NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: Improved Potion
Potions, in Vaughn's view, are essentially equivalent to spells—this is his core concept. At the age of ten, he compiled his thoughts into a paper and published it in the journal Extraordinary Potions, under the Extraordinary Pharmacists Association. This idea has remained controversial ever since.
Potions are traditionally considered an independent branch of magic. In the eyes of many potion masters, only the rising fragrance from a simmering crucible truly embodies the mystery and omnipotence of magic.
To them, as long as they carry enough potions, there's no need to "wave wands foolishly" or cast any number of "fancy spells." Potions alone can accomplish a variety of tasks with ease.
Moreover, many illnesses and spell-related injuries can only be treated through potions.
This sense of superiority often leads potion masters to look down on other magical disciplines.
Vaughn's proposal, however, directly challenged their beliefs. Not all potion experts disagreed with him outright, but many were reluctant to see any kind of change.
Some were simply traditionalists obsessed with their legacy. Others were beneficiaries of the current system—the more mysterious and obscure the potion-making process, the easier it was to monopolize knowledge. And some were, in Vaughn's words… idiots.
That last remark, however, came from Professor Snape—in the newspaper article defending Vaughn.
Vaughn's paper had a straightforward thesis: let magic directly participate in the potion-making process, much like casting a spell.
For instance, right now—
As he sprinkled powdered viper fang into the crucible, Vaughn gently tapped it with his wand. A fine stream of magic flowed into the brewing liquid.
Hermione watched intently, though she couldn't see the magic itself. All she could observe was the powdered fang sinking into the mixture.
"Viper fang is the main ingredient here. Its role is to absorb toxins. But remember—it doesn't naturally neutralize poison. We use it for its specific properties."
As Vaughn spoke softly, faint glows shimmered in the liquid. The previously floating powder gradually sank to the bottom.
"Once the toxins are bound, the next step is detoxification. For mild conditions like scabies, we use horned slugs and dried nettles. Horned slugs promote healing, while the nettles help neutralize the absorbed toxins."
He tapped the crucible again. As more ingredients were added, subtle magical currents began to stir through the potion, glowing faintly pink.
Hermione, holding her book, stared in fascination.
She whispered, "These glowing strands—"
"Yes, Hermione. That's the essence of the ingredients," Vaughn nodded. "I used magic to draw them out so you could see. In the traditional Cure for Boils potion, porcupine quills are used at the end to extract these properties. But since I've already extracted them using magic, we can skip that step."
As he spoke, Vaughn extinguished the flame under the cauldron and stirred clockwise five times.
"Five stirs—no more, no less. This ties into what I said before: ritual. Numbers carry magical significance in potion-making. Watch closely—"
Hermione leaned in as the chaotic layers in the potion began to unify. With the fifth stir and a gentle wand wave, the mixture turned into a clear, sky-blue liquid, smooth and clean, with not a trace of residue.
It looked even better than the textbook illustration.
Before she could comment, Professor Snape glided over like a bat. He peered into their cauldron, his expression briefly flickering with surprise.
Dipping a finger into the potion, he sniffed it and looked at Vaughan.
"There's no trace of the porcupine quill's pungency… Have you improved the formula?"
Vaughn nodded. "Yes, Professor."
"You used the magical extraction method you proposed last year?"
Vaughn smiled. "Exactly. Though it currently only works for simple brews. The more advanced the potion, the more complex the properties. Understanding and mapping them takes time."
"But I believe it's worth the effort. Traditional methods often require one or more additional ingredients just to draw out properties. That can affect the potion's efficacy, and some additives are even toxic. Though side effects are often tolerated for the sake of success, wouldn't it be better if we could avoid them altogether?"
Snape said nothing. He turned and walked away. But as he did, everyone heard him mutter:
"Ten points to Slytherin. Vaughn Weasley, Granger—go help Longbottom and Finnigan. I suspect they've been reincarnated as trolls… Ron Weasley, stop daydreaming and try learning something from your brother."
Ron grumbled beside Harry, "I don't want to learn from him!"
Harry didn't answer. After a moment, he whispered, "Next time in Potions, I want to partner with Vaughn."
Ron looked scandalized. "Traitor!"
On the other side, Vaughn and Hermione followed Snape's instructions and approached Neville and Seamus.
Neville, on the verge of tears, had spent the entire class under Snape's verbal assault and lost five points. He was riddled with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Vaughn… I'm just really bad at this. I can never remember things."
"It's okay, Neville. Just follow the textbook and stay calm."
Perhaps because Vaughn had helped him once before, Neville trusted him, despite Vaughn being in Slytherin.
This chubby, kind-hearted boy might have a poor memory and a tendency to cry, but he was sincere and obedient. At least, when it came to Vaughn, he followed instructions to the letter.
Seamus, on the other hand, was a bit more reckless—or perhaps, he had some hidden explosive talent. Even with Hermione watching over him, when it came time to add porcupine quills at the end, he nearly caused a catastrophe—
He dumped an entire handful into the cauldron without turning off the flame.
Fortunately, Vaughn reacted instantly, casting Wingardium Leviosa to suspend the quills mid-air, just in time to prevent an explosion.
At high heat, porcupine quills would have transformed the potion into a corrosive liquid and caused a dangerous blast.
Snape, of course, used this as another reason to deduct points from Gryffindor.
On the way back to the tower, Seamus was still defending himself. "I was just nervous! Snape was hovering around, and the pressure was insane!"
Hermione frowned. "Then why didn't you pay more attention? No one forced you to leave the flame on!"
Seamus, frustrated and embarrassed, stopped talking.
Ron turned to Harry with a smirk. "She's way too serious. Makes people feel stupid."
Hermione, now approaching them, heard the remark. Harry quickly changed the subject. "Tomorrow's the weekend. Want to visit Hagrid?"
Hagrid had written him a letter inviting him to his hut.
But Ron missed the hint. "Sure, just don't bring her along. I don't want to be scolded the whole way about doing this wrong or that wrong…"
Hermione pursed her lips, reminding Harry a little of Professor McGonagall. She brushed past the two of them, bumping Ron slightly off balance.
Watching her stalk away, Harry sighed. "Ron, you shouldn't talk about her like that."
Ron, embarrassed, just grunted.