Chapter 17: Luna

Time had reached the end of Potions class.

Professor Snape, from somewhere unknown, produced a dozen glass jars and placed them on the podium; inside, they were soaked with fresh fish eyes, looking exactly like unprocessed pufferfish eyes.

"Merrick, return here at 7 o'clock tonight. Pick out the spoiled ones from these pufferfish eyes and clean them thoroughly."

Having said that, he walked away without looking back.

Ryan walked over to John's side, patted his shoulder, and said, "Professor Snape is just like that. He always grabs a few people who fail Potions class to punish them, making them do some disgusting, dirty work for him."

"Let's go back to eat first; I'll accompany you to clean them up tonight."

Ryan was a little worried that John might be frightened by today's class, leading to excessive stress or self-abandonment; after all, John was just a Muggle-born little wizard.

In truth, he didn't understand why Professor Snape was targeting John.

Because when he was in class, even when Ryan was distracted, Professor Snape didn't care, yet John merely looked up with a confused expression, and Professor Snape made things difficult for him for no reason.

Moreover, even if John's potion brewing failed, at least the completion level was better than the vast majority of them.

Yet he only received a score of zero.

Ethan and Titus also leaned in, comforting John. To these freshmen, Professor Snape's sense of oppression was truly too strong; they had no idea how to help John.

Only amidst the comforting voices of the few did John slowly come back to his senses, laughing out loud: "What are you all talking about? I'm not that fragile, losing my fighting spirit just because of a few criticisms."

"Besides, the Professor wasn't wrong; I was too arrogant at the start."

John shook his head, feeling very grateful for their support, but he still decided to accept the punishment alone that night; there was no need to drag them along.

Having said that, he ignored their reactions and pulled them toward the Great Hall.

Although it wasn't mealtime yet, he wanted to go there and wait, doing his homework in the meantime, so that after eating, he could come straight back to finish the 'punishment' arranged by Professor Snape.

Seeing that John's mental state was still perfectly fine, the others stopped talking and instead began to tease each other.

Titus was the one who had added porcupine quills without turning off the fire, which almost caused the cauldron to explode; if Professor Snape hadn't discovered it in time and waved his wand to stabilize the cauldron, his cauldron would likely have truly exploded.

Ethan laughed heartily, saying he hadn't used a balance to measure the ingredients at all, just grabbing a handful and sprinkling it in, yet the completion level was surprisingly high.

Ryan was even more of a god-tier player, throwing the pufferfish eyes and dried nettles in together, claiming it was so he wouldn't mix them up; in the end, he even got 30 points, higher than Titus's 20.

Once they reached the Great Hall, the group sat together to discuss the homework for today's Potions class.

It was actually just writing an essay on Scabies Medicine, from its uses to its manufacture, and then to the collection and preservation of raw materials.

To put it bluntly, it was a review; half the content could be found in the textbook, while the other half required one to think for oneself or go to the library to look up information.

Whether it was correct didn't matter; just writing down one's own understanding was enough. Whether it was right or wrong, Professor Snape would judge it himself.

"Good evening, John."

Just as John was doing his homework, Luna also arrived at the Hall, looking as if she had just finished class.

"Good evening, Senior Luna."

John and the others greeted her one after another.

"Are you all doing your Potions homework? Do you need my notes?"

Luna saw that they were all holding a copy of *Magical Drafts and Potions* and burying their heads in writing something, so she asked.

"Notes? Are those the notes from when you were in your first year, Senior? I need them, I need them!"

Upon hearing that there were notes from a senior to look at, Titus immediately nodded and said.

Luna didn't hide anything, directly taking out her textbook.

The Potions textbooks used in the first and second years were the same, so it was very convenient to compare them.

After thanking her impatiently, Titus took Luna's textbook and opened it to look.

"......"

But after just two glances, Titus suddenly fell into silence again.

"Hiss, why add butterfly wing ash distilled in sunlight... and what does distilled in sunlight mean?"

"?"

John and the others had originally wanted to lean over to look at Luna's notes, but upon hearing Titus's words, they were stunned for a moment.

Are we still talking about Scabies Medicine?

Luna did not deny Titus's words, smiling as she said: "After butterfly wing ash is exposed to sunlight for a long time, adding it to the potion can make the potion produce an effect that dispels the haze of the soul."

Although he didn't understand it, John was greatly shocked.

"Then... what is the reason for using moonflower root instead of porcupine quills, and then stirring counter-clockwise?"

Titus continued to ask, not understanding.

"Because counter-clockwise energy can untie the resentment knots under the flower root's skin; if you stir clockwise, it will make the potion dream that it is being boiled."

Luna said with a calm smile, as if she were speaking some kind of truth.

"......"

The group fell silent; could this be the unique understanding of upperclassmen?

So stirring clockwise makes the potion dream that it is being boiled...

"Oh... is that so? Thank you for your notes, Senior Luna, I have been taught..."

Hearing this, Titus silently closed Luna's textbook and returned it to Luna with both hands.

He would solve his own homework himself...

If he really wrote Luna's notes into his essay, there was no guarantee that Professor Snape wouldn't target him in the next class.

"You're welcome. John, do you need them?"

Luna seemed happier than usual, responding with a smile, and then looked at John.

"Uh... I, I will just..." John heard the heaven-defying content of Luna's notes and thought about refusing, but then he saw Luna's big eyes and that gaze without any impurities.

"Thank you, Senior, I will study hard..."

In the end, John still took Luna's textbook; after all, she had good intentions, and it wouldn't be right not to accept it.

Perhaps Senior Luna had some special whims hidden inside; he would just take the essence and discard the dross.

Thinking this, John opened Luna's textbook and began to study.

The more John looked, the more confused he became, thinking to himself, can Scabies Medicine really have so many strange things added to it...

"May I ask, Senior Luna, have you practiced these contents?"

"Of course, but it was always interrupted by Professor Snape halfway through."

"......"

It wasn't without reason that the Professor interrupted you.

Who could have imagined that soil stepped on by the Easter Bunny could actually be used as an ingredient, and that when thrown in, it actually produced a reaction.

Is my imagination too low, or is Senior Luna's imagination too strong?

Just as John was reading the book seriously, trying to understand Luna's imagination, a commotion suddenly appeared at the Gryffindor long table.

"Someone saw him! Sirius Black!" ===== CHAPTER 18 =====