Some might wonder, 'why use the beginner's potion kit for this?' Well, the answer was simple; I was too young to own a real cauldron or any potion equipment of my own. I had to source it all through toys because I was too young. And, if I'm brutally honest, the fact I was a Squib would also be reason enough for someone not to sell to me professional grade materials once I did grow up. So, for the moment, I would experiment with whatever 'toys' I could get my mitts on.
'Note to self, look into Muggle chemistry sets,' I thought as I turned on the heat of the stove and put the teapot sized mini-cauldron on top of the flames. 'Also, get safety goggles and other equipment. Wizards wouldn't know the meaning of the term 'lab safety' if it hit 'em on the head!'
I separated out my ingredients, and decided to make the Wiggenweld potion first. It was easy and wouldn't destroy the cauldron if done wrong – just cause gross smoke instead. If I did the Numbing Potion wrong, I could cause frostbite or other cold related damage to my skin, and the Boil-Cure Potion was known to explode and melt the cauldron as well as cause horrific blisters if improperly brewed.
So, I took the ingredients that came with the potion kit, and prepared them as the water boiled. A Hunch family recipe for the Wiggenweld Potion called for powdered Wiggentree bark, aka the bark of a mountain ash tree (or rowan in some circles), salamander's blood (from a normal salamander, not the magical kind that's on fire), mint leaves, dittany, and honey. Again, the recipe was vague on how much of anything I needed, but at least most of the work involved stirring. And, best of all, aside from the dittany, it was completely mundane.
Dittany was a magical plant, an herb, really, that grew in several regions worldwide and was vital for healing potions. The concentrated Essence of Dittany potion was so potent a tiny smear of the stuff could heal almost any superficial wounds and prevent scarification from larger ones.
And wouldn't you know it? Dittany actually grew in the Muggle world, and was well known for its healing properties! Well, known among herbalists and 'natural cure' folks, that is. But there was some truth to their claims.
Now, the magical world used a very specific breed of dittany plant known as Origanum Dictamnus, or more commonly Cretan Dittany. It only grows on the island of Crete, hence why in the magical world, Essence of Dittany was rare and expensive, and the plant itself was reserved for only talented potion brewers.
But, there is another breed of dittany, one that grows wild and abundant in the Muggle world. Dictamnus Albus, sometimes known as 'burning bush' due to the highly flammable oils it produces. It is not as magically potent as the Cretan variety, as much of the innate magic was bred out of it due to its spread across woodlands in Southern Europe, Northern Africa and most of Asia.
Yet there still remained a spark of this healing essence that allowed this substance to work its magic, literally. So long as it was brewed properly, even this debased off-shoot could provide a potent healing effect. And if mixed with other ingredients, it allowed for even a magicless Squib like myself to provide the necessary 'spark' of magic many mid to high tier potions demanded, and would usually require a wand-user to provide.
And so, into the water went some shredded dittany leaves. Then, the salamander's blood. As I stirred using a stirring stick made from a unicorn's horn (another relic of the Hunch family) the liquid started to change colors. Red, orange, pink, yellow, even turquoise at one point! Then, I increased the heat, and added the powdered bark as it bubbled. The potion turned yellow, and in went the mint! This made it turn purple, until I stirred it, at which point it became a reddish hue.
A couple more shredded leaves of mint went in, and it turned orange again, then yellow. And then finally went the honey, and it went back to a pretty shade of turquoise as it simmered. After thirty minutes of doing so, I turned off the heat and removed the potion to let it cool.
I went and did my homework afterwards as I waited, and found that the potion was finally done an hour later. It had darkened from its turquoise hue to a cyan in that time, and I cautiously tested it by smearing some of the potion over a papercut I'd gotten in school earlier.
A faint tingle ran through the appendage, and I watched wide-eyed as the blue liquid seeped into the wound and the cut healed completely!
"It worked!" I cheered, overjoyed that my first potion had actually done its job properly. Sure, I'd brewed potions before, but that had always been with my mom nearby, and I'd always wondered and worried if perhaps the potions I'd brewed had only come out fine due to the presence of my witch of a mother (in a good way!).
But now, here was proof I could make my own potions!
"I'll have to test this again," I told myself. "See if I can brew it without using the unicorn horn stirrer. And see how much I actually need of each ingredient. And is there a way to make it thicker, so it's more like a cream? Creams sell better than liquid medicines, after all."
All these thoughts swirled through my mind, and it took considerable effort to stop them and calm down.
'Yes, I succeeded, but that was just a test. No need to go overboard with the excitement. I have many years to go to perfect everything. For now, celebrate with some Thai takeout,' I thought to myself.
Still, I couldn't help but smile. My future – and my Master Plan – looked promising.
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