Hagrid, finishing his meal, gave a big hiccup before replying. "Aye, I did. Saw quite a few while I was in the forest, and it's about time they ripened."
Alex's face lit up. "That's perfect! Hagrid, next time you go into the forest, could I come with you? I'd like to collect some mandala fruits."
Hagrid immediately shook his head, looking serious. "No, Alex. The Forbidden Forest is dangerous, especially for a student. If anything happened to you, I'd never be able to explain it to the school."
After thinking it over, Hagrid added, "Tell you what, I'll gather some mandala fruits for you next time I'm in the forest. That way, you can get what you need without risking yourself."
Alex couldn't hide his excitement.
"Really? That would be amazing! Just make sure they're the light purple, magical ones, and they have to be whole."
Hagrid chuckled. "Don't worry, I know my way around the Forbidden Forest. You'll get your mandala fruits. Next time you stop by, I'll have a whole basket for you."
Alex thanked Hagrid again, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Hagrid before heading back to the castle.
With the materials for the Euphoria Potion taken care of, he could focus on mastering the brewing process. First, Alex needed to memorize the entire process of brewing the Euphoria Potion. He opened the sixth-year Potions textbook—the one belonging to the Half-Blood Prince—and found the formula for the Euphoria Potion. He had skimmed over it before but hadn't paid much attention to the detailed steps, especially the specific methods for handling and preparing ingredients.
As Alex studied the notes, he noticed a peculiar suggestion from the Prince: adding a small amount of peppermint to the potion would significantly improve its effects.
'Really?' Alex muttered. The Half-Blood Prince had a habit of adding his own twists to potion recipes, and many of them were unconventional. Curious, Alex decided he would follow the Prince's method when he brewed the potion to see if it really made a difference.
After studying the potion-making process, Alex continued flipping through the Prince's textbook. He found several insightful notes on other potions, along with a spell written in the margins: Sectumsempra.
'Shenfeng Shadowless Curse?' Alex read aloud. 'That sounds dangerous.'
He hesitated. 'Is this a finished spell or something the Prince just made up?' Alex decided not to risk trying it. Until he understood more about the Prince and his background, Alex wasn't willing to experiment with potentially dangerous spells.
A few weeks later, Alex returned to Hagrid's hut and was greeted by a large basket filled with perfectly ripe mandala fruits—at least a dozen of them. He marveled at how easily Hagrid could gather such rare ingredients.
'Hagrid could make a fortune if he ever decided to sell these ingredients,' he thought.
Rather than taking the basket back to his dormitory, Alex decided to brew the potion at Hagrid's. Potions couldn't be made in the dorms, and sneaking into the potions classroom was too risky. Hagrid's hut provided the perfect secluded spot to work.
The weekend came, and Alex packed his cauldron, ingredients, tools, and the sixth-year Potions textbook. He also brought along the peppermint and set off for Hagrid's hut once more.
By now, the weather had changed, and Hogwarts was growing colder as November settled in. Students were bundled up in winter clothes, and many were suffering from colds and the flu due to the changing weather. The tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin hadn't cooled, and frequent squabbles led to point deductions for both houses. Fortunately, none of this affected Alex, who remained focused on his own goals.
As he walked down the path, Alex considered keeping some of the potions he made as Christmas presents for his friends. Hagrid, in particular, deserved something nice for helping him out so much. The thought made Alex smile as he neared Hagrid's hut.
Outside the hut, the green onions Alex had planted were thriving. It seemed Hagrid had taken good care of them, and Alex made a mental note to give him a couple of bottles of the potion once it was ready.
He also noticed something new: a stone stove had been set up outside, with the large iron pot Alex had requested sitting on top.
'Looks like my big pot has arrived,' Alex thought happily.
Hagrid greeted him enthusiastically as soon as he stepped inside.
"How do you like the stove outside? Looks good, doesn't it? We'll have to cook something delicious in that big pot later!"
Alex laughed. "Don't worry, Hagrid. We'll definitely cook up something good. But I came a bit early today to borrow your place for some potion-making. We'll have dinner after I'm done."
Alex unpacked his materials, laying them out on Hagrid's large wooden table. He set up his cauldron, glass potion bottles, and various tools, asking Hagrid to keep an eye out while he worked. After all, many of the ingredients had been taken from the greenhouse, and the potion bottles were borrowed from the potions classroom. He didn't want any unnecessary questions raised about where everything came from.
With everything in place, Alex got to work. It was time to see if the Half-Blood Prince's method for brewing the Euphoria Potion was as good as he claimed.
After setting up the cauldron, Alex carefully inspected the ingredients. The quality of the materials was crucial to the effectiveness of the finished potion. He then began preparing everything according to the recipe for the Euphoria Potion. The process required two mandala fruits—one to remain whole and unpeeled, while the other needed to be peeled and sliced into precise strips. The thickness of the slices was very specific, and Alex's steady hand made quick work of the preparation.
Once the ingredients were ready, Alex monitored the potion's progress closely, observing the color of the liquid, the smoke rising from it, and how it boiled. These cues would tell him when to add ingredients or stir the mixture.
The brewing process went smoothly, and when the time came, Alex remembered the note from the Half-Blood Prince about adding peppermint to enhance the potion's effects. Curious, he decided to experiment. He added peppermint to this batch and planned to make another without it to compare the results.
After a short time, the potion was finished, and Alex bottled the Euphoria Potion, filling five bottles in total. He looked at the shimmering liquid and debated whether to test it.