"Hey, Terry, wake up! Time to get up for class."
Terry felt someone calling him and groggily opened his eyes, discovering his roommate Leo's handsome face hovering above him with obvious concern.
"Wait... this is our dormitory?" Terry blinked in confusion. "I remember coming back last night and smelling this incredible fragrance..."
Leo's mouth twitched as he turned his head away. How did this kid still remember that detail?
The improved sleep-inducing incense had knocked Terry unconscious for the entire night. Without Leo's intervention, his roommate probably would still be sleeping peacefully.
The potion's lasting effects were quite impressive... definitely worth noting.
"You were probably just exhausted from yesterday's classes. You collapsed as soon as you returned to the room." Leo kept his tone casual and helpful. "Hurry up and get ready. Our first class this morning is Potions with Professor Snape."
Hearing Leo's urgent reminder, Terry bolted upright with obvious panic. The upperclassmen had warned them repeatedly that Professor Snape represented the one teacher you absolutely could not afford to offend in the entire school!
"Right, right! I'm getting up immediately. We absolutely cannot be late for his class!"
Witnessing Terry complete the entire morning routine of rising, dressing, and washing in less than five minutes, Leo couldn't help but marvel at Snape's fearsome reputation at work.
"I'm ready! Let's hurry before we're late!"
Inside the Potions classroom, the moment the class bell finished ringing, the heavy wooden door burst open with dramatic force. A tall, thin man with a pronounced hooked nose strode through the entrance, his rapid footsteps causing his black cloak to billow behind him like enormous bat wings.
Simultaneously, a harsh, cutting voice filled the stone chamber: "In my classroom, you will not wave your wands randomly or recite spells carelessly. Personally, I don't expect most of you to comprehend the subtle science and exact art of potion-making."
"However, for the very few who possess genuine aptitude..."
As he spoke, Snape's dark eyes surveyed the assembled students with predatory interest. His gaze lingered briefly on Leo, recognition flickering across his severe features. The student who had made history during the Sorting Ceremony, the one Minerva had specifically mentioned.
"I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death itself!"
Many young Ravens and Badgers visibly cowered under Snape's intimidating presence. Some had already straightened their posture, apparently beginning to yearn for those magnificent possibilities he described.
Leo simply listened calmly to Snape's theatrical speech. Quite inspiring rhetoric, but compared to glory, fame, and stopping death, Snape probably wanted something far more personal... a resurrection potion that could reverse life and death, or perhaps a regret potion that could change established facts.
Snape gestured sharply, causing chalk to begin writing across the blackboard without human intervention.
"In this lesson we shall learn to brew sleep-inducing incense. This represents a fundamental calming draught that..."
Hearing this specific potion name, Leo's eyelid twitched with ironic timing. What an extraordinary coincidence.
"After proper application, wizards lose consciousness within ten seconds, while magical creatures require thirty seconds to six minutes depending on their body mass and natural resistances."
Listening to Snape's clinical explanation, Leo nodded almost imperceptibly. The improved sleep-inducing incense he had mastered the previous evening was indeed significantly more potent than this standard version, especially regarding magical creature applications, where onset time was dramatically reduced.
When the time came, he could burn incense to render creatures unconscious before conducting safe observation and detailed recording.
After introducing the sleep-inducing incense's various functions and practical applications, Snape began explaining proper brewing techniques with characteristic precision.
This immediately captured Leo's complete attention. Despite his harsh demeanour and cutting remarks, Snape remained the youngest Potions Master of the current era. His instruction and detailed explanations represented knowledge that only someone studying at Hogwarts could access so casually.
"Sopophorous beans must be crushed using the silver knife's flat edge to extract maximum juice, never sliced. Stir anticlockwise until the mixture becomes clear as spring water..."
When Snape mentioned this particular detail regarding material processing, Leo's eyes brightened with genuine interest. The professor definitely had valuable knowledge to share.
Although he had already mastered the improved sleep-inducing incense formula, Leo had to acknowledge that several techniques Snape demonstrated remained genuinely useful for broader potion-making applications.
While rapidly taking comprehensive notes, he compared Snape's explanations against the improved formula, thereby deepening his theoretical understanding of potions as a magical discipline.
"Very well. Begin brewing your potions immediately."
The young wizards sprang into action with varying degrees of confidence and trepidation.
As Leo prepared to process his required materials, he suddenly remembered an important detail and queried his system: "System, repaying the formula loan requires successfully brewing five different potions. Can the improved sleep-inducing incense and this original version count as two separate varieties?"
[Negative, host. This does not qualify as a hidden repayment method.]
Leo remained speechless at the system's response. Since he couldn't exploit the original sleep-inducing incense to circumvent loan requirements, he would simply brew the improved version directly.
Actually, borrowing another finished potion loan would essentially consume one set of materials while harvesting two portions of completed potion!
After Aurelius awakened from his transformation sleep, Leo planned to venture into the Forbidden Forest seeking five different magical creatures for detailed documentation. For safety purposes, he could definitely use additional auxiliary tools like sleep-inducing incense.
"I wish to borrow a Basic Finished Potion daily loan, specifying the improved sleep-inducing incense as content."
[Loan successful. Item stored in system space. Please collect at any time.]
Meanwhile, Snape descended from his elevated platform to patrol students' operational techniques with his characteristic scrutiny.
"Bones, why aren't you wearing protective equipment? Are you planning to sleep in your cauldron and wash your face with the contents?"
"Abbott, cease that pathetic crying immediately. Sleep-inducing incense requires no little girl tears during the brewing process!"
The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs attending their first Potions class were experiencing Snape's legendary "terror" firsthand.
Leo had just finished carefully weighing his Fluxweed and was removing it from the precision scales to prepare for grinding when a menacing voice materialised directly behind him:
"Tell me, Grafton, did I neglect to mention that Fluxweed requires precisely eight grams? Why did you measure only five grams?"
Hearing Snape's pointed question, Leo didn't pause his methodical movements, placing the Fluxweed into his marble mortar and beginning to grind it into fine powder.
"Yes, Professor, you did specify eight grams was the standard requirement. However, five grams proves sufficient when ground to proper powder consistency."
Snape continued his interrogation, his tone growing even more frigid: "But my instructions clearly specified slicing technique. Powdered Fluxweed rapidly loses potency after being added to heated cauldrons."
Leo remained completely unintimidated by Snape's hostile tone, continuing his grinding while providing a detailed explanation: "Therefore, when adding the powder, the flame temperature must be reduced to exactly 150 degrees Celsius, allowing the Fluxweed powder to incorporate more gradually into the brewing mixture."
Leo firmly believed that providing clear, logical reasoning would allow Snape to judge whether his operational modifications were scientifically sound. Since his technique was fundamentally correct, there was no need to retreat simply because of aggressive questioning.
This time, Snape fell into thoughtful silence. With his extensive knowledge and professional experience, he instantly recognised that Leo's described procedure was entirely feasible and consistent with Fluxweed's documented magical properties.
The modification wouldn't negatively affect potion brewing and did indeed reduce material requirements slightly while maintaining effectiveness.
"Grafton, mere opportunistic shortcuts have no place in the serious field of potion-making."
Snape delivered this dismissive comment before turning away without indicating whether Leo's operational choice was correct or incorrect.
Terry leaned closer and whispered urgently: "Even though he was questioning you specifically, I couldn't stop trembling just listening. Weren't you terrified?"
"Why should I be afraid? Did I do something wrong?" Leo's response carried genuine confusion.
"But Professor Snape seemed so angry..."
"If I had made an actual error, shouldn't he have corrected me until I understood proper technique?"
Terry scratched his head, finding Leo's logical reasoning completely irrefutable.
Glancing sideways at his roommate's work, Leo offered helpful advice: "If you don't stir that mixture soon, your cauldron contents are going to burn completely."
"Oh no!"
Leo continued brewing his improved sleep-inducing incense with steady concentration. Snape would occasionally drift behind him, questioning various operational choices with relentless persistence.
However, Leo could not only answer every inquiry fluently, but his hand movements also remained steady as granite throughout the interrogation.
Finally, Leo's potion became the first to reach successful completion. He carefully presented his sleep-inducing incense to Snape, who was standing nearby with obvious expectation.
"Professor, would you care to evaluate whether this meets your standards?"