Professor Slughorn had just announced the extra points, and the Gryffindor students were already growing restless.
At this point, even a fool could understand what Professor Slughorn meant.
A Gryffindor girl with pigtails immediately raised her hand and said, "Professor, since you haven't announced the answer yet, why don't we give it a try?"
"Haha, Miss McLaggen, this little test not only checks if you've prepared for the lesson but also tests your courage. Since Mr. Lee and Mr. Riddle raised their hands first and answered correctly, they are the winners. If you were so sure of the answer, why didn't you raise your hand first?"
Professor Slughorn's words silenced the Gryffindor students.
Was he implying that the courage of Gryffindor wasn't as strong as that of two Slytherins?
What a disgrace!
The troublemakers from Gryffindor glared at Robert and Tom with dangerous eyes.
Both Robert and Tom ignored their hostile stares.
Gryffindor and Slytherin never got along, so hostility between them was inevitable.
Anyway, whether it was beating Slytherin or Gryffindor, what difference did it make?
Slughorn then announced the answer and handed out the notes from Robert and Tom for everyone to see.
Sure enough, their answers were the same as Professor Slughorn's.
"Come on, Robert, Tom, come up and receive my gift to you," Professor Slughorn said, pulling two small glass bottles from his pocket.
Each bottle contained a tiny drop of golden liquid.
Tom looked at the liquid in the bottle suspiciously, hesitant to speak.
"Professor, this is too expensive!" Robert said.
"Oh? It seems you recognize this potion?" Professor Slughorn asked, his face lighting up with delight.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is the Felicity Potion," Robert said. "It's really too much. We just passed a small test, it's not worth it..."
"No, you are more than worthy," Professor Slughorn smiled. "I have taught many students. Though you are still young, I dare say that you will be among the best. My judgment has always been impeccable... I think you both deserve more encouragement!"
Professor Slughorn had always been confident in his own judgment. When he was optimistic about a student, he knew they would never be ordinary after graduation.
Robert and Tom gave him an even stronger impression. Their love for Potions, their courage, and their strength to challenge larger forces at such a young age all proved they were no ordinary students.
Most importantly, even Professor Slughorn could feel the hostility from the other Slytherin and Gryffindor students toward them.
Yet, both children remained unafraid. This was truly rare.
So, when Professor Slughorn asked them to come up and receive their prize, he quietly replaced the original gift with the precious Felicity Potion.
For Slughorn, discovering talented students and bringing them into his circle was one of his greatest pleasures.
After all, students who were fond of him and extraordinarily talented would become part of his deep network of contacts after graduation, no matter their chosen path!
The Felicity Potion, also known as the Potion of Luck, was widely known, even among students with the least interest in Potions.
When the students learned that the prize was the Felicity Potion, they all looked at Robert and Tom with envy.
Several Gryffindor students, including Miss McLaggen, wore upset expressions.
They all felt that if they hadn't hesitated earlier, this potion might have been theirs!
However, Robert and Tom had no choice but to accept the prize.
After thanking Professor Slughorn, they returned to their seats, both in high spirits.
Although Robert had already exchanged for a bottle of Felixir from the system, who could ever say no to such a precious potion?
Tom was so thrilled that any remnants of sleepiness were immediately gone.
"Alright, let's start learning how to make the Boil Potion," Professor Slughorn said, pulling over a blackboard and writing down the precautions for making the Boil Potion.
"Does anyone know what this potion is? Miss McLaggen!"
"This is a special potion used to treat measles, boils, and scrofula. It's a powerful potion with a strong character. Be careful when brewing it, or it might cause boils instead of curing them..." McLaggen said confidently.
"Ah! A very standard answer. It shows you've really prepared well, Miss McLaggen! You earn 5 points for Gryffindor!" Slughorn said happily.
Though McLaggen wasn't as impressive as Robert and Tom, she was still the kind of student Slughorn appreciated.
But McLaggen's mood didn't improve.
She didn't think she was worse than Robert and Tom. After all, they had won the Felicity Potion and earned 20 extra points each!
This didn't seem fair!
Professor Slughorn didn't know what she was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn't see anything wrong with his actions.
When it came to students from his own house, he naturally favored them more...
After explaining the process of boiling the Boil Potion, Professor Slughorn asked the students to pair up and begin brewing.
Robert sighed and teamed up with Tom.
"Well, you can't escape now, Tom. Just hope you don't get angry... Annie, are you seriously going to take a step back?"
As they started working, Tom suddenly heard Robert's voice.
"When you put in the porcupine quills, add more porcupine quill powder."
Tom looked at Robert in surprise. The sentence had been spoken using a whispering spell!
"Tell me, who are you trying to harm this time?"
"What are you talking about! When have I ever harmed anyone?"
"Okay, so how much more should I add?"
Robert picked out a small spoon from the tools and silently placed it next to Tom.
"Use this, half a spoon."
"Are you trying to make it explode?"
"It won't explode, and it won't affect the quality of the potion. But since it's powder, some of it will spill out."
"You want me to have boils all over my face?"
"Of course not. I'll explain later."
As Robert spoke, he stepped back slightly, revealing Annie next to him.
Tom immediately understood.
The two divided the work and cooperated, and the process of brewing the Boil Potion advanced smoothly.
Professor Slughorn observed them, nodding in satisfaction.
Tom's skills were textbook-perfect.
And Robert was even more impressive.
His incredibly fine knife skills and the speed with which he processed potion materials left Professor Slughorn stunned.
Before traveling through time, Robert had been the youngest expert in biology. Handling specimens and even performing dissections were common tasks for him.
For him, dealing with potion materials was nothing new.
Tom and Robert were anxious as they worked. If Professor Slughorn watched them too closely, they wouldn't be able to focus...
Fortunately, a small issue occurred with the Gryffindor group. Someone had made a mistake in the steps, and the crucible began burning fiercely!
"Don't panic!" Professor Slughorn rushed over quickly.
Tom breathed a sigh of relief, moving swiftly to the last step and lifting the crucible away from the flames.
Robert handed over the processed porcupine quill.
Tom threw the quills into the crucible, waiting for the potion to react.
Robert quietly handed over a small bottle.
Inside the bottle was powdered porcupine quills.
Tom glanced at Professor Slughorn's back, then quickly opened the bottle and scooped out half a spoonful with the small spoon.
Robert nodded, and Tom immediately sprinkled the powder into the crucible...
"Boom!"
The potion in the crucible exploded suddenly with a splash!
"Ouch!"
Robert, well-prepared, exclaimed and easily dodged the splash.
The liquid, which hadn't fully turned into the Boil Potion, splashed toward Annie.
Annie, however, had been warned by Robert's exclamation.
She looked slightly panicked but didn't hesitate. With a flick of her wand, she sent the potion flying back!
"Sizzle!"
The potion fell back into the cauldron with a sharp sound.
"Sorry! I knew Tom would be furious!" Robert quickly apologized to Annie, who was on alert.
Tom stared at Robert in astonishment. "This guy really sold me out again?"
Professor Slughorn had just finished dealing with the incident across the room, and upon hearing the noise, he rushed over.
"What happened? Oh... Tom, you used a spoon with porcupine quill powder, right? This isn't ideal. Although it won't damage the potion, it will cause the potion to splash due to the excessive reaction. That's why the dosage is limited."
"I..."
"Yeah, I told him, but he insisted on using it," Robert said. "He almost hit Annie."
Annie put away her wand and smiled, "It's alright. I'm just glad I didn't switch places with you."
Tom stayed quiet. This guy really hadn't changed...
It was clearly Robert who wanted to test Annie, but he refused to take responsibility!
This was payback for not buying his potion, wasn't it?
Robert smiled inwardly, but said nothing.
In the distance, McLaggen noticed the scene and sneered.
Is that it? Even making Boil Potion can lead to accidents. With such skills, how did they even get the Felicity Potion?
Finally, Potions class ended.
Tom walked out of the classroom, exhausted.
He used a whispering spell to ask, "I made such a sacrifice, have you figured anything out?"
Robert responded, "There's a result."
"And the result is?"
"The result is that Annie isn't Grindelwald in disguise."
Tom:?
(End of this chapter)
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/STEPHENHART427