Chapter Three
Practical Potion-Making
True to the announcement on the notice board, schedules were handed out on Sunday. Albus found that his schedule was fairly simple in structure. He had spots for three morning classes, lunch, and then three evening classes every day. Each class was about an hour and a half long. Some of the spots were occupied by free periods, and there was a special schedule for Astronomy, which was at midnight on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Slytherins were also given double-blocks each week of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, and, regrettably History of Magic.
Albus's Monday schedule was completely unimpeded by double-blocking, consisting of one period of each 'core class,' as Neville had dubbed them. Though the lack of free periods on Mondays was unfortunate, he was thankful that he shared the same classes as the other Slytherins. Finn made their group of four a group of five, and they had explored the castle together on Sunday.
Rose and Talia had become fast friends. It comforted Albus to know that his cousin had someone reliable to talk to, given that he wasn't linguistically proficient when it came to emotional talks. He had sat down with Rose in that manner Sunday night, trying to gauge how she felt about her Sorting relative to the day before.
"I feel better, I guess," she had said. Her voice held a twinge of lingering gloom, but she did look better compared to the day before. "I'm going to write to mum and dad tomorrow morning before classes. D'you want to come with and write to you parents, as well?" she asked.
Albus politely declined. He had written to his parents (about his weekend) and to George (about the app) the previous night, and he had no desire to visit the Owlery again. Its floor creaked ominously, and it stank of bird droppings. Beethoven seemed to like it, nonetheless; he'd found her socializing with a couple school owls when he went to deliver his letter.
Before long, it was Monday morning and Finn was shaking Albus awake, thankfully clothed. "You didn't wake up," he explained as Albus rubbed his eyes groggily.
"What time is it?" Albus mumbled, yawning loudly.
"Seven-thirty," said Finn casually, pulling his socks on.
Albus shot out of bed like a rocket. "Seven-thirty?! Classes start in half an hour!"
Finn eyed him curiously as he began shuffling around the room hastily. "Mate, just change and slap on some deodorant."
"I'd like to eat, thank you very much," Albus said bitterly. He had been craving a croissant since the previous morning.
"Croissant?" questioned Scorpius, entering through the doorway. "I figured you two would still be getting ready."
"Yeah, thanks," said Finn, accepting a pastry from his roommate.
Albus held his hand out, not bothering to speak as he pulled his shirt over his head.
Scorpius rolled his eyes and handed him the pastry. "Here you are, master."
Finn studied the bottom of the pastry, which Scorpius had neatly tucked into a napkin. "How did you wrap it like this, Scorpius? You're like a barista."
"Or a mum," said Albus from around a mouthful of croissant.
"Buzz off," muttered Scorpius, knocking Albus on the back of the head. "I'm heading back down. I'll meet you two in a bit."
Albus fumbled around for a few more minutes while eating his breakfast as Finn sat on Scorpius's bed, flipping through one of the many fiction books Albus had packed in his trunk. "How many of these did you bring?" Finn asked, staring at the cover art.
"I dunno, thirty or so?" Albus replied.
Finn looked at Albus's closed trunk warily, as though it might explode any second. "How? I thought you weren't allowed magically expanded trunks."
Albus stood up and jumped, forcing the heels of his feet into his shoes. He turned around rapidly, grabbing his wand and phone off his bedside table and stuffing them into his robe pockets. "My aunt is the Minister for Magic. I have my resources."
O
A loudspeaker crackled to life as Albus and Finn made their way through the winding dungeon corridors.
"Hello? Is this thing working?"
There were a few dense hits over the speaker, as though someone were tapping a microphone.
Finn stopped for a moment. "What's that?"
"A PA system," said Albus as the announcer, presumably Professor Helios, fumbled with the microphone. "It's used in Muggle schools for announcements. I guess Helios had one installed over the summer."
Finn looked up at the speaker, which was mounted high on the stone wall. "Sounds like shit."
"I'm just going to assume this is working. Good morning students, this is Professor Helios—oh, I've just been informed that the speaker is, indeed, working. Well, this is Professor Helios wishing a fantastic first day to all of our students. I hope you've all had a pleasant sleep and feel ready to tackle the world! Now, just to get you all inspired, I have a famous quote from the esteemed wizard, Merlin."
"Oh, god," Albus muttered.
"'A good student follows the expectations of their master to the letter. A great student, however, makes something greater of themselves.' Now, get to class! I wish you all a fantastic school year."
There was a great bit of shuffling, a loud crash, and a panicked whispering before the microphone disconnected.
The two boys arrived at Potions a few minutes early, much to their and Rose's bewilderment. "Surprised you actually showed up," she said, watching Albus fruitlessly try and fix a wad of hair on the side of his head that refused to stay down.
"I'm not skiving off classes just yet, dear cousin," he said, licking his hand to get more moisture.
Talia frowned in disgust. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Trying to fix my hair."
"And failing," Scorpius commented as it stuck back up again.
"Screw this," Albus muttered, giving up on his hair as more students began filling the hallway. The Potions classroom was in the dungeons, the main reason that Albus and Finn had managed to arrive early. They shared the class with the Ravenclaws, who Albus hoped would be less hostile towards them than the Gryffindors, who frequently cast jeers their way in the halls. His wish was granted, and the Ravenclaws introduced themselves amicably.
Albus figured the two houses were similar in the same way that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were, since Ravenclaw and Slytherin tended to lead in the House Cup due to their, for lack of a better word, intelligence. One Ravenclaw was especially enthusiastic, shaking hands with Albus as soon as he laid eyes on him.
"Felix Fawcett," he gushed. "My mother went to Hogwarts with your father. I've always looked up to him," he said, smiling widely.
Albus found Felix's expression rather unnerving. "Erm... thanks?"
The boy let out what sounded like a squeak and returned to chatter at a very bored looking girl.
Albus instinctively looked over to Talia, thinking about what Felix had mentioned about his father. It was a breath of fresh air, he resolved, to have a friend that didn't care who his father was; it meant he could tell Talia all about his father's adventures at Hogwarts.
Scorpius didn't care, sure, but Scorpius's own parentage was complicated in the same way his and Rose's was. Finn didn't question Albus about his dad, but then again, Finn was very abnormal in general.
The first time that the five of them had encountered the cackling Peeves returning from lunch the previous day, Finn had charged the ghost like a bull. Peeves was baffled by the response and decided to flee, likely thinking Finn was mentally insane. When Albus questioned him why, Finn had simply shrugged. "Haven't you ever wanted to know what the inside of a ghost feels like? It's cold, by the way."
The creaking of the door shook Albus from his thoughts. A hand protruding from the darkness beckoned them inside. Finn marched into the dimly lit room like a soldier, completely unaffected by its eerie aura. Albus and Scorpius followed hesitantly, Talia and Rose using their backs as a shield.
The room was larger than Albus had expected, made of the same stone as the rest of the dungeons. Finn had taken a seat directly in the middle at the front of the room, and Albus and Scorpius sat to either side. The desks were all behind an archway that divided the room in half. The walls were adorned with shelves of potion ingredients and textbooks, and a chalkboard and a larger, industrial-sized desk sat in a far corner.
The door closed with a heavy slam once all of the students had filed in. Their professor finally stepped into the light of the lanterns illuminating the open area at the front of the class.
She was tall, with flowy robes colored a deep purple. Her hair was done up in a bun, and she had a pale complexion accented by her thin veil of makeup. She withdrew her wand and made a swishing motion, causing the lanterns at the back of the room to light and brighten up the atmosphere.
Their professor cleared her throat. "Sorry about that. These lanterns don't like to stay on."
She walked over to the chalkboard and tapped it twice. Writing began to appear as she walked back towards the center of the room, examining the students' faces.
"Hello and welcome to your first class at Hogwarts. My name is Professor Nyx, and I am the Head of Slytherin House. I will also be your Potions teacher for the duration of your Hogwarts education, though I hope you figured as much already." She paused as if waiting for a response and was met with palpable silence. "You're allowed to speak, you know."
A mild chorus of hi's and hello's was directed towards the front, as if forced.
Professor Nyx shook her head. "Mornings, I get it." She headed back to the chalkboard, whose real estate was now covered in stark white writing. "Let's get the boring talk over with. Nearly all of your finals at Hogwarts will consist of a theoretical and practical exam. Your professors will inform you if the format is different for their subject. The theoretical exam is what you'd traditionally think of: there's some kind of written portion and, possibly, a multiple choice. The practical is, well… practical. Hands on. I'll admit that I consider this portion significantly more important; you learn the theory via the practical, after all. I don't have many standards for this class. I assign homework on an optional basis, though I highly recommend you do it to achieve adequate marks on your final," she said, moving the board in front of the desks with a flick of her wand.
Finn glanced between Albus and Scorpius skeptically, analyzing the words that Professor Nyx had just uttered.
"No, your ears aren't deceiving you," she added, picking up on the glances and whispers. "None of the homework I assign in this class is mandatory, in that it will not count toward your marks during the term. However, I daresay that you will find the class exponentially more difficult if you decide to let the opportunity pass you."
The whispers died.
"That's better. Now then," she continued, tapping the top line of text on the board, "please open your books and flip to page eight."
The class filled with a ruffling of fabric and papers as people drew their textbooks from their bags. Finn was looking wide eyed at Albus. "No homework? I heard that Potions was the hardest class at Hogwarts!"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Albus whispered.
Professor Nyx migrated around the classroom as people flipped through their textbooks. She returned to the front of the classroom once everyone had settled.
"Good," she said. "Now then, I want you to pinch together pages nine through two hundred and forty-three."
Albus twisted his right hand awkwardly to keep track of the pages. He caught Talia's eye. What the hell is this? he mouthed, gesturing to his hands using his head. She shrugged, looking equally baffled.
"Make sure you have just these pages, yes? I don't want any of you doing this with the wrong material," said Professor Nyx. "Does everyone have pages nine through two hundred and forty-three? Come on now, speak!" she added after meeting silence once more.
The students raised an unenthusiastic-sounding murmur of assent.
"Good. Now rip those pages out."
Finn did so immediately, while the rest of the class hesitated. Rose raised her hand politely. "Sorry Professor, could you repeat that?"
"Of course," Professor Nyx said, smiling. "I want you to rip out pages nine through two hundred and forty-three."
Rose raised her hand again, shakily. "Professor? Surely these pages have some value to them—"
"Nope," said Nyx. "None at all. I suppose, if you really want to, you could go ahead and keep them."
People slowly began to follow Finn's example. Rose whipped her head around to Albus and emitted a little yelp after finding him doing the same. The look on her face was as though someone had taken a part of her soul.
The look on Scorpius's face was more one of a gassy hippogriff. "This feels odd," he said, flipping through the torn pages in his hand.
"I don't see what you mean," drawled Finn, who had his legs up and was fanning himself with his bounty. "I'm loving this."
Nyx stared at Finn oddly. "Please take your feet off the table, young man."
Finn did so. "Sorry, Professor." Albus blinked, not sure if he'd ever seen Finn abashed before.
"All of you, please come up here and place your papers in a pile on the red cross," Nyx instructed.
"What cross?" asked a girl from the back of the classroom.
"This one," said Professor Nyx, pointing at a comical red X on the floor that was most definitely not present two seconds earlier. "Come on now, we don't have all day!" she exclaimed when people began getting up sluggishly. "First years," she muttered, moving herself and the chalkboard back to create empty space at the front of the room.
Once everyone had deposited their pages in the pile on the floor, some with less reluctance than others, the professor ordered everyone to back up. They did so, pressing against the front desks.
Professor Nyx drew her wand. "I want you to watch carefully." She raised her wand, poised elegantly. "Incendio!"
The papers went up in a jet of flame, crumpling and swaying as they deflated and burned. Their light danced off the walls, orange and fierce.
Nyx turned around as the fire raged behind her. "Now then, if you'd all return to your seats."
Albus glanced over to Rose, who was looking positively shaken. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth seemed unable to form words, instead producing incoherent whimpers.
An excerpt from The Essential Book of Spells came back to Albus, its irony ever present. From lighting a warm hearth to igniting a Christmas pudding, the Fire-Making Spell is always useful around the wizarding household. However, the ability to produce fire with the flick of a wand can be dangerous to your fellow students (and worse, your books).
Nyx cleared her throat again. "You will not be learning how to brew beginners' potions, for their purpose is to introduce you to concepts that you will encounter in classical potion-making. I find that students learn better through practical application than theoretical drivel. You can put your books away now," she said. "I will bring up lecture topics when necessary."
Albus did so, glancing back at Rose. Her mouth had decided to clamp closed, though her eyes still wavered. Albus waved at Talia to get her attention and bent down under the pretense of stowing away his textbook.
"What?" Talia whispered.
"Make sure Rose doesn't have a heart attack," Albus said.
"I'll try."
Albus righted himself and returned his attention to Professor Nyx, who was stamping on the pile of papers, now a pile of ashes. She moved the chalkboard around them, making it visible to the entire class once more.
"This board details instructions for a mild Incendiary Cure. Ingredients are around the class. Get brewing!" she exclaimed, waving her wand and causing the burners underneath the cauldrons to come ablaze.
The potion was designed to emit a gentle heat akin to that of a heat lamp for keeping a room warm, but the process itself involved the usage of fire seed, which burst into flame when added directly into a fire. A Ravenclaw in the back ended up tipping one into the burner under his cauldron, singeing his eyebrows off and sending him to the Hospital Wing.
"Professor?" Scorpius asked from one of the cupboards. "I've been searching for ash, and I don't see any wood up here."
Nyx chuckled. "I imagine you wouldn't. The recipe calls for ash as in the powder, not the wood."
"Where are we meant to find…" Scorpius looked back at the heap of black powder on the floor. "Oh."
Nyx cleared her throat, and the motion stopped. "Class, I suggest you all find a way to cooperate given the limited amount of resources." She Conjured a broom and dustpan and handed it to Scorpius. "Have fun."
What ensued was a frantic scuffle near the front of the class as students struggled to wrangle the pile of uncooperative ashes on the floor. Scorpius returned with a jar of enough ash for the three boys and some more smeared on his face.
As expected, Rose and Scorpius performed the best, producing near-perfect potions and earning five points each for Slytherin. Albus's resembled more of a thick paste than a potion.
"What you've done there is actually created an Incendiary Putty," Nyx commented during her round at the end of class. "Can you explain what you did?"
"I added a bit too much Flobberworm mucus," Albus guessed.
"Indeed. Too much will increase the viscosity and decrease the intensity. You can use this as a long burning substance for torches." Nyx demonstrated by levitating a small chunk and lighting it aflame. The flame burned bright and held steadily. "Though not the given assignment," said Nyx, looking directly at Albus, "good job."
The praise itself was enough to make Albus smile.