52 Harry Potter : Chapter 51: Effects II

I had some ideas to make that money: simple knowledge of Microsoft and Apple's existence, as well as the economic mess that 2008 would turn out to be, was enough to guarantee me a massive amount of capital, eventually.

The problem was that I'd need the money sooner rather than later, and of course, every minute spent on making that money would be a minute stolen from my higher pursuit of Magic.

...

I entered the small classroom and immediately took notice of the potion equipment arrayed against one wall, and the multitude of ingredients that Slughorn had gracefully made available strewn in organized sections over a white cloth on a few rows of desks.

"You're late." the startlingly blue eyes of Orion Black were narrowed in distaste as I turned my attention towards him.

He was dressed properly: his outer robes buttoned up, his tie properly secured around his neck, and six meters of unyelding, thorny wood up his ass.

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

When my words were met with the unimpressed expression Orion Black was so adept at, I shrugged: "I've been delayed."

I dropped my outer robes and satchel over an empty desk and strode forward, thinking about how to actually teach something that had made sense to me since the first time Slughorn had shown us the very basics.

However, my eyes had been on the Black Heir when I spoke, and I didn't miss the knowing expression that briefly painted itself across his features: "You know something." I accused him, receiving a mocking tilt of the head in turn.

"Of course, I heard that there was something afoot, but it wasn't about me." Orion shrugged uncaringly.

"I didn't know you'd be the target, of course, and I refrained from taking part, as it is beneath me, I'm a Black, not some kind of monkey."

"You're Orion, and not a mere Black." I added mockingly, turning my attention back towards the ingredients, the many standard combinations jumping to my eyes like well lit signs.

"Perhaps." the Black Heir slid across the floor with a grace he had clearly been trained foor, and soon enough he was hovering next to me, "So? How did you plan to proceed?"

I turned towards him with a raised eyebrow: "It depends."

"On what?"

I grabbed a pair of cauldrons and filled them with water readily available from a barrel placed against one wall before settling them both over unlit burners.

"On if you want a to merely achieve an Exceed Expectations, or to actually learn the subtle and complex art of Potion Making."

The face of the older Slytherin was impassible as he fought himself: his distaste for the subject was clear to see every time his eyes landed upon the ingredients, which he'd have to touch with is bare hands, and were oftentimes quite disgusting, and the deep seethed need of all Slytherins to aim for the stars.

Cautious as he had undoubtedly been taught to be, he offered a question in turn: "What would the two paths differ in?"

I simply shrugged, as I walked among the desks covered with leftover ingredients, making a mental inventory of what we had to work with.

"The only way for a moderately intelligent wizard to not achieve at least an Exceed Expectations with potions calibrated for people with no idea of what they're doing is if you don't treat the ingredients properly before adding them to the brew."

I glanced at him to let him know that I had already spotted a possible problem, revealing that I was more insightful than what my frame would suggest -I had never seen him brew anything after all- "On the other hand, truly understanding what Potions are opens a veritable universe of possibilities, it'd merely require more time for you to learn it."

"And of course, more of your effort..." the Slytherin fourth year crossed his hands behind the small of his back, straightening it even more, "In exchange for what, I wonder?"

"We'll get squared on that later." I dismissed his concern: "I've never had to teach this stuff, so I can simply hammer into you the techniques to handle the ingredients despite your disgust for them, and maybe I'll succeed in making you a mediocre potioneer, or I can attempt to open your eyes, and make you witness the beauty you're now so blind to."

"I hardly think that it'd be proper for me to enjoy such menial tasks." Orion was unimpressed with my words, but despite myself, I found myself curious about what I could turn this more or less bratty kid into.

If what Minerva said was true, the Charms Professor wanted a fourth year to get started on the NEWT curriculum, and that was pretty extraordinary, as far as normal wizards and witches went.

When will it happen again? I grinned while I started to unashamedly quote a man that wasn't yet born: "If we succeed in making you see, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses." I crossed my arms and minutely tilted back my chin.

"I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stop to death."

Despite himself, I spotted the faintest gleam of interest in the eyes of the Black Heir as his arms came to rest at his sides, only for his expression to close off once more.

"It sounds like a lot of work, and I won't make deals without knowing all that they entail."

I sighed in annoyance, rolling my eyes at the unnatural adult-ness of the 14 years old wizard in front of me.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead... I don't know, you made up some good points when I mentioned my hazy plans to cross-breed what I'd need for new potions, I might ask for some help in setting up something that'd allow me to research without wasting my time on making money."

"Economic counsel?" Orion tilted his head as he considered the implications, "Maybe some patronage, or introductions to someone in a position of helping you?"

I sighed in annoyance, a grimace naturally appearing on my face.

"My ambitions are what landed me in our House, but I have no patience for politicking, as you've noticed, the word games constantly feel like a waste of time."

Now that we were essentially bargaining, my mind returned to my previous problem: what was I going to do about Riddle? At the same time, hoping to nudge the kid toward considering learning actual Potion-Making as something even more valuable than what he thought of it at the moment, my hands started to pilifer the needed ingredients while I lit the fire under one of the cauldrons.

Petals were taken from the flowers and a silver of a shed Unicorn's horn was reduced into powder with a stone pestle, I took three thorns from one stem and dropped them whole between one counterclockwise stirring and the three clockwise ones that followed.

Strike back against the teenagers that got off on fighting those that they perceived as beneath them? What was the point? I could see that their sudden willfullness came from a fire stoked by Riddle's words.

Of course, the best end-solution would be something to rein in Riddle without alienating him... but how?

I didn't know if Tom had deliberately directed those fools against me, and I wouldn't even bother looking for proof. Why would Riddle start playing games with me now of all times?

"Have you considered that your beasts could provide the money needed to maintain them?" Orion asked idly, his eyes eagerly observing on my working hands.

"It'd take time to reach a stable creature, even longer to figure out a balanced ecosystem, and as you've pointed out, it'd take money that I'd have yet to produce to prepare for herds of whatever I'd end up creating." I more or less shot down his solution while my mind returned to my problem.

As I started pouring the powdered horn into my brew, shifting from a silver ladle to a wooden one to add a single snail in the gently bubbling cauldron, yy memory, almost without my consent, went back to the changed Rùnda and to the recent meeting held with the Slug Club, and I had my answer.

For all of his undeniable cleverness, Tom was simple enough to read. But had so little managed to unsettle him so much as to resort to some sort of third-degree bullying? The answer was clear enough.

How Petty. But I could be petty too, in fact, I could do so without Riddle being even aware of it, if I was careful enough. One of the Horcruxes he'd build one day was going to be a ring with the Resurrection Stone wasn't it?

...

If you like the story so far, please throw some power stones.

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