As the morning sun rose, Harry stepped off the Knight Bus, ignoring the messy surroundings, and walked familiarly towards the end of Spinner's End.
After the holidays, after only two days of rest, Harry resumed his life of studying Potions with Snape.
Even so, he didn't feel it was hard work; instead, he found some enjoyment in it.
Honestly, Harry had always somewhat misunderstood why Ron was afraid of Professor Snape.
In his opinion, although Professor Snape's expression was serious, he taught conscientiously, and his voice was pleasant, making him truly super likable.
Anyway, he was quite happy studying Potions with Professor Snape.
Oh, Professor Snape said yesterday that his Potion-making skills had reached the sixth-year standard.
Starting today, he would teach him to brew a particularly complex Potion.
He wondered what that Potion would be?
So excited!
Knock, knock, knock—
The door opened, and a unique aroma immediately filled the air.
Harry took a deep breath, a look of intoxication on his face.
This was the smell!
The scent of Potions and herbs mixed together was quite pleasant.
"Professor, good morning."
Snape's lips curved into a slight smile, then he nodded slightly and led Harry towards the studio, arriving at the workbench for brewing Potions.
The workbench was covered with various Potion ingredients; some Harry had seen before, while others were completely unfamiliar.
Upon closer inspection, Harry was surprised to find that most of these Potion ingredients were quite valuable.
Were these the Potion ingredients for today's lesson?
So expensive!
"This Potion is this year's birthday present," Snape said in a flat tone, "I think you'll be interested."
He lightly waved his wand, and a thick Potion book flew to Harry's front, automatically opening to a certain page.
Harry looked down and saw the recipe for "Baruffio's Brain Elixir" written in neat handwritten letters on the page, and the description of the Potion's effects made Harry's heart race.
It could greatly enhance the drinker's brainpower, improving memory and concentration!
So powerful!
This Potion was practically tailor-made for all students.
Harry could bet that if he took this Potion to Hogwarts, the fifth-year students and seventh-year students would go crazy.
Snape's voice sounded faintly: "I looked at your grades in all subjects and found that you almost always got full marks in practical applications."
"But you performed slightly weaker on questions requiring memory, especially noticeable in History of Magic and Astronomy Class."
"In terms of memory, your companion Miss Granger performed much better."
Uh (⊙o⊙)...
Did Professor mean that he was complaining about his poor memory?
Harry scratched his head awkwardly.
There was nothing he could do; his memory couldn't compare to Hermione's, or rather, it was completely crushed.
Harry even suspected that Hermione's magic talent was her super memory ability.
Otherwise, how could she just read a book and remember all its contents?
"You'll be a third-year when school starts," Snape continued, "and with electives, your study load will be heavier."
"Baruffio's Brain Elixir can make your studies a bit easier. Of course, only a bit easier."
"This Potion cannot instantly turn an idiot into a genius; it can at most increase memory by about one-fifth."
"Alright, take a close look at the Potion recipe."
Increase memory by one-fifth?!
That's enough, that's enough!
For him, even a slight improvement would make things much easier.
Harry calmed himself, shaking off the distracting thoughts in his mind, and carefully read the Potion recipe.
So complex!
It seemed much, much more complicated than last year's Polyjuice Potion.
Was this really a Potion recipe that a human could come up with?
Looking at the complex recipe, Harry's palms couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"However, just as the book says," Snape warned sternly, his eyes sharp as an eagle's as he stared at Harry: "The brewing process for this Potion is extremely complex, the ingredients are extremely expensive, and even a slight error could lead to catastrophic consequences."
"Catastrophic consequences? Professor, do you mean?"
"It can cause brain damage." Snape's voice was extremely cold, making Harry shiver.
"Baruffio's Brain Elixir has a very high failure rate; if it's not brewed to a perfect state, it can cause the user's brain to become overexcited, leading to brain damage."
"Therefore, a long time ago, this Potion was explicitly prohibited from being sold by the Ministry of Magic, to prevent inferior products from entering the market and harming people."
"As far as I know, St. Mungo's Hospital has several idiots who, because they drank inferior Baruffio's Brain Elixir, suffered brain damage and had to remain in St. Mungo's Hospital for long-term treatment."
So that was it...
Listening to Snape narrate the history of Baruffio's Brain Elixir, Harry suddenly understood.
No wonder he had never seen Baruffio's Brain Elixir on the market; there was such a deep reason behind it.
It was a good thing Professor Snape was there; he definitely wouldn't drink an inferior Potion and damage his brain.
"Harry, I'll brew it once first; you can assist me. Remember to carefully observe my ingredient handling techniques."
Snape had Harry stand aside, then picked up the Potion ingredients on the workbench and began to process them.
He skillfully shredded the silver leaves and placed them into the cauldron.
The water in the cauldron had been preheated for a long time and was now gently bubbling. After the silver leaves were added, the liquid immediately turned light green.
Comparing it to the book, Harry knew this was the correct reaction.
Next was the addition of dragon's tongue grass; Snape lightly roasted the shredded leaves over a flame for a few seconds before quickly adding them to the cauldron, and the liquid immediately emitted a shining golden glow.
However, this was just the beginning.
The real challenge lay in mixing the moonstone powder and blood-red crystal powder; these two ingredients were highly reactive, and if not handled in the correct order and precise proportions, the entire Potion would instantly go out of control.
"Remember, Harry," Snape said coldly, his eyes never leaving the cauldron for a moment, "you must stir seven times counter-clockwise, then three times clockwise, and during the final counter-clockwise stir, slowly pour in the blood-red crystal powder. The slightest mistake and the entire Potion will be ruined."
Harry desperately memorized Snape's various techniques, watching him proceed step by step until he poured the blood-red crystal powder into the cauldron.
The liquid in the cauldron emitted a faint hum, as if some mysterious magic reaction was occurring.
The liquid gradually thickened, its color slowly shifting from light green to a deep purple, and it emitted a strange glow.
"Harry, prepare 4 fresh frog brains now."
Hearing this, Harry didn't dare to delay, skillfully processing the frogs and extracting 4 brains.
Snape whispered: "You must wait until the purple is completely stable before adding the frog brains, otherwise it will result in failure."
Snape extended his wand, and the four frog brains smoothly flew into the cauldron. Instantly, the Potion seemed to ignite, emitting bursts of steam.
Harry held his breath, looking at the remaining magic ingredients, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
So complicated...
There were still many ingredients that hadn't been used; he wondered how long it would take to brew.
As the reaction in the cauldron gradually slowed, Harry quickly focused his attention, watching Snape's next move.
The morning slowly passed, and a bead of sweat appeared on Snape's forehead.
After complex brewing, the Potion in the cauldron completely stabilized, finally presenting a pure green luster.
...