prevoiusly in chapter 6
[Name: Sleepless Potion]
[Grade: Medium]
[Description: This potion, crafted with the level 2 Potion-Creation skill, is designed to alleviate the negative effects of sleep deprivation. It grants the drinker temporary energy and mental clarity, reducing fatigue and sharpening focus for up to 2 hours. Created using powdered moonstone, essence of bat spleen, and drops of gurdyroot juice, it provides a 200% boost to physical and mental alertness. No permanent effects.]
[Deterioration-Rate: 100%]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 7
However, instead of just using the potion for himself and keeping it a secret, Gray came up with the brilliant idea of selling it to students. That's right, students. No, he didn't report his findings to the headmaster to earn heaps of points for his house, which would help them win the House Cup this year. Instead, he was making profits—and he was making them well. Gray was currently in a dark and empty part of Hogwarts, with robes and a hoodie covering his face. A fourth-year student approached him from behind and asked, "You got the stuff?"
Gray, in a deeper voice, replied, "You got the money?" "Yeah, let me see the stuff," the student responded. Gray chuckled. "Nah, show me the coins, or you'll never be able to buy these potions. And you know I'm the only one who sells them." The fourth-year, who had wanted to run away with the potion, groaned as he took out a small pouch of coins. Before he knew it, the coin pouch flew away, and a flask landed in his hand. Seeing the flask, he immediately walked away like nothing ever happened, pretending he was just out for a stroll, while Gray, already out of sight, made his way back to the Great Hall.
On his way back to the Great Hall, Gray no longer looked so lifeless. His eyes were sharp, and he moved with a new found energy, all because of the coins he was making, and who wouldn't love money. As he strolled down the corridor, a scream pierced the air, making him pause for a second. He turned toward the direction of the sound, squinting in curiosity. Moments later, his eyes widened as he saw a giant figure lumbering through the hallways—a troll. Excitement surged through him as he smiled to himself. "A troll... known for its stupendous strength. One of the only ingredients I still need for the strength potion," he muttered, feeling a thrill at the thought of what he could do with its blood.
Without wasting another second, Gray sprinted toward the bathroom, where the screams had come from. As he entered, he immediately saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all trying to get around the troll, which had backed them into a corner. They all froze upon spotting Gray. Gray didn't waste time. His wand flicked up. "Immobulus!" he cast, freezing the troll in place. The beast stood like a statue, its massive club hovering in the air as if time had stopped for it.
Before the others could even react, Gray cast again. "Bombarda!" he said calmly, this time aiming directly for the troll's heart. A small explosion erupted on the troll's chest, and the frozen creature was blasted backward, crashing into the bathroom stalls. The force of the blast left it lifeless.
"Holy cow, deadboy!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide in shock. Harry, still processing what had just happened, asked, "How did you do that?" Gray, without looking back, casually replied, "Magic." With that, he pulled out a long test tube from his robes and began collecting the troll's blood. He worked methodically, even scraping off bits of its tissue and storing it in small vials. Hermione, confused and horrified, finally spoke up.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice trembling with both fear and curiosity. Gray looked up, his expression neutral, as he surveyed the trio. "Me? Nothing. In fact, I was never here to begin with, okay?" His wand flicked toward them. The three exchanged nervous glances before Hermione finally nodded, her voice steady. "We haven't seen you since yesterday." Harry quickly followed suit, nodding. "I didn't see anything."
Ron, still blinking in shock, stammered, "i....Who... who are you?" Gray rolled his eyes. "Not that far, you idiot. Just don't mention me." With that, he gave them one last look before swiftly leaving the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, the professors arrived, only to find the troll dead and the trio shaken.
"Oh! Oh, my goodness! Explain yourselves, both of you!" McGonagall demanded, her voice sharp. Ron and Harry began to stammer, "Well, what it is..." but Hermione quickly interrupted. "It's my fault, Professor McGonagall," she admitted, drawing the attention of both the teachers and her friends. McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "Miss Granger?"
Hermione, her voice steady but full of remorse, continued, "I went looking for the troll. I'd read about them and thought I could handle it. But I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found me, I'd probably be dead." McGonagall frowned, disappointment clear in her expression. "Be that as it may, it was an extremely foolish thing to do," she scolded. As McGonagall spoke, Harry's eyes drifted to Snape's leg, where he noticed a large cut with the fabric torn. Snape quickly covered it up, glaring at Harry with suspicion. McGonagall's voice cut through his thoughts. "Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgment, Miss Granger."
Turning her attention to Harry and Ron, she softened slightly. "As for you two gentlemen, I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many first-year students could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale." Harry and Ron exchanged a grin as McGonagall added, "Five points will be awarded to each of you... for sheer dumb luck." With that, McGonagall and Snape left the bathroom, their footsteps fading into the distance. Quirrell, looking nervously at the troll, muttered, "Perhaps you ought to go. It m-might wake up." The trio quickly exited the bathroom, leaving Quirrell to nervously glance at the unconscious creature.
As they walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room through the dimly lit corridor, Harry broke the silence. "Good for you to get us out of trouble like that," he said to Hermione, a hint of gratitude in his voice. Ron, always quick with a remark, added, "Mind you, I mean, we didnt even kill the thing, and we, well, he did save her life and ours," Harry, not letting Ron off so easily, shot back, "Mind you, she didn't need saving if you hadn't insulted her." Hermione glanced at Ron, waiting for his response. Meanwhile the gray was grinning like an idiot as he got to work
-scene change-
While the Quidditch match was going on, the resident deadboy was back to pulling sleepless nights. He was currently in his potion-making room, with his mana deactivated as he let it recover. He had just made a potion using the troll's blood and some other ingredients, and it was safe to say Gray wasn't a genius. "Fuck, is this even a potion?" he asked himself as he looked at the description of the potion.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: As with most things, I want this fanfic to be better than the last one, which means I have to put in the effort. You know, add some Easter eggs here and there. I've already started doing that from chapter 5. Of course, not every chapter is going to have them, but do watch out for those.
P.S.: Yes, there is going to be a lot of potion dealing and selling.