"I am planning to stay in Bath a little longer. I mean, it is Mr Slughorn's place, what a rare learning opportunity, is it not?" Hermione's eyes lit up immediately at the mention of studying.
They were sitting on a carved bench in a corner of the sanatorium courtyard, enjoying some free time before going to Mr Slughorn to learn potions. The azure night was serene, the lights on the grass flickered, and the fragrance of roses filled the air.
"Did you not originally plan to stay only for a few days?" Draco asked her, surprised.
"I want to wait until the Felix Felicis is brewed before I reckon about anything else," Hermione said cheerfully.
"The preparation of Felix Felicis will not be fully completed for another month. Are you really sure about this? What about your trip to France?" Draco asked sceptically.
"I have convinced Mum and Dad to postpone our trip to France. Mum is all right, but Dad seems a little disappointed—he was planning to spend the whole of July travelling around southern France. Grandpa, on the other hand, is especially happy; he always hopes we can stay with him for a long, long time…" Hermione said cheerfully.
"Yes, I cannot imagine anyone happier than your grandfather," he said softly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Three days after they first brewed the potion, they returned to Mr Slughorn's potion-making room to continue their work.
After picking the petals from a pot of amaranth, Hermione prepared to add twenty-three fresh amaranth petals to the surface of the potion.
"Children, do not throw all the petals in at once," Slughorn reminded them with a smile. "We have to add them one petal at a time, and only add the next petal when it has settled to the bottom. Do you know why we do that?"
"So that we can better observe the colour change of the potion?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"We are close to the right answer. Any further explanation?" Slughorn asked Draco.
Draco glanced at the half-bald amaranth plant and pondered, "Although amaranth flowers are small, it does not mean their petals are all the same size. So we need to decide whether to add more or less based on the colour change of the potion..."
The chubby old man clapped his hands and said excitedly, "That is right! The more vague the quantitative description, the more we need to be flexible in observing the potion. Due to the passage of time, we no longer know the size of the amaranth flowers used in the first dose of Felix Felicis, and the sizes of the related ingredients have also changed slightly. Errors often begin to appear at this point."
He observed the fleeting glint in the eyes of the boy and girl before him, knowing they understood his meaning, and continued speaking with an air of seriousness, "In this sense, the amount of ingredients needed for each dose of Felix Felicis is unique, and each brewing requires careful observation. Therefore, we must be extremely careful with descriptions such as 'a few pills' or 'a few petals'."
The two nodded, treasuring this tip as if it were a treasure.
Such a delicate potion certainly could not tolerate the slightest carelessness. Draco and Hermione leant their heads together, taking turns tossing petals into the potion whilst intently observing the petals slowly sinking into the red liquid.
When they added the twenty-second petal, they were surprised to find that the liquid had turned green.
Slughorn was unsurprised. "I reckoned it was about right; the petals were indeed larger than usual. We have encountered amaranth in bloom, which is their peak season; and this year's climate has been perfect for their growth. If it were winter, they probably would have needed a few more petals."
Draco noticed that Hermione was quickly scribbling something into her small notebook.
A typical Hermione Granger, as always, eager to learn.
"The work from now on will be much easier, nothing too strenuous. Just check the potion's condition every evening, stir it seven times clockwise and twice anticlockwise. It just takes a long time, about twenty-five days." Slughorn sat in his favourite armchair, sipping the oak-brewed mead Draco had recently given him, and said with a beaming smile, "It might get a bit boring during this time. Are there any potions you would like to learn how to make from me?"
"Any potion will do?" Hermione asked curiously.
"As long as I know how." Slughorn blinked his round eyes at them.
"Well then, sir, I would like to learn how to prepare the Wolfsbane Potion. I saw it in next year's textbook, and it is said to be very difficult to prepare," Hermione said eagerly.
The suggestion made Slughorn cough, but his eyes held a hint of newfound respect. "You are going to be learning about werewolves next year, are you not?"
Seeing Hermione nod, he could not help but laugh. "Hermione, you really know how to give this old man a tough challenge! My students are all so demanding, always choosing the most difficult potions to learn from me!"
He patted his bald head dramatically, not angry at all, but rather looking rather smug. "Since you mentioned this potion, you should know who invented it, is that not right?"
"Wolfsbane was invented by Damocles Belby in the nineteen seventies, during the First Wizarding War." Hermione would certainly give the correct answer.
"That is right, Damocles Belby. Perhaps I have not mentioned it, but he is also one of my favourite students, a very good wizard, exceptionally good. He absolutely deserves his Order of Merlin." Slughorn spoke with great relish. "I wager he spent a lot of time on this potion."
"On that point, sir, I reckon his achievements are inseparable from your guidance, Master of Potions." Draco promptly flattered him, adding fuel to the fire of Slughorn's desire for self-expression and vanity.
Upon hearing this, Slughorn could not help but reveal a hint of smug pride. He slowly stroked his velvet smoking shirt, his light green eyes gleaming in the dimly lit potions laboratory.
"In recent years, not many wizards have researched Wolfsbane Potions, because it is rarely used by ordinary wizards. Fortunately, I discussed potion development with Damocles a long time ago, and later wrote to Severus to discuss related improvement methods. Moreover, looking at the wizarding world, there are very few people who can gather those rare materials like I can." He said slowly, as if to whet the appetite of the audience.
Draco and Hermione exchanged a glance—it seemed like things were looking promising.
However, Slughorn changed the subject, his smugness turning into caution. "But before you understand the Wolfsbane Potion, you must first learn how to prepare the modifiers, enhancers, and sedatives. They are relatively simple to prepare and form the basis for improving the Wolfsbane Potion."
Relatively simple? No one could say these three potions were simple. Any one of them was comparable in difficulty to an O.W.L. examination! Draco reckoned to himself.
Hermione listened intently, holding her breath. The teaching of the Wolfsbane Potion had begun at this moment.
Draco admitted that he was very pleased with Hermione's suggestion.
Given his true potion-making skills, if there were any complex potions he would be willing to put in the effort to learn, Wolfsbane would definitely be amongst the top.
Werewolves will always be another nightmare in Draco Malfoy's heart.
I never forgot the grotesque face of Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf leader, his mouth full of fangs. In my memory, it was he who captured Hermione and brought them to Malfoy Manor. He even wanted to eat her, that filthy thing!
Although I in my past life always proclaimed that Greyback was a friend of our family, it was merely a tactic to intimidate others. I genuinely loathed Greyback. I genuinely loathe werewolves.
Werewolves are always fraught with danger—once they transform, they become ruthless and unrecognisable to even their own family—I would never consider getting close to or befriending any werewolf. It would be tantamount to suicide.
Slytherins abhor risk above all else. I, on the other hand, avoid all risk altogether.
That said, Draco had not forgotten Remus Lupin, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who would be taking over in the third year. Even though he seemed gentle, that did not change the fact that he was a werewolf.
I really do not understand what Dumbledore was reckoning, letting such a dangerous species as werewolves become professors at Hogwarts.
Should the personal safety of so many innocent students not be considered?
However, Remus Lupin was indeed different. He never belonged to the Dark Lord's camp. He was the only werewolf to stand with Dumbledore. In his past life, he never harmed anyone at Hogwarts. Now that I reckon about it, Lupin disappeared every full moon, probably hiding somewhere to transform—like in the Forbidden Forest.
Another possibility is that Professor Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts, brewed him a Wolfsbane Potion, keeping him in human form, very weak, hiding somewhere, waiting for the night of the full moon to pass.
Draco pondered these possibilities, watching the little witch in front of him diligently recording Slughorn's words, lost in thought.