Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 26: Hufflepuff's Lounge
"Sheen, oh, this may be a bit presumptuous, but... are you planning to practice potion brewing on your own?"

Justin placed the parchment and light blue notebook in Sheehan's hands, his tone gentle, with a barely perceptible concern.

"Ah."

Sheen nodded. If proficiency couldn't be increased through practice,
With his potion-making talent, he'd be lucky to even pass.

As for achieving excellence, the possibility is very low, so low that Sheen wouldn't gamble on it.

"You're looking for ingredients? I mean, the four ingredients for the scabies medicine?"

Seeing Sheehan nod again, Justin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

A warm and just-right smile spread across his face.

"Perhaps I can be of some help... Come on, I need to take you somewhere."

After he finished speaking, he led the puzzled Sheen through the auditorium.

They walked directly beneath the Great Hall of Hogwarts and proceeded up the stairs leading to the Hufflepuff basement.

The stone-paved underground corridor was brightly lit.

Sheen looked around curiously, and he vaguely sensed something.

"Oh, we're about to pass by the Hogwarts kitchen, and I have to tell you a secret..."

Justin smiled and walked toward the wall.
He stopped in front of a painting depicting a bowl of fruit and gently scratched one of the pears in the painting.
To Sheen's surprise, the pear chuckled and then transformed into a green doorknob.
Inside was the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchen.

The food-themed side quest has been triggered.

Sheen thought.

"As long as you open your mouth politely, the house-elves will generously give you food."
But there's only one thing: we can't bring Peeves in..."

Justin solemnly reminded him,
"But this isn't our destination today. Look, we're almost there, the Hufflepuff common room."

They came to a pile of large barrels in the right corner of the kitchen hallway.

Justin struck the bottom lids of the two large barrels in the middle of the second row with a very distinctive rhythm.
The lid rotates open automatically, revealing an uphill corridor inside the wooden barrel, with magic lanterns hanging on both sides.

It leads to a comfortable, warm, circular room, reminiscent of a badger's den.

The entire room is decorated in a vibrant, bee-like black and yellow color scheme.

Adorned with a polished, honey-colored wooden table and round wooden doors,

Various cacti were placed on round wooden shelves, many of the pots of which would be waved and swayed towards the students.

Meanwhile, the copper-bottomed flowerpots hanging from the ceiling were covered with curled ferns and vines.

As Sheen passes beneath them, they gently comb her hair.

The wooden fireplace at the far end is carved with dancing badgers, and above it is a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff.

She is one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Design, and is holding a golden cup with a double-sided handle, toasting her students.

Around Lady Hufflepuff, the small, round windows were level with the ground at the base of the castle.
It displays beautiful scenery such as grass and dandelions swaying in the wind, and sometimes you can see the occasional footsteps passing by.

Although the windows are quite low, the room is still bathed in sunlight year-round.

Welcome to the Hufflepuff lounge!

Sheehan heard Justin's welcoming words.

Then I saw Justin move smoothly from beside the thickly cushioned sofa.

Take out a suitcase that doesn't look cheap.

As soon as it opened, Sheen was blinded by the light.

First and foremost were a pile of glittering Galleons, followed by scattered letters and postcards.
Next to them were various kinds of jars and crystal bottles.

Sheen immediately recognized the materials, such as snake fangs and dried nettles.

His suspicions were confirmed, but he was still somewhat surprised.

Are there really any young wizards who would buy these ridiculously expensive potion ingredients on their own?
"I don't have much use for these materials, but I think you might find them useful."

Justin beamed with a warm smile.

"Can...can I buy some?"

Justin did give him a pleasant surprise, but he also needed the financial means to afford it.

A bundle of nettles costs one Gallon, which can probably support more than thirty repetitions.

A jar of slugs with tentacles costs one Galleon, which can probably support more than forty practice sessions.
A bottle containing venomous snake fangs and a bundle of porcupine quills can be used about the same number of times.
But they all cost two Galleons.

A total of six Galleons, necessary expenses...

Sheen thought. If he could brew a decent potion to sell, maybe he could earn back the money?

"Sheen, what are you talking about?"

Justin looked surprised.

"If you want to brew potions, then this is my support."

It's hard to believe I can still offer you some support. I've always wanted to say that constantly asking for your help often makes me feel a little embarrassed..."

Sheehan was a little confused, and then he saw Justin put the crystal bottle and jar in his bag.

"Can……"

Before Sheen could speak, Justin said softly:

"I believe you will succeed. If you fail, I have another copy here."

……

When leaving the Hufflepuff lounge,

Justin's steps quickened considerably, and his mother's words seemed to echo in his ears again:

"My dear Fenrir, do you remember? Everyone has different strengths."
The Fenrir children are always adept at combining the strengths of everyone else.

Sheehan ultimately did not refuse the help; the gentle Justin was sometimes more stubborn than a donkey.

"If you're only allowed to help me learn herbs and complete my history of magic assignments..."

If you can't even offer me the smallest bit of support, then what kind of friends are we?

Ok,

Sheen said to himself,

It's great to have a Hufflepuff friend.

noon,

In the auditorium.

Sheen continued to sweep away the remaining enemies.

With the most troublesome problem solved, all that's left is to secretly brew the potion and master the control of the heat and stirring.

Justin, standing to the side, held several notebooks in his hands; they were Sheen's notes from Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and other classes.

His progress far exceeded that of the classroom, so these notes were essentially a cheat code for Justin.

Hermione, sitting to the side, keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere of the day.
Strangely, Justin ate faster and more.

Hermione suspected that Sheehan had started this trend.

As they parted in the auditorium, Sheehan heard Justin whisper:

"Well, Sheen, anyway, I just wanted you to know..."

If you run into trouble, you can come to me. Remember, we're friends.

Justin's sincere, light gray eyes reflected the firelight from the fireplace, and Sheen nodded.

The fireplace at Hogwarts was even warmer than he had imagined.

Hufflepuff too.

I want to be a Hufflepuff too!
That wretched Sorting Hat!

Afternoon herbal medicine class,

Inside the greenhouse.

Sheen skillfully processed the dried nettles.
They are ordinary plants, but after being soaked in a special blue solution,
It can become a magical material for making swelling potions and scabies treatment potions.

Oh.
Professor Sprout added:

Nettle extract can be used to make sleeping pills or hypnotics, but the way wizards handle them changes.

Compared to the young wizards' frantic efforts—

Incorrect dosage of the medicinal solution, incorrect cutting of the dried nettles, incorrect soaking time...

Sheen's handling of the situation was much more professional. Some troubled Ravenclaws and Slytherins, under Professor Sprout's guidance, even gathered around Sheen to learn.

at the same time,

The panel kept beeping with notifications.

(End of this chapter)