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"A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, and it is a powerful antidote.
"Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, also known as aconite," Snape said, his eyes fixed firmly on Harry Potter. "Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then write it down."
Snape turned away disdainfully and wrote the steps and precautions for brewing a Cure for Boils on the blackboard, then walked around the classroom to supervise the students.
It was a very simple potion, one that even first-year students could brew.
Even so, many students were criticised, and not a single Gryffindor escaped.
Vade was partnered with Daphne. This time, he was determined to perform well in Potions. Thanks to the Clown’s precise control over his body, he measured the ingredients without the slightest error, crushed the snake fangs into a fine powder, and stewed the horned slugs for exactly the right amount of time.
When pink smoke rose from the cauldron, it signified that their group had successfully brewed the potion.
"Very good. Mr Moria and Miss Greengrass have performed perfectly." Snape was not sparing with his praise. "Ten points to Slytherin."
Hiss!
At that moment, the sound of escaping gas suddenly rang out, and acidic green smoke spread through the air.
An image abruptly flashed through Vade’s mind. A hundredth of a second later, he acted entirely on instinct.
He quickly stood up, grabbed Daphne, and pulled her towards Draco.
Bang!
The next moment, the cauldron behind and to the side of their seats suddenly overturned. Bubbling green liquid splashed everywhere, burning black scorch marks into the desks, floor, and students’ robes.
Neville Longbottom, drenched in the potion, screamed in pain. Red, swollen boils covered his face, arms, and legs.
Everyone else hurriedly backed away, afraid of being splashed.
Vade looked at Neville’s miserable condition and shook his head ruefully. "If this potion is brewed incorrectly, contact with the skin causes boils instead."
"Idiot!" Snape shouted angrily. He drew his wand and cleared away all the green liquid. "You added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire.
"Five points from Gryffindor."
After saying this, he walked over to Vade and Daphne’s cauldron, poured some of their potion into a glass vial, and fed it to the sobbing Neville.
As soon as Neville swallowed the potion, the boils on his body visibly receded.
He was still in some pain, but he was much better than before.
"You should consider yourself fortunate, Mr Longbottom.
"Fortunate that someone in this classroom brewed the potion correctly. Otherwise, you would have spent the night in the hospital wing."
"Thank you." Pale-faced, Neville thanked Vade and Daphne.
"Be more careful next time."
"Why are you all standing there?" Snape swept an irritated gaze over the other students, particularly Harry and Ron. "Have you finished brewing your potions?"
The students immediately returned to their seats and lowered their heads to attend to their own cauldrons.
"You can let go of me now," Daphne said with a smile, raising the left hand that Vade was still holding.
Vade hurriedly released her. "Sorry. It was an emergency."
Daphne gave a soft huff. With red ears, she returned to her seat and absent-mindedly began leafing through her textbook.
Over the next few days, the first-year students met each of the Hogwarts professors in turn and gained a deeper understanding of the appeal of every subject.
Astronomy was a profound discipline. At night, they used telescopes from the tower to observe the sky, learning the names and movements of stars, planets, and constellations, as well as the conditions found on those celestial bodies.
For Vade, this was the easiest and most relaxing subject.
The class did not require the use of any practical magic. Moreover, as a professional Seer, although he rarely used astrology or astrolabe divination, his understanding of the stars was certainly no worse than that of Professor Aurora Sinistra.
The homework she assigned was as simple to him as basic arithmetic. A single glance at a question was enough for him to know the answer.
Herbology was the study of plants and fungi. The professor responsible for the subject was Pomona Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff, a short and stout witch.
Classes took place in the greenhouses behind the castle, where students learnt how to care for and make use of plants, as well as understand their magical properties and applications.
Vade paid considerable attention to this subject because, aside from the Forbidden Forest, the greenhouses were the only other place at Hogwarts where he might find ingredients for Seer Pathway potions.
Unfortunately, he was only a first year and had no access to those rare magical plants. He could only begin with the simplest ones.
Professor Binns, who taught History of Magic, was a ghost. He also had the dubious distinction of being the only professor at Hogwarts who did not require a salary.
He knew a great deal of history, but his lectures were far too dull and seemed to have a natural soporific effect.
The Charms professor was Filius Flitwick. He was part-goblin and so short that he had to stand on a pile of books during every lesson just to reach the lectern.
Appearances could be deceiving, however. Professor Flitwick was a genuine master of Charms, a former duelling champion, and the Head of Ravenclaw House.
He was neither as strict as Professor McGonagall nor as perpetually grim as Professor Snape. He treated students from every House kindly and patiently taught them the correct wand movements.
Of course, he also liked talented students.
Hermione performed best in Charms, earning Gryffindor quite a few points from Professor Flitwick.
The subject Vade needed to be most wary of was still Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Quirrell wore a thick turban and behaved timidly throughout the lessons.
Apart from haltingly introducing dangerous creatures and explaining how to deal with them, he also seemed particularly interested in the circumstances of the first-year students.
He even specifically asked some students for their home addresses. As for his reason, he claimed it was so he could explain what dangerous creatures they should watch out for near their homes.
Quirrell questioned Vade as well, but after learning that he had grown up in the Muggle world, his interest in him noticeably diminished.
A background check.
The phrase inexplicably flashed through Vade’s mind. Quirrell, no, Voldemort, certainly had not disappointed him.
He was gathering information on the new students. As for his purpose... there was a very good chance that he was searching for The Fool.
Throughout the lesson, Vade used his Clown abilities to control his facial expressions, body language, and even his tone of voice, making his performance no different from that of any other average student.
In reality, however, he was sitting on pins and needles, with a lump in his throat and an uncomfortable prickling at his back. Under such tense circumstances, he was astonished to discover that another small portion of the Clown potion had been digested.
"I never expected Voldemort’s lessons to stimulate potion digestion."
As he walked out of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Vade did not know whether to laugh or cry.
At this rate, even without doing any other acting, another two or three months of Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons would be enough for him to digest the Clown potion completely.
(To be continued.)