Chapter 48: Hufflepuff Common Room

"Sien, oh, this might be a bit presumptuous, but... you are preparing to practice potion brewing alone?"

Jia Siting put the parchment and light blue notebook into Sien's hand, his tone gentle, with imperceptible concern.

"Hmm."

Sien nodded; if he couldn't increase proficiency through practice,

with his potion talent, he would barely pass.

As for wanting to achieve excellence, the possibility was very low, so low that Sien wouldn't bet on it.

"Are you looking for materials? I mean, the four materials for the Boil-Cure Potion?"

Watching Sien nod again, Jia Siting seemed to breathe a sigh of relief,

and a warm and just-right smile bloomed on his face.

"Perhaps I can help a little... let's go, I have to take you to a place."

After he finished speaking, he took the puzzled Sien through the Great Hall.

They walked under the main hall of Hogwarts, moving along the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff basement.

The stone-paved underground corridor was brightly lit.

Sien looked around curiously; he vaguely sensed something.

"Oh, we are going to pass the Hogwarts kitchen, I have to tell you this secret secretly..."

Jia Siting walked toward the wall with a smile,

he stopped in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit and gently tickled a pear in the painting,

Sien was surprised to see the pear giggle and turn into a green doorknob,

inside, it was exactly the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchen.

Triggered the gourmet side quest.

Sien thought.

"As long as you open your mouth politely, the house-elves will not be stingy in giving you food,

but there is only one thing, you cannot bring Peeves in..."

Jia Siting reminded solemnly,

"But our destination today is not here, look, we are almost there, Hufflepuff common room."

They came to a pile of large barrels in the corner to the right of the kitchen corridor,

Jia Siting knocked on the bottom cover of the two middle barrels in the second row with a characteristic rhythm,

the cover automatically rotated open, and inside the wooden barrel was an uphill corridor, hung with magic lanterns on both sides.

It led to a comfortable and warm circular room, reminiscent of a badger's den.

The whole room was decorated in a lively, bee-like black and yellow color scheme,

adorned with polished honey-colored wooden tables and circular wooden doors,

various cacti were placed on circular wooden racks, many of which would wave and sway toward the students,

while the copper-bottomed flower pots hanging from the ceiling grew curled ferns and vines,

and when Sien passed under them, they would gently comb Sien's hair.

The wooden fireplace at the end was covered with dancing badgers, and above it was a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff,

she was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School, holding a golden cup with two handles, toasting her students.

Around Lady Hufflepuff, small and round windows were flush with the ground at the bottom of the castle,

displaying beautiful scenery such as grass and dandelions swaying in the wind, and sometimes one could see feet passing by occasionally.

Although these windows were quite low, the room was still sunny all year round.

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room!"

Sien heard Jia Siting welcome him,

and then saw Jia Siting smoothly take out a suitcase that didn't look cheap from beside the thick cushioned sofa.

As soon as it opened, Sien was blinded.

The first thing that caught his eye was a pile of glittering gold galleons, then scattered letters and postcards,

and beside them were all kinds of jars and crystal bottles.

Sien recognized poisonous snake fangs, dried nettles, and other materials at a glance.

His guess in his heart was confirmed, but he still felt a bit surprised—

would a young wizard really buy these terrifyingly expensive potion materials himself?

"These materials, I don't have much use for, but I thought maybe you would find them useful."

Jia Siting beamed with a warm smile.

"Can... can I buy some?"

Jia Siting did indeed give him an unexpected surprise, but he also needed financial resources to bear it.

A bundle of nettles is one gold galleon, which can support more than thirty practices;

a jar of slugs with tentacles is also one gold galleon, which can support more than forty practices;

the usage frequency of a bottle of poisonous snake fangs and a bundle of porcupine quills is about the same,

but their prices are both two gold galleons.

A total of six gold galleons, necessary expenditure...

Sien thought.

If he could brew qualified potions to sell, maybe he could earn the money back?

"Sien, what are you talking about?"

Jia Siting had an unexpected expression,

"If you want to brew potions, then this is my support.

It's hard to believe I can still give you some support; I've always wanted to say, always seeking your help often makes me feel a bit embarrassed..."

Sien was a bit confused, and then he saw Jia Siting put the crystal bottles and jars into his bag.

"But..."

Before Sien could speak, Jia Siting said softly:

"I believe you will succeed, if you fail, I have another copy here."

Leaving the Hufflepuff common room,

Jia Siting's pace was much lighter, and his mother's words seemed to ring in his ears again:

"My dear Fenley, remember? Everyone has different advantages,

and the children of the Fenley family are always good at summing up everyone's advantages together."

Sien ultimately didn't refuse this help; the gentle Jia Siting was sometimes more stubborn than a donkey.

"If you are only allowed to help me learn Herbology and complete History of Magic assignments,

but I cannot provide you with insignificant support, then what are we as friends?"

Alright,

Sien said to himself,

it's really good to have a Hufflepuff friend.

Noon,

in the Great Hall.

Sien was still sweeping through food like a whirlwind,

the most troublesome problem was solved, and next he only needed to secretly go to brew potions and complete the control of heat and stirring.

Beside him, Jia Siting had a few more notebooks in his hand, which were Sien's notes on Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, etc.

His progress was far beyond the classroom, so these notes were basically at the level of a cheat for Jia Siting.

Hermione, sitting on the side, keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere today,

it was very strange, Jia Siting was eating faster and more,

Hermione suspected it was the trend started by Sien.

When separating in the Great Hall, Sien heard Jia Siting say softly:

"Hmm, Sien, anyway, I just want you to know,

if you run into trouble, you can come to me, remember, we are friends."

Jia Siting's sincere light grey pupils reflected the firelight of the fireplace, and Sien nodded.

The fireplace at Hogwarts was even warmer than he had imagined,

The fireplace at Hogwarts was even warmer than he had imagined,