After obtaining Rowena Ravenclaw's gift, Ryze had no direct comparison for objects imbued with Divination Talent, yet he could clearly feel the improvement over the past two months.
Two months ago, he had needed the assistance of the Hyper-Sensation Spell just to barely complete a proper divination. Now, however, with multiple buffs enhancing his abilities, he had already crossed the threshold into true beginner-level divination. More importantly, performing a single divination no longer drained his mana reserves entirely.
Although he still couldn't perceive spontaneous omens of the future like Grindelwald, he was already far more stable than Professor Trelawney, whose Divination Talent was notoriously uncontrollable.
With a suitable medium—as long as it wasn't infused with magic—Ryze could now use it to trace past events or glimpse future possibilities connected to it. Naturally, the further he looked, the greater the mana cost.
For his current purpose, however, he only needed to trace back to the last time Snape had personally brewed a shrinking potion.
Fortunately, third-year students had covered this lesson just half a month ago.
Without expending too much energy, an image gradually formed before Ryze's eyes—Snape standing before his cauldron, methodically brewing the potion. Even the scrawled notes on the blackboard behind him became clearer as Ryze increased his mana output, aided by his 200+ Spell Power.
Working quickly, Ryze recorded every detail he could, committing both the written instructions and Snape's subtle movements to memory. He carefully observed the entire brewing process from beginning to end.
"Whew…"
After about ten minutes, Ryze let out a quiet breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
In that short span, he had consumed nearly eighty mana points.
Under normal circumstances, a single divination would only cost twenty to thirty mana. But because he had forced the clarity of the vision—capturing precise details of Snape's technique—the cost had naturally risen.
Still wearing his dragon-hide gloves, Ryze allowed Ailey to take a bite of Hagrid's pumpkin pasties from his pocket and feed it to him. The sweetness helped him recover more quickly, both physically and mentally.
"As expected… Snape's methods differ slightly from the textbook."
After finishing the snack, Ryze reviewed his notes.
Snape hadn't altered the official recipe itself. Instead, he had refined the process by adding precise handling techniques that the textbook left vague. Ingredients like leech juice and sliced caterpillars were given only approximate quantities in the book, but Snape controlled them with exact measurements.
Additionally, certain steps required extra stirring cycles or specific timing adjustments. Even the heat levels followed a strict pattern, far more deliberate than the general instructions provided in class materials.
This was classic Snape—he rarely explained his reasoning, but if students followed both the textbook and his demonstrated methods exactly, the success rate would exceed ninety percent.
"With these notes, brewing a standard shrinking potion shouldn't be a problem."
After double-checking every detail, Ryze began preparing the ingredients again, this time replicating Snape's techniques precisely.
At the same time, he instructed Ailey to visit the Great Hall to fetch food—and to inform his roommates not to worry if he didn't show up at the Halloween feast. If anything unusual happened, they were to return directly to the dormitory.
Ryze already knew what was coming.
Quirrell would soon release a troll into the castle.
Yet despite this knowledge, his Divination Talent hadn't given him any sense of danger.
The reason was simple.
While trolls were rated as XXXX-level magical creatures, they were, frankly, quite stupid. Their strength lay in brute force and high magic resistance, but beyond that, they were unimpressive. Some of the more docile ones were even domesticated by wizards as guards.
Any competent fourth-year student who had paid attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts could handle a troll with relative ease.
The real concern wasn't the troll itself, but the presence of younger students in Hogwarts. The staff would inevitably evacuate everyone to prevent injuries and to investigate whether a Dark Wizard had infiltrated the castle.
In the original story, even the trio had managed to knock out a troll using a Levitation Charm.
Ryze, with his deeper understanding of troll behavior, Ailey's assistance, the Arcane Comet, and his nearly completed Final Spark spell, had even less reason to worry.
Rather than wasting time attending the feast only to be sent back halfway through, he decided to remain in the Potions classroom and finish brewing the shrinking potion.
When Ailey returned with bacon sandwiches and fries, Ryze closed the classroom door and focused entirely on his work.
Once the ingredients were properly prepared, he followed Snape's process step by step. He lit the fire, added the materials, and adjusted the heat precisely—lowering it to a gentle simmer after thirty minutes.
This time, there was no failure.
The potion in the cauldron remained stable as he steadily infused it with magic. He then added the second batch of ingredients according to his notes.
Just then, he felt a faint vibration ripple through the underground classroom.
"Ailey, go check what's happening. Be careful not to be seen."
Even as he spoke, Ryze continued working, adding ingredients and stirring with precise timing before adjusting the flame to medium heat.
The potion's color remained clear.
He allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
The most difficult step was complete. All that remained was to wait ten minutes, reduce the heat again, and perform the final infusion of magic.
Taking out his wand, he cast a simple time-keeping spell to ensure he wouldn't miss the critical moment.
Shortly after, Ailey returned and described what she had seen.
A troll.
It was enormous—half a head taller than Hagrid—with grey skin, a bald head, and a grotesque face. In its hand, it wielded a massive wooden club, which it used to smash everything in its path as it rampaged through the underground corridor.
When it reached the Potions classroom, it seemed to catch the scent of the brewing potion.
It slammed its club against the door several times. When it failed to break through, it let out an angry roar and began kicking the door violently.
The heavy impacts echoed through the room.
Ryze glanced at the time-keeping spell.
Three minutes.
"Three minutes… that's just enough."
He picked up his wand, gathering magic at its tip.
At the same moment, the troll delivered a powerful kick to the door.
Ailey acted instantly.
She unlocked it.
Caught off guard, the troll lost its balance and stumbled forward, crashing into the doorway in an awkward split.
Its pained howl filled the corridor.
Ryze didn't hesitate.
His spell was already prepared.
"Final Spark!"
With the consumption of one hundred mana points, a tightly compressed beam of magic—no thicker than five centimeters—shot from his wand like a piercing laser.
It tore straight through the troll's chest.
The massive creature froze for a moment, its roar abruptly cut off.
Then it collapsed.
Silence returned to the underground passage.
Ryze exhaled slowly, lowering his wand.
The timing had been perfect.
Behind him, the potion in the cauldron continued to simmer quietly—just moments away from completion.
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