Chapter 38: Baruffio’s Brain Elixir

What we need to make today is a potion for treating boils, which has nothing to do with the questions Snape asked earlier.

Work in pairs. The required materials and steps are all written on the blackboard.

The steps differ slightly from the textbook, but the whole process doesn't seem difficult.

During the summer vacation, Ethan read many books on potions. However, he only made energy cubes because they were essential. He didn't try making other potions since the ingredients were more varied, the process more time-consuming, and, more importantly, they were of no use to him.

Ethan and Michael worked in pairs with a clear division of labor.

Ethan handled the snake fangs and porcupine quills, while Michael dealt with the tentacle slugs and dried nettles.

Add six venomous snake fangs to the mortar and grind them into a fine powder with a pestle. Cut the porcupine quills into three-centimeter segments. These steps were written on the blackboard. Ethan completed them in an orderly manner, and Michael had no issues either.

Professor Snape dragged his black cloak and walked back and forth through the classroom.

He was responsible for the young wizards. Potions brewing could be dangerous, and even the slightest mistake could lead to accidents.

The incident that happened in Flitwick's charms class a few days ago was still fresh in his mind. He didn't want to be the next one.

"Finch-Fletchley, is your brain the same model as a troll's? Let go of that! Porcupine quills don't need to be ground into powder!"

"Zabini, did you forget to bring your brain to class, or did you forget your eyes? It clearly says the slugs should be steamed, not burned!"

…

Wherever Snape went, chaos seemed to follow.

It was all due to Snape's reputation, his intimidating presence, and his sharp rebukes. Every young wizard grew nervous when he approached.

This only led to more mistakes.

"I thought that not all of you were completely hopeless. I figured there might be one or two capable students. But I see you're all fools and incompetents." After making a round through the classroom, Snape returned to the front with a dark expression.

After a pause, he added: "You might just be the worst class I've ever taught."

Ethan nearly collapsed. It seemed that teachers in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds liked to say this.

Now, all the materials had been processed, and everything was in the boiling phase.

Michael had handled most of the process, with Ethan assisting. It was clear that Michael had a talent for potions.

On the other side of the room, Snape was patrolling and had stopped near Cassandra and her group.

He noticed the pink smoke and saw the potion changing from murky to a clear azure blue, and his mood seemed to improve.

He immediately bent down, fanned the air above the potion with his hand, and sniffed.

The charming smell of rotten eggs filled his nostrils!

"Slytherin, add 20 points!"

As he stood up, Professor Snape announced this to the entire class.

Ethan noticed Cassandra's provocative glance.

He knew Cassandra's intentions ever since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express. She was very proud and wanted to be the best at everything, but she was also extremely arrogant.

If Ethan had wanted to brew the boil-cure potion on his own, he could have done it much faster. It wasn't difficult. Although Michael's steps were correct, he was too cautious, which slowed them down a bit. But it didn't matter—they were almost done.

Zzz!

Bang!

Right behind Snape, a disaster occurred.

Neville and Seamus were working together. Due to an error in the steps, their potion boiled over and splattered everywhere, even melting the crucible until it deformed. In his panic, Neville knocked it over.

The first victims were Neville himself and Professor Snape, who had his back to them in the aisle next to them.

Snape hadn't anticipated such a disaster. Not only did they mess up the potion, but they also overturned the crucible.

The classroom descended into chaos. Since the potion was highly corrosive, the surrounding young wizards scrambled to stand on their stools. Neville, drenched by the potion, was now covered in red, swollen boils and screaming in pain.

Professor Snape's legs had also been soaked by the potion, but he couldn't show any signs of weakness. He gritted his teeth and used his wand to clean the potion from the floor, then roared at Neville:

"Idiot! Did you put the porcupine quills in without taking the cauldron off the fire first?"

Neville sobbed uncontrollably, unable to respond, and even a boil had grown on his face.

With the culprit in such a miserable state, Professor Snape couldn't say anything more or punish him further.

He could only order Seamus to take Neville to the hospital wing.

In truth, Snape should have been grateful that Neville made this mistake early on.

If Seamus had continued, the entire cauldron might have exploded, and the whole class would have been in danger.

In the end, Snape unfairly blamed Harry for not reminding Neville and deducted five points from Gryffindor.

Harry gritted his teeth, but he didn't dare to argue. His resentment towards Snape only deepened.

Ethan, on the other hand, remained unaffected since he was further away from the incident.

He removed his cauldron from the fire, extinguished the alcohol lamp, added the porcupine quills, and stirred five times in a clockwise direction.

As pink smoke rose, Ethan completed his potion.

At the same time, Ethan unlocked another achievement.

[Potion]

The liquid that excites and confuses people is definitely a potion.

Achievement goal: Brew a potion (1)

Achievement reward: Random potion formula

Wait, weren't the energy cubes I made before considered potions?

Clearly, a cauldron was used for those too.

And this time, the potion was made through collaboration, not independently. Does that count?

The potion formula Ethan received was rather satisfactory: Baruffio's Brain Elixir.

A potion that enhances brainpower. Ethan remembered its effects in the game—helping to correct a wrong answer in class.

But in the real world, boosting brainpower means enhancing thinking ability, learning capacity, memory, etc. Throughout this continuous process, whether it's increasing spellcasting speed or learning new spells, there will be significant improvements.

Even after the potion's effects wear off, the knowledge and skills gained remain.

It could be considered a very useful potion.

The formula was simple and cheap—just some oil and frog brains.

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