[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-hogwarts-learning-panel":3,"chapter-hogwarts-learning-panel-hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Hogwarts Learning Panel",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2250249,4210,"Chapter 11: Two Choices","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>Wizard Sean had originally thought brewing potions was not too difficult, given its strict steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reality was far simpler than he imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew to toss dried stinging nettles and ground snake fangs into the cauldron and simmer them together, then add porcupine quills after extinguishing the heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was only a brief description; once put into practice, problems arose at every turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How finely must the snake fangs be ground? How long after extinguishing the heat should the porcupine quills be added?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much force should be used to stir? What arc should the stirring follow? When exactly should stirring occur?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The book recorded nothing about these questions, and Professor Snape had offered not a single word of explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean suspected these were things wizards simply didn’t need to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps there was an instinct—like the peculiar feeling he’d had when learning the Levitation Charm—that guided wizards naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because this was something everyone knew, or would quickly sense even without being taught,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>no one bothered to teach it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Professor Snape likely hadn’t even noticed these issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, as a master of potions, it was nearly impossible he hadn’t spotted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’m clearly a failure, so these problems became my obstacles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean sighed inwardly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and his guess was confirmed the next second when, following the book’s steps and whatever instinct he could muster,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the cauldron—in his “I knew it” and Jia Jia Siting’s puzzled gaze—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>turned into blue potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember, the Wart-Cure Potion isn’t this color.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Jia Siting scratched his head, doubtful of the result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cauldron bubbled steadily, the blue potion slowly thickening,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and Professor Snape’s expression grew just as foul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Idiots!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strode over, his robes slicing sharp arcs through the air,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspect, beyond stirring and heat control, your material preparation is also severely flawed...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Professor Snape waved his wand, and a stool appeared before him; he sat down with effortless grace,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his gaze locked firmly on the blue potion. After only a few seconds of observation, he sneered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stupid choice of porcupine quills, troll-grade stinging nettles, and catastrophic snake fang selection—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>you actually chose non-toxic fangs?! Two fools worthy of hanging on the wall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He roared without mercy, sweeping his wand to vanish the entire potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should be grateful your steps weren’t wrong—you’d have learned exactly what fools suffer in potion-making!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice chilled like the dungeon’s icy wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One point deducted—from each of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Jia Siting had sensed trouble the moment Snape appeared, but such a barrage of mockery still flushed his face red;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean’s wide eyes lost their luster, just as they had when practicing spells—he had not the faintest instinct for potion-brewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could already guess his talent for potions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after class ended, the young wizards dared not speak loudly; the shadow of Potions still loomed over everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wizard Sean, don’t worry—we’ll earn back the lost points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Jia Siting’s voice reached Wizard Sean’s ear, as if he were also trying to convince himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean appeared dazed, but inside, his thoughts had settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he stopped at every difficulty, obstacle, or mockery,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he wouldn’t have even learned the Levitation Charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His distraction came not from despair, but from chewing over Professor Snape’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Failed heat control, improper stirring, flawed material selection...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the fundamentals of potion-making—and Wizard Sean’s problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two paths now lay before him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was to brew potions blindly, like he had with spells, relying on luck to accumulate experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dismissed this path the moment it appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Potions were not like spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no safe branch of magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Preparing and brewing potions was dangerous and unpleasant; a single misstep could turn the mixture into toxic fumes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying by chance was like gambling your fate against potions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That left only the other path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understand this branch of magic as quickly as possible, solve every potential problem,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then gain proficiency through practice, earn titles, and raise his talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This path was far more complex and difficult, but clearly viable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And once he succeeded once, his speed would accelerate dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Solve one problem at a time—but quickly. Hogwarts has more than just this subject.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean’s voice was audible only to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Hall’s tables overflowed with food:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>roast turkey, sausages, buttered peas, meat gravy, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding, turkey sandwiches, roasted crumpets...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dazzling array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His poor talent and Professor Snape’s biting tongue did nothing to dim Wizard Sean’s appetite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merlin’s beard... this was delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean ate with swift, elegant efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For half a year, he had never eaten a full meal—not even at the Welcome Feast yesterday had he eaten more than seven-tenths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orphanage couldn’t afford to source enough food, so it often cut back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for how to cut back, Nurse Anna had once proposed the theory that a child needed only one meal a day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acid reflux in the middle of the night was unbearable,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and at his hungriest, Wizard Sean often eyed the stray dogs outside the orphanage as emergency rations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hermione! Over here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Jia Siting called out to Hermione, who was looking for a quiet corner to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickly blushed and hurried over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re too loud!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione glared at Jia Jia Siting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I was afraid you wouldn’t hear me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Jia Siting’s dimples deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our first class this afternoon is Herbology—I noticed it’s the most frequent class on the schedule...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guessed it won’t be easy, so I memorized the textbook again, hoping it’ll help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, I heard you had Potions today...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione tilted her head, firing off a rapid stream of words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Herbology sounds wonderful—will you learn about magical plants? Like... as for Potions, I have to say...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Jia Siting listened carefully, and soon they were deep in discussion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their voices faded slowly in Wizard Sean’s mind as he pulled out his schedule, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Wednesday morning: Herbology, Wednesday afternoon: Herbology, Friday afternoon: Herbology】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the most frequent of all classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hogwarts’ schedule must have purpose—Herbology’s heavy load must be necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Catastrophic material selection... your material choices were almost certainly flawed...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard Sean sorted through Professor Snape’s words, and within seconds, he understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herbology teaches wizards how to prepare materials—and material preparation is the first step in potion-making.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, it was clear: to learn potions, one must first learn Herbology.\u003C\u002Fp>",1066,"2026-06-19T10:00:40.768Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf4588fe8ac3bd1ed4f872c801e00612553db1832a21366fb62557f2ff21caa8","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-12","hogwarts-learning-panel-chapter-10",526,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhogwarts-learning-panel-cover.jpg"]