetence in the field of potions, you'd better not reveal me—at any time!"

A cold wind rushed up his throat, and the cellar seemed even darker as he uttered those words.

His expression was even more difficult to discern in the darkness.

"I see, Professor."

Sheen replied.

Professor Snape then let out a heavy, cold snort:
Sheen tidied up the table and left the cellar.

Before leaving, he suddenly stopped in his tracks:
"Professor, to what extent? Not stupid?"

Snape paused, his complex expression vanishing in an instant, replaced by a feigned disdain:

"When you can win the Gobalot Potions Award, aside from your decent research in the field of willpower."

He proposed a standard that was almost impossible to achieve.

Gobalot Potion Award?
Sheen had seen this award in the biography of Master Polach in the history of magic.

It is awarded almost exclusively to the best potions masters of the past decade.

With his current talent, he can't even reach the edge of the standard.

At the cellar entrance, Sheen nodded calmly.

"I see, Professor."

……

Outside the cellar.

Sir Cadogan, holding his pony, was clearly quite drunk.

Lady Violet was supporting the plump lady, who had indeed drunk the knight under the table, but she herself was not much better off.

They're talking about some interesting things about Professor Minerva McGonagall right now.

As Sheehan passed by, Sir Cadogan was forlornly parting from the ladies. He stood alone at the cellar entrance, muttering something completely unintelligible, speaking very rapidly:
“Yes, Severus Snape. What else can you do? The big cat can do it openly… but you can only stay as far away as possible… You think it’s protection—ha! Of course, that’s all you can think of…”

It was still snowing at Hogwarts.

Severus Snape didn't need anyone to know what he was burying deep inside.

(End of this chapter)