Chapter 42: Notes on the History of Magic

The dungeon was always cold and damp, the stone walls stained with dark yellow marks.

Shelves were lined with glass vials of bizarre shapes, each filled with unnamable substances—some bubbling, others settling silently.

The steam from the cauldrons fogged the entire classroom, making Professor Snape’s face even more indistinct.

“Wizard Sean, we can do this!”

Jia Jia Siting whispered words of encouragement to himself and Wizard Sean.

But Wizard Sean immediately noticed his trembling hands.

He understood—it was only last time they’d brewed a batch of blue potion,

and got scolded severely by Professor Snape.

“Need help preparing the ingredients?”

Jia Jia Siting asked nervously.

Wizard Sean shook his head slightly:

“I’ll finish quickly.”

Jia Jia Siting didn’t press further, instead watching Wizard Sean intently as he prepared the ingredients, lit the cauldron, controlled the heat…

Every motion was standard and fluid.

Compared to the other young wizards, hesitant and anxious,

Wizard Sean’s progress was at least three times faster.

Potions was a precise and rigorous branch of magic.

A competent potion-maker needed comprehensive and complex knowledge,

which explained why Professor Snape demanded strictness—if young wizards failed to follow the exact steps,

only Merlin could say what might happen to the magical ingredients in the cauldron spewing white threads.

Thus, most young wizards merely followed the steps mechanically,

only gradually discovering the wonders of potions once they became proficient.

Wizard Sean, however, had fully immersed his mind in this mysterious branch of magic.

Skilled ingredient preparation, flawless heat control, moderate stirring force, strict brewing time…

The cauldron bubbled steadily,

Jia Jia Siting stared intently, memorizing every step and acting as Wizard Sean’s assistant,

handing him ingredients and timing each stage.

While other young wizards fumbled with their materials,

Wizard Sean and Jia Jia Siting had already added the final hedgehog quills.

Professor Snape’s sharp gaze instantly caught their unusual pace; he stared into the cauldron,

and in an instant, he could predict the outcome—passing, but unremarkable.

He snorted coldly and turned away.

“It’s time.”

Wizard Sean’s potion had reached its final, most critical stage;

what he recalled in his mind was not the centuries-old ritual,

but Libashu Bolachi’s unrecognized innovations.

Wizard Sean spoke the incantation—the ritual had begun,

his first true use of the modified ritual.

His focus was sharper than ever; he felt as if he were a potion-maker desperately brewing to cure warts,

and as this emotion naturally surfaced, the potion underwent a fundamental change:

the original blue-green liquid thickened into a jelly-like substance, utterly free of impurities.

【You have successfully brewed a Wart-Curing Potion to a proficient standard. Proficiency +10】

Jia Jia Siting held his breath, comparing the potion before him with Professor Snape’s example in memory—

the difference was negligible.

“Wizard Sean, did we succeed?”

He asked quietly, nervously.

“Mm.”

Deep exhaustion washed over him, as if he hadn’t slept for three days.

Libashu Bolachi was truly meticulous.

“That’s amazing! I knew we could do it!”

Jia Jia Siting exhaled in relief, carefully transferring the potion into a crystal vial,

then stood tall, waiting for Professor Snape’s inspection—

completely unlike last time, when he’d been trembling and pale,

even making Wizard Sean, exhausted, smile.

“You finished?”

At that moment, Wizard Sean saw Michael peering over, and Terry beside him, belatedly glancing over too.

“Of course, Wizard Sean brewed a perfect—”

Jia Jia Siting’s words choked in his throat,

for dark clouds had arrived.

Professor Snape’s towering figure blocked the light; his icy gaze silenced the surrounding young wizards.

“Perfect—”

Professor Snape lifted the crystal vial; his lips had just curled into a sneer when it vanished as if by miracle—

he was nearly stunned.

If the previous Wart-Curing Potion had merely been passing, this one now crossed the threshold of excellence.

Terrifying progress…

“Marginally passing—”

Professor Snape set the vial down, his voice grating as if forced from his throat,

“One point each.”

Then his robe swept, and he was gone.

“Did I hear that right…?”

Michael’s eyes widened.

The circle of young wizards stared in disbelief.

“Great, Wizard Sean—we got back the points we lost.”

Jia Jia Siting was thrilled; he clearly cared deeply about lost points.

Wizard Sean nodded, his gaze falling to his panel:

【Wart-Curing Potion: Locked (15/30)】

Halfway done—if he maintained this proficient level, two more brews would unlock the Potion Master title.

…

If Professor Snape awarding points to Ravenclaw was a minor event,

in Michael’s retelling,

it became: Professor Snape gave Wizard Sean two hundred Jin Jin Jialong and cooked him two dishes.

The rumor persisted until the afternoon’s History of Magic class.

History of Magic had become an unrestrained, atmosphere-filled gossip session.

Though the young wizards didn’t only talk about Wizard Sean, snippets that reached his ears still left him speechless.

“Took down a Mountain Troll alone and escaped unharmed—fought a werewolf bare-handed—”

Even Michael, the rumor’s source, froze upon hearing this.

You guys, do you even know what you’re saying?

Then he shifted his stance.

“A Mountain Troll? Three of them!”

He declared with perfect seriousness.

Jia Jia Siting, beside Wizard Sean, turned beet red from holding back laughter.

Wizard Sean sighed and turned back to his History of Magic notes,

having completed the skeleton and filled in necessary content—but still far from perfect.

Tuesday’s History of Magic class was adjusted: Hufflepuff now shared it with Ravenclaw,

making it hard for Jia Jia Siting not to glance at Wizard Sean’s notes; the young wizards even split into secondary groups.

All figures and historical events were arranged chronologically,

and Wizard Sean had added another catalog,

categorizing events and figures with corresponding page numbers.

For instance, the 【Collection of Eccentrics】 Jia Jia Siting was now reading

included Eccentric Yurik and Eccentric Windelin, among others.

Jia Jia Siting watched with great interest; he no longer found Magical History boring, nor did he worry about being confused by its intricate events and figures.

Sometimes he could see Wizard Sean’s other notes—on the same topic of Magical Beasts,

what were the differences between the contributions of Lady Elfrida Cragg and Mr. Newt Scamander?

How did these contributions build upon one another to form the Ministry’s new regulations?

Wizard Sean had organized them in meticulous detail.

Jia Jia Siting naturally glanced over and, without realizing it, finished reading the entire history of Magical Beasts,

such efficient learning fascinated him immensely.

Suddenly, he broke from his immersion, his breathing quickening; he whispered:

“Wizard Sean, I think this could be published—I’ve never seen a Magical History so fascinating!”