King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

After preparing the cauldron, Anduin first checked the ingredients; their quality had a significant impact on the final product's effectiveness.

Then he began processing the ingredients according to the recipe.

A single pot of Joy Potion required two mandrake fruits: one whole and unpeeled, and another peeled and sliced into strips, with very strict requirements regarding the size of those strips.

Anduin's hands were steady, and before long, all the ingredients had been processed precisely as required.

The next step was the timing of adding the ingredients. This was determined by observing the potion's color, the smoke it released, and its boiling state, deciding whether to add more ingredients or to stir.

The potion-making process went smoothly.

Anduin felt confident as he noticed the potion's reactions matched those described in the book.

However, at the very last step—which usually involved turning off the heat and letting the potion sit—the Half-Blood Prince noted in his book that adding peppermint could enhance the potion's effects.

Anduin decided to try it.

He planned to make one batch with peppermint and one without, so he could compare their results.

With that thought, he added a peppermint leaf to the pot of Joy Potion.

After a period of resting, this batch of potion was complete.

"Should I test the potion myself?" Anduin looked at the Joy Potion poured neatly into the bottle, feeling a bit hesitant.

But the potion's properties in the bottle were identical to what the book described. 'It's only a peppermint leaf . . . would that really turn Joy Potion into poison?'.

After a moment of consideration, Anduin took a sip.

A wonderful, uplifting warmth spread through his chest; it seemed the potion was taking effect.

"Good, it seems fine. Now I'll try making a batch without peppermint." Seeing the potion work properly, Anduin let out a breath of relief.

A single pot of Joy Potion could yield five bottles, each selling for around 15 Galleons.

Hagrid had mentioned that Slughorn & Jigger's Apothecary was willing to buy them at 12 Galleons per bottle.

Although it wasn't a huge profit, at least he wasn't just sitting around doing nothing.

Before long, the second batch of Joy Potion was finished.

This time, Anduin didn't add peppermint, it was the original version of the potion.

He took a sip of this batch as well, and once again, a pleasant feeling bloomed within him.

"Could it be that the peppermint makes it work faster and creates a stronger emotional response?" Anduin, in truth, wasn't fond of overly intense emotional fluctuations.

Compared to that, he preferred the original Joy Potion a bit more. Still, he figured apothecaries and customers would likely favor the version with a stronger effect.

"It seems this 'Prince' wasn't lying after all; it really works." After confirming the Half-Blood Prince's recipe was effective, Anduin couldn't help feeling intrigued by the spell recorded in the book.

"Let's finish these potions first". He pushed down his curiosity and patiently kept brewing.

After five hours, Anduin had prepared two large pots of potion, bottling ten portions of Joy Potion, and still had plenty of mandrake fruits left.

"Looks like pretty good efficiency. I'll do the rest tomorrow." Anduin stored his materials and tools, packed the potions into a box, and left them with Hagrid.

He planned to visit the Potions classroom the next day to fetch another batch of bottles before returning to continue his work.

Afterwards came Hagrid's favorite time, a special meal.

Anduin also made use of the newly arrived large iron cauldron to fry up a big pot of salt-and-pepper ribs. Together, he and Hagrid enjoyed yet another feast.

The next day, at the same hour, Anduin set off for Hagrid's hut again.

This time, Anduin brought 20 bottles and borrowed Vivian's cauldron as well.

He planned to brew two pots of potion simultaneously.

Having familiarized himself with the process the previous day, Anduin now moved with ease, and operating two cauldrons at once didn't make him nervous in the slightest.

After another full afternoon of work, 20 bottles of Joy Potion were completed once again.

It had to be said: Hagrid was truly wealthy. So many mandrake fruits couldn't be gathered all at once anywhere else.

Thanks to Hagrid, Anduin didn't fail a single batch, transforming all the materials into perfect potions.

After setting aside 10 bottles of Joy Potion, Anduin asked Hagrid to help sell the remaining stock.

Hagrid, seeing that Anduin had brewed so many potions in just two days, was so shocked that his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Finally done!" Anduin stretched his arms, feeling as though a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

At once, the thought of trying out the spell from the Prince's book resurfaced.

"His recipe turned out to be real, so the spell should be real too, right?" Anduin pondered as he stepped out of the small hut.

He looked around for a target, then walked to an open space, set up an unsplit log, and stepped back about ten meters.

"This distance should be safe . . . right?" Anduin calculated, reassuring himself there shouldn't be any danger.

He then drew his wand, aimed it at the log in the distance, and shouted, "Sectumsempra!"

A nearly invisible blade shot toward the distant log at incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, the log split cleanly in two.

Seeing this, Anduin's eyes widened, and he gasped aloud.

It wasn't the spell's power that surprised him, it was the fact that he'd seen this spell before.

It had been the night he first encountered Sirius, when he had nearly been struck by this very spell.

If it hadn't been for Lily's amulet, Anduin might have ended up like that log.

"So it was you, Snape!" Anduin vividly recalled that night, Snape, with a single spell, had torn through his two defensive curses.

'I never would've imagined . . . never . . . that you were the Half-Blood Prince. Not only do you like to show off, but you're also a Death Eater'. Anduin thought bitterly.

If he ever got the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to use this spell to give Snape a taste of his own medicine.

After a moment's thought, Anduin walked over to the split log.

He intended to study the spell.

The cut on the log was unnaturally clean, and Anduin could faintly sense a lingering trace of magic along the surface.

He then put the two halves back together and tried a healing spell on the cut, but the log showed no reaction at all.

"Hiss . . ." Anduin was truly astonished now.

The destructive power of this spell was absolutely overwhelming. Fast projectile speed, immense destructive force, near invisibility . . . and the wounds it inflicted couldn't be healed?

"I don't know if this spell has a counter-curse. If it doesn't, it could almost be classified as one of the Unforgivable Curses. Even if it does, it's still an extremely dangerous form of dark magic." Anduin frowned in deep thought.

It's worth remembering that the main reason the Unforgivable Curses were so named was because they had no counter-curses, meaning their damage was irreversible.

"No, this spell is far too dangerous. It shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary. If it's cast, even if it doesn't kill someone instantly, they could easily bleed to death." He resolved, planning to investigate whether he could develop a counter-curse in the future.

For now, Anduin absolutely did not dare use the spell again; one careless mistake could be fatal.

Suppressing the shock in his chest, Anduin took several deep breaths before returning to Hagrid's hut as though nothing had happened. There, he began preparing dinner alongside Hagrid once more.