King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

However, Anduin was not willing to consider Baruffio's Brain Elixir or Veritaserum. Baruffio's Brain Elixir had extremely strict material requirements, and even the slightest difference in the quality of the ingredients could easily damage the brain of whoever drank it. As for not brewing Veritaserum, the reason was the same as with healing potions: What ordinary wizard would need such a thing?

That left only two options to consider: the Joy Potion and the Eternal Potion. The Eternal Potion was described as a potion that would never run out, though that statement wasn't entirely accurate. In Anduin's opinion, it was more of an additive.

Most potions, simply by pouring in a little Eternal Potion, would transform into their original form. For example, if more than a quarter of a bottle of Veritaserum remained, adding Eternal Potion would refill it almost completely. Except for rare brews like Felix Felicis, the Eternal Potion could substitute them perfectly, and its effects were extraordinarily long-lasting.

However, several ingredients in the Eternal Potion were hard to come by, and their price outside of Hogwarts was also very high, making the cost rather excessive.

The Joy Potion was also highly sought after. It could make the drinker feel pleasantly happy, and during wartime, many wizards used it to relieve stress. Although most of its ingredients were common, the main one—a whole mandrake fruit—was quite expensive outside Hogwarts.

"Wait a moment . . . " Anduin suddenly remembered something and turned to Hagrid. "Hagrid, I recall you telling me last time that you saw many mandrakes about to ripen in the Forbidden Forest."

"Uh, yeah, I saw a patch of mandrakes while training in the Forbidden Forest a while back. It's just about the right season for them to bear fruit now," Hagrid replied to Anduin after a hearty burp.

Hearing Hagrid's confirmation, Anduin asked, "Hagrid, when do you plan to go into the Forbidden Forest again? Can I come with you? I'd like to gather some mandrake fruits to use."

Hagrid immediately shook his head upon hearing Anduin's request to enter the Forbidden Forest. "No, the Forbidden Forest is far too dangerous. This isn't a joke. If something were to happen to you in there, I wouldn't be able to explain it to the school."

After a moment of thought, he added, "If you only need mandrake fruits, I'll pick some for you next time. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you wander into the forest."

"Really? That's great! But they need to be the magical, light purple mandrake fruits, and they must be whole," Anduin said cheerfully upon hearing Hagrid's offer to help.

"Don't worry, I know the Forbidden Forest very well. I know exactly what mandrake fruits look like. Next time you come by, I promise I'll have a big basketful ready for you," Hagrid assured him confidently.

Relieved, Anduin smiled. It seemed there would be no problem obtaining the ingredients for the Joy Potion, so he thanked Hagrid again.

With that matter settled, Anduin stayed a while longer to chat with Hagrid before heading back to the castle.

A few weeks later, Anduin was staring at the large basket of mandrake fruits Hagrid had gathered, containing at least a dozen of them. He couldn't help but exclaim to himself that Hagrid was truly a hidden wealthy man. With such a vast forest at his disposal, if Hagrid ever wanted to make money, he could easily get rich selling raw materials!

Anduin didn't take the basket of mandrake fruits back to his dormitory, as potion-making wasn't allowed there, and sneaking into the Potions classroom wasn't appropriate either. He planned to bring his cauldron and tools directly to Hagrid's hut another day to brew there.

For now, he needed to memorize the brewing process for the Joy Potion and master the selection and treatment of ingredients to ensure a high success rate.

With that thought, Anduin returned to his dormitory and opened the Half-Blood Prince's sixth-year textbook. He had seen the Joy Potion recipe in its pages before, but at that time he had only glanced at it, paying little attention to the detailed processing methods and warnings.

"Adding a pinch of peppermint can significantly enhance the effect of the Joy Potion? Is that true or false?" Anduin found that this 'Prince' liked to insert his own notes, heavily modifying processing methods and recipes throughout the textbook. This piqued Anduin's curiosity about the 'Prince', and after some thought, he decided to try the 'Prince's' method when he brewed the potion.

After finishing the section on the Joy Potion, Anduin didn't stop. He found that this 'Half-Blood Prince' had quite insightful views on many topics related to potions, though he wasn't sure if they were merely arrogant ramblings. Therefore, he decided to start from the beginning and read the textbook thoroughly.

"Sectumsempra? This spell sounds pretty intimidating." Anduin discovered that the book not only contained numerous notes on potions but also recorded a spell.

"Is it a completed spell, a work in progress, or simply made up? It might be dangerous to cast it carelessly without knowing for sure," Anduin thought to himself. He had no intention of trying it anytime soon. Before understanding the 'Prince's' background, it was better not to tinker with such unknown things. What if this so-called 'Prince' was a lunatic? A single spell could cost him his life.

Soon, another weekend arrived. Anduin packed his cauldron, auxiliary materials, tools, and glass bottles needed for potion-making. He also brought some peppermint and the sixth-year textbook before heading back to Hagrid's hut.

As November settled in, Hogwarts weather shifted from cool to cold. Students began wearing winter clothes, and many caught colds due to the changing season. Minor skirmishes between Slytherin and Gryffindor remained frequent, leading to plenty of house points being deducted from both sides, though none of it affected Anduin.

Walking along the path, Anduin thought that, aside from selling the potions he brewed, he could also use some as Christmas gifts. While making plans, he soon arrived at Hagrid's hut.

Outside, the green onions Anduin had planted were growing splendidly. It seemed Hagrid had taken the time to tend to them as well. Anduin decided to give Hagrid two bottles of potion as thanks.

At the same time, a new stone stove had been built outside the house! The large iron cauldron Anduin had ordered sat perfectly atop it. Anduin couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Looks like the big cauldron I ordered has arrived."

Upon entering the hut, Hagrid greeted him warmly. "What do you think of the stove I built outside? Not bad, right? What delicious meal should we cook in that big cauldron later?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Anduin said with a chuckle, noticing Hagrid already thinking about dinner even though it was barely past noon. "I came a bit early today because I want to use your place to brew a few potions. We can talk about food once I'm finished."

With that, Anduin laid out all his ingredients and brewing tools on Hagrid's large wooden table and began organizing them. He also asked Hagrid to keep watch, as many of Anduin's ingredients were . . .