Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 203, Section 201: I will clean the girls' restroom with you.

In Potions class, Dudley didn't make the shrinking potion as Snape had asked; instead, he was trying to make something new.

Dudley was greatly inspired after studying Snape's notebook.

In particular, Dudley was opened up to a whole new world by Dudley's teachings on the combination of potions.

Once the properties of a potion are understood, there are a hundred different ways to use it, depending on how many potions masters there are.

As long as you are skilled enough, bold enough, and imaginative enough.

And imagination is something that Dali has never lacked, or rather, it is something that every person from Earth has never lacked.

"Oh, Dursley, I think the shrinking potion doesn't need water chestnuts. You've ruined its effects. Don't do anything unnecessary."

Snape stood before Dudley with a grim expression, before whom lay a pot of unidentified substance emitting black smoke.

"Your performance is even worse than Longbottom's back in the day!"

During his first year, Neville was most afraid of Snape's Potions class, and he would always make a mess of it. He was very good at herbalism, so this shouldn't have happened. His severe lack of confidence, coupled with Snape's imposing presence, led to his extremely poor potions skills.

Since joining the Discipline Group, Neville's grades have improved by leaps and bounds after two years of study. Although his potion-making skills are not top-notch, they have already surpassed most of the junior wizards present.

"Professor Snape, I don't think there's any problem with putting water chestnuts in the shrinking potion."

Throughout the first through seventh grade, Dudley was the only one who dared to question or express his opinion about Snape in Potions class.

He looked Snape straight in the eye and said, "Professor, water chestnuts are cooling in nature and have the effects of reducing internal heat, nourishing the lungs and cooling the liver, and clearing heat and detoxifying. As an auxiliary ingredient, they can enhance the effects of daisy root, especially by neutralizing the instability of caterpillar meat, thus maximizing the effect of the shrinking potion."

"Are you improving potion recipes?"

Snape sneered, seemingly mocking Dudley's overestimation of his abilities: "Trying to run before you can walk."

If it were anyone else, they would have been driven to despair by his tirade; only Darius Nexen could manage a few sarcastic remarks at most.

He had a fondness for Dudley that made the other young wizards jealous.

"So, did you succeed?"

Dudley shook his head, looking regretfully at the pile of dark, gooey substance in the crucible: "I almost missed the problem; it seems the dosage was off."

Before he could finish speaking, Snape interrupted him: "That proves you're wrong. If you just follow my instructions, you'll get a perfect shrinking potion."

Indeed, if made according to Snape's method, a perfect shrinking potion can be obtained immediately. Dudley was already able to make most perfect potions by following the instructions.

But then what?

"Professor, if that's the case, no matter how well I do, I'll always just be your imitator."

"So you're saying you want to surpass me? Hmm? Master Dursley," Snape said sarcastically.

"certainly."

Dudley answered him with an affirmative tone.

An ordinary wizard might have been satisfied with this long ago.

But Dali is different.

He wasn't satisfied with just that; he wanted to surpass Snape.

"Of course I want to surpass you, not only you, but also all the professors in other subjects. As the great sage Xun once said, 'The student surpasses the teacher.'"

The young wizards seemed frightened by Dudley's words and fell silent. The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just when the young wizards thought Snape was about to fly into a rage, Snape simply hummed softly.

“Very well, Mr. Dursley,” said Snape, who was standing under a huge cabinet containing potion ingredients, his face hidden in shadow, making his expression unreadable. “Since you are so confident, I will give you three weeks. Please deliver the improved shrinking potion to me within this time.”

"If you can't do that, then you'll have to clean the entire girls' washroom at Hogwarts. You're not allowed to use any magic; you can only clean by hand."

"What do you think of my suggestion, Dursley?"

"And what if I manage to do it, Professor?"

Dali said.

Snape snorted again: "If you can do that, you can make potions freely in my classes from now on, and you can ask me any questions you have at any time, and I will answer them to the best of my ability."

make a deal!

"Then, as you wish."

Snape and Dudley may seem to be at odds, but in reality, they have a very good understanding.

The so-called "bet" was just a test.

A teacher's test on students.

Since it's a test, there must be punishment; since it's a test, there must be reward.

Where the young wizards couldn't see, Snape pursed his lips slightly, a movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

"There was a time when he had also talked back to his potions professor in this way."

After class, the young wizards were all talking about it.

Some wanted to see Dudley fail, while others hoped he would succeed.

Among those who wanted to see him fail, there were also some who secretly hoped he would succeed.

It is in a very contradictory state.

Dudley's unabashed boasts during Potions class inspired many young wizards to aspire to the same level.

Beyond Professor

It's not just a sentence; it represents the sentiments of many outstanding young wizards.

Who hasn't gone through a phase of being a bit of a chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur)? Everyone fantasizes that they are the most special one.

"How could Professor Snape do this?"

Everyone was waiting for the three weeks to come, except for one girl who was indignant. Since the end of get out of class, she had been muttering to herself, mostly complaining about Snape.

"Dali, why did you agree to his request?"

Hermione's potion-making skills were excellent, second only to Dudley's, which is why she knew how difficult it was to improve potion recipes.

Three weeks is too short a time.

Let alone Dudley, even if Snape himself were to improve it, three weeks wouldn't be enough.

However, although her potions skills were very good, she was still far behind Snape and Dudley. The seemingly argumentative conversations between Dudley and Snape in class were actually a silent understanding between the master and his apprentice.

The improvement of the shrinking potion was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, nor did Dali start from scratch. Instead, a lot of preparation had been done in the early stages, and only the final step was needed.

Three weeks is not just a short time, it's more than enough.

Hermione looked at Dudley, her brown eyes bright and clear, her tone firm and powerful.

"I'll clean with you."

If a girl is willing to clean the toilet with you, please treat her well.

Personally, I disagree with the notion that Harry Potter's magic is simply a product of imagination. There's some logic to it, but it's not entirely applicable.

Otherwise, I could make all the potions by boiling tree roots every day, that's what I think. My personal understanding is that potions are very similar to traditional Chinese medicine, especially after seeing those potion recipes: insects + grass roots + strange juices mixed together and boiled. Isn't that exactly the stereotype that foreigners have about traditional Chinese medicine?

(End of this chapter)