What's the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to a "steaming, slow-simmering, fragrant-smelling cauldron?" Soup? But it was Snape, the Potions professor, who said it. His expression was serious and his words earnest, but Tom couldn't help but think of all sorts of dishes.
"'If I could prepare a copper pot in winter, light it over a charcoal fire, and cut fresh lamb into thin slices, boil it twice in boiling water, and serve it with a sesame sauce, I'd be a king...' Tom's thoughts turned to a plate of food.
"... I can teach you to increase prestige, create glory and even stop death, but only if you are not the kind of fools I usually encounter," Snape's first words were brief, but the room fell silent when he finished. The young wizards stared at each other, Hermione almost moved to the edge of her chair, leaning forward, the professor seemed so over the top to her that she wanted to prove to him that she was no fool.
Snape took in the students' performance, and he was very pleased with their opening statement, except....
"Tom Yodel!" Snape suddenly called out to Tom, "What do I get if I add the powdered Acacia to the unicorn hair infusion?"
Snape was not a master of Legeremancy like Dumbledore, but he could read the students' expressions and guess what they were thinking. With one look at Tom's eyes, he knew he wasn't thinking about Potions, and Snape had a hunch that he was probably confusing Potions with stupid Muggle cooking.
So he planned to teach the shallow boy a lesson.
"Tom... Yodel, that's a good name." Snape sneered.
Hermione searched her memory and thought of the answer, so she threw her arms in the air, which in her mind was the best way to approach her teachers, who had favored her in elementary school for her positive answers to questions.
But Snape was different.
Hermione had released kindness in her own way. And was this kindness received by Professor Snape? Certainly not, it had the opposite effect. Snape saw Hermione raise her hand, and became a little annoyed: are you trying to show off your intelligence? I'm asking that Tom Yodel a question! Snape therefore deliberately ignored Hermione's raised arm.
"Professor, acacia powder and unicorn hair infusion together make a potion that brings happiness: euphoria, but the euphoria shouldn't be too much..." said Tom.
"Enough, no need to talk about things that everyone knows in front of me," Professor Snape interrupted Tom, "Let's try again and see if you really understand, Yodel, tell me, there are seven ways to make a magic potion, what are they?"
This question was much more basic than the previous one, and Hermione struggled to raise her hand higher, but it seemed like a huge monstrosity to Snape.
"Decoctions, concoctions, infusions, salves, compresses, tinctures, and lotions," Tom said.
The way these seven potions were prepared was the basis of Potions, and had a strong shadow of Muggle chemistry, only the steps were much cruder.
Snape nodded, "You seem to have been skimming the books over the vacations, Miss Granger, I'm asking about Yodel, not you! And just so you remember, you are not to interfere with my questions to others, one point off for Ravenclaw."
Hermione seemed to be struck by lightning, so she shuddered in place, she couldn't believe it: she had been so kind, and this was what she had gotten?
Seeing that Hermione had been dealt with in a single sentence made Snape feel a little better.
"Yodel, what would you do if a person was poisoned and you couldn't tell what kind of poison was in front of you?" asked Snape again.
"You could either shove a bezoar down the patient's throat, or a mandrake," Tom said.
"A bezoar would be more suitable than mandrake." Snape nodded again, and the young wizards around him gasped: they hadn't even heard of the ingredients used in the questions!
"Did you hear that?" Snape said to the class, "Why didn't you write this down? do you know the answers too?"
The classroom erupted with the sound of parchment, quills, and the rustle of writing.
[Achievement: Answered three questions from Professor Snape at the beginning of the school year Reward: Magic Stones x 90]
[Achievement: Professor Snape's approval]
[Reward: Magic stone x 30]
Apparently, despite Professor Snape's expressionless face, Tom passed the test this time. He then divided the students into pairs and asked them to follow the steps written on the board to make a simple potion to treat scabies. While the students weighed nettles and crushed snake teeth, Snape patrolled the classroom, pointing out students' mistakes, and almost everyone, including Tom, got a lecture.
Not that Snape was looking for a fight, but how could a group of eleven and twelve year olds know how to make magic potions? Most of them had never been in a kitchen before, so in Snape's eyes, they were a real eyesore.
But, fortunately, the lesson ended without a hitch. After two long hours, they all left the classroom and headed for the Great Hall.
"Look on the bright side, Snape is like that, he's quite irrational," Tom consoled Hermione when he saw that she was in a bad mood, "Gryffindor's the one in his sights!"
[You've done well with the task Professor Snape set you, you've prepared your potions carefully, your potions have improved!]
Tom also received a private message from the system after class, and saw that he had added an item to his magic theory under his character bar:
[Potions: Level 0, Progress (10/100)]
It seemed that he had learned something in his potions classes, so Tom was in a much better mood.
After eating, Tom followed the system's instructions and found a nearly rotten wooden box in the corner of an abandoned broom closet, inside of which he found a feather. The quill did not look too old, it had a general air of antiquity about it, and Tom found it rather pleasant to take it, for a quill that could be used without dipping it in ink was quite useful.
There are two types of pen, one without an ink capsule and one with an ink capsule. The one without an ink capsule requires dipping the nib into the ink bottle every few words, which is a pain; the one with an ink capsule is actually a fountain pen, but with a quill body. In the magic world, quill pens are mostly used without ink capsules, which makes them a real nuisance to use. So magicians have come up with all sorts of tricks: automatic writing, automatic dipping in ink, and blood for the ink....
Tom's pen is a bit unusual in that it seems to transfer ink from the bottle directly into the pen, with just the right amount of ink. It is extremely comfortable to use, more like a ballpoint pen.