Chapter 16: Choosing Sides
The outcome of the Potions class was never in doubt.
When Professor Slughorn called time and instructed everyone to bottle their potions, Regulus's submission stood in stark contrast on the front desk.
The liquid in the other vials was off-color, cloudy, or flecked with impurities — some were even emitting suspicious bubbles.
Only Regulus's potion — a clear, pale green fluid — gleamed with a healthy luster in its glass vial, not a trace of sediment when left to settle.
Slughorn held it up to the light for a long while, unabashed delight spreading across his round face.
"Exemplary!" he announced, voice ringing through the underground classroom. "Mister Black, the quality of this potion has already reached the standard for 'Outstanding.' Tell me — did you employ any special technique?"
"I simply processed each ingredient according to its properties, Professor," Regulus answered calmly.
"Snake fang powder needs to be fully dissolved. The concentration of magic is highest at the tip of a porcupine quill. And the neutralizing action of the flobberworm mucus requires precise timing."
Slughorn's eyes lit up. "You mentioned the point of highest magical concentration — you observed that yourself?"