"Do I really want to try it myself?" he wondered.
But the potion seemed perfectly in lih what was described iextbook, and there was no indication that the peppermint would turn it into anything dangerous.
After a moment's hesitation, Alex took a small sip.
Immediately, a wave of happiness surged through him. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough to firm the potion worked as intended.
He smiled. "Seems like it’s fine," Alex muttered. "Now let’s try making the sed batch without the peppermint."
This sed pot of potion was the standard recipe, without ara ingredients. Once again, Alex tasted it after bottling, and the effects were pleasant, but not as intense. 'Looks like the peppermint does enhahe effect. Makes sense. Some people would definitely prefer the stronger version.'
While he preferred the inal, he khat the more intense version would probably be more popur among buyers.
By the end of the day, Alex had brewed two full batches, totaling ten bottles of Euphoria Potion. With the cost of ingredients, he estimated that each bottle could sell for about 15 Galleons at Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. While it wasn’t a huge profit, it was a det start. There were still plenty of manda fruits left, but Alex decided to stop for the day.
'I’ll make more tomorrow,' he thought. He packed everything up, leaving the potions at Hagrid’s pce for safekeeping.
Afterward, it was time frid’s favorite part of the day—cooking. Alex used the new iron pot Hagrid had set up to fry a rge batch of salt and pepper ribs. The two of them feasted, enjoying the evening with full stomachs and good versation.
The day, Alex returo Hagrid’s hut with twenty more potion bottles. He had also borrowed ara cauldron from Vivienne, so he could brew two pots at ohis time. After spending the previous day familiarizing himself with the process, Alex was fident enough to handle double the workload.
Once again, everythi smoothly. By the end of the day, Alex had awenty bottles of Euphoria Potion, bringing his total to thirty. 'Hagrid really is a hidden treasure trove,' Alex thought, admiring how easily Hagrid had gathered so many manda fruits. Outside of Hogwarts, finding such a supply would be nearly impossible.
Thanks to Hagrid’s help, Alex didn’t waste a single ingredient. Every potion turned out perfectly. He kept ten bottles for himself and asked Hagrid to help him sell the remaining twenty. Hagrid was astoo see Alex produany potions in just two days.
"You made all this yourself?" Hagrid asked, his eyes wide. "Blimey, Alex, you’re a natural at this!"
Alex ughed. "It wasn’t too hard with good materials. Thanks for helping with the manda fruits. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you."
With the potion-making done, Alex felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Now that his immediate goal was aplished, his thoughts returo the spell he’d found in the Half-Blood Prince’s book—the Sectumsempra curse.
'The potions worked, so the spell should be real too.' His curiosity was to to ignore any longer. He packed up his things a Hagrid’s hut, heading to an open space where he could safely test the spell.
Spotting a log that hadn’t been split, Alex set it up as a target and walked about teers away. He figured that should be a safe distahis should be far enough," he muttered to himself.
Taking out his wand, Alex poi at the log. "Sectumsempra!" he shouted.
An almost invisible bde shot out from the tip of his wand, flying toward the log at incredible speed. In an instant, the log was sliced ly in half.
Alex’s eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t the power of the spell that surprised him—it was the familiarity of it.
"I’ve seen this spell before!" Alex realized. He remembered the night he first met Sirius, when he had almost been struck by the same spell. If not for Lily’s protective amulet, the spell could have seriously injured him, just like it had sliced through the log.
"Snape," Alex whispered, his hands tightening around his wand. He remembered clearly now. It was Snape who had used this spell that night, breaking through his barrier charms as if they were nothing.
"I never expected the Half-Blood Prio be Snape. Pretending to be someone else, and a Death Eater on top of that," Alex muttered bitterly. If given the ce, he wouldn’t hesitate to use this spell against Snape iurn.
He approached the log to ihe damage. The cut was incredibly , and Alex could still sense a faint traagigering on the wood.
Curious, he tried using a Reparo to close the cut, but the log didn’t react at all.
"This spell is dangerous. Too dangerous," Alex muttered. The fact that the wound couldn’t be healed made it even more deadly. "If there’s no ter-curse, this could easily be cssified as dark magic. It’s nearly as dangerous as an Unfivable Curse."
The realization uled him. 'I shouldn’t use this spell unless absolutely necessary. If it hits someohey’ll bleed out before they even be healed.' He made a mental o study the spell further, hoping to find a way to reverse its effects. For now, though, he decided it was best to avoid using it. One wrong move, and it could be lethal.
Suppressing his shock, Alex took a few deep breaths and made his way back to Hagrid’s hut, ag as if nothing had happehat evening, the two of them prepared an meal together, chatting about simpler things, but in the back of Alex's mind, he knew he had uncovered something powerful and dangerous—something that would require caution iure.
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"Hey, Alex, sting your feet! The Quidditch match is about to start, and I've never seen one before. Do you think I could bee a Quidditch pyer one day?" Vivian called out excitedly as she pulled Alex along towards the stadium, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. She was moving so fast, it was as if she thought they’d lose their ce at good seats if they didn’t hurry.
Alex wasn’t particurly fond of Quidditch, finding it a bit th for his liking. But today, his mood was light, thanks to the success of his potion sales. With Hagrid’s help, Alex had mao sell all the Euphoria Potions he brewed, earning a total of 240 Galleons. His previously strained wallet was feeling much better now.
