HP: Wizards at Hogwarts

After breakfast, Elaine and his group of five set off together, first going back to their respective rooms to retrieve their Potions textbooks and tools, before heading to the classroom in a grand procession.

"Hey, have we gotten lost? Is the Potions classroom really here?"

"It should be correct; I've confirmed with upperclassmen many times!"

"But this place is so dark, it makes me feel uncomfortable just looking at it..."

The Potions class classroom is located underground. As you go down the stairs, the deeper you go, the colder and damper the surrounding environment becomes.

Since it was their first Potions class, the group was unfamiliar with the route and had to keep asking for pictures of Hogwarts along the way. After many stumbles, they finally arrived at the classroom before nine o'clock.

The Potions classroom is quite large, at least twice the size of a student's room.

There were nearly thirty tables in the middle of the classroom, and on each table were two sets of potion-making tools, which was where the students made their potions.

There was also a small classroom next door, with about thirty desks and a podium, where students had their theoretical classes.

The walls were made of bluish-gray earth, and on the cabinets along the walls were glass jars filled with all sorts of creepy plant and animal specimens.

The lack of natural light made the whole environment look somewhat eerie and terrifying.

"This...this is the Potions classroom?"

"It looks terrifying!!"

Hannah and Susan were so frightened by the specimens on the wall that they trembled and could barely stand up.

Even though both of them were born into wizarding families, they were still just eleven-year-old girls. It was perfectly normal for them to feel scared when they suddenly saw the limbs, blood, mucus, hair, and bones of various creatures placed in bottles and jars.

Even Ernie and Justin, the two boys, didn't look too good.

The four of them looked at Elvin at the same time, seeking a bit of strength. Then they saw Elvin walk in without any fear. He even slowed down when he got to the specimens and carefully noted the labels on each bottle.

Upon seeing this, the four of them simultaneously gasped in shock.

To remain calm in the face of all this, that's truly Elaine!

The group walked through the large classroom and entered the small classroom next to it.

Quite a few people had already arrived in the classroom.

The Ravenclaw students sat to one side, all flipping through their textbooks, previewing the lessons;

Hufflepuff's students sat on the other side, chatting.

Elaine led the four of them toward Hufflepuff and found seats.

"Eleven, weren't you scared at all just now?"

"Absolutely not!"

Elaine remained calm. "Those things are just a bunch of processed materials. They're not going to suddenly come to life and eat me."

"I'm not talking about those bottles and jars—although I find those things quite scary—I'm talking about the environment here."

"environment?"

"Look, it's dark and cold in here. What normal person would choose a place like this for their classroom?!"

"There's nothing we can do about it. Many magical materials can only be preserved in this kind of environment. If they are placed in a place with too high a temperature or exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, the properties of the materials will change, and they will become unusable."

Elaine, being a 21st-century person who has seen a lot—even if it's from the internet—does have some understanding of the environmental requirements for scientific laboratories.

"How do you know all this so clearly?" Ernie asked.

"In the Muggle world, there are people called 'scientists,' and their chemistry labs and biology labs are pretty much like this—completely enclosed spaces, large tables, various experimental tools, and specimens in bottles and jars."

"Scientists? Chemists? Biologists? Lab workers?"

Ernie kept chewing on these unfamiliar words, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Elivin explained, "You can think of yourself as someone in the Muggle world who studies alchemy and potions, but of course, there are still big differences."

Seeing that Snape hadn't arrived yet, Ernie couldn't help but ask, "What's the difference?"

"The research subjects are different, the research methods are different, and the research objectives are also different."

"In the Muggle world, 'chemistry' and 'biology' involve studying substances, such as metals, gases, plant and animal tissues, and even humans themselves, to understand their nature and composition, and then separating them from raw materials at the microscopic level and combining them for use."

Ernie thought for a moment and commented, "This method sounds closer to alchemy; potions don't seem to have this concept."

"Yes, potion-making is just about throwing various ingredients into a crucible according to a recipe and boiling them down to extract the juice. It doesn't really involve much skill."

Everyone around looked up, staring at Elivin with horrified eyes.

Unconsciously, Elivin casually flipped open his secondhand Potions textbook.

"Look at these textbook recipes for brewing medicine. A bunch of them use 'one tube,' 'two pills,' 'three spoonfuls,' 'a quarter,' and some even just write 'rat tail' or 'crocodile tooth,' without mentioning the dosage. It's extremely imprecise and non-standard!"

"In the Muggle world, scientists always specify 'how many milliliters' and 'how many grams'!"

"Furthermore, science labs in the Muggle world are much cleaner than here, and there are more requirements when conducting experiments. For example, you have to wear special clothes, hats, masks, gloves, shoe covers, and so on..."

"Huh? What's wrong? Your face has suddenly turned so pale. Are you not feeling well?"

Ernie didn't answer; he just hung his head, his little face pale.

Elaine immediately looked up and touched his forehead.

It wasn't hot; it was even a little cool.

Just then, he finally noticed that the other people in the classroom were exhibiting the same symptoms as Ernie: pale-faced, sweating, and staring at him as if they'd seen a ghost...

No, to be more precise, they were looking behind them!

Can I really be this unlucky...?

"Hehehe..."

"I was just joking!"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Elaine quickly changed the subject, "Actually, if you think about it carefully, Potions has aspects that Muggle chemistry and biology can't cover."

This time, before Ernie could ask "what's lacking," Elaine took the initiative to continue.

"For example, the wonderful environment of a large pot simmering over a low flame, producing white smoke and wafting a fragrant aroma, and the magical state of mind and will that is captivating when the liquid flows into people's blood vessels, are things that Muggle biochemistry cannot achieve."

"In general, both have their advantages and disadvantages."

Elaine summarized his words, then turned around and gave the giant bat, who had been standing behind him for who knows how long, a standard smile.

"Good morning, Professor Snape!"