Just as Slughorn had said before the lesson, the Swelling Solution was not a complicated potion.

Even with the added "Pufferfish Dismemberment Knife Skill Practice" to the brewing process, this basic potion was something that most Hogwarts second-year students could brew with their eyes closed, perhaps a slight exaggeration, but without many mistakes.

Before the hourglass on the teacher's desk finished running, almost all the students had completed brewing and were making fine adjustments.

Slughorn's gaze swept around the underground classroom, and not seeing any student's potion with obvious discoloration, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows again and nod to himself in secret. This was something he had never encountered when he taught before.

If these children maintained their current level, each of them could take the advanced potions class in the future.

A 100% promotion rate was completely unimaginable in the past at Hogwarts.

Even without a genius girl like Aileenna Kaslana, this was already an unprecedented new era, a new era for Potions—Slughorn seemed to see his dream from his student days.

Potions, one day, could become a brilliant magical art recognized by the entire magical world, rather than just a tool.

"Okay, time... is up!"

As the last grain of sand fell in the hourglass, Horace Slughorn said loudly.

"Please turn off the fires and stop the operations in your hands, and then I will come to check each one."

Slughorn walked slowly between the tables, taking turns checking each cauldron, and the pufferfish dissection results placed on each workstation.

He didn't make any comments, just occasionally stirred, sniffed, or casually looked through the processed or unprocessed pufferfish tissues, checking the integrity of the internal organs, eyeballs, and epidermis.

Since students below the third grade completed potions in pairs, even if today's class added an extra evaluation criterion, Slughorn still didn't take too long to carefully check the entire potions classroom—and just as he had predicted, almost all the potions and materials were all up to standard, with the only difference being in the subtleties.

Ten minutes later, Slughorn walked around the underground classroom and returned to the front of the classroom.

Perhaps it was some strange habit, Horace Slughorn deliberately left the two tables where Aileenna, Hermione, Draco, and Harry were located for the last round of inspection in his previous patrol path.

Slughorn first carefully examined the pufferfish slices of Harry and Draco, and then looked at the almost perfect Swelling Solution in the boys' cauldrons, nodding in approval.

Undoubtedly, Harry had inherited his mother's talent and performed impeccably in Potions class.

On the other hand, Draco Malfoy, who came from an ancient magical family, also surprised Slughorn. In his memory, there were few examples of Slytherin students partnering with Gryffindor students.

As for more practical details, Draco didn't show it particularly obviously.

During the teaching process just now, Slughorn specifically observed this special cross-house combination. Whether it was in the processing of potion ingredients such as pufferfish, or in the operation of potion making, Harry Potter was more dominant, while Draco Malfoy was more of a supporting role, acting as a potions assistant.

And from the results, the crystal-clear fish fillets, the complete internal organs, and the almost perfect potion...

Even the most critical potions master would find it difficult to find fault with such results. The in-class test completed jointly by these two students could be said to have reached the "full score" that Hogwarts students could hand in.

However...

Slughorn shrugged his shoulders and didn't make a comment immediately, but continued to walk forward.

If the works presented by Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter were close to the perfect level that students could achieve, then what kind of answer would the genius girl combination of last year's first and second grade give?

Not to mention, among these two little witches, there was also a once-in-a-millennium enchanting witch.

And the pufferfish dissection that first appeared in front of Slughorn also responded to the old man's expectations.

Complete pufferfish skin, clean and neat pufferfish eyes, and sorted internal organs, while the thickness of the fish fillets looked like paper, like blooming white clusters quietly blooming on golden plates.

As the first wizard chef of the Hogwarts kitchen, Aileenna Kaslana indeed showed overwhelming skills.

"It's really an amazing technique, as expected..."

But when Slughorn saw what was in the two people's cauldron, the praise that was about to be blurted out suddenly stopped, the old wizard frowned and carefully smelled the potion, stirred it a few times, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.

This, what's in this cauldron...

Slughorn took a deep look at the pot, slowly rising with mist, as perfect as the potion in Harry's cauldron.

"What's wrong, Professor Slughorn?"

Aileenna gently propped her cheek and glanced at the old wizard beside her meaningfully.

"As an experienced elder, with such a simple and obvious comparison, such an indisputable winner, do you still need to think about it? Everyone is waiting for you to announce the final result to see who is today's number one..."

"Aileenna, don't be like this—"

Hermione Granger tugged at the sleeve of the little dumpling beside her with some annoyance.

Although Hermione also admitted in her heart that the in-class assignment completed jointly by her and Aileenna must be the first.

But Aileenna's undisguised announcement of victory in advance was a bit too arrogant—if it weren't for Aileenna's knife skill bonus, the gap between them and Draco and Harry's group would not be so obvious in terms of potion quality alone.

Even without turning her head, Hermione could feel the smiles on the faces of the two boys behind her instantly dimming a bit.

"That's right, that's right—you're right. The indisputable winner!"

Slughorn was silent for a moment, took a light breath, and said loudly to the whole class in the underground classroom.

"Impeccable, perfect and outstanding performance! Well done! Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter! I keep my word, when that pot of Felix Felicis is brewed, I will give you two a small bottle each, make good use of it!"

In Hermione's unbelievable eyes, Slughorn announced loudly, patting the boys on the shoulders appreciatively.

The expressions on the faces of most of the little wizards in the classroom were the same, including Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, everyone had a look of surprise, as if Slughorn had suddenly conjured a rabbit for everyone.

Except for Aileenna, a shallow smile rippled on the girl's lips.

Professor Horace Slughorn, perhaps this old man is a little vain, but he is still a qualified professor after all.

"Wait! Why, Professor?! Why not—"

Hermione was stunned for a few seconds before she reacted, stood up a little unconvinced.

If it was because of a slight difference, then she would accept it, but such blatant behind-the-scenes manipulations were a little unacceptable to such a proud little beaver. She and Aileenna had actually lost to Harry and Draco in their cooperation?!

"Well, mainly the difference in potions is too great."

Slughorn replied gently, with a hint of unquestionable tone in his voice.

"Regarding this issue, Miss Granger, you can think about it carefully first. If there is no answer, I can also answer after class. Although your handling of the pufferfish is indeed very perfect... but unfortunately, this is Potions class."

"The difference is too great?! How is this possible, we obviously—"

Hermione stubbornly looked at Slughorn, blocking the old wizard's way back to the podium.

She bit her lip and glanced at Harry and Draco's cauldron unwillingly. Compared with their pot of potion, the difference between the two was indeed not particularly obvious, it looked as if the potions were brewed in the same pot and divided into two sides.

But... this also showed the extremely high similarity between the two sides.

"—obviously, almost the same..."

Hermione bit her lip hard, her amber eyes staring straight at Horace Slughorn.

"Even if Harry and Draco's potions are slightly better, you should at least tell us the reason, right?"

"Okay, okay. Then, Miss Granger, can you tell me what's in your cauldron?"

Slughorn sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and asked helplessly.

"Of course it's Swelling Solution—"

"Unfortunately, what's in your cauldron is not Swelling Solution."

Before Hermione Granger could finish speaking, Slughorn smiled wryly.

"More precisely, it's not even a potion, is it? Miss Kaslana. By the way, I don't recommend using the cauldron in the Potions class as cooking utensils, this is a very dangerous act."

"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey is very experienced in dealing with food poisoning."

Aileenna said casually, in Hermione's almost murderous eyes, she calmly used black walnut "chopsticks" to pick up a thin pufferfish slice like cicada wings and blanched it in the pot of boiling "Swelling Solution" for a few seconds, slowly put it in her mouth, narrowed her eyes happily, and carefully tasted the unusual freshness and sweetness of the pufferfish slice.

"Professor Slughorn's lecture just now was very inspiring. If the brewing of potions comes from some more abstract element extraction, then I suddenly had the idea of trying to use magic to eliminate the magic power of the potion."

"But your operation method is completely different from what the professor said..."

Hermione's eyes wandered between Aileenna's mouth and the boiling cauldron water for a few seconds.

According to the description of the Swelling Solution, if this was really a qualified potion, even if it had some effect, then the tongue and lips of this white-haired dumpling would have been swollen high at this time, and she would not be eating so happily.

"I just followed the same operation method as in the book, but that doesn't mean the magic power is the same."

Aileenna raised her finger and shook it, explaining generously.

"Magic lies in the heart, based on thoughts. Potions is also a magic. What affects its final presentation and results, in addition to the correct technique, is also our expectations and cognition for it—when I waved my wand for the last time, I suddenly wondered curiously, what would happen if I turned this pot of potion into a white soup without magic power and toxicity?"

"Yes, from the results, you have now got what you wanted, right?"

Hermione said stiffly, her face becoming more and more gloomy.

"Perfect Swelling Solution is not a difficult thing for you and me. Compared with completing the work that can already be done independently, is it not more meaningful to explore some new knowledge and try it?"

Aileenna sighed and winked at Slughorn secretly.

"I admit that I have a gambling component, but..."

"You have discovered a way to turn potions into non-potions, which is very interesting."

Slughorn raised his eyebrows and looked at the hot soup in Aileenna's cauldron with a complicated expression.

However, being able to skip the complex and profound potion reactions and processes, perceive the true meaning of potions, and even change the results at will, just after entering the second grade—such a talented and unscrupulous little witch is too worrying.

Especially when she lacks basic awe of potions, this is an extremely bad thing.

The old wizard pondered for a moment, cleared his throat, and said calmly.

"But... Miss Kaslana. This also means that you did not follow the regulations and brewed the Swelling Solution I requested in this class, so your score for this class is—zero. At the same time, because of your behavior of eating in class and dangerous operations, Ravenclaw will be deducted five points, and you will be in detention in the Potions office this Friday night."

"As for Miss Granger, you, as a participant, didn't even realize that the nature of the potion had changed..."

Horace Slughorn paused, lowered his head to look at Hermione, and said slowly.

"Gryffindor, deduct five points, not because of your operational errors, but because you still didn't realize the problem after I made the judgment, and you don't understand the potion you brewed... Do you have any objections?"

"No, Professor." Hermione's voice was like a mosquito.

She shook her head gently and sat down in her seat silently.

"In any case, I hope you can learn a lesson from it."

Slughorn raised his eyebrows, walked past Hermione Granger, and went to the podium.

"Today's homework is to write a paper on 'Swelling Solution', and start from how to identify and process raw magic materials in the wild environment, with a length of no less than two feet, and hand it over to Professor Snape in the next class."

"Okay, class is over—go have lunch... children."

As Slughorn announced the end of class, the students stood up one after another, packed their things and began to leave the classroom.

Harry, who was sitting behind the two, originally planned to say something, but before he had time to speak, Draco Malfoy quickly covered his mouth, half dragging and half pulling him out of the Potions class classroom.

And Horace Slughorn, after sorting out the lesson plans for a while, also left the classroom without hesitation.

The old man had a lot of things pressing in his heart, and he was now preparing to confront Dumbledore, the old liar—anyway, the biggest secret in his heart had been exposed by Aileenna, and Slughorn now had a sense of relief of breaking the jar.

……

In less than ten minutes, only Aileenna and Hermione were left in the classroom.

Hermione looked at the pot of soup in front of her, which looked the same as the successful Swelling Solution, but was completely different. The amber eyes were as calm as a pool of stagnant water, and there was no anger to kill as before.

Gollum—

Aileenna glanced at the little beaver beside her, who was as lifeless as a robot, and swallowed with some fear.

That old walrus was too ruthless, wasn't he?

Why did he still have to pursue joint responsibility at that time?!

It was in vain that she winked so hard, and she didn't know how to take care of the little girl's emotions. After so many consecutive blows, Aileenna began to worry that she might have used too much force and accidentally triggered the opening mode of the blackened Hermione.

"Na, Hermione, are you okay... Do you want to try it together, it's quite delicious... I can blanch everything for you to eat..."

Aileenna carefully poked the little wing beside her.

"I'm actually okay."

Hermione said, turned her head and stayed on Aileenna's chopsticks for a moment, and asked softly.

"Then, is pufferfish delicious? Even Felix Felicis, scores, first place, are these not as good as a delicious bite?"

It's over!

It's really over!

The little dull hair on Aileenna's head suddenly shook, and she instantly smelled an extremely dangerous aura.

"Actually, it's not that much, I mean, Felix Felicis actually has great hidden dangers... If you like it, I can ask the professor to teach you how to refine it, but Hermione, listen to my explanation, I just wanted to try it just now."

"Oh."

"Hermione, don't be angry, what happened just now was actually a confrontation between me and Professor Slughorn, it wasn't to target you, I can explain it to you slowly bit by bit later, things are not what you think!"

"You just said that all these fish slices can be blanched for me to eat?"

"Eh? Yes, yes..."

"Okay, if your explanation is reasonable, I will forgive you this time."

Hermione glanced at Aileenna, who was nodding in pain, and finally couldn't hold back the coldness on her face, shook her head helplessly, and looked at Aileenna seriously, "It must be more than Luna knows, otherwise I won't forgive you."

She had already seen that there must have been some secret conversation between Aileenna and Slughorn.

Otherwise, based on Hermione's understanding of this white-haired dumpling, Aileenna would not have shown two completely different, or rather presumptuous, states at the beginning of the class and near the end of the class. And the answer...

If she guessed correctly, it was mostly related to those things that Aileenna had been hiding from them for so long.

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Yay! Yay!