HP: Supreme Potion Collector [Original Female Protagonist]

The new chapter is now available!

Additionally, the latest Patreon early-access chapters have been updated to Chapter 106

Thank you all for enjoying this work!

patreon.com/DarkGolds

————————————————————————————————————————

In the following days, they did indeed start cramming their holiday homework as Hermione had suggested.

However, the boys spent most of their time playing Quidditch in the paddock up in the woods. To prevent the balls from flying into the Muggle village, they used apples instead. The three Nimbus 2000s were blazingly fast, while Ron's Shooting Star often lagged behind - he had sworn to study Potions properly next term to earn money from Orli. But Orli worried his enthusiasm might be short-lived, especially when facing Snape, as he'd likely struggle to concentrate during lessons.

Thinking of Snape, Orli let out a small whimper as she sat in the shade.

Last term she'd felt they'd grown somewhat familiar, but after Dumbledore's extra points and a whole summer of 'radio silence', she wondered what it would be like seeing Snape again...

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on other matters. The Chamber of Secrets would soon be opened - she had plenty else to watch out for.

---

On Wednesday, Mrs. Weasley woke them all early. They each hurriedly ate a few bacon and egg sandwiches before scrambling into their coats.

Mrs. Weasley took a flowerpot from the mantelpiece and peered inside.

"Running low, Arthur - we'll need to buy more today!" she said while arranging the children in line, with Harry next to Ron and Orli sandwiched between the twins.

Perhaps because it was his second time using Floo powder, Harry successfully arrived in Diagon Alley, and Orli felt less dizzy this time too.

They emerged from the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron and agreed to meet outside Flourish and Blotts in an hour before splitting up.

Percy went to buy new quills, while the twins ran into Lee Jordan.

Mrs. Weasley took Ginny to the robe shop and wand shop - they had lots to buy. Before leaving, she warned everyone to stay away from Knockturn Alley.

Hermione waved to them from outside Gringotts, where Mr. Weasley cheerfully chatted with her father before they headed off for a drink together.

Harry bought strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, and the four of them wandered along the street, window shopping. Hermione and Orli bought various colored inks, perfect for highlighting and annotating their books.

An hour later, they headed to Flourish and Blotts but were startled by the crowd. The shop was packed, with people spilling out onto the street.

A large banner stretched across the upper windows: GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30-4:30pm.

"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he wrote almost the whole booklist!"

They squeezed inside through gaps in the crowd, joining a long, winding queue stretching to the back of the shop. They each grabbed a copy of "Break with a Banshee" and sneaked into line with Mrs. Weasley and the Grangers.

"Oh good, you're here," said Mrs. Weasley breathlessly, patting her hair. "We'll see him in a minute..."

Gradually, they reached the middle of the shop. Gilderoy Lockhart sat at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all flashing dazzling white teeth and wavy blond hair. The gleaming smiles made Orli feel slightly dizzy.

A photographer roughly stepped on Ron's foot, making him yelp. This caught Lockhart's attention. He looked at Ron first, then spotted Harry. After staring at Harry for a moment, he leapt to his feet and shouted:

"If it isn't Harry Potter?!"

The crowd parted, whispering and pointing at Harry. Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause while Harry looked mortified. He tried to slip away, but Lockhart threw an arm around his shoulders, clamping him tightly to his side.

"I sincerely hope he doesn't have body odor," Orli muttered a small prayer for Harry.

Lockhart went on and on, and when he announced he would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, Hermione's face flushed with excitement. Orli desperately wished Snape would appear and hit him with a "Stupefy" spell.

"This is wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed. "Finally, someone proper, not like Quirrell - we'll actually learn something! I must finish reading all his books before term starts!"

Orli didn't have the heart to discourage her, but she couldn't help making a sarcastic comment:

"If he's really as powerful as he claims, perhaps he should be an Auror rather than a school professor."

---

---

Author's Note:

The Shooting Star, released by Universal Brooms Ltd. in 1955, was the cheapest racing broom on the market at launch. However, just as it gained popularity, people discovered its speed and ascending ability deteriorated with use. Hogwarts School owns several Shooting Stars for flying lessons, and Fred and George often complained that the school brooms tended to fly slightly left and trembled when flying too high.