SERIESThe Time of a Sorcerer TITLEHarry Potter and the Sorcerer▓s Skill CHAPTER 8The Potions Masters

The whole of the school of Hogwarts took an extra few days to get back to normal after the sorting ceremony. It took more than fifteen minutes for the sorting of a certain Harry Potter, while students like Draco Malfoy, hardly had to be near it before the hat spouted, ⌠SLYTHERIN!"

But when Harry was away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the school, he was navigating the endless maze that was Hogwarts. And while Hermione, who never got lost, and Neville, who always got lost, were his first friends at Hogwarts, he tended to get lost in the hallways with Ron a whole lot more.

But once Harry made it to class, this was where he found a newer love for magic. The spells done on a wand, while requiring less concentration than his spells, were must harder, pronunciation and wand-movement meant a whole lot more then it should have. With the amount of magical power that he could put behind a spell from the geyser that became his core, he was always getting results. The problem was that the result wasn't always desired...

In Astronomy, all he had to do was point the telescope in the write direction, and memorize the names of the stars. The movements of the planets were far easier, seeing as there were only nine major ones, and the few ever elusive ones that muggles never knew about. They wouldn't start learning the names of the planets in the other star systems until Second Year at the earliest, so most of the muggleborns, or ones that were raised as muggles like Harry had a simple enough job of it.

Herbology was another blow off class to Harry, there just wasn▓t any point to it. Sure you get ingredients for potions, both basic and complex, but let someone else do the work. This was one course that Harry knew that he was going to drop the moment that he was allowed to.

The Hardest class was History of Magic, not that there were anything hard in the actual material of the class, considering that Harry already read the entire book, but the fact that you had to make sure that you didn▓t fall asleep before Professor Binns didn▓t exactly help matters. Add in the fact that he was a ghost that you couldn▓t wake up by shaking him the obvious way, made things really hard.

Charms and Transfiguration, on the other hand were two of Harry▓s easy classes, regardless of his power output problems. After a childhood of teaching himself spells from a muggle game, learning from a book and teacher was easy. Add in the fact that he read the required book for charms already, and forget the fact that he forgot about the transfiguration class' required reading by Emeric Switch, and you have a Harry who can do the first half of 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One' with his hands tied behind his back...

It would be a month before Harry got the transfiguration spells, wand movements, incantations, and power output right before he could bring his skill in transfiguration up to par with his charmswork.

Harry soon found out when testing his Diablo spells when no one was looking, that the spells were far more powerful than before requiring less power of his magical cushion.

Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to be a joke, while Harry enjoyed reading the book for the class, even if it had no spells, the teacher could easily faint at the sight of his own shadow. And the creatures that they read about in the class hardly seemed dark, especially with names like, hinkypunk and pixie...

And finally the class that Harry looked fowards to the most but grew to hate more than the rest, all at the same time, Potions.

The dungeons of the Potions Master didn▓t seem to hold the same decor as the dungeons in Diablo. Notice the bloodless walls? But they were as cold as Harry expected them to be. And while the effect of bloodstained walls was not there the creepiness was not lost completely, surrounding them, in shelves that lines the walls of the classroom, were ingredients of every kind. But the only ones not invisible to the human eyes from the tables that the students sat at were little creatures, organs, and blood each magnified by the bends of the glass jars.

Professor Snape was the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and while calling role, Harry began to realize that the Severus Snape that wrote the compendium by which Harry studied Potions, was teaching this very class. When Professor Snape stopped at Harry▓s name, he sneared and spoke, ⌠Mr. Potter, our new celebrity.■

Harry shrugged off the sarcasm that dripped from the comment prior, having experienced far worse amounts of sarcasm from his muggle relatives. ⌠I don▓t know about that, Sir. But I do know that I read your book, and I enjoyed it immensely.■

⌠Oh, really.■ Snape began, clearly surprised. ⌠Well class, why don▓t we see if the famous Harry Potter, is not trying to garnish some extra sympathy for Gryffindor by becoming the class pet.■ The Slytherins all sneered at this remark.

⌠Potter, tell me why would I crush a sopophorous bean.■ At this Harry could see out of the corner of his eye a certain bushy haired Gryffindor looking confusedly around inside of her potions book.

⌠The juices of a sopophorous bean are used when influencing the power of an advanced poison, the difference in the amount of concentrated juice can decide the difference between an immediate desired effect of the poison, or the weak, undesired effect. For example, in the Draught of the Living Dead, The amount of potent juice of the bean can make the difference between the potent irriversable effect that all masters wish to achieve, or the reversable effect that can only cause a comma in magically-bestowed subjects.■

At this the professor▓s eyes narrowed, ⌠Potter, exactly how many magical beasts▓ blood have unpleasant side effects when mixing with humans blood in potions?■

⌠It depends, Sir. So long as the potion is not in contact with a human▓s body, any mixture is completely harmless, and then there about 3 types of blood that can be mixed with human▓s blood in a potion, and be in contact with a human▓s body, so long as the blood used in the potion matches the user. However there is only one type of blood that is said to have no bad side effects, and that is phoenix▓s blood, of course that is just speculation and rumor as it is said that phoenixes do not bleed, or allow there blood to be used in potions or touched by humans. It isn't the type of species that worries most potion masters, but the sicknesses that the species might have.■

"There is an ancient healing draught that is used to heal everything except bones, why is it rarely used, what is the last ingredient placed in the potion, why is the last ingredient placed, and what are the different colors for the different stages of the potion?" Snape's eyes were filled with glee about the potion that only few had read about, a potion that was not in his book either...

"The Healing Potion of the Horadric Era is the only known potion that has immediate or instantaneous results and is also of rare usage. there are multiple stages of said potion, the most simple brew is the only one that cannot heal broken bones... It's rare usage is devoted to its extremely rare or expensive ingredients, the most common ingredient is the mixture of unicorn and bicorn horn powder which is also the only ingredient that keeps the powerful substance from becoming a poison. The powdered mixture is placed lastly to dissolve all and any deadly remnants of the potion. The color of all stages are as follows... Clear, White, Light Gray, Gray, Dark Gray, Black, Green, And Blood Red. Green is Simply the color of the bubbles that signify the poison turning into a potion.

⌠Very good, it nice to see that there is a Gryffindor with brains for once, but that is only the theory that is potions, to actually brew it is a different matter entirely.■ he glared at Harry for a moment, before turning his gaze at the rest of the first years.

⌠All of you will be required to brew the potion whose page number is posted on the board, and Mr. Potter?■

⌠Yes, Professor. You will be required to make the same potion as the rest of the class, along with assembling the Healing Potion of the Horadrim. I expect you both potions on my desk by the end of class, and if they are not on my desk at the end of class, You will recieve detention for a month, as well as 200 points from Gryffindor, do I make my self clear?■

Harry gulped. ⌠C-Crystal, Sir.■

"Good, Heed my warning, or your precious house will lose sight of the cup before they even have the chance to get out of negative points!" Snape sneered happily, as he saw the coward's father stutter the same as his son in his mind's eye, glad that he wouldn't have to worry one bit about McGonagall getting the Cup, for yet another year... "And Potter?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"No stuttering in my classroom, 10 Points from Gryffindor, You brats are supposed to be brave. Its bad enough that you're disgracing the name of both Celebrity and Gryffindor! I won't tolerate your arrogance thinking that you can weasel out of work by acting weak!"

An hour later found Professor Snape telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs, completely ignoring the way in which Harry's Boil Cure potion sat in its phial, already completed or the way that Harry's Horadric Healing potion sat in the last of the disolving green bubbles, when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus' cauldron into a twisted blob, and their entire potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes.

Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron had collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?!"

Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus.

⌠There▓s no need for that, Sir.■ Harry spoke from behind him, ⌠My boil potion is done, Sir. And so is the Horadric Healing Potion..." Harry said ladling the potion away into his extra crystal phials "The Horadric Healing Potion has a better chance of success...■

⌠Well, then give it here.■ He spoke hurriedly, as Harry handed a phial to Neville, who promptly began to return to normal after swallowing the phial in one gulp. Then Snape rounded on Ron, who had been working next to Neville.

"You-Weasley-why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's five points you've lost for Gryffindor."

This was so unfair that Ron opened his mouth to argue, but Harry kicked him behind their cauldron after Snape had left to his office.

"Don▓t push it," he muttered, "You're lucky he didn▓t deduct more."

Once break started, Harry and Ron left the castle and made their way across the grounds. They wanted to explore the ground in their free time. They soon met a giant man named Hagrid who invited them into his hut for a cup of tea. When Hagrid made to open the wooden door, they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks.

"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears.

Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate, began to speak.

⌠Another Weasley, eh? said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles and red hair. I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest.■ Looking at Harry for a moment he continued, ⌠the other half was spent chasing your dad and his friends inside of it.■

The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.

Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch 'that old git.'

Ron began to scowl as Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Harry, told Ron not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students, and that the greasy haired head of house loved Slytherins with a knack for potions first and foremost.

⌠How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot, real great with animals, he was."

While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you, said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date. What was so important about the clipping that Hagrid had a clipping on it. As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse.