"Do I really want to try it myself?" he wondered.

But the potion seemed perfectly in line with what was described in the textbook, and there was no indication that the peppermint would turn it into anything dangerous.

After a moment's hesitation, Alex took a small sip.

Immediately, a wave of happiness surged through him. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough to confirm the potion worked as intended.

He smiled. "Seems like it’s fine," Alex muttered. "Now let’s try making the second batch without the peppermint."

This second pot of potion was the standard recipe, without any extra ingredients. Once again, Alex tasted it after bottling, and the effects were pleasant, but not as intense.

'Looks like the peppermint does enhance the effect. Makes sense. Some people would definitely prefer the stronger version.'

While he preferred the original, he knew that the more intense version would probably be more popular among buyers.

By the end of the day, Alex had brewed two full batches, totaling ten bottles of Euphoria Potion. With the cost of ingredients, he estimated that each bottle could sell for about 15 Galleons at Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. While it wasn’t a huge profit, it was a decent start. There were still plenty of mandala fruits left, but Alex decided to stop for the day.

'I’ll make more tomorrow,' he thought. He packed everything up, leaving the potions at Hagrid’s place for safekeeping.

Afterward, it was time for Hagrid’s favorite part of the day—cooking. Alex used the new iron pot Hagrid had set up to fry a large batch of salt and pepper ribs. The two of them feasted, enjoying the evening with full stomachs and good conversation.

The next day, Alex returned to Hagrid’s hut with twenty more potion bottles. He had also borrowed an extra cauldron from Vivienne, so he could brew two pots at once this time. After spending the previous day familiarizing himself with the process, Alex was confident enough to handle double the workload.

Once again, everything went smoothly. By the end of the day, Alex had another twenty bottles of Euphoria Potion, bringing his total to thirty.

'Hagrid really is a hidden treasure trove,' Alex thought, admiring how easily Hagrid had gathered so many mandala fruits. Outside of Hogwarts, finding such a supply would be nearly impossible.

Thanks to Hagrid’s help, Alex didn’t waste a single ingredient. Every potion turned out perfectly. He kept ten bottles for himself and asked Hagrid to help him sell the remaining twenty. Hagrid was astonished to see Alex produce so many potions in just two days.

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"You made all this yourself?" Hagrid asked, his eyes wide. "Blimey, Alex, you’re a natural at this!"

Alex laughed. "It wasn’t too hard with good materials. Thanks for helping with the mandala fruits. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you."

With the potion-making done, Alex felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Now that his immediate goal was accomplished, his thoughts returned to the spell he’d found in the Half-Blood Prince’s book—the Sectumsempra curse.

'The potions worked, so the spell should be real too.' His curiosity was too strong to ignore any longer. He packed up his things and left Hagrid’s hut, heading to an open space where he could safely test the spell.

Spotting a log that hadn’t been split, Alex set it up as a target and walked about ten meters away. He figured that should be a safe distance. "This should be far enough," he muttered to himself.

Taking out his wand, Alex pointed it at the log. "Sectumsempra!" he shouted.

An almost invisible blade shot out from the tip of his wand, flying toward the log at incredible speed. In an instant, the log was sliced cleanly in half.

Alex’s eyes widened in shock. It wasn’t the power of the spell that surprised him—it was the familiarity of it.

"I’ve seen this spell before!" Alex realized. He remembered the night he first met Sirius, when he had almost been struck by the same spell. If not for Lily’s protective amulet, the spell could have seriously injured him, just like it had sliced through the log.

"Snape," Alex whispered, his hands tightening around his wand. He remembered clearly now. It was Snape who had used this spell that night, breaking through his barrier charms as if they were nothing.

"I never expected the Half-Blood Prince to be Snape. Pretending to be someone else, and a Death Eater on top of that," Alex muttered bitterly. If given the chance, he wouldn’t hesitate to use this spell against Snape in return.

He approached the log to inspect the damage. The cut was incredibly clean, and Alex could still sense a faint trace of magic lingering on the wood.

Curious, he tried using a Reparo to close the cut, but the log didn’t react at all.

"This spell is dangerous. Too dangerous," Alex muttered. The fact that the wound couldn’t be healed made it even more deadly. "If there’s no counter-curse, this could easily be classified as dark magic. It’s nearly as dangerous as an Unforgivable Curse."

The realization unsettled him.

'I shouldn’t use this spell unless absolutely necessary. If it hits someone, they’ll bleed out before they can even be healed.' He made a mental note to study the spell further, hoping to find a way to reverse its effects. For now, though, he decided it was best to avoid using it. One wrong move, and it could be lethal.

Suppressing his shock, Alex took a few deep breaths and made his way back to Hagrid’s hut, acting as if nothing had happened. That evening, the two of them prepared another big meal together, chatting about simpler things, but in the back of Alex's mind, he knew he had uncovered something powerful and dangerous—something that would require caution in the future.

__________________

"Hey, Alex, stop dragging your feet! The Quidditch match is about to start, and I've never seen one before. Do you think I could become a Quidditch player one day?" Vivian called out excitedly as she pulled Alex along towards the stadium, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. She was moving so fast, it was as if she thought they’d lose their chance at good seats if they didn’t hurry.

Alex wasn’t particularly fond of Quidditch, finding it a bit too rough for his liking. But today, his mood was light, thanks to the success of his potion sales. With Hagrid’s help, Alex had managed to sell all the Euphoria Potions he brewed, earning a total of 240 Galleons. His previously strained wallet was feeling much better now.