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Serena Snape: Love of Magic - chapter 100
🕑 Added 2025-04-26 01:53:36 +0000 UTCAuthor's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
I quickly activated the time bubble, covering the entire lab and encasing us in it. I also activated the clock on one of the walls. The largest one was also attached to the clock outside the time bubble, while one of the clocks next to it was a digital stopwatch, counting down the time we'd been in here since I activated it. A good way to keep track of how long I'd been trapped inside.
With a wave, I conjured some seats and placed them against the side wall. I motioned for the Phenex to sit there. I gave Ravel one last squeeze and a smile before letting her go. I looked at the five people about to be tested and waved my hand once more.
Potion stations, cauldrons, instruments, and ingredients quickly began to fly in from all directions. The lab was organized rapidly. All the potions being brewed were pushed to the back without disturbing their contents while five new stations were set up before me.
They all had identical cauldrons, the same instruments, and the same amount of ingredients. Finally, I prepared another one, this time at my side. In total, six sets of potions. I signaled for the five students to take their stations.
Sucy and Maomao practically ran to their tables. The expressions of complete awe on their faces were incredible. I nodded and clapped loudly to get everyone's attention, taking a deep breath before I began channeling my inner Severus. Not completely, I didn't need to traumatize the group, but my voice dropped an octave and became much clearer than usual.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and precise art of potion-making." The words came to me as if they were something I recited daily. My body movements had even changed from a relaxed position to a more upright, more alert one. After all, any small mistake in a potion could lead to catastrophe.
"Since there's no magic involved, many people will hardly believe this to truly be magic. You were selected directly, so I hope you understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes. The delicate power of liquids that creep through the veins of a living being, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even… stopper death."
To Severus's credit, he knew how to be dramatic, but that was attention-grabbing. I had the full attention of everyone in the room, including those watching from the sidelines. I quickly pulled up a nearby blackboard I used for my experiments and charmed the chalk.
"Listen and observe carefully. Now, I will show you how to prepare the Cure Boils potion. Nothing important, nothing special, nothing that can't be done with a little magic. But the slightest mistake can be terribly dangerous. The recipe and the steps to follow will be written on the board as I explain. Once you're done, I'll grade all of you."
I glared at the students before standing in front of my cauldron.
"In front of you is a standard-sized 2 copper cauldron that means nothing to you, so let's move on-" I began to prepare the potion. I delicately grabbed the ingredients and prepared them. I placed the snake fangs in the mortar and crushed them into a fine powder. I cut the ingredients with extreme precision.
I manipulated liquids and ingredients with decades of experience. I moved, turned, and tilted my cauldron with extreme precision, something I took much pride in. Meanwhile, I never stopped talking. I noted every ingredient, every preparation method, every tilt of the cauldron, every turn of the ladle, every temperature of the fire beneath the cauldron—everything, and everything was written in chalk behind me without interruption.
Typically, this potion took about an hour to prepare, depending on the cauldron used. But it was such a basic potion that it was easy to modify it so that, by adding more ingredients and changing a few things, it could be prepared in less than 20 minutes. It wouldn't be as effective as the real thing, but it would serve the purpose of judging the devils before me.
To my surprise, everyone stared at my hands the whole time, and I primped. They were leagues better than the Hogwarts students who stupidly looked anywhere but where they should. They knew what they were doing and were good enough and competent enough that it might be a pleasure to teach them.
When I finally finished, a pink smoke rose from the cauldron. A potion was successfully prepared. I smiled slightly.
"And with that, the potion is finished. All that's left is to let it cool, and it's ready to use. Next to you are some timers. Press the button on top and say the time you want to set, and it will automatically adjust." I said, finishing my lecture as I grabbed a cloth and wiped my hands.
The timers were something I'd prepared for them; my internal clock was exquisite and accurate when it came to potions, so I didn't need anything like that. I looked at the others, and they'd all been silently watching.
"...that was sexy." I...what? I tilted my head and looked where the voice had come from. Surprisingly, it was Ravel. We all looked at her in confusion. Ravel was still staring at my hands before blinking and realizing she had said it out loud. A lazy smile appeared on my face.
"Something you want to share with the class. Ravel?" I purred her name provocatively, making Ravel blush.
"No! It's not like it was really attractive to watch you work! Or your deep, clear teacher's voice! Or how your long, slender fingers manipulated and played with the ingredients with extreme ease and precision! I'm certainly not jealous of the ingredients! " Ravel immediately squealed before freezing. Ravel exploded in red, my smile completely wide.
I could actually understand the appeal of hands. I was a cultured woman, thank you very much, so I understood what Ravel meant, but it was the first time anyone had actually said that to me. Though, considering it, Bella also liked watching me work, while Enid hadn't yet; her nose was too sensitive to enter the lab. I needed to think about it for now…
I moved my hand and pulled Ravel, her seat and all, to a stop before me. Ravel squealed in embarrassment. I reached out and gently touched her cheeks. Ravel flinched and bit her lip. I laughed lightly and gently trailed my fingers down her cheeks, lightly dragging them across her lips before pinching her chin and raising her head to look up.
Ravel gasped as my hand lowered further and wrapped itself around her neck, not with any real force, but firmly. I continued down to her necklace and then along her gold chain to the ring between her breasts. I gripped it firmly and pulled the ring toward me, pulling Ravel by the neck. Ravel moaned loudly.
"Yes, please." Ravel moaned. I stopped stiffly before bursting out laughing out loud. Ravel regained her sanity, and her eyes opened wide. "Y-you- idiot!" Ravel squealed, thoroughly embarrassed, as she began slapping me all over my body. I could only continue laughing. I really wasn't expecting Ravel's reaction, but it was amazing.
"S-sorry, sorry." I apologized, still smiling. Ravel tried to glare at me, but her embarrassed, completely flushed expression wasn't threatening at all.
"Idiot." Ravel muttered once more. Ravel plopped into her seat. I leaned over and kissed her cheek before winking at her. Ravel's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, I moved my hand and returned her to her position. I quickly ignored the turmoil that occurred with the Phenex.
Lord Phenex looked at her, almost disappointed, as he sighed. Lady Phenex, Ruval, and Revive had matching huge grins as they began to tease Ravel, while Riser had a sullen look on his face as he tried to glare at me.
Still smiling, I looked at the five people I was teaching. They were all staring at me in confusion. I raised an eyebrow at them.
"What are you waiting for? Get started," I said simply. That flipped some kind of switch in everyone, and they immediately moved. If they could have been distracted by just that little spectacle, I'd be disappointed.
I watched everyone move easily through the ingredients and tools. It certainly wasn't the first time they had worked in potion-making, perhaps not in my own way or with the ingredients I'd offered them. But they had worked long enough to be familiar with the processes. After all, potions weren't an art I had a direct monopoly on; they existed outside of my jobs.
But I indeed found them… lacking. They certainly didn't compare to almost anything else I could make, nor did they offer the variety I had available. That was why my potions really stood out.
With that, I began stalking around, just as Severus liked to do. My steps were silent and unpredictable, staring at the students as they worked, peering over their shoulders, making them flinch. This was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. After a round and seeing that they wouldn't ruin everything, I approached the Phenex, placing a muffliato so as not to distract the students.
"Where did you get them?" I asked simply, without taking my eyes off them.
"Family, Peerage, or their children who assist in creating Phenex tears." Lord Phenex said simply, and I nodded. From what I recall, a ritual had to be used to shed a tear into a ritually prepared cup, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it were more complicated than that.
"Well, at least I hope they know what they're doing," I said simply. I could see Lord Phenex nod out of the corner of my eye.
"I hope so too." I hope so, Lord Phenex. I was about to speak again when I saw the one man do the stupidest thing in the world. That was my hope. I immediately tore the muffliato and strode over to him, grabbed the man's wrist, and lifted it high.
"What do you think you're doing?" I hissed violently, startling everyone from looking at their potions. "Look in your cauldrons, all of you!" I exclaimed in the others' direction, making them flinch, but they immediately obeyed, turning around again. I turned back to the man. "I ask again, what the hell are you doing?" I asked more slowly and menacingly. The man seemed to be completely pale.
"a-adding porcupine quills?" the man stammered. I narrowed my eyes.
"Is that a question or an answer?" I said tersely. The man opened his mouth. "Don't answer," I hissed, causing the man to clamp his mouth shut. "I gave you clear instructions. They're written in front of you. Tell me, where does it specifically say that after adding horned slugs, you must immediately add the porcupine quills without removing the cauldron from the fire?" I asked sharply. The man looked at the blackboard nervously.
" and -I thought that-"
"You thought. Wonderful," I said tersely. "I gave you an order. Follow instructions, nothing more, nothing less. You couldn't do something as simple as that. I didn't tell you you could experiment, much less when you don't know the results of the stupid thing you were about to do. Did you expect to kill us all? Because you're on the right track." I growled. The man paled even further and was trembling.
" And - I, c-can't be that m-mean. I - I thought it would save time, no point in taking the pot out of the fire." I'd give him points for answering me in this situation, but I'd take away 10 times that amount for answering me back.
"It can't be that bad? Very well." I hissed before removing the spikes from his hand. I took two steps back and threw it into the cauldron. The man stared in disbelief at what had just happened. I watched dispassionately as the potion did precisely what I knew would happen.
The potion began to react badly and began to boil violently. The acrid smell was the first thing felt, followed by the potion disintegrating the cauldron as it began to drip onto the table, melting it and falling to the floor. Finally, a cloud of acrid green smoke enveloped the man, who started to scream while clutching his face.
I waved my hand and dispelled the potion and the poisonous cloud, leaving the man suffering. I watched him dispassionately as he tried to heal the pain on his face. At one point, he looked up, and his face was covered in nasty boils. I rolled my eyes.
"I hope you've learned your lesson." I dragged my feet slowly as I approached the man. I moved my hand and pulled a potion from one of the shelves. The potion I had just made was still undrinkable. "This is a cure for boils, perfectly made—" I said mockingly. "Drink it, and you'll be completely fine in an hour. Now, get out of my lab! " I exclaimed as I slammed the potion against his chest. The man seemed to shed tears as he grabbed it before glaring at me.
"Y-you-" the man groaned, rolling my eyes before creating a teleportation circle underneath the man and dissipating him back to the Phenex castle. I sighed and rubbed my temple. Maybe I shouldn't have done that before the engagement party. I looked up at the other students, who had once been staring at the destroyed cauldron.
Sucy and Maomao were amazed, their eyes shining with excitement; in fact, Sucy seemed to be drooling slightly. The blonde woman had finally lost her arrogant facade and stared incredulously at the molten cauldron, somewhat pale. The little girl simply stared curiously at the whole thing. I could feel my eyes twitching.
"Watch your cauldrons at once!" I snapped at the remaining four, causing them to flinch and spin their heads around faster than humanly possible. I clicked my tongue. There were only five students and not even 10 minutes into a 20-minute potion, and I could already feel a headache starting to come on.
I would never become a teacher of a group of students.
I sighed once more and approached the Phenex, looking closely at the others.
"Was… was that necessary?" Ravel asked slowly. I grimaced; I had just let my inner Severus out. But even I had been offended by the mistake he'd made.
"Maybe so, maybe not, but it's not a mistake I can let go," I said grimly. "The reaction to this potion was mild compared to other potions. There's a reason I chose it. More complicated potions? You want to know what happens if you brew Draught of Living Death incorrectly and it reacts badly. Why didn't you just follow the instructions? " I asked simply. Ravel stopped, as did the other Phenexes, before paling slightly. I could even see the four people brewing the potions trembling.
"Yes, it's horrible, you don't want to know. And Living Death is only a sleeping pill. Other potions will have much more violent reactions. Explosions, poisonous gases, smoke that would make your skin peel off or simply melt, and the less we talk about the possible chain reactions it can generate with the other nearby cauldrons in this mansion, the better. My island wouldn't survive." I simply groaned. Ravel shuddered.
"The time will come when they can experience it themselves when I prepare defensive measures for violent reactions, and when there are no others involved or outsiders, it's just stupid." I growled angrily before taking a deep breath and calming myself down. "I'm sorry," I said simply. Ravel gently grabbed my hand.
"Don't worry." she said. I nodded and continued watching the others finish preparing the potions. Pink smoke escaped from all the cauldrons, announcing they had successfully completed the potion. Although, by the color of each one, I could notice the different degrees of success. I nodded and headed to see the cauldrons even though I already knew who I would choose. I stood in front of Sucy and looked at her.
"Your name?" I asked simply.
"Sucy Manbavaran, my Lady," Sucy said demurely. I nodded. That confirmed it was Sucy.
"Congratulations, your potion is almost perfect. There were some small mistakes that are easy to correct. You've definitely worked at creating potions before. You have talent. You passed the test." I said simply. Sucy looked at me as her eyes widened before a huge smile formed on her gaunt face.
"Thank you, My Lady. I won't let you down." She said immediately. I nodded and turned to Maomao.
"Your potion is second to none, Maomao. Your preparation of the ingredients, as usual, was perfect. For your first time using a cauldron, you did an outstanding job." I smiled at Maomao. She smiled broadly too. And I wasn't joking; Maomao knew how to manipulate plants and other ingredients. She just knew how to combine them in the most basic ways to treat simple injuries inflicted on Succubi by their more... aggressive customers.
I finally got around to the last two. Now, this would be annoying.
"Names?" I asked, simply looking at both of them, first looking at the younger one.
"My name is Sotheby, my Lady." I stopped stiffly at her name and looked at her closely once more. She had Dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and an elegant demeanor. She seemed so worldly, and I'd been so distracted by Sucy's unique appearance that I hadn't correctly identified her.
Sotheby's Reverse 1999. A somewhat eccentric and perhaps half-mad apothecary and potioneer. Okay, change of plans, Or so I thought, looking at the potions. The blonde woman had introduced herself, but the name didn't sound familiar, so I ignored it. I walked over to her and looked at her potion.
"You started well; you have experience, but after the 'accident,' you got distracted enough that during the second half of the potion, you made too many mistakes. You completed the potion, but it is definitely the worst of the four. You are out." I said simply before looking at Sotheby, "You passed, congratulations."
I turned around and saw the woman who seemed to want to retort, and I raised an eyebrow in her direction.
"I understand that it may have been my fault, and I certainly shouldn't have caused a bad reaction in a cauldron in front of you, even if it was under control. But losing focus alone isn't good. You'll make mistakes while brewing potions; it's inevitable, unfortunately. I can't have you panicking over something as simple as a cauldron reacting badly."
I explained simply. I certainly didn't owe her anything. But it was better to settle it once and for all. The woman closed her mouth and looked down, gritting her teeth. With that, I approached the Phenex once more. I now had three students. Let's see how that plays out.
Author's Notes: yay ! Chapter 100! I didn't think I'd actually get this far! Thank you all for your support and encouragement so far!
Reference images from Sucy and Sotheby's: --> https://imgur.com/a/ZknjTUp
