Chapter 204: A Perfect Demonstration and a Question of Probability
Sofia and Albert watched the fire salamanders feed while Ethan retrieved the potion he had brewed earlier. Under their watchful eyes, he reached into the flames once more and pulled out one of the black salamanders, still not fully sated, squirming and struggling to return to the warmth of the fire.
As he held its mouth open and administered the potion, he explained to his parents, "This is a potion specifically designed for drawing blood from fire salamanders. I'll be collecting their blood in a moment to brew the healing potion for Grandfather."
The salamander, once dosed, became even more active than before. Soon, growing increasingly agitated, it stopped devouring the flames and began writhing and crawling restlessly across the wire mesh. The creatures, which had been relatively docile, gradually grew hostile and even started snapping at one another.
Ethan, however, wouldn't tolerate behavior that might injure them and compromise the final product. He reached in and snatched one up. He juggled the salamander from hand to hand, never letting it escape his grasp. Sofia found the sight amusing and couldn't help but laugh.
After a brief session of "salamander juggling," the other creature, which had been crawling through the flames, was ready for blood collection. Ethan aimed his wand and cast a Stunning Spell. The restless salamander in the fire immediately fell still.
"That was a Stunning Spell?" Albert recognized the charm from descriptions in storybooks.
"Yes," Ethan confirmed with a nod. "It can be used to subdue magical creatures with lower magical resistance."
He put the still-fuming salamander back into the flames and retrieved the stunned one, setting it on the table. Pointing his wand at the creature, he prepared to recite the Blood-Drawing Spell incantation. He had only gotten a few words out when he paused, remembering something. The process of drawing blood might be rather shocking for his parents, so he decided to warn them in advance.
"The spell I'm about to cast is called the Blood-Drawing Spell. As the name suggests, it's a specialized charm for collecting blood from magical creatures. The process, however, can be rather gruesome. If you'd rather not watch, feel free to turn away now."
"We understand." The two exchanged a glance and nodded.
Ethan resumed the incantation over the salamander.
"Did it work? It doesn't look like anything happened," Sofia couldn't help asking when Ethan put his wand away and the stunned salamander still hadn't changed.
"It worked. The spell takes effect from the inside out. You can't see the changes just yet, but you will in a moment."
Just as Ethan had predicted, once the salamander's internal organs dissolved, the spell began working on its skin and scales. Despite the warning, Sofia was horrified by the sight.
"Ah!" she gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth and turning away, unable to watch.
Albert's eyes went wide. "What's happening? The whole lizard just dissolved into a bloody puddle? How is that even possible? They don't use this kind of magic on people, do they?"
For a man like Albert, watching a living creature melt into a bloody mass was difficult to stomach. His mind immediately jumped to even more horrifying implications.
Ethan offered a reassuring smile. "Dad, I asked the exact same question the first time I saw it. But don't worry. This spell only works in combination with the potion I just gave them. On its own, it does nothing."
He conveniently left out the fact that the potion worked just as well on wizards. That would only frighten them more. Albert's expression relaxed a bit at the explanation, though he clearly had no desire to witness the process again.
Ethan didn't press the point. His goal had simply been to give his parents a glimpse of the magical world's less pleasant realities, not to traumatize them. He quickly extracted a second amount of blood using the same method. After measuring out the quantity needed for this particular brew, he retrieved his used cauldron and placed it on the wire mesh stand where the salamanders had been. "I'm starting now."
The potion he was about to brew was not one of his most practiced recipes, but neither was it his first attempt. He had successfully replicated it once before, right after it was first developed. The only reason he needed to brew it now was because he had carelessly left his previous batch at school, never anticipating that Cyril would be discharged early.
Thus, with practiced ease, Ethan followed the formula's steps, adding each ingredient at precisely the right moment. He even had enough attention to spare to explain the names and origins of the ingredients to his parents as he worked.
Before adding the silvery blood, he explained, "This is unicorn blood, freely given by the creature. Blood taken by force carries a curse that leaves anyone who drinks it in a state of living death."
"I know about them. They're supposed to be incredibly beautiful. I wonder if I'll ever get to see one in person." Sofia's eyes grew wistful as her thoughts wandered to depictions of unicorns.
"I could arrange that. There's a whole herd of them living in the Forbidden Forest at school. I saw some when Hagrid took me there once, actually." He thought it was a manageable request, though perhaps not until later. Once his parents had taken the bloodline potions and become witches and wizards themselves, his family's status as Hogwarts governors should allow him to arrange a visit to the school grounds without much difficulty.
"That would be wonderful." Even Albert could not hide his excitement at the promise.
He continued his conversation with his parents as he brewed the potion. At intervals, he would wave his wand, setting the potion to stir itself either clockwise or counterclockwise. His movements were fluid and graceful, almost pleasing to watch. Gradually, Sofia and Albert forgot the earlier gruesome spectacle and became absorbed in watching the liquid within the cauldron change color with each new addition.
"It's finished." He extinguished the flame and looked at the red potion with satisfaction, pleased with the demonstration of his skills to his parents.
Clap, clap, clap! Sofia and Albert applauded. While they had no way of judging the potion's quality, his deft, confident, and efficient movements had been a thing of beauty to behold.
After a round of praise, they both stood and kissed him on the cheek in turn. "It's getting late. We'll head back to our room. You should get some rest soon, too."
"Mm, goodnight." He watched from the doorway as they returned to their bedroom, then closed his door. He didn't go to sleep, though. After decanting the potion into small vials matching the dosage used at St. Mungo's, he began brewing another batch.
The set of bloodline potions he had been working on since the start of his second year was finally close to completion. Thanks to the enhancements from the Diadem, he now had working formulas for the last two potions. He intended to brew one of them tonight, hoping to finish the whole set before their departure for Egypt.
Putting on his full set of protective dragon-hide gear, Ethan began his first attempt at brewing the ninth potion in the series. The process went remarkably smoothly, without a single hitch. An hour later, a large flask of green potion sat before him.
He yawned, then used the Diadem for a brief twenty-minute session, partly to generate ideas for potential improvements and partly to induce sleep. The Diadem's sleep-aiding effect was unparalleled. Although he had gone to bed late and woken up early, Ethan felt fully alert and not the least bit tired.
The next morning, carrying the freshly brewed healing potion, he returned to St. Mungo's. Whether it was at Cyril's request or not, Healer Drummond was already in the ward recording Cyril's reaction to the potion, despite it being just past eight o'clock.
He greeted the Healer and moved closer to the bed, watching as Cyril clutched the small bucket and spat blood.
Glancing at the contents, which were still more black than red, Ethan asked, "Healer Drummond, how is my grandfather responding to the potion this time?"
Drummond kept writing as he answered, "Better than last time, certainly. Look at the color. It's a brighter red than the day before yesterday, less dull." He finished his notes and looked up. "However, his progress is slower than we've seen in other patients. Take Innes, who just left. By his second dose, the blood he was coughing up was already half red and half black." He gestured toward the bed Innes had occupied. "So in Cyril's case, it seems he'll need to stay at St. Mungo's a few extra days and will likely require a fourth dose, perhaps even a fifth."
Cyril's heart lurched. He glanced at Ethan, his lips parting as if to tell Drummond he intended to leave early. But before he could speak, a fresh surge of blood filled his mouth, forcing him to swallow the words.
After wiping his mouth, Cyril looked up at Drummond. "I have some urgent business to attend to. I'm afraid I need to be discharged early."
The Healer frowned and stopped writing. He had been recording the volume and color of the blood. He reasoned with Cyril, "Cyril, you know the state of your injuries better than anyone. Those lingering wounds have severely impacted your lifespan. Now that you finally have a chance to heal them completely, don't you want to be rid of them once and for all?"
"I understand," Cyril replied. "But the matter is truly urgent. Can't I just bring several doses of the potion with me and take them outside St. Mungo's? That way, my treatment wouldn't be interrupted."
He had already prepared for this, though he had not anticipated needing more than three doses. A couple extra doses shouldn't be a problem.
"I can give you the potion," Drummond said. "But what if there are complications? While the potion has proven safe so far, our sample size is still small. We cannot guarantee that there won't be any unforeseen reactions. What if you suffer an adverse reaction and end up not just unhealed, but with new damage?"
Cyril paused to cough up blood before arguing, "I've already taken two doses without any problems. If a serious reaction were going to happen, wouldn't it have occurred the very first time?"
Not wanting to damage his relationship with the Healer by simply slipping out, and unable to fully explain his reasons for leaving, Cyril spent considerable time negotiating with Drummond before finally securing the Healer's reluctant agreement.
"He finally agreed," Cyril said, giving Ethan a rueful smile after Drummond had left. "I was about ready to just slip out of here."
"I think he made a fair point," Ethan said. "Maybe you should stay a few more days. I don't want to take the risk."
Cyril reassured him. "It'll be fine. If something unexpected happens, I'll just stop taking the potion. It's a healing potion, not some dangerous poison. Don't worry."
Since Drummond had left without mentioning the potion, Cyril said, "Wait here a moment. I'll go speak with him and get a few vials."
Ethan stopped him. "No need. After you mentioned wanting to leave early yesterday, I figured three doses might not be enough. So I brewed a batch last night." He pulled a vial of red potion from his bag and gave it a little shake.
Cyril looked surprised, then smiled. "Well, that saves me a trip. I'll pack my things, and we'll leave immediately."
"You start packing. I have a few more questions about the potion that I want to ask Drummond."
Ethan left the room. Despite Cyril's insistence on an early discharge, he was still worried about potential complications and wanted to know exactly what those might entail. He hadn't gotten far down the corridor before he ran into Drummond coming back.
"Healer Drummond, I have a few questions, if you have a moment," Ethan said quickly.
"What is it? I left in such a huff I forgot to get the potion for Cyril. Go back and tell him not to leave just yet. I'll request three vials for him."
"That's actually what I wanted to discuss. My grandfather won't leave before I get back. Could we talk in your examination room?"
"Very well." They walked through the narrow corridor and entered the treatment room. Drummond sat behind his desk and began writing a requisition slip for the potion.
"The thing is, Healer Drummond, you don't need to write that requisition. I brewed a batch of the potion myself last night and intend to give it to my grandfather. But you mentioned there could be complications. What are the odds of that happening? And if something does go wrong, what should I expect, and how should I handle it? Also, to avoid any risk, could we simply pause the treatment and resume it here at St. Mungo's after we're done with our business?"
Ethan fired off a series of questions.
Drummond looked surprised. "You brewed a batch? Ah, of course. It's Snape's formula, and as his apprentice, it's only natural you'd know how to make it. Just to be safe, let me examine it to ensure it's up to standard. Now, to answer your questions."
"We don't yet know the exact likelihood of complications. Only about thirty patients have received this potion, and none have experienced adverse reactions so far. However, Cyril's injuries are more severe than most, so I cannot guarantee he will be completely risk-free."
"So, if I understand correctly, the odds are actually quite low?" Ethan felt a wave of relief.
"Relatively low, yes. But the possibility exists. Based on our trials, the most likely complication would be uncontrolled hemorrhaging. In that case, he would need to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour and receive several applications of a healing charm to staunch the bleeding."
"Like Episkey?" That was the only healing charm Ethan knew.
Drummond shook her head. "No, Vulnera Sanentur. It's a more commonly used general healing charm. As for pausing the treatment, we haven't tested that and don't know if it would have any effect. But it's best not to try it."
"I understand. Thank you. One more question: if five doses aren't enough to heal him, what's the maximum number of doses he could safely take?"
"Fifteen is the highest we've recorded without adverse effects. Beyond that, we can't say."
"Grandfather shouldn't need anywhere near that many doses, should he?" Ethan was relieved; that number was more than enough for any worst-case scenario he had imagined.
"Probably not, though it's hard to say for certain. I'm basing this on how he's responding now. I can give you a simple guideline: watch the color of the blood he coughs up. When it's mostly red with only the faintest trace of black, he's nearly healed. At that point, if another dose has no effect, the potion can't do any more for what's left."
"Alright, got it." Ethan memorized the instructions.
After teaching Ethan the healing charm, Drummond inspected his potion. He examined it closely and cast several detection spells. "Excellent work," he declared admiringly. "Identical to Snape's own brewing. I can't tell the difference."
"I'm glad it's usable." Ethan remained modest.
After bidding the Healer farewell, Ethan returned to the ward to find Cyril already packed and waiting for him. They paid one last visit to Ohajian, then completed the discharge paperwork and stepped back out onto the bustling London street.
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