Free Web NovelChapter 846: Chapter 717: Conna’s Glorious Moment (Part 3)
The main focus was on sixth and seventh years. As for those below fifth year, who were not in advanced classes, he had other methods.
"Let me repeat," Slughorn raised his voice to cover the murmurs below, "The one who does the best will win this small bottle of Felix Felicis.
"Where did we leave off... oh, turn your books to page twenty-two. You have more than an hour to brew a part of the Polyjuice Potion thoroughly.
"Yes, a part. You’ll find this is not a potion that can be completed in a short time. The increasingly intricate process and lengthening time distinguish seventh-year potion classes.
"Consequently, the difficulty of potion-making will increase, because if any part of the process goes wrong, all previous efforts are in vain.
"Good luck to you all."
No one could resist a small bottle of Lucky Potion. As soon as Slughorn finished speaking, everyone frantically flipped through their Advanced Potion Making.
Slughorn had already prepared all the necessary materials ahead of time, placing them in the cabinet by the door, including the grasshopper brewed for twenty-one days.
This didn’t require much skill; even second- and third-year students could manage it with enough patience. Slughorn felt it wasn’t worth wasting time on.
Everyone got up to gather their needed items. Those who attended Snape’s advanced classes were few, so collecting materials wasn’t as crowded as before fifth year.
When Kael obtained the Flowing Liquid Grass picked at full moon, someone was already processing Knotgrass.
Everyone was nervously focused on their work, but couldn’t help paying attention to others’ progress, fearing they’d fall behind.
The only one not distracted in the classroom was Conna; her gaze remained fixed on the cauldron before her.
Kael added three portions of Flowing Liquid Grass to the cauldron, followed by two bundles of Knotgrass. When the mixture inside the cauldron gradually turned a light yellow, he immediately took out his wand and stirred the potion clockwise three times.
The potion turned pale pink, signaling the ideal state.
From here on, Kael didn’t need to watch it continuously.
He set down his wand and unhurriedly began processing the leeches; Conna was slightly faster than him.
"Kael," Conna asked quietly, "Do you think Professor Slughorn’s judging criteria is for this class or after the potion is complete?"
"Probably after it’s all finished," Kael thought for a moment and stated. freewёbnoνel.com
Judging by the timeline, this class could only brew the grasshopper, merely part of the Polyjuice Potion, which couldn’t serve as a judging standard.
After handling the leeches, Kael added two scoops of grasshopper to the mortar and started grinding carefully.
This was also the time-consuming part; the finer the grasshopper was ground, the more stable the potion’s effect became.
Sixty minutes later, the potion in the cauldron had turned a tea-brown color. Kael quickly adjusted the flame to the lowest setting, then added four portions of leeches, followed by the pre-ground grasshopper powder. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Bang!"
At that moment, there was a sudden loud noise in his ears.
Kael’s first thought was that someone’s cauldron had exploded, which was indeed the case. A Ravenclaw boy seemed to be fixated on this side, seeing them as rivals.
This led him to neglect his own cauldron, forgetting to lower the flame before adding the grasshopper powder.
When boiling Flowing Liquid Grass met grasshopper powder, it was like pouring flour into fire, resulting in an immediate explosion.
"Protego Totalum!"
Conna’s voice echoed in his ear. The splash of potion was blocked less than five inches in front of Kael.
"Thanks," Kael said, realizing he hadn’t reacted in time.
"You’re welcome," Conna shook her head, "I smelled a faint burnt odor and guessed someone’s cauldron was going to explode, good thing I acted in time."
Others weren’t as fortunate; the splashed potion rained down in the classroom, burning anyone it touched and causing them to yelp.
Slughorn wasn’t exempt; Kael noticed two drops landed on his bald head.
"Lower the flame before adding grasshopper powder, why would anyone make such a fundamental mistake?" He held his head as he waved his wand, and the potion vanished instantly.
"Five points from Ravenclaw," he said.
The Ravenclaw boy looked somewhat dejected, not wanting to miss out on the Lucky Potion.
"Alright, seeing it’s your first mistake..." Slughorn sighed, "The final potion needs a few more days to complete. After class, you’re allowed to use this classroom for one more hour, remember, only one hour."
"Thanks, Professor," the boy said happily, then dashed toward the cabinet.
The grasshopper solution needed another twenty hours of brewing to proceed to the next step; Slughorn must have adjusted the timing specially, as tomorrow morning was also Potion Class.
If this Ravenclaw boy was swift enough, he might still catch up with others’ progress.
Half an hour later, the class bell rang.
Slughorn moved slowly among the tables, inspecting each cauldron in turn.
After checking each one, he’d tap the table with his wand, and a thin circle would appear around the cauldron.
This was to prevent anyone from getting deceitful ideas, sneaking into the classroom when there weren’t classes and sabotaging others’ potions.
This step didn’t exist previously, but ever since witnessing the intense rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin two days ago, he felt it was necessary.
Though a bit troublesome, it was better than wasting two class sessions.
