Chapter 42: Potion Fountain
Kyle had never expected Kanna to be so skilled at potion-making. Every step, from boiling the nettle solution to grinding the snake's teeth, was executed with precision. He found himself unable to contribute much and sat idly by, watching the cauldron with growing boredom.
Unlike the other young wizards who were flustered and rushing around, Kyle appeared to be on a break. There really wasn't much for him to help with, as potions, like many other classes, involved more waiting than practical work. Most of the time, they simply waited for the potions to brew, much like preparing a soup—ten minutes of preparation followed by two hours of simmering.
That was assuming everything went smoothly, of course. For some students, creating a basic nettle infusion could turn into a drawn-out struggle. Take the two Slytherin first-years on their left, for example. They had already gone to fetch nettles from the storage cupboard seven times, which earned them several disapproving glares from Professor Snape.
Kyle watched as one of them stood up to go to the cupboard again.
Great... eight times.
"Flada, Walker, use your brains for once," Snape finally snapped, his cold gaze fixed on them. "If you don't produce a proper yellow-green solution this time, I'll put your heads in the cauldron!"
The two Slytherin students were dumbstruck, especially the unlucky one heading back to get more nettles. He looked like he was walking to his doom. After glaring at them, Snape dramatically swept his robes aside and moved on to another pair of unfortunate students.
"What is this, licorice syrup? Pour it out and start over!" he barked. "It's not yellow enough—pour it out and start again!"
"Pour it out!"
Snape prowled around the classroom like a menacing bat, leaving a trail of misery in his wake. Wherever he went, there were cries of anguish.
The repeated instructions to "pour it away and start over" had everyone on edge, making them more cautious with their potions. Yet, Kyle remained unfazed. He kept his focus on the cauldron, waiting for the solution to shift from yellow-green to pale yellow before reducing the flame to its lowest setting.