I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 521 is even better

Hermione glared at Harry.

He returned to his seat without saying a word.

Harry lowered his head, poured the bright pink poison into the cauldron, and lit it.

Hermione was right. He had read the old book "Advanced Potions Making" by the Half-Blood Prince many times. Compared to other young wizards in the houses, because Hermione had to organize the notes in the book and spent several days in the common room, he had more time to study the original text.

Harry is certain.

The prince left no annotations regarding the chapter on Gobalot's Third Law.

The reason for the lack of annotation is simple: Gobaloth's Third Law is not a potion recipe, but a theory.

You must first identify all the components of the poison and separate them, then find the corresponding antidote, and finally prepare a complete antidote exactly according to the volume of each poison component.

This is the potion theory that best tests a therapist's basic skills.

It requires solid knowledge of potions and herbalism, as well as meticulousness and patience.

Just like Hermione.

She held up her wand and waved it energetically above the cauldron.

No incantation is needed.

She had completely mastered the technique of the silent spell.

As Hermione's spell silently took effect, the brightly colored poison in the cauldron in front of her immediately became cloudy. The mixture then split into more than a dozen different streams, which floated out of the cauldron and poured into the small crystal bottle next to her.

This is the first step in making the antidote: separating the poison components.

Harry didn't even need to utter a sound of surprise at what he saw, because it was an easy thing for Hermione.

And he

To be honest, after lighting the crucible, he didn't know what to do next.

Just then, Harry suddenly heard Ernie behind him muttering to his cauldron, "Reveal your true form!"

They immediately followed suit and started doing the same.

You need to find something to do.

Otherwise, that would be too awkward.

But—only five minutes later. Harry realized that his reputation as one of the best potions masters in his class was about to be ruined.

When Slughorn first inspected the cauldron, he looked expectantly into it, ready to cheer excitedly as usual, but he immediately pulled his head back, coughing repeatedly from the smell of rotten eggs.

Hermione had a smile on her lips.

She always thought that Harry and his friends using the Half-Blood Prince's notebook was a form of "cleverness".

Indeed, this is true; when it comes to demonstrating basic potion-making skills, Harry is completely outmatched.

At that moment, Slughorn called out, "Two minutes left, everyone!"

Upon hearing this, Harry immediately became agitated.

He looked at his crucible in a panic, trying hard to recall everything about Gobarlot's Third Law.

But the more you try to remember something, the more you forget it.

It was as if a multitude of voices were constantly flooding his ears, distracting him, and just as he was about to give up, a voice suddenly rang in Harry's mind.

"Potter, what would I get if I added narcissus root powder to wormwood infusion?" Snape's sharp, sarcastic voice, tinged with a cold arrogance, echoed clearly.

"Potter! If I asked you to find me a dung heap, where would you go to find it?"

"Potter, then tell me, what's the difference between Aconitum carmichaelii and Aconitum davidii?"

Harry's expression froze, and he suddenly remembered.

In first grade, Snape once said.

"Potter, narcissus root powder and mugwort can be combined to make a very potent sleeping pill, a dose of 'life-or-death water.' Dungstone is a type of stone taken from a cow's stomach and has extremely strong detoxifying properties. As for aconite and wolfsbane aconite, they are the same plant, also collectively known as aconite."

"Oh—yes!" Harry's eyes lit up. "Dung stones have a very strong detoxifying effect."

Although this was different from Slughorn's request, it was still about detoxification, so he hadn't exactly given up.

With that thought in mind, Harry rushed to the storage room and finally found a few crumpled brown objects in the last minute given by Slughorn.

"Alright, time... is up!" Slughorn said cheerfully. "See how you did! Blaise, what do you have?"

He slowly made his way around the classroom, examining the various antidotes.

No one has finished yet, but Hermione is the closest to success; she has deciphered the components of fifty-two poisons and provided the antidotes.

As for the others, most people can't even distinguish one of them.

Like Harry, these guys all became complacent after obtaining the prince's notes. None of them put in any effort to study the theory.

Slughorn's expression turned sour.

Why are all the students, who are usually excellent, suddenly acting "dumb" today?

He walked up to Irving's crucible and glanced down at it.

"I must say, Mr. Rozier, your antidote is absolutely perfect."

"Of course, this shouldn't be too difficult for you, after all, your skill as a healer probably surpasses mine," Slughorn said. "Sixty poisons aren't that hard; NEWT's exam requires students to be able to neutralize at least ninety to one hundred poisons. Alright, Hufflepuff adds ten points."

His voice was somewhat indifferent. There was no emotion in it.

Because in the eyes of others, this is a matter of course, after all, Owen is a wizard who won the Order of Merlin, First Class, for curing the Omen infection.

After saying that, he walked over to Harry and Ron's table.

He didn't linger long in front of Ron's cauldron; the strong smell of rotten eggs made him quickly retreat.

"And you, Harry," he said, "what are you going to show me?"

Harry stretched out his hand, and there lay the dung stone in his palm.

Slughorn looked down for a full ten seconds, and Harry was worried he was about to yell, but he raised his head and burst into laughter.

"You have some guts, child!" He picked up the dung stone and held it high for the whole class to see. "Oh! Just like your mother... I can't judge you wrong... Of course, the dung stone can counteract all these potions!"

Hermione was stunned when she heard these words.

She brushed the stray hairs from her forehead and glared at Harry with a somewhat fierce look.

"But Professor, Harry didn't make an antidote." Then she added, "How did you come up with that dung-stone Harry!"

“You’re right, Miss Granger. But that’s the kind of independent spirit a true potions master needs.” Before Harry could answer, Slughorn explained, “Perhaps he inherited his mother’s understanding of potions from the dung stone.”

"However—" Perhaps to spare Hermione's feelings, Slughorn softened his tone, "but dung stones can't cure all poisons, so knowing how to prepare antidotes is still very useful."

"Ten points for Gryffindor," he said. "Harry's choice is the best in terms of daring to take risks."

"Professor!" Hermione immediately protested. If no one had concocted the antidote, it wouldn't matter if Harry was the best, since the dung stone really could cure poison, while their half-finished product was useless. But Owen had clearly concocted a complete antidote, yet Slughorn still said that, so she felt that he was deliberately putting her down.

"Irving has concocted the complete antidote."

"I know," Slughorn said kindly, "but in terms of this particular poison, Harry's choice was still better."

"Why?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"Because dungstones are cheaper." Owen explained to Hermione, "The duty of therapists and doctors is not just to heal patients, but to choose the cheaper, more convenient, and more effective methods. Compared to preparing sixty different antidotes, a dungstone is clearly a better choice."

“Not all wizards can afford expensive, professionally prepared antidotes. Take this bottle, for example.” He held up his own concocted antidote, contained in a crystal container. “It costs at least six or seven Galleons. That's because Professor Sprout provided most of the ingredients for free. Outside, even if it sold for tens of Galleons, would a poisoned wizard have the choice to refuse?”

Slughorn's expression softened, and he said gently, "Yes, Mr. Rozier is quite right. It is precisely because of these considerations that I believe Harry's choice is better. Miss Granger, perhaps you do not have financial difficulties, but—in fact, every Potions class you take is quite 'expensive'."

"I," Hermione frowned, she hadn't thought of any of this.

Seeing the little witch's pale face, Owen decided it was best to try to save her.

So he opened his mouth and whispered to her, "As for how Harry came up with the idea of ​​the dung beetle..."

He changed his tone, mimicking Snape's sarcastic voice, and said, "Let's try again. Potter, where would you find a dung heap if I asked you to find me?"

"."

Owen's words were like a key to the past, immediately reminding Hermione of her first Potions class when she first entered Hogwarts.

"Believe me." He grinned and said, "Harry Potter, you'll never forget what you get from adding narcissus root powder to artemisia infusion, how to find dung stones, and the difference between aconite and wolfsbane. Those three questions."

"Hehe." Upon hearing this, Hermione immediately burst into laughter through her tears.

Meanwhile, not far away, Harry heard Owen speaking, even though it wasn't loud. His face immediately turned awkward, and his gaze towards the two men held a hint of resentment.

"But this was also Snape's first and perhaps only time revealing his true feelings to Harry," Owen suddenly added. "One interpretation, according to Victorian flower language, is that the Asphodel Snape mentioned is actually a type of lily that resembles a daffodil, and its flower language is 'My regret follows you to your grave.' Wormwood means 'absence' and 'bitter sorrow.'"

He looked at Harry, his voice rising slightly, "So if we interpret it this way, Snape's actual meaning was: 'I feel deep remorse for your mother's death.'"

"."

Harry was taken aback by these words.

Slughorn's expression also changed; he suddenly became anxious, his eyes darting around nervously. A hint of guilt flashed across his face.

Just then, the bell rang.

Slughorn looked relieved and immediately said, "Alright, get out of class dismissed."

As he spoke, he quickly grabbed his dragon-skin briefcase, turned around, and left the classroom.

After class, Harry and Owen talked for a while, mainly about how to get the memory from Slughorn.

They did talk about Snape.

There was some awkwardness in the conversation, so we didn't discuss it in detail.

Regarding his strategy for dealing with Slughorn, Harry decided to take a decisive approach and avoid mentioning the Horcruxes during normal times, as it would be counterproductive if the enemy became wary.

Owen then told him that he could take advantage of Slughorn's guilt over his mother's death, which, although somewhat unethical, was indeed a good idea.

Harry agreed.

Soon after, whenever Harry met Slughorn, he would inadvertently bring up his mother, which made Slughorn feel increasingly guilty, and in particular, he became more and more fond of Harry.

For a time, she even surpassed Hermione.

As February arrived, the snow around the school melted, replaced by a chilly, damp atmosphere. Low-hanging, greyish-purple clouds blanketed the castle, and the continuous, cold rain made the lawns slippery and muddy. As a result, the sixth-grade students' first Apparition class was moved from the playground to the Great Hall, scheduled for Saturday morning to avoid disrupting regular classes.

Harry, Ron, and most of the DA members did not take the course. They had already mastered Apparition last year, but were not proficient because they did not use it often.

In fact, although the Act of Secrecy has collapsed, the prohibition against underage wizards from casting spells, limited by the use of traces, is still in effect, although the punishment has become much lighter, and the Ministry of Magic can hardly spare any personnel. But perhaps due to past habits, most young wizards still subconsciously abide by the old laws.

That's why their Apparition skills aren't very good.

Professor Wickie Tykroth, who came from the Ministry of Magic, was an unusually pale, middle-aged wizard with translucent eyelashes and fine hair.

He wasn't surprised at all that only a small number of young wizards had enrolled in his courses. After all, the current Hogwarts young wizards were a completely different class. After the regular wizarding exams, the Ministry of Magic had been spreading the word that the current class of young wizards was the best since the founding of Hogwarts, with some even calling them the golden generation since Merlin.

The leading figures are even more ridiculously powerful.

The name of the magical princess has long been known throughout the world.

Professor Wicky Tykroth had worked incredibly hard to get this position; there were a lot of people in the Ministry of Magic vying for it. After all, even though it was only a temporary advising professorship, it was still an honor to have taught young wizards like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

The DA members did not sign up for the Apparition course, but they still have to take the exam in fourteen weeks, since they still need to get the certificate.

As we moved from February to March, the weather didn't change much, except that it became humid and windy.

Apparition is not easy to learn; none of the young wizards taught by Professor Wicky Tecrows, mainly from Slytherin, have mastered it.

That's normal; it took Harry and his friends four or five months to barely get the hang of it.

Progress has been limited in Slughorn.

Horcrux: Gauntlet's Ring.

Dumbledore didn't contact Owen again. What exactly happened between him and Barty Crouch remains unknown.

However, judging from the current situation, it doesn't seem very friendly.

To be honest, Owen was quite surprised. You see, Dumbledore doesn't have much patience for Horcruxes anymore. If Gauntlet's ring were really in Barty Crouch's hands, the old headmaster would probably have taken it by force. It's really strange that it's been dragged on until now without any results.

March 1st was Ron's seventeenth birthday. He got up very early that day and then left Hogwarts Castle. He didn't see him all day.

Irving didn't want to say it, but he hadn't actually seen Koyatl all day that day, but that was the truth; he always felt it was strange for the two of them to stand together.

They seemed to have a very distant relationship, not even close enough to be considered friends.

They don't seem like boyfriend and girlfriend at all.

If there really is any relationship, Irving believes that being temporary teammates is the most suitable description.

But the two of them were indeed together.

Neither side denied it.

It can only be said that Koyatl's background and upbringing determined that her personality would never be like that of an ordinary person; it would definitely be strange.

Moreover, she was too assertive, although she didn't often show it now, but it was evident from Ron's attitude towards her. He almost never argued with her, and never even raised his voice.

From this perspective, their personalities seem quite complementary. Moreover, the Weasley family atmosphere helps to fill the void that Koyatl lacks in this area.

If she still has family, they should be comforted for her.

Before dinner, Ron finally returned to the castle.

They were having a meal in the auditorium.

The guy, as if he'd eaten honey, floated in, carrying a lot of things, and seemed to be in a trance as he sat down next to Harry.

He grinned foolishly until dinner was over, despite Ginny's continuous eye-rolls.

If Harry hadn't been so embarrassed that he took him away from the Great Hall before dinner was even finished, Owen probably would have sat there grinning like an idiot until tomorrow morning.

Hermione was lucky enough not to see this, because she was still in the library.

Speaking of Hermione, the little witch seems to have come of age last year.

September 19th last year, just a few days after the start of the new school term, was her seventeenth birthday.

In other words, it's okay to do things that are inappropriate for children now, right?

Irving thought about it, but unfortunately his birthday was in June, and he was still three months away from turning 18.

But it should be fine during summer vacation.

the next day.

The morning sun shone into the Hufflepuff common room, where all the magical plants stretched lazily.

The natural dance sways with the sound of the fireplace, elegant and romantic.

Irving went to the auditorium with Hannah, Justin, Susan, and Koyatl.

As soon as I entered the gate, I saw Neville talking to several young Gryffindor wizards.

"Hey, Owen." Upon seeing him appear, Neville immediately got up and ran over.

"What's wrong?" Irving asked.

"Oh—it's big." Neville gasped. "Ron's in the hospital, you know? Just last night, he seems to have been poisoned."

(End of this chapter)