Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 7 discusses the relationship between potions and Chinese cuisine.

Professor Snape, like the headmaster in Ike's memory, was not well-regarded by the other three houses besides Slytherin.

This is especially true in Gryffindor.

During his many years at Hogwarts, Professor Snape successfully left a deep psychological scar on most students with his unchanging icy demeanor and masterful sharp tongue.

Potions class has thus become one of the most unpopular courses among students.

Years of sleep-wake cycles had made Ike wake up at 7:30 in the morning. He lay in bed for a while, still half asleep, before finally getting up. Seeing that Stuart and Terry were still sound asleep, Ike waved his hand, and a cushion flew "plop" onto their faces, repeatedly falling back down.

"Ike!" Stewart was stunned when he was hit by the pillow. He grabbed the tool of his crime and couldn't help but shout when he saw Ike looking gloating next to him.

When he came to his senses, he realized that Terry was still on the bed, dodging the pillows that were coming at him, and he was taken aback.

"How did you do that?"

Ike shrugged upon hearing this: "It's just a matter of skillfully using the Levitation Charm. With more practice, it's easy to master."

He casually picked up "Potions and Magic" and with a wave of his left hand, the cushion finally stopped attacking Terry. "However, instead of figuring that out, I think we should get up. We have Potions class all morning, and we need to grab a bite to eat first."

"Okay, you're right." Carlisle scratched his head and got out of bed.

After washing up, the three left the Ravenclaw common room together. They lingered on the stairs for a while before being led to the Great Hall by a kind Ravenclaw senior.

Breakfast at Hogwarts is a typical English breakfast: scones, bread, jam, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and fries, plus a cup of hot, sweet milk. Ike was very satisfied with his meal.

Halfway through the meal, the other two freshmen arrived. Michael Corner had black hair and a typical British face, while Anthony Goldstein, like Terry, had short blond hair, only a bit thinner. After exchanging greetings, the two quickly struck up a conversation with Stuart and Terry.

Ike ate his breakfast, occasionally chiming in with a few words. Just then, Padma Petit, Mandy Bloch, and Morag McDoug sat down opposite him, chatting and laughing. As fellow first-year students, they greeted each other and, with Stewart's constant chatter, quickly became acquainted.

About twenty minutes before the first class started, the eight of them left the dining table together and headed toward the Potions classroom, the most terrifying underground classroom in Hogwarts legend.

Ravenclaw's Potions class is with the Hufflepuffs. Since it's the first class for the new students, the hawks and badgers aren't familiar with each other yet; otherwise, they would sit alternately like other grades. Right now, it's mostly students from their own house forming pairs.

Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein, being roommates, naturally became partners. Padma and Mandy also laughed and pulled each other together, even pushing Morag forward. Terry and Stewart exchanged a glance and silently pushed Ike forward as well.

Before Snape even entered the classroom, Ravenclaw had already completed the group assignments very smoothly.

At exactly nine o'clock, with a "bang," Professor Snape strode in, wearing his pure black cloak. With a wave of his wand, the sunshades on the windows fell down, and the candles in the classroom were lit.

Standing on the podium, Professor Snape coldly scanned the new students in the classroom, then picked up the attendance book and began to call out names. After calling out the names of all the new students, he casually placed the attendance book on the table beside him and said in his calm yet inexplicably intimidating tone, "Very good, it seems you all understand the importance of punctuality."

"You have come here to learn this precise and rigorous art of potions."

"I don't expect you to truly appreciate the wonderful feeling of a crucible simmering over a low flame, emitting white smoke and a delicate fragrance..."

"You will never truly understand the wonderful magic that flows into people's veins and makes their will go haywire..."

"I can teach you how to increase your reputation, cultivate glory, and even prevent death..."

"But first of all, you don't have to be the kind of idiots and fools I usually encounter."

After the classic opening remarks, the entire class fell silent. Professor Snape, with his usual icy expression, coldly surveyed the class before writing a recipe for treating scabies on the blackboard. He then explained in detail several points where mistakes were easily made. He continued to torment the students' nerves in his unchanging tone.

"I see that you have already divided into groups on your own, which at least shows that your brains are still somewhat useful."

"Now, let's get started. Let me see whose brain is only capable of this much."

"Of course, this at least shows that you're a little smarter than trolls."

The materials needed by the students in Potions class are provided by the school. Ike first went to the materials area in the classroom and got a few snake fangs, a pongo onion, a bundle of dried nettles, a small jar of horned slugs, and a few porcupine quills.

"Miss McMillan, you can boil the horned slugs first. Don't add too much water, and simmer them over low heat." Ike casually took out a snake fang and put it into the millstone, speaking without looking up.

Morag remained silent. The hawks generally had good comprehension skills, and besides, although Professor Snape's words sounded more like a threat than an explanation, he had still made the key points of the scabies medicine clear. Morag naturally understood what this step required.

Use tweezers to pick out two horned slugs and put them into a crucible filled two-thirds full of water. Light the flame under the crucible and take out your wand to slowly draw circles on the crucible.

"Hmm... Simmering over low heat, stirring gently, allows the ingredients and water to create a magical reaction..."

Ike carefully ground the snake fangs, slowly crushing them into powder.

"The best flour is slowly ground using a stone mill, which makes the noodles chewy and elastic..."

After setting aside the ground snake fang powder, Ike grabbed a handful of dried nettles and placed them on the scale, carefully weighing them.

"That's soulless! How can you quantify it? No! Adding too much or too little dried nettle will affect the final product's appearance..."

Ike placed the weighed dried nettles aside.

"It's still best to use a moderate amount, just a little..."

Ike glanced at Morag, who was still diligently stirring the cauldron beside him, and raised an eyebrow.

"It's still a bit lacking..."

With a pongo onion in his left hand and a knife in his right, Ike suddenly felt like he had traveled through time.

"It's time to show our true skills!"

With a series of "clang clang clang clang" sounds, the sliced ​​Pongo onions quickly turned into thin onion strands as fine as hair.

Ike looked at the onion slices on the cutting board and nodded in satisfaction.

"The skills haven't been completely lost..."

After a while, Ike glanced at the horned slug in the crucible and poked it with a glass tube.

"Hmm...it's disintegrated..."

Signaling Morag to move aside, Ike picked up the crucible and emptied the water, leaving only the deboned, horned slugs. He then picked up another crucible, poured in water, and continued to simmer it over a low flame.

Pick up the millstone and slowly pour snake fang powder into the water, stirring it continuously with the wand in your right hand.

"Stir it up to help the seasonings and water mix faster..."

As the liquid in the crucible slowly turned dark blue, Ike grabbed a handful of shredded pongo onions and threw them into the pot.

"Hmm... this step is to add scallions, just to enhance the flavor..."

Soon after, the unidentified liquid in the pot turned from dark blue to red.

Ike slowly sprinkled the dried nettles, which gradually turned pink.

"The spices enhance the flavor and remove the fishy smell; there's nothing wrong with that..."

Morag brought a small bottle of Flobber caterpillar slime, poured in a small spoonful, and the unknown liquid slowly turned green.

"Add a little sesame oil, it's alright, it's alright..."

Once the color in the crucible had stabilized, Ike poured in a large spoonful of deboned horned slugs, which slowly turned blue-green.

"Add the deboned ingredients to the cooked soup and stir... Hmm... it's a bit like West Lake Beef Soup?"

Muttering to himself, he took the crucible off the fire, then put in two porcupine quills, stirred it three times clockwise, and the unknown liquid in the pot turned a perfect blue.

"English-style Pongo onion slug soup..." Ike looked at the blue liquid in the bottle and suddenly realized.

(End of this chapter)