Chapter 61

Professor Snape split the potions class into a practical and a theoretical section. In the theoretical section, they went through the ingredients and the instruction of how to make the Boils-Cure Potion. After Snape had gone through the necessary content, he split everyone into pairs and told them to make it. On the blackboard was written:

Ingredients:

2 snake fangs

1 horned slugs

3 measures of the porcupine quills

4 sprigs of dried nettles

2 drops of leech juice

1 piece of Boomslang skin

Instructions:

1. Crush the snake fangs and add them to the cauldron.

2. Heat the mixture to a moderate temperature.

3. Add the horned slugs and stir clockwise.

4. Crush the porcupine quills and add them to the cauldron.

5. Stir counterclockwise until the mixture turns orange.

6. Add the dried nettles and stir clockwise.

7. Add two drops of leech juice and stir counterclockwise.

8. Add the Boomslang skin and stir clockwise until the potion turns a deep shade of blue.

"The potion is quite difficult to brew and required precise measurements and timing. Let's read the instructions a few times, and then make the potion," Albert said, as he saw Professor Snape standing behind him. "As long as we don't deviate from the original recipe in the book, we won't make a big mess."

Albert opened 'Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger' to remind himself of the extract configuration of the potion.

After Snape left, Albert took out the ingredients he needed from his schoolbag.

"You boil the horned slug. This slug will take at least 33 to 45 minutes to prepare," Albert said as he handed his tweezers to Lee Jordan. "Remember to reduce and increases the heat as close to the exact timing in the book."

"Okay, leave it to me," Lee Jordan said with no objection. He took the tweezers that Albert had handed over and picked out the disgusting horned slug from the jar.

"Remember to clean, wipe and debone it. You don't need to put a lot of water in the cauldron. Be careful it doesn't cook, otherwise everything will go to waste," Albert said in addition.

Then, he ground the snake fang with a pestle and mortar. The book requires the snake teeth be ground into a fine powder with no chunks or pieces at all. Compared to Albert's technique, other students cannot grind it into a fine powder. Albert's technique may have something to do with him upgrading his potions to level one, but no-one needs to know that.

Snape was still wandering in the classroom, watching the students grind the snake fangs and prepare the horned slug. Professor Snape had criticised every single pair, with the exception being Albert and two Slytherin pairs. The only thing he could criticise about these three pairs was that they were slower than the rest of the class.

"Next, grind the dried nettles," Albert said as he looked at Snape retreating. "Lee, pay attention to the timings. Don't call it wrong."

"OK." Lee Jordan said in a jovial tone as Professor Snape did not bother them.

Albert, after grinding the nettles, sliced the struggled to slice Boomslang skin into the stated thickness in the book. Some of them were outside the critical region and they had to be discarded. As a result, he needed to cut a bit more to make up for the amount he wasted.

About twenty minutes later, Lee Jordan came up to Albert and said the slug was done. Lee had made sure by stabbing a needle into it and, when he was certain, he placed it in a glass test tube. They had prepared all the ingredients, now all they had to do was make the potion. However, they couldn't start until they had cleaned the cauldron. To save some time, Albert used the Scouring Charm to clean and the Flame Making Charm to dry.

First, they pour the ground snake fang into the cauldron and added some distilled water. They put it on a moderate heat and slowly stirred the contents. Albert added the horned slug and stirred until the powder dissolved and slug disappeared into the liquid, resulting in a dark blue colour.

"Should it be dark blue?" Lee asked.

"Yes, it says in the book. Fourth paragraph, second line," Albert said as he took the cauldron off the heat. He then added the ground porcupine quill and watch the mixture gradually turn red as stated in the book. After the mixture stopped turning darker, they waited ten seconds before placing it back on the heat.

He then stirred the mixture anti-clockwise twice and stopped for a few seconds and repeated until the mixture turned orange. Albert took a few steps back and told Lee to pass him the dried nettles. At a safe distance, he used the Levitating Charm to pour the powder into the cauldron. The reason for this was that this was the most crucial step in the potion making process and had a large chance of spitting into their face if they added too much in a short amount of time. Ten seconds passed and nothing happened. Albert then got closer and stirred clockwise twice, stop and repeat. He did this until the mixture turned pink.

Lee picked up the tiny container which contained the leech juice and went closer to the cauldron. He carefully, with a pipet, added two drops of leech juice as Albert repeated the stirring motion he was doing in the anti-clockwise direction. He continued to stir until the potion turned green. They added the chopped Boomslang skin and stirred clockwise until the potion became a deep shade of blue. To make the magic in the potion active, Albert wave his wand over the potion. The potion dimly shimmered that they had completed to potion.

"Did we succeed?" Lee Jordan asked nervously.

"What do you think?" Albert asked, as he retrieved a ladle. He then scooped up some of the potion mixture and bottled it until it had all disappeared. He then handed Lee a bottle.

"We succeeded," Lee Jordan said excitedly as he looked at the 'Boils-Cure Potion' in his hand. It was the same colour as the one shown in the textbook.

"Yeah, we succeeded, but it was tough," Albert said as he put out the fire while doubting the efficacy of the potion.

While bottling the potion and writing their names, Albert's danger sense went off. He turned his head and saw the twins were about to pour powdered porcupine quill into their cauldron while it was still on the flame.

"Wait, remove the cauldron from the fire before adding the porcupine quill," Albert said as he tried to hurry and stop them.

However, he was too late. They poured every single last grain into the cauldron. They were done for. But nothing happened. The cauldron was still there, but there was a growing foul smell wafting through the air..

"Weasley, tell me, what are you imbecile doing? Do you everyone in this room to get injured because of your mistake?" Professor Snape said as he walked behind the twins blankly with his wand drawn.

Snape asked indifferently, "How does the 'Boils-Cure Potion' look like in the book?"

"Blue," George muttered.

"Well done, you can read. Now read paragraph nine, line six," Professor Snape said as he opened their book to the correct page.

"While adding the powered porcupine quill, remove the cauldron from the flame. If not, the content of the cauldron become volatile and..." Fred read.

"Enough. I now know you can read. Why did you deviate from the instructions? If you every contract Boils and you make this exact potion, dear Merlin, I hope a swift death for you," Professor Snape said as he vanished from the cauldron.

"Start again. From the beginning. Anderson, considering how loud you were and the fact you were running around the classroom, I assume you have finished," Professor Snape said.

"Yes sir," Albert said.

"Where is your potion?" Professor Snape said as he held out his hand.

"Here, sir." Lee Jordan said as he quickly handed over the potion.

"A deep blue colour," Snape said, picking up the glass bottle and smelling the contents inside. "Barely passable"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Barely passable? That was the best one in the entire class," Lee Jordan said.

After the class, Lee Jordan said to the twins, "What is this? We were the only seven groups that actually made it! So... why do we write a 1500 word essay about it?"

"Calm down, Snape is going to hear you," Fred said, pointing to Snape, who was coming out of the class.

"Perhaps Professor Snape thinks we are talented in potions and wants to cultivate our talent," Albert said to Lee Jordan.

"No one else receives this treatment. All the groups that failed have to write a 750-word essay. The Slytherin groups that succeeded have to write a 500-word essay. We have to write a 1500 word essay. It's not fair," Lee said as Professor Snape appeared behind them.

"I hope your essay is passable just like your practical work, Mr Anderson," Professor Snape said as turned his head to stare at Lee Jordan. "And as for you, Mister ..."

"Jordan."

"Don't bother if you are going to whine about it. The only consequence you will face for not turning it in is falling my subject," Professor Snape said and then he walked away.

"What does he mean?" Lee Jordan said, looking at Snape's retreating back.

"What does he mean? It means that he doesn't believe you are good enough in potions for him to pay extra attention to you," Fred said when Professor Snape disappeared from his sight. He raised his hand and patted Albert on the shoulder. "It seems like Snape is interested in you. If you're good enough, he may invite you to his Potions Club. I heard it's a smaller version of the Slug Club, whatever that it."

"Then I can only refuse. I have just recently joined the Transfiguration Club," Albert said.