HP: Supreme Potion Collector [Original Female Protagonist]

For an entire week, the Daily Prophet was abuzz with news about the Quidditch World Cup, giving Rita Skeeter ample opportunity to showcase her penchant for sensationalism. She even wrote:

"…A Ministry official claimed that no one was harmed but refused to provide further details. Whether his words will suffice to quell the rumors of bodies being carried out of the forest an hour later remains to be seen."

Such reports continued to stir speculation, fueling endless conjecture. Ron wrote multiple letters to complain about the rampant rumors concerning dark wizards spreading among the wizarding community.

However, there was indeed one body: that of Barty Crouch Sr. Disgraced and bereft of his only son, he had taken his own life. The stretcher draped with a white sheet occupied only a small corner of the newspaper. In his letter, Ron mentioned that Crouch Sr. had been Percy's boss at the Ministry, and Percy had been locking himself in his room after work every day, speaking to no one. Meanwhile, Arthur Weasley had cut his vacation short and was now tirelessly working at the Ministry, rarely returning home.

Snape, too, had been leaving early and returning late. For seven consecutive days, Orli had little to do but monitor cauldrons, a stark contrast to the rigorous "special training" she had undergone the month before. She used this time to advance her Occlumency to a higher level. Though she was still some way from mastering it completely, her mind was now among the most well-protected at Hogwarts, second only to Dumbledore and Snape.

During this period, Dobby returned once, bringing Winky with him. She was drunk, half-conscious, and even from the doorway, Orli could smell the alcohol on her.

*Dobby:* "Winky has no home now, Miss Orli. Her masters are all gone."

Dobby, supporting Winky, said with a sorrowful expression.

*Orli:* "Her young master was a deranged Death Eater, and her old master made grave mistakes."

Orli sighed and said:

*Orli:* "We did the right thing. But as for Winky, I'm sorry. Find her a place to rest, Dobby. Let her recover, and then she can decide her own future."

With that, Dobby took Winky away, though Orli didn't know where he had taken her.

Orli, however, had other tasks at hand: the Flowing Liquid Herb needed to be harvested tonight—it was the key to improving the Wolfsbane Potion.

She and Snape's initial goal had been to enable werewolves to retain their human form even on full moon nights after taking the potion, rather than being confined to an office bed like Lupin had been the previous year.

As their experiments progressed, they began exploring new possibilities. For instance, could the potion be made long-lasting, requiring only one dose every three months, or even once a year? Or perhaps, could it reduce the infectiousness of werewolves?

Snape was primarily focused on reducing infectiousness, while Orli was working to extend the potion's efficacy. Their experiment now hinged on this batch of Flowing Liquid Herb. Success or failure depended on tonight.

She gazed at the round, luminous moon and, donning an apron, stepped into the yard. A soft silver light bathed the swaying leaves of the Flowing Liquid Herb. The plants absorbed the moonlight, forming small, round spheres in the middle of their leaves, which grew larger and larger. The key to harvesting these herbs lay in these spheres, which were rich in active medicinal liquid. If harvested too late, they would burst.

Just as Orli was about to reach out, she heard the sound of footsteps nearby. It was Snape. He walked straight to the patch of herbs and silently joined her in harvesting them.

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