Chapter 76: Stimulant Potion and Magic-Replenishing Potion
Ethan was on his way to Snape's office, still wondering what had happened in his dormitory, or rather, what had happened to him that caused the other three to leave.
"Sit down," Snape said, rubbing his forehead wearily.
He had just spent considerable effort keeping the castle from burning down.
After a moment's thought, Snape retrieved two potion bottles from his storage cabinet: one held a pale gray, transparent liquid, and the other contained sparkling particles suspended in it.
"Recognize these potions?" Snape couldn't resist testing him, even now.
He placed both bottles on the coffee table in front of Ethan and instructed him to examine them closely.
Although Ethan was anxious to figure out what had happened to him, he steeled himself for Snape's challenge.
Picking up the bottles, he chose the gray one first.
He unscrewed the cap and waved it gently under his nose.
"This is a Stimulant Potion, a healing draught that can awaken someone from magical sleep. It also slightly boosts energy and reduces drowsiness."
He looked at Snape, who nodded in confirmation.
Setting down the bottle, Ethan was stumped.
He had never seen such an extraordinary potion before; it wasn't even described in Advanced Potion-Making.
Using the same method, he could only detect a sweet fragrance and learned nothing more.
After receiving a nod of permission from Snape, he cast Scarpin's Revelaspell, hoping to deduce the potion's effects from its ingredients.
Ethan identified one ingredient after another: "Lavender, Acromantula venom, Sopophorous bean, rose essential oil, asphodel petals, unicorn horn, unicorn blood, salamander blood, morning dew..."
More than a dozen ingredients made his head spin. Unicorn blood and Acromantula venom were rare components he couldn't easily obtain, and even with the other identified ingredients, he couldn't figure out the potion's purpose. It contained sleep-inducing agents like lavender, healing components like salamander blood, and antidotal substances like unicorn horn. With that mix, he simply couldn't tell what it was for.
Ethan looked at him. "Professor, I can't figure it out. I suspect it's sleep-related, but with so many rare ingredients, if that's all it does, the Dreamless Sleep Potion would be a better choice. There must be another purpose, right?"
Snape seemed satisfied. "Hmm. Good guess. You used your brain."
He took a small sip from the bottle, then drank some of the Stimulant Potion.
"This is a Magic-Replenishing Potion. It's difficult to brew and the ingredients are rare, so few wizards make it."
"Magic-Replenishing Potion? Replenish magic? Such a potion exists in the wizarding world?!" Ethan was shocked. He'd always believed no such potion existed.
"Yes and no. A wizard's magical power depends on many factors, but only one thing truly replenishes it: rest." Snape shook his head.
"As long as you get proper rest, your magic recovers quickly. Of course, most wizards never truly exhaust their magic, which is why this potion isn't popular."
"Furthermore, while it's called a magic-replenishing potion, it doesn't actually replenish your magic. It merely gives you the feeling of being rested, allowing some magical recovery."
He picked up the bottle and swirled it, watching the sparkling particles dance inside.
"However, this recovery is quite limited, perhaps only one-tenth of your total magic, maybe less. If taken multiple times in quick succession, the effect diminishes. It relaxes your mind slightly, restores some of your magic, and then forces your body to draw on its reserves, which naturally weakens the potion's effectiveness."
He shook his head and set the bottle down.
"So now you understand why it contains both poisons and antidotes, along with healing ingredients."
"Understood." Ethan nodded vigorously.
Lavender and other sleep-inducing ingredients relaxed the mind, poisons stimulated the body's potential, antidotes neutralized toxins, and Salamander blood healed potential damage. Every ingredient had its purpose.
"The test is over. Now let's discuss what happened to you." After taking the potion, Snape felt more energized and ready to address the main issue.
"You don't remember what happened tonight?"
Ethan shook his head. "No. I fell asleep fine tonight and woke up to find my bed collapsed and you standing in the dormitory doorway, Professor."
"You likely experienced a second magic surge. When I arrived at your dormitory, you were surrounded by swirling air currents, floating in midair. The curtains were shredded and the bed had collapsed.
"Later, flames erupted across your body, filling the entire room.
"You truly don't remember any of this?"
Snape was skeptical. He found it difficult to believe that Ethan had noticed nothing during such a massive magical disturbance.
"I honestly don't know. I truly felt nothing." He felt completely innocent, then suddenly remembered something.
"Professor, what's today's date? Is it the 25th?"
"Yes, why? What are you thinking?"
"I had my magic surge on February 25th last year, which awakened my bloodline talent." He recalled what had happened during his awakening.
He'd been given a day off from school after his surge accidentally set his room on fire.
It had happened in the morning while he was awake, so the damage wasn't too bad.
"Is that so?" Snape's expression turned serious. The situation was more complex than he'd thought.
"You're certain it's been exactly a year?"
"Yes, I'm certain. It's just that this time it was night, while last time it was morning. I definitely didn't get the date wrong." Ethan was absolutely sure.
Snape stood and began pacing his office.
Ethan cast a Warming Charm on himself. His clothes were thin, and he was cold.
After a few minutes, Snape stopped.
"Go back and change, then accompany me to Dumbledore's office."
"Yes, Professor." Ethan hurried across the empty corridor, changed, and followed Snape to the headmaster's office.