"Potions are a form of magic, aren't they?"

Severus Snape said calmly from the Hogwarts professors' viewing platform.

His gaze lightly swept over the swirling purple mist below. Without waiting for Professor McGonagall to retort, he continued, "The Serpent Sickness Potion is covered in the fourth-year textbook. I have mentioned it more than once in class. There are plenty of spells to detect and counteract these potions—but, alas, the Weasley twins didn't manage to digest or understand the knowledge from class… As for poisoning, well, that vial of reagent was indeed given to them by me. Isn't that what potions professors do?"

As the Head of Slytherin House, Snape was hardly a rule-abiding good guy. Not giving Malfoy assistance was already his bottom line.

Especially after Aileen "inadvertently" told him about Gryffindor's tactics, he had no psychological burden whatsoever.

"Compared to all this, those high-difficulty spells like the Undetectable Extension Charm and shrinking the Quaffle..."

Professor Snape said gloomily, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, as he sized up Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch.

"I'm merely leveling the playing field. As for the schemes and intelligence, those are part of the competition."

"But..."

Just then, Professor Flitwick's voice suddenly interjected.

"Even with the Serpent Sickness Potion, I still don't understand when the Weasley twins were poisoned?"

He glanced at the dissipating purple mist below. Fred and George were curled up on the ground, their bodies an alarming shade of cyan-purple, clearly in pain.

"Moreover, that doesn't seem to be a simple Serpent Sickness Potion, does it? Considering the potion's effects and the timing of its onset, Professor Snape, weren't you a little—"

"Rest assured, there will be no aftereffects. I can guarantee that."

Professor Snape said softly, his black eyes like bottomless, deep tunnels.

"As for subsequent treatment, Miss Kaslana knows how to alleviate it. This is much safer than those Weasley fireworks."

For a long time, most wizards' understanding of magical combat was limited to spells.

However, since Aileen's appearance last year, a new wave was silently engulfing this magical castle with over a thousand years of history.

Since the efficacy of the Mistified Wakefulness Potion was verified, Snape and others seemed to have opened a new door to potions.

Compared to the usual oral administration or wound application, the forms of potions absorbed through breathing, injection, or even the pores of the whole body erupted before their eyes like an explosion.

It should be known that the strongest research ability in the field of magical academics at Hogwarts today is undoubtedly Potions. Snape, Slughorn, and Damocles are roughly the most outstanding potion masters Hogwarts has produced in nearly a hundred years. Coupled with scholars and doctors from the non-magical world, the progress of potions almost crosses a new milestone every week.

"If it is a conventional potion to be swallowed, then the potion will pass through the throat into the digestive tract, and then spread around with the magic power."

Without waiting for Snape to speak, Horace Slughorn, sitting next to him, shook his head with some complacency, caressing the pipe in his hand and explaining with a smile.

"Obviously, the absorption mechanism of potions does not rely on the intestines and stomach—so why don't we consider a faster path?"

"Under normal circumstances, there are about 150 pores on one square centimeter of a normal person's skin, and the face alone has nearly 20,000 undefended pores, and behind them are capillaries and neural networks... Atomizing the potion and locking it with magic is clearly a new, more efficient and precise method, whether for treatment or as a consumable for magic attacks."

"Before leaving the field, Miss Cassiopeia used the Mud Magic to bury a diffusing Serpent Sickness Potion, modified by Severus, on the Gryffindor side of the field."

Slughorn flicked his finger, lit his pipe, and watched the snow-white smoke rise from the mouthpiece, sighing softly with emotion.

"As Miss Kaslana activates the magical field, the potions buried underground will naturally be evaporated and activated..."

"I see. It seems Slytherin House is quite well prepared this time."

Professor McGonagall's gaze swept over the potions professors, her eyebrows raised high, and she said coldly.

"However, have you considered that this will set a very bad precedent? There has never been a duel won by poisoning in Hogwarts history."

"Well, there is now. Besides, there was no precedent for winning with magical fireworks before, either, was there?"

Slughorn tapped the pipe in his hand, looking at the stern-faced Professor McGonagall without any fear, and said with an easy smile.

"Minerva, we are potions professors—"

Unlike Snape, who still lacked experience, Slughorn was McGonagall's senior in terms of both age and time spent at Hogwarts.

In Hogwarts, apart from Dumbledore and Professor Binns, no professor could discuss seniority or pull a long face in front of this "former potions professor."

"The first few to enjoy each potion before it can be officially used are definitely the wizards who brew it."

"Miss Kaslana has saved us old folks more than ten times. Don't worry, she can easily remove such a small dose of poisonous mist with a wave of her hand."

As if to confirm Horace Slughorn's words.

As the score was updated in mid-air, Aileen's figure reappeared.

White glowing spots slowly fell from the sky, like snowflakes falling in winter, silently landing on the Weasley twins.

Those frightening cyan-purple toxin traces quickly faded and disappeared before the healing runes, and the surrounding thin purple mist quickly dissipated like snow under the sun.

In less than three seconds, George and Fred's breathing became steady.

Then, their eyelids twitched a few times, and they suddenly opened, staggering and struggling to get up from the ground.

"The match is over, George, Fred—you were careless this time."

Before the Weasley twins could release their Quaffle, Aileen's voice rang in their ears.

At the same time, a gentle force wrapped around them, gently pushing them off the dueling platform, without any room to resist or struggle.

Compared to the crude Repelling Charm six months ago, Aileen's ability in magic manipulation is now no less than that of top wizards in their thirties.

Magical power comes from the dual entanglement and concerto of the body and soul. With the frequent stimulation of runic magic, Aileen's magical bloodline has long surpassed that of an adult Veela. According to the speculation of Paracelsus and Nicolas Flamel, she may even have surpassed Merlin of the same age—as for soul strength, she knows the source of her advantage even better.

"The Quaffle tactics are indeed good, but you can't just think about your own tactics... Slytherin House is not that simple."

Aileen glanced at the Weasley twins, who were full of unwillingness, shook her finger meaningfully, and said softly.

"The design concept of the Weasley Fireworks is very good, but the casting pre-action is still too long. You put too much effort into attack and firepower, and ignored magical efficiency—"

She paused for half a second, her eyes sweeping over the two "Weasley Quaffles" with their heads drooping, and the corners of her mouth raised in a sly smile.

"However, I heard that Professor Nicolas Flamel happens to be short of two clumsy apprentices."

"Given that the 'Weasley Fireworks' are too dangerous, you may have to endure some training in that professor's alchemy workshop."

Aileen glanced at the Weasley twins, whose expressions quickly changed from confusion to daze to elation, raised her hand to interrupt their subsequent words, and pointed to the side of the field.

"Now you should go to the resting area at the edge of the field to calm down and recover your state. The battle royale hasn't ended yet."

Undoubtedly, the Weasley twins are the most imaginative and creative newcomers in the magic world today.

Hogwarts' conventional magical learning cannot fully match their needs, and on the other hand, the content on the science side is also a limitation for them.

Perhaps at some point in the future, they can be wizarding superstars leading the integration of the magic world and the scientific world, but it is obviously too early now.

Anyway, Nicolas Flamel's workload has never been saturated. The Goblin Queen of Gringotts has been resentful of this waste for a long time. This House Match is undoubtedly a very public and convincing excuse—the powerful effect of the Weasley Fireworks shocked everyone in the first duel. After suppressing the disappointment of the defeated twins, it is good to give them a treat to balance it out.

"Okay, the battle royale continues... As the winning side, you have a fifteen-minute break."

Aileen ignored the two Weasleys, who were still immersed in the double torture of unexpected fortune and the failure of the game, and looked at the two Slytherins on the other side of the dueling field.

As a full witness to the potion revolution, she naturally knew what Slytherin's secret weapon was, and knew even more clearly that today's doubles battle royale had lost its suspense from the very beginning.

Apart from the "Mistified Serpent Sickness Potion" that the Weasley twins were hit by, Snape and others also prepared "Delayed Petrification Potion," "Viscous Acromantula Swamp Venom," "Potent Tear-Inducing Magical Potion," "Unstable Furnucle Potion," "Mistified Confusion Potion"... a total of nearly twenty bottles of [Master-level] combat magical potions.

Rather than fighting Slytherin classmates, they were fighting remotely with Slytherin House's three most outstanding potions masters of the past century.

However, Aileen did not intend to interfere with or ban this little episode of potion combat.

Watching the Weasley twins leave the field, Aileen turned her head and inconspicuously exchanged glances with Snape and others on the distant stands.

In her deal with Professor Snape and others, this doubles battle royale was originally a product release conference for the potion masters.

In exchange, these professors also agreed to join in the subsequent development and improvement of new drugs—not just potions, but also the reshaping of Muggle medicines.

Magic can unreasonably create certain drug answers that would take decades to find, and if the ingredients can be reverse-engineered from the answers, then the future of the world's medicine may enter a divine realm that no one has ever imagined. More importantly, potions can also, in this process, truly become the "magic" that people generally recognize.

…………

Fifteen minutes later.

"Ahem, the second battle royale is about to begin."

"The contestants from Gryffindor House—um? Mr. Weasley?"

Aileen cleared her throat and was about to announce the next round of contestants according to the previous list.

Just then, Percy Weasley suddenly ran out of the players' tunnel in the distance, interrupting Aileen's words.

"Sorry, Miss Kaslana, we are applying to use the temporary substitution privilege!"

Before Aileen could ask, Percy ran to the side of the field, panting, and said quickly while opening the magic book in his hand.

"Gryffindor House is paying 200 points to exchange for a substitute qualification."

"Substitute qualification?"

Aileen raised her eyebrows and glanced at Percy with interest.

"Yes, that's right... there is this item in the competition rules."

"But I want to state in advance that even if a substitute player enters the field, they must meet the basic requirements of this game—they must be a Gryffindor fifth-year student."

She curiously looked at Percy Weasley, wondering what this handsome and smart Gryffindor prefect wanted to do.

During the intermission just now, Gryffindor House should know what they were facing.

Faced with professor-level pressure, the wisest choice is to lie down gracefully.

After all, there is no way to prepare an antidote in such a short time, and there don't seem to be any particularly outstanding students in Gryffindor's fifth year.

The two Gryffindor girls on the list should be the strongest duo in Gryffindor's fifth year.

No matter how powerful and remarkable a little wizard is, they have no power to fight back in front of [Master-level] potions... Even Hermione, and even Bill, these foundation members, cannot have any means of resistance against this irresistible "potion attack" for a while—the fact that the Weasley twins were "instantly killed" has already explained everything.

At the same time, a burst of confused and expectant whispers also echoed in the surrounding audience seats.

"Yes, we understand the substitution rules of the battle royale."

Percy Weasley pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"The substitute player we are adding is..."

"Rubeus Hagrid."

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Yay!