Harry Potter: The Wizard of Apocalypse

Ian finally understood why Hogwarts allotted half an hour for break time. It took at least 15 minutes to get from the Charms classroom on the fourth floor to the Potions dungeon.

A straight-line walk would have taken barely two minutes, but Hogwarts' ever-changing staircases and twisting corridors made the journey far longer. The shifting spiral staircases, in particular, were more disorienting than helpful.

After a parkour-like journey, we finally reached the Potions classroom safely. Unlike other lessons, this class was always full early.

No student at Hogwarts dared to arrive late for Professor Snape's Potions lesson—unless they had a truly unassailable excuse.

Ian settled into his seat and methodically arranged his materials.

He opened his textbook: Ordinary Wizarding Level Potions: A Review Guide.

Ian's Potions proficiency was actually one of his best subjects. However, unlike Charms, for which he had applied for third-year placement, he had chosen to remain with the first-years for Potions. His reason was simple—he wanted to gain more hands-on experience in potion brewing and ingredient preparation.

As students advanced in their education, Potions lessons became increasingly complex. More advanced brews required rarer and more expensive ingredients.

By third year and beyond, students were typically provided with only two sets of ingredients per lesson—and whether they succeeded or not, they had no more.

After all, Hogwarts' governors weren't fools. The pure-blood families, in particular, could be more parsimonious than goblins when it came to financial matters.

First-years, however, brewed only elementary-level potions, such as the Cure for Boils, using relatively inexpensive ingredients. As a result, each student was allotted seven full sets of materials per lesson—a luxury that allowed for ample practice.

This was the reason Ian had chosen to remain in the first-year Potions class.

He had always remembered Snape's words:

"Potions is not a subject you can master through books alone."

Time had proven the professor right.

Through frequent brewing and ingredient preparation, Ian had grown far more adept at recognizing the subtle changes in a potion's viscosity, color, and magical properties as it simmered. He had also developed a heightened sensitivity to the transmutation of magic within the brew—a skill that defined a true Potions Master.

"True mastery can be passed on in a single sentence; false mastery requires ten thousand books."

Professor Snape was a true Potions Master. One concise, insightful remark from him held more value than an entire chapter of theory.

Ian also appreciated Snape's direct, no-nonsense teaching style. He said only what was necessary—nothing more, nothing less.

This was why Ian found one of his few moments of peace at Hogwarts during his twice-weekly visits to Snape's office, where he assisted in ingredient preparation.

As long as Ian worked quietly, Snape neither interfered nor particularly cared. The only interaction was at the end of each session, when Ian would present his work and receive Snape's brief but precise critique.

Snape had long since discerned Ian's true skill level—his proficiency had become evident through his flawless preparation of potion ingredients in the office.

Yet, despite his evident capability, Ian neither boasted nor sought to advance beyond his year. Instead, he had chosen to build a solid foundation.

Snape respected that.

As a result, he granted Ian unprecedented privileges in class.

Not only was Ian exempt from Potions homework, but he was also permitted to study independently during lessons—as long as he didn't disturb others. No other student could even dream of such a privilege.

Back to the present—Snape entered the classroom at his usual punctual, precise time. His mere presence was enough to make the students sit up straight.

After striding to the front, he conducted the routine roll call.

In Ian's opinion, this was a formality Snape could have skipped entirely. No student—from any house, including Slytherin—would dare skip a Potions class. Not even the Weasley twins, infamous for their pranks, had ever attempted such folly.

Today's lesson was relatively simple: brewing Rejuvenation Draught—a potion capable of temporarily regressing the age of small creatures. A few drops could turn a toad back into a tadpole.

A key point of note: the potion's effect was significantly weaker on wizards due to their innate magical resistance. A full bottle would be required to regress a wizard to infancy.

Muggles, on the other hand, had no such resistance. Even a single drop of potion, if undiluted, could regress them to infancy instantly.

Ian recalled an incident with his younger sister, Irene—when he had given her a diluted Strengthening Solution. He had diluted it at a ratio of one drop per bottle of water before allowing her to drink it. Anything stronger would have been far too potent—not a remedy, but a poison.

Snape spent the next twenty minutes detailing the history of Rejuvenation Draught, its various side effects, and emergency antidotes.

He then turned to the blackboard and listed the required ingredients:

Daisy roots

Fig peels

Caterpillar extract

A single drop of leech juice

Mouse spleen

With the lesson underway, Snape ordered the class to begin brewing.

Unlike the usual two-student brewing pairs, Ian was assigned to work alone.

This wasn't a punishment, but rather a subtle privilege—Snape's way of allowing Ian to experiment freely and refine his skills without an inexperienced partner slowing him down.

Of course, to the other students, this preferential treatment looked suspiciously like punishment.

Ian didn't bother explaining, and Snape certainly wasn't the type to offer clarifications.

He quickly and methodically processed his seven sets of ingredients before beginning his brew.

Snape, passing by, didn't even glance at Ian's cauldron. He knew Ian didn't need supervision.

After all, brewing a Rejuvenation Draught was child's play for Ian.

If Lockhart had been present, Ian would have been tempted to borrow his famous line:

"I could do it in my sleep."

...

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