The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

Next up are the six people who have already failed once.

There were still nearly two hours until noon. If they failed again, they would probably be late.

"Well then, I can get started now."

Rizz carefully reviewed the steps of making the aphrodisiac, and then took out the corresponding materials from the locker.

Neither Jemma Farley nor Penelope offered any warnings; they genuinely wanted to see just how gifted Rhett was in potions, given that he had passed Snape's test.

Actually, Ritz himself was also looking forward to the juicer's performance.

This time, he didn't use his divination abilities; he relied entirely on his memory and intuition to replicate the image.

Unable to reach the level of skill of Gemma Farley, he used Penelope's method of handling materials, processing them little by little.

“It looks quite professional,” Gemma Farley whispered to Penelope. “He’s using your methods exactly, as if he hasn’t considered mine at all.”

“After all, your skill in brewing potions and processing materials is far superior to ours. Trying to imitate your methods right away would be too easy to fail,” Penelope explained to Riz.

But after Ritz prepared the ingredients and lit the fire to put them in, Penelope felt that Ritz did not seem to be following her method exactly.

"Did you get them mixed up?"

Penelope frowned, her eyes fixed on Reiz's movements, her tone tinged with doubt.

Ritz used her method to process the material, but after ignition, the other party's rhythm changed noticeably.

Jemma Farleyton also showed some interest.

Did Reese refer to both her and Penelope's techniques at the same time?

Did you have your own ideas on your first try?

I just don't know if he'll be able to successfully concoct the aphrodisiac in the end.

Chapter 75: Did Ryze suddenly have an epiphany?

After Rizzi opened fire, those who had finished brewing the medicine also turned their gazes toward Rizzi.

However, most of these gazes carried a hint of doubt and scrutiny.

Even though love potions are considered one of the simpler types of potions for sixth graders, that only applies to them.

A young wizard who has only been in school for two months and has grown up in the Muggle world, no matter how fast he learns, probably hasn't even grasped the basics of potion principles that are only taught in fourth grade. How could he possibly be able to brew such an advanced potion?

Even if you memorize all the steps, the mental focus when brewing the potion and the detailed operation of infusing the potion with magic power require time to practice.

Even if an 11-year-old wizard is highly regarded in the lower grades, it's hard to believe that he can already accurately control the magic within his body.

In fact, although Rizzi was indeed referring to Penelope and Gemma Farley's methods, his lack of skill in cooking was obvious.

There was a slight error in the timing of adding the ingredients, and the action of stirring and infusing magic at the same time was also very clumsy.

Several times I watched as the medicine in the crucible was about to spill out, and the steam rising from the top of the medicine looked very scattered, as if there was a sign of failure at any moment.

“Although the steps are fine, it’s still a bit of a stretch,” Percy said.

His relationship with Penelope was fairly good, or rather, he was currently trying to pursue Penelope. So, after finishing brewing and preparing the materials for the potion station, he went over to Penelope and observed the brewing of Rizzi together.

Looking at the potions in front of Ryze, he figured that the other person could only manage half an hour at most on their first attempt at brewing these high-level potions before they couldn't keep up with the pace.

His words were already quite subtle; if we were to express his true thoughts, they were a jumbled mess, completely lacking any coherence. From every perspective, he was simply a novice.

Penelope did not reply, but she clearly felt that the chances of this brewing process failing were relatively high.

Brewing potions requires careful control of various rhythms, and right now, Ryze's rhythm feels very strange. Sometimes it seems like she's rushing, and other times she suddenly slows down. For someone with solid fundamentals and a steady brewing style, watching Ryze's brewing process is indeed a bit uncomfortable.

But surprisingly, he managed to keep Ridge's seemingly unorthodox cooking method in check.

Whenever the potion seems about to fail, Ryze always manages to "save" it in various ways, albeit in a flurry of activity.

Percy even felt a sense of familiarity with one of the actions, as if it was the same action he had taken when he was brewing the love potion. There were some flaws in the potion's preparation that prevented it from meeting the required standards within the allotted time, so he had to take the risk of increasing the heat and speeding up the stirring process as a remedy.

Jemma Farley initially thought that Rizzi's cooking technique was indeed very unfamiliar and that he wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.

But the longer she watched from the sidelines, the more she realized that Ryze wasn't just messing around.

He seemed to have consulted many people's brewing methods at the same time, and then relied on his intuition to alternate between those methods to the extent that he could do them now in order to meet the requirements of brewing the potion.

Even those who failed at brewing, Ryze seemed to have learned from their mistakes, and almost never had any problems in the places where they had failed.

Could this junior really have a talent for potions, which is why Professor Snape took a liking to him?

She couldn't help but have this thought.

Meanwhile, after Ryze had completed more than half of his potion-making process, she stopped paying attention to it.

After all, in her eyes, since Ryze had already overcome the most difficult early and mid-game stages, there was almost no need to worry about Ryze except for the final stages, which might still present some challenges.

Ultimately, as the lunch break bell rang, four of the fourteen people present, including Ryze, had not yet finished brewing the aphrodisiac.

Snape opened the office door, looked at the four potions tables that were still smoldering, and snorted heavily.

"You'll have ten more minutes. Anyone who hasn't finished by then will be eliminated."

Upon hearing these words, the other three senior students became somewhat anxious and quickly sped up their work.

However, this increased speed can easily lead to problems.

These three people should have been very confident in brewing the aphrodisiac, but the ten-minute time limit caused their operation to go awry.

Five minutes later, a Gryffindor student made a mistake and immediately panicked. Then, the Hufflepuff student next to him was also affected by the other's failure and also failed to cook within a minute.

In the end, only Ritz and another Slytherin student were still doing the final finishing touches.

With two minutes left in the ten-minute mark, the Slytherin student finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the aphrodisiac take shape, displaying all the necessary characteristics.

Now, everyone's attention was focused on Ryze, who was at the very end.

It's still that same clumsy, flustered style, giving off a dreamy vibe of doing whatever comes to mind.

But despite everyone's feeling that Ryze was about to explode, he still managed to finish brewing the medicine, wiping the sweat from his forehead and panting.

There was one minute left until the ten-minute mark, and the timing was perfect.

Of course, don't even think about comparing Rizzi's aphrodisiacs to those of Penelope Cruz or Gemma Farley.

Even compared to second-tier individuals like Percy, there is still a gap.

The potion was dull in color with little luster, and its scent was not only faint but also very mixed.

Ryze even faintly smelled the paint smell that he used to find pleasant when he was a child in his previous life.

But in any case, he managed to brew the aphrodisiac on his first try.

Those present did not look down on Ryze because of the low quality of his aphrodisiac; on the contrary, the competitive pressure Ryze put on them became even greater.

After all, one instance of recklessness could be considered a coincidence, but to keep recklessly doing things from beginning to end, and then somehow manage to make the potion, is no ordinary feat. This alone is enough to demonstrate Ryze's talent.

Even Snape, who had been standing at the office door staring at Ritz, couldn't help but frown as he looked at Ritz.

For the past two months, Ryze has been strictly following the formulas and textbooks to brew potions in Potions class, and has never shown any outstanding skills in potion making.

Even when the other party was brewing the shrinking potion yesterday, they had to use various methods to barely manage to concoct it. This only shows that Ryze has a high talent for divination, but it doesn't mean that the other party has a high talent for potion making.

But in just one day, how come the other party suddenly seems to have a breakthrough in potion-making?

Chapter 76: The Effects of a Juicer

Snape does praise people, but only Slytherin students, and only those who are top students in Slytherin.

Jemma Farley's concoction unsurprisingly received the highest praise of the entire audience, and she even openly gave Slytherin an extra 5 points for it.

"Pure and precise, this level of potion is the minimum standard to participate in the Potions Race. Otherwise, don't even dream of participating." He even encouraged Jemma Farley, telling her to maintain this level and she would have a good chance of getting a decent ranking in two years.

When dealing with others, including Slytherin, who barely managed to complete the potion, Snape's attitude became exceptionally harsh and showed no mercy.

His assessments were particularly sharp when he was speaking to Gryffindor students.

Percy, who was concerned about saving face, blushed and silently accepted Snape's accusations. From the way the ingredients were handled to the quality of the potion, everything was criticized by Snape as being almost entirely worthless.

"The only bright spot is that you managed to save a pot of potions that was about to be ruined, but there's nothing to praise about that, because it was caused by a series of elementary mistakes that you should never have made before."

According to Snape, Percy failed to recognize his own abilities and initially wanted to create a higher-quality aphrodisiac directly, which led him to use more radical methods and almost caused a disaster.

“Don’t look so wronged. You should be glad you haven’t been eliminated yet. After all, in my opinion, your abilities are only up to this point.” Snape’s gaze swept over Percy’s flushed face, and he said sarcastically, “If you’re not satisfied with my assessment, then quit. Don’t get in my way.”

Percy ultimately didn't dare to talk back to Snape and could only let the other person criticize him. In the end, he lowered his head and slunk away from the Potions classroom.

I wonder if we'll see Percy here next week.

After Snape had criticized all the potions that were barely passing, he finally turned his attention to the potion in Rhett's hand.

"The cobbled-together technique is only enough to brew this potion. It's purely a matter of luck. I hope it can help you. Even if I lower the standards to the bare minimum, this potion is only a tiny bit short of being substandard. Your love potion is the kind that even if it were given away for free on the market, very few people would be interested in it."

Snape pondered for a moment and dismissed Rhett's sudden display of "spirituality" in potions as an illusion created by the other's divination abilities.

He still didn't believe that Ryze had any talent for potions.

Although he had to admit that a good fortune teller would always find it easier to learn other things than an ordinary wizard.

If Ryze can maintain this level of performance, his potential will at least be no lower than that of Jemma Farley.

There's even a tiny chance they'll participate in the Potions Challenge two years later. However, if they were to work as Jemma Farley's assistant, Hogwarts would indeed have a greater chance of winning the Potions Challenge.

But getting him to praise Ryze is absolutely out of the question.

Moreover, he would never bring this up before the third year, and if Ryze failed to meet his requirements within those two years, he would still kick Ryze out without hesitation.

He quickly pointed out the flaws in Ryze's potion-making techniques, which he described as "only trolls would make," and mentioned several professional books related to the relevant theories, ordering Ryze to read them by next Friday. He also demanded that Ryze brew a potion that was at least up to standard during next Friday's potions class, before kicking Ryze out of the potions classroom.

Stepping out of the cold, dark underground passage, Rizzi saw Penelope waiting for him at the entrance.

“It’s alright. Professor Snape has always been so sarcastic, we’re used to it,” she comforted Reese, then smiled and encouraged him, “Being able to brew a sixth-year aphrodisiac in one go is already quite impressive. Even Gemma couldn’t have been better than you in your first year.”

Although she still felt that Ryze's technique was a bit too "over the top," Ryze's age was a factor.

To have achieved this much is already quite impressive, so she naturally wouldn't comment too much on Reiz's methods.

Ryze waved his hand, a relaxed smile on his lips, indicating that he was in a very good mood.

After all, doesn't he know whether he used divination or not?

With just a silver juicer rune, he successfully brewed the love potion, which even made Snape think he was "cheating" with divination.

This alone made Ryze quite happy.

The juicer's performance certainly exceeded his expectations.

Although his concoction failed to trigger the juicer's extra effects due to his lack of skill, even though he had no idea about the theoretical basis of the aphrodisiac, he could subconsciously memorize the techniques of others when he watched them make it.

When it came time to do it myself, although my movements were clumsy and I made various small mistakes during the process of infusing magic, I was always able to save the potion from failure by relying on the techniques I had memorized and a bit of instinctive perception.

Despite appearing flustered, Ryze could clearly sense that each of her remedial measures was indeed effective.

He could even vaguely sense that if he used a certain method at a certain stage, although there would be considerable risks, there should be a chance to improve the quality of the potion.

However, he wasn't as bold as Percy. For his first attempt, he honestly used the safest method he could manage and successfully brewed the potion.

Although the quality of the aphrodisiac produced was indeed very low, if he were given more opportunities to try and study the theoretical basis, Rizzi felt that he would have a chance to produce an aphrodisiac that was close to Penelope's level by next Friday.

If you combine that with your own divination talent to do a thorough review, you could probably do even better.

Even if he fulfilled Snape's request and didn't have to write that three-foot-long paper, Ryze planned to record his understanding of love potions afterward to solidify what he had learned that morning.

He'd like to see what Snape's assessment would be next Friday.

Seeing that Ryze was completely unaffected by Snape, Penelope's eyes showed a hint of admiration.

"It's good to maintain this mindset. When facing Professor Snape, you have to be able to stay calm so that he can't find any fault with you."

She sighed softly, recalling Percy who had just left looking disheveled, and said with a hint of regret, "Percy was just too eager to show off, which is why Professor Snape was able to seize the opportunity to reprimand him."

Chapter 77: Entertainment Activities in the Wizarding World

Rizzi didn't know when Penelope and Percy would have gotten together according to the normal timeline; he only remembered that the two of them didn't make it to the end.

Moreover, Percy's personality is indeed the most awkward among the Weasley brothers of this generation.

Above them were two exceptionally talented older brothers, below them were two mischievous younger brothers and Ron, who had little presence, and Ginny, who was the apple of the family's eye.

Percy, who is in the middle, wants to prove himself, but no matter what he does, even if he becomes a prefect, his presence in the family is probably only slightly greater than Ron's.

This also means that Percy, who seems to be an excellent person, is actually much more sensitive than Ron in terms of personality.

Rizz didn't say anything bad about Percy, but he thought that Percy's way of living might be a bit tiring.

Penelope nodded.