Even among upper-year students, Snape remained an intimidating presence.
A moment earlier, more than a dozen students had been quietly chatting in small groups, exchanging thoughts about the upcoming tournament. Their voices were low but lively. However, the instant the office door creaked open and a tall, black-clad figure appeared in the doorway, the entire dungeon classroom fell into complete silence.
Snape did not step fully into the room. Perhaps his leg had yet to recover completely, because he simply stood at the threshold, his cold gaze sweeping across the gathered students. His eyes lingered briefly before settling on Gemma Farley.
"Miss Farley," he said in a low, controlled tone, "distribute these requirements. Anyone who fails to brew the potion this morning—or fails five times—will be disqualified immediately."
Gemma Farley stepped forward without hesitation. She accepted the parchment from Snape with practiced composure. He leaned slightly toward her and murmured a few additional instructions, too quiet for anyone else to hear.
Although their exchange was brief, it was enough to make the others take notice. Snape's attitude toward Gemma clearly revealed a degree of trust and approval that he did not extend lightly.
Afterward, Snape produced several sets of keys and handed them to her as well. Before retreating, his gaze flicked once toward Ryze—the youngest and shortest among the group, yet somehow the most noticeable. Without another word, Snape withdrew and closed the office door behind him.
Gemma turned to face the class, holding the parchment. Her voice was calm but carried clearly.
"Professor Snape requires all of us to complete the brewing of a Love Potion this morning. This is material from the sixth-year curriculum. If anyone lacks confidence, you may leave now."
No one moved.
Even if they had never attempted such a potion before, they still had five chances. No one was willing to give up such an opportunity so easily.
Before arriving, most of them had already gathered information about the Potions Tournament. It was widely regarded as prestigious, and more than half of its past winners had gone on to become accomplished potions masters. Simply passing the initial test would grant access to better resources, advanced recipes, and rare materials that were normally out of reach.
Even those who failed would still benefit from the experience. The process itself was invaluable.
Seeing that no one intended to leave, Gemma copied the contents of the parchment onto the blackboard. The instructions were concise: a list of main ingredients and a general outline of the brewing process.
"Among sixth-year potions," she explained, "the Love Potion is not considered particularly difficult. Furthermore, aside from these primary ingredients, both the auxiliary components and brewing techniques can vary widely. That's why there are so many different types of Love Potions available on the market."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Professor Snape has no specific requirements regarding the final effect. He simply wants to see what kind of potion each of you can produce based on your own understanding."
Then her gaze shifted toward Ryze.
"Your situation is different. Professor Snape has stated that, until the end of this term, you will not be required to brew potions above the fifth-year level. You may observe the others first and then decide whether to attempt it."
She hesitated slightly before adding the rest.
"However, for every potion you choose not to brew, you must submit an essay of no less than five feet in length. Additionally, for each failed attempt, you must write an extra one-foot analysis explaining the cause of failure."
A few upper-year students glanced at Ryze with sympathy.
For them, even a two- or three-foot essay was already a considerable burden. Most of their regular assignments rarely exceeded a single foot.
Penelope leaned closer and whispered that he could ask her for help if he didn't understand anything.
But Ryze himself felt no pressure at all.
Back in his previous life, he had always imagined that assignments measured in "feet" must be extraordinarily long. However, after realizing that a single foot was roughly equivalent to the length of an A4 sheet of paper—about 0.3 meters—his perception changed completely.
Five feet amounted to just over five pages.
At a normal writing size, each page contained around four to five hundred words. In total, it was manageable. At most, it would take him an extra hour or two to organize his thoughts.
Moreover, he had Ailey to assist him. Even if he were required to complete the work independently, he doubted he would need to write many essays in the first place.
His confidence stemmed from something else entirely—the Juicer rune.
While independently researching advanced potions might still be beyond his current foundation, observing experienced students at work was a different matter. With enough exposure, replication would not be difficult.
After all, Hermione had successfully brewed Polyjuice Potion in her second year—a sixth-year potion that required nearly a month of preparation. Compared to that, Ryze believed his own chances were more than reasonable.
The other students did not dwell on him for long.
They were focused on their own tasks. With only a single morning available, no one could afford distractions.
Gemma Farley was the first to begin.
She moved with confidence, selecting materials and arranging them at her station. It was evident that she had already mastered most standard sixth- and seventh-year potions outside of class. Only those that required extended brewing times remained unfamiliar to her.
As she began processing the ingredients, the others followed suit, each taking their own set of materials and preparing to work.
Ryze positioned himself between Gemma and Penelope, observing closely.
Gemma worked with remarkable ease. Her movements were precise and efficient, and she even found time to explain certain techniques as she worked.
"This root needs to be sliced along the grain," she said casually, demonstrating with practiced skill. "Otherwise, it will release too much bitterness during brewing."
Her tone was relaxed, almost conversational.
Penelope, by contrast, was entirely focused. She spoke little, her attention fixed on her task. Her movements were careful but less fluid, reflecting a lower level of proficiency.
Only after completing each step would she briefly hold up the processed material for Ryze to examine, silently indicating the correct result.
The difference between them was unmistakable.
Potions was a resource-intensive discipline. Improvement required constant practice, and practice required materials.
Although Hogwarts provided some resources—such as the Herbology gardens and access to the Forbidden Forest—a significant portion of materials still had to be purchased.
While it was technically possible to sell student-made potions, the reality was less encouraging. The potions taught in the first five years had long since flooded the market, their prices driven down by generations of students.
Most shops refused to buy them altogether.
Instead, the Ministry of Magic purchased these potions at a minimal price each year, recycling them or exporting them to regions with different curricula.
Only sixth-year potions and above retained any real market value.
As a result, earning money through potions during one's student years was extremely difficult. Advancing through self-study alone was even harder.
Gemma's skill suggested that her family was well-off. She likely had the resources to practice extensively outside of class. Additionally, as a Slytherin prefect, she occasionally received guidance from Snape himself.
For others like Penelope—or even Percy Weasley—the situation was quite different. Their families could not afford to supply large quantities of materials for practice.
For them, classroom time was often their only opportunity to work with such ingredients.
As the room filled with the sounds of chopping, grinding, and simmering, Ryze continued to watch carefully.
This was not just observation.
It was preparation.
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