Stir and Boil
Anti-Paralysis Potion
Reducio
Ingredients: 2 Fluid Ounces of Syrup of Hellebore, 6 Ounces of Stewed Mandrake, 1 Piece of Unicorn Horn, 4 Fluid Ounces of Moondew, 12 Fluid Ounces of Honeywater
Fill medium-sized cauldron with purified water, heat to a low simmer
Chop a stewed mandrake into small cubes
Measure 2 fluid ounces of Syrup of Hellebore and add to cauldron
Measure 6 ounces of the chopped mandrake and add to cauldron
Slowly stir for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients
Place over medium flame and heat for 2 minutes until mixture begins to bubble
Pulverise a piece of Unicorn Horn in the mortar
Add 1 tablespoon of the pulverized horn into cauldron
Stir 4 times, clockwise
Add 4 fluid ounces of Moondew to cauldron
Wait for the resulting thick clouds of steam to dissipate
Slowly pour 12 fluid ounces of honey water into cauldron while steadily stirring clockwise until all has been added
Wave wand to stabilize and leave to boil for 35-60 minutes until the mixture thickens to resemble a dark amber honey
Wave wand again
Take off the fire, cool, and pour into vials
Fill medium-sized cauldron with purified water, heat to a low simmer
Chop a stewed mandrake into small cubes
Measure 2 fluid ounces of Syrup of Hellebore and add to cauldron
Measure 6 ounces of the chopped mandrake and add to cauldron
Slowly stir for 30 seconds to combine the ingredients
Place over medium flame and heat for 2 minutes until mixture begins to bubble
Pulverise a piece of Unicorn Horn in the mortar
Add 1 tablespoon of the pulverized horn into cauldron
Stir 4 times, clockwise
Add 4 fluid ounces of Moondew to cauldron
Wait for the resulting thick clouds of steam to dissipate
Slowly pour 12 fluid ounces of honey water into cauldron while steadily stirring clockwise until all has been added
Wave wand to stabilize and leave to boil for 35-60 minutes until the mixture thickens to resemble a dark amber honey
Wave wand again
Take off the fire, cool, and pour into vials
915 words.Alexander had always loved spending time with his grandmother. She was a sweet, gentle woman with a Mancunian accent and a wealth of knowledge when it came to herbs and their medicinal properties. As a master herbologist specializing in healing, she had spent most of her life researching and experimenting with various plant remedies. And when Alexander expressed an interest in potions, she was more than happy to teach him. Every Saturday for almost a year before Alexander enrolled in Hogwarts, his grandmother gave him the necessary instructions to brew more complex potions. They would gather in her kitchen, surrounded by shelves filled with jars of dried herbs, roots, and flowers. She would show him how to measure out ingredients, chop them finely, and mix them in just the right way. She would patiently explain the properties of each plant, and how they interacted with one another to create a powerful potion.
One potion that Alexander remembers most fondly was the Anti-Paralysis Potion. It was a bit more complex than some of the others they had brewed, but it was also one of the most useful. His grandmother had explained how the potion could be used to restore movement to someone who had been paralyzed by a spell or curse. She had also mentioned how it was a favourite of healers and duellists alike, who wanted to be prepared for any eventuality. Alexander had been eager to learn the recipe, and his grandmother had been equally eager to teach him. She had shown him how to gather the ingredients: Syrup of Hellebore, Stewed Mandrake, Unicorn Horn, Moondew, and Honeywater. She had explained how each ingredient had to be prepared and added to the potion in just the right way.
As they worked together in her kitchen, Alexander had felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had always been fascinated by potions, and now he was learning to create them himself. He felt a sense of closeness to his grandmother, too, knowing that they were sharing a special bond over their love of plants and their healing properties.
When Alexander finally enrolled in Hogwarts, he was excited to continue his potion studies. He had already learned so much from his grandmother, and he was eager to see how his knowledge and skills would translate to the classroom. And although he knew that he was a bit ahead of his first-year classmates, he was confident that he could keep up. In the Potions classroom during his free time, Alexander had decided to try brewing the Anti-Paralysis Potion. He carefully gathered all the necessary ingredients, measuring them out precisely just as his grandmother had taught him. He filled a medium-sized cauldron with purified water, heated it to a low simmer, and began chopping a stewed mandrake into small cubes.
With excitement and a bit of nervousness, he slowly stirred the chopped mandrake and syrup in the cauldron, confident that he could make the potion without any serious complications. Once the mixture began to bubble, he pulverized the Unicorn Horn on the table and added it along with Moondew into the mixture. As he waited for the thick clouds of steam to dissipate, he checked that he had followed his granny's instructions precisely. Pouring honey water into the cauldron and stirring it, he waved his wand and began the waiting period. Watching the mixture slowly turn into a dark amber honey, he took the cauldron off the fire and added more honey water while stirring it clockwise until it was all incorporated. Satisfied with the progress, he imagined himself in a duel, protected by the Anti-Paralysis Potion he had brewed.
The potion was ready! Alexander, at first, couldn't believe it. After all the hard work, and meticulous measuring and stirring, he had finally done it. He had successfully brewed the Anti-Paralysis Potion. For a moment, he just stood there, staring at the cauldron of steaming liquid in front of him, hardly daring to believe that it was real. He felt a wave of gratitude wash over him, a profound sense of indebtedness to his grandmother, who had taught him everything he knew about potions. If it weren't for her patient guidance, her tireless teaching, and her unshakable faith in him, Alexander knew that he never would have been able to accomplish this feat. He owed everything to her, and he couldn't wait to tell her the good news.
And yet, even as he basked in his success, Alexander couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt, a nagging voice in the back of his mind that whispered, "What if it's not perfect? What if you made a mistake somewhere?"
But then he remembered his grandmother's words, her steady voice and unwavering belief in him. "Trust yourself, my sunny boy" she had said once. "You have the knowledge, the skill, and the determination to succeed. Believe in yourself, and you can do anything."
With that thought in mind, to finalise the process, Alexander waved his wand once again to stabilise it and took the cauldron off the fire. After some minutes, he held up one of the vials, examining the potion inside. He knew that he had done it, he had brewed the Anti-Paralysis Potion. He felt a sense of pride, knowing that he had learned something that would be useful not just in a duel but also in his future as a potion master or a healer.
Alexander smiled, knowing that his granny would be proud of him.
Last edited by Alexander Harland on 2 Apr 2023, 14:18, edited 1 time in total.
Stir and Boil
Your RP for the Anti-Paralysis Potion for your Prodigal Potions Learner ability has been approved. @Alexander Harland
As a quick side note - thank you for rephrasing as requested! Just to clarify, I did not mean to be less detailed about the recipe, I would still like to see every step mentioned. Just to put each step more into your own words, the way you did in your edits. I hope to see more RPs from you!
Raphael Aveline | Méabh Regan | Dealla Prince |
Stir and Boil
Black Fire Potion
Reducio
Ingredients: 3 Sprigs of Mint, 2 Bursting Mushrooms, 1 Fluid Ounce of Salamander Blood, 2 Dried Wartcaps
Add 3 sprigs of mint into mortar
Crush into paste
Add 1 teaspoon of the paste into cauldron
Slice 2 Bursting Mushrooms and add to cauldron
Stir 3 times, clockwise
Wave wand and leave to brew on high heat for 10 minutes
Lower heat to a slight simmer
Add 1 fluid ounce of Salamander Blood to cauldron
Stir 8 times, counter-clockwise
Add 2 dried Wartcaps into mortar and crush into a fine powder
Add all of the powder into cauldron
Without stirring, leave on low heat for 20 seconds
Immediately turn off heat
Stir 7 times, clockwise
Wave wand and pour into vials while hot (wear protective gloves if needed)
Add 3 sprigs of mint into mortar
Crush into paste
Add 1 teaspoon of the paste into cauldron
Slice 2 Bursting Mushrooms and add to cauldron
Stir 3 times, clockwise
Wave wand and leave to brew on high heat for 10 minutes
Lower heat to a slight simmer
Add 1 fluid ounce of Salamander Blood to cauldron
Stir 8 times, counter-clockwise
Add 2 dried Wartcaps into mortar and crush into a fine powder
Add all of the powder into cauldron
Without stirring, leave on low heat for 20 seconds
Immediately turn off heat
Stir 7 times, clockwise
Wave wand and pour into vials while hot (wear protective gloves if needed)
1276 words.It had been some time since Alexander came to Hogwarts. Now, he was completely aware of what was expected from him and what were the main rules of each class. Maybe under the influence of his grandmother, or perhaps simply because of his natural tendencies, he was quite fond of Potions and Herbology. As he always had been a big fan of the literary genre that Muggles called historical fiction, unsurprisingly, he also liked History of Magic lessons very much and regarded the classes like DADA and Charms as good enough and fairly enjoyable. Astronomy and Flying, on the other hand, were not particularly his scene. Even before the day he sorted into Hufflepuff, he had known that he was too unmotivated to be truly joyful on a broom. Alexander was and had never been a sportive and athletic person, and he had a particular habit to loathe activities requiring physical effort. Astronomy, however, was something that he expected to love and cherish. But for some strange and obscure reason, maybe just because of his current mood, he was having a hard time whenever it came to his responsibilities regarding this class. He was supposed to attend another Astronomy class within a few days and, out of his desire to be an exemplary student, he had already acquired the habit of preparing for the next classes in advance. He felt he had to do something he really enjoyed before he could start reading the pages outlined in the Astronomy curriculum. That was either a terrible excuse to postpone his responsibility or a wise choice to refill his energy. Likewise, there were only two options for the Mancunian boy: either brewing a Potion or planting a herb.
Alexander, within a second but without a second thought, ruled out the latter option. Contrary to popular belief, if there is anything that has the least impact on the decisions we make, it was the reason, and the 11-year-old boy was no different. He just wanted to brew a potion at this very moment, only God -allegedly- knows why. After some minutes, he was at the edge of the Potion Class' door. He took a deep breath and entered the room. Slightly excited, he hoped that he was not disturbing Professor Regan. He knew that there were certain other students who also visited there frequently to learn some extracurricular potions, but still, it made Alex feel timid to think that the Professor could spend more peaceful hours without a curious kid waving a scoop around her. Alexander gave her a respectful nod as he slowly approached one of the tables.
He had not a certain plan for today, though. "I wonder which potion will cheer me up?" he thought. He could have asked Professor Regan, but as his favourite singer once said, coyness was nice. His eyes fell on the books in the locker. It would make his job extremely easy if he tried one of the recipes there. He considered asking the professor's permission to take a book, but coyness was nice indeed. "It wouldn't be right to bother her for that", he thought, "she must be busy." He picked up the book including second-year potions, there was no need to try to brew a Felix Felicis after all! Upon turning its pages for a while, he made up his mind: Black Fire Potion. "Sounds cool", he murmured cheerfully, "besides, there is no need to gather one thousand ingredients to brew it. Perfect!"
He tidied the old desk, placed the necessary materials on the mortar, and sterilised the cauldron just in case. Professor Regan had already told them in her first lesson how important cleanliness was so that the potions did not turn into poisons. He recited silently the first instruction and started to crush the mints on the mortar, and continued to do that until they turned into a paste. With his finger, he checked the softness of the mint in the mortar. "Seems passable," he assessed his own work - humble he was. He slowly dipped the silver spoon into the paste he had prepared and shook it hard a few times over the cauldron, the paste was now stuck to the bottom of it. Then he transferred the two bursting mushrooms from the mortar to the cauldron. "Now, it must be time to stir, right?" he said, gazing at the instructions, and he was right. The scoop turned clockwise in the cauldron three times to thoroughly mix the mushrooms and mint paste. Alexander reached for his oddly short wand, waved it, and felt that the mixture that was to become a potion was attracting the magic surrounding the cauldron it was trapped in. Now, the mixture was going to be brewed on high heat.
Out of his genuine enthusiasm, Alexander could not figure out how ten minutes passed so quickly. He had spent this time observing how heat was acting on the mixture. "That was much more fascinating to observe a far planet", he thought. Now his gaze was focused on the book again, to learn what to do next. When tiny bubbles appeared on the mixture in the cauldron, he turned down the heat, following the instructions. Then he took the Salamander Blood, just one fluid ounce of them, and poured it into the cauldron. "Poor Salamanders," he thought both apologetically and compassionately, "I wish there was a vegan option..." He grabbed the scoop again, stirring the mixture eight times and this time, as opposed to the direction in which the hour and minute hands are constantly travelling. It was time to crush the Wartcaps until they became a fine powder now, and Alexander followed this instruction to the letter. He rolled up his sleeve and looked at his watch, keeping his eyes on the second hand for exactly 1/3 minute. Then, with the speed of a hound, he put out the heat. "Already?" he inquired and checked the ingredients line once more. Having quickly realised that everything needed was now added to the cauldron, "Already." he answered his own question. He stirred his nearly ready mix seven times from left to right. The liquid inside rippled with each turn of the scoop in the cauldron, and Alexander could vaguely see his own reflection on the potion. The young wizard's wand waved in the air once more. The whole process was finished, almost.
Alexander was taught to act cautiously in every situation. Therefore, he decided to wear protective gloves before he poured his final draught into glass vials. Having finished this too, there was nothing more to do. Black Fire Potion was ready, although Alexander was not sure how successful it was because he had not brewed this potion before. And to tell the truth, he hadn't even heard of it before, not even from his grandmother.
Just then, something bothered him. It was none other than curiosity. "Coyness might be nice, but maybe not for this time." he thought, "sorry Morrissey." Then he approached Professor Regan's desk with the tiny vial containing a small sample of his potion. Students understandably had greater respect for teachers of subjects they were interested in and loved. Clearing his throat, Alexander placed the glass vial on the Professor's desk with glowing eyes and excitement. "Sorry to bother you, Professor." he said in a kind tone, "I tried to brew this potion for the first time and I don't know if I succeeded. What do you think?" Pointing the book in his hand, "By the way, I took the textbook for the second graders. I hope you don't mind. I didn't want to interrupt you." he added.
Stir and Boil
Your RP for the Black Fire Potion for your Prodigal Potions Learner ability has been approved. @Alexander Harland
Méabh had been busy putting some finishing touches to a potion for her next class. She liked leaving the classroom open for students while she worked, giving them the opportunity to practice their own brewing. She recognised the student when he approached, the kid was in one of her first year classes, and seemed to have a decent interest in potions himself. Harland was the name, she thought.
"Oh?" she asked, looking down at the sample he placed on her desk in mild surprise. "Let me see." Méabh picked up the vial, tilting it against the light. The black colour was rather characteristic. "Black Fire Potion, hm? Learning ahead?" With a quick, practiced motion, she uncorked the vial, inspecting the fumes, the scent, then letting a single drop of it fall onto the back of her hand before licking it off. The icy feeling of it was familiar on her tongue, and she smiled, replacing the stopper. "That seems like a solid potion, Mr Harland. Well done. And don't worry about the book; you're allowed to make use of the equipment provided in this classroom, as long as you handle it carefully."
Raphael Aveline | Méabh Regan | Dealla Prince |