A Rose's Thorns

EXTRA 1 ~ potion's lesson

"A ship is safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for." -Unknown

-------------------> IT HAD SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT FIRST.

But now, he wondered why he had thought of this idea at all because Rose Potter had the wonderful ability to overcomplicate even the simplest of things.

The Hiccoughing Potion was one of the first potions to be taught at Hogwarts and was thought to be one of the most basic and simplest of potions- something that every student would be able to create without fear, but with ease.

Of course, whichever idiot had thought such, had clearly not met the Potter Heiress.

So now, without further adieu, presenting- The Questions asked by Rosalie Dorea Potter.

"Marvolo! What does the difference in direction of stirring do? Seriously, why does it matter too much?"

"You said that Potions is an intricate art. So if everything must be so precise, how can anyone just say 'add three porcupine quills?' I would assume that not all the quills are of the same length and mass, so how do we know which one is precisely right? And I'm not even going to start about the different types of porcupine species, age, health and varieties and how those characteristics might affect the possible outcome."

"-In Chemistry they ask us to put the exact quantity, down to the milligram and the axis of inclination of the beaker. I honestly suspected Potions to be more detailed. You know, magic and all."

"-What exactly do they mean by a simmer? Shouldn't they specify the exact temperature, considering that a 'simmer' will be assumed differently based on a person's perspective? I don't want to make a mistake, you see.

And while we are on the topic of temperature and timings, Marvolo, how can they just ask us to 'let it boil for 20 minutes of a medium flame'? It's all wrong! Don't they know that the boiling point of a liquid increases with the increase in pressure and decreases with the decrease in pressure? This would mean that the people who are making this potion at higher altitudes, -because of lapse rate, higher the altitude, lower the pressure- would not make this potion properly since there is low atmospheric pressure and therefore, the liquids boil at a lower temperature and so the potion would require a much larger amount of time in the heat."

"Not to mention that when you heat the potion and it turns a certain colour, how do you know when it needs to stop? I know it says green, but which shade of green exactly? Lime green? Jade Green? Emerald green? Olive green? Apple green? Grass green? How much green is green? Besides, the external factors haven't been taken into consideration here. What if the colour of the cauldron is affecting your view of the potion? What if the setting of light is affecting the shade? Oh my goodness! Marvolo, what if our own colour perception is affecting what we see? What if I'm colour blind? Marvolo-"

While her questions were not as dumb as he expected, it was still a pain to answer so many of them. He was afraid that if she was expecting a Master's level of perfection in potions, she might be very disappointed if she didn't achieve the desired results.

Tom Marvolo Riddle was thankful that the Malfoy Heir was brilliantly talented in potions. This allowed him to not experience the tragedy of teaching the admittedly talented Miss Potter, potions.

'But,' he mused. 'Severus was the official Potion Master for the Death Eaters and also had actual experience in teaching. He wanted only the best for his Horcrux.'

And with that thought, a cruel grin was seen on his face.

Oh, he absolutely must formally introduce Severus Snape and Rose Potter to each other. The results would be quite... entertaining.