Despite this, Leonard remained utterly engrossed in practicing the Transfiguration spell.
He discovered that by mastering it, he could manipulate the flow of magic within others. If someone attempted to cast a spell, he could directly interfere and cause their incantation to fail.
But that wasn't all. Leonard hadn't forgotten that the Transfiguration spell might hold clues to the origin of werewolves. Perhaps practicing it could unlock the method to transform a werewolf back into a human.
This was one reason driving Leonard to persistently study Transfiguration. He practiced relentlessly, striving to increase his mastery of the spell.
Yet Leonard's intuition told him that ordinary Transfiguration spells alone were useless. The key to truly lifting the werewolf curse lay in the Animagus transformation spell.
Unfortunately, this Transfiguration spell was deemed too dangerous, and the texts documenting it were locked away in the Restricted Section. Moreover, Professor McGonagall's repeated warnings about the spell's perils made Leonard hesitant to attempt it.
If possible, he hoped to receive guidance from Professor McGonagall.
But before that, Leonard intended to test the effects of the Magical Vision on potions.
Professor Sprout had mentioned that magical energy flow permeates all aspects of magic, including potions and alchemy. Theoretically, by directly observing the traces of magical energy flow through Magical Sight, Leonard could rapidly master the brewing methods for any potion. During the brewing process, this ability would elevate his success rate to an astonishingly high level.
While others relied on experience, Leonard could rely on power.
Thus, he decided to start with the Wolfsbane Potion—the one he knew best.
First came the standard Wolfsbane Potion. Leonard wrote to Midgard, requesting several batches of ingredients, including a mature aconite root. This was for the enhanced version of the Wolfsbane Potion.
Leonard had never successfully brewed this potion before, though he did possess some prior brewing experience. He intended to test whether Magical Sight could truly assist in brewing potent potions. If so, he could strike while the iron was hot and attempt brewing the enhanced Wolfsbane Potion.
The potion in the crucible boiled, Leonard's eyes brimming with silver light as he quietly observed the shifting magical energy within. After several attempts, Leonard systematically analyzed what each stage of the potion's magical energy represented.
When the primary ingredients were first added, the brewing process hadn't truly begun. To Leonard's eyes, the magic within the crucible was orderly and stable, yet devoid of vitality.
As the brewing progressed, this orderly magic transitioned from stability to gradual activation. This activation was beneficial, for the potion's efficacy depended on this vibrant magic—unrelated to the inherent properties of the ingredients themselves.
Should errors occur during this process, the originally orderly magic would become chaotic.
During this process, the potion's magical vitality could experience abnormal surges or decay. Excessive growth led to various unstable outcomes, such as abnormal solubility in the solution or even explosions.
This process was fascinating. Even identical potions produced different consequences under unstable conditions, the difference lying in the state of the chaotic magic when instability erupted. It was akin to how the same magic, channeled through different means, produced different spells.
Leonard found this deeply inspiring. He observed the flow of magic in both states during the process, intending to study them later to see if he could develop a new spell.
Decay, compared to growth, posed less danger. At worst, the entire potion would become waste, forming black, toxic residue.
The resulting potions also exhibited different magical properties. The potion's magic manifested as a pure, active vortex. The higher the quality and potency of the potion, the purer its magic and the more stable the vortex.
Conversely, poorer-quality potions exhibited less stable magic vortices, sometimes interspersed with fragments of the same magic.
Potion failures with virtually no normal effects were rare—most botched concoctions exploded or suffered other mishaps. Yet occasionally, peculiar potions or unusual circumstances yielded bottles utterly useless except as deadly poisons.
...
Its magical vortex twisted to an extreme, sharp as a needle's tip.
Just looking at such a potion was enough to make one uneasy, and Leonard certainly had no intention of testing what effects it might produce.
After deliberately wasting a number of materials to study the magical states of potions through Magical Sight, Leonard had more or less uncovered its role in potion brewing.
It was monumental—this ability fundamentally solved the problem of potion-making being excessively difficult.
Now, aside from his slight lack of skill in handling raw ingredients, there was no one who could rival Leonard in the pure craft of brewing potions. No one else could observe the essence of magical changes as deeply as he could.
With this confidence, Leonard quickly used the aconite fruit produced through the enhanced aconite process to craft a strengthened version of the Wolfsbane Potion. He then instructed Gray to send the remaining aconite fruit along with the finished potion to Midgard.
Although Midgard didn't usually need this enhanced Wolfsbane Potion, there was no telling what accidents might occur in the Knockturn Alley. This strengthened version and the extra aconite fruit could help Midgard avoid the weakness brought on by the regular potion during a critical moment.
According to Damocles, this enhanced Wolfsbane Potion could completely override the effects of the standard version without any side effects, allowing a werewolf to maintain full strength even at times when they should have been weakened.
For werewolves, this was an enormous advantage—potentially life-saving in desperate situations—since the weakness caused by the standard Wolfsbane Potion could easily prove fatal.
Once the matter of the Wolfsbane Potion was settled, Leonard turned his attention to studying the effects of the Swelling Solution.
He wanted to see whether this potion, which enlarged plants, would have any influence on his magical flora.
At the same time, the recent events had made Leonard start to question the resistance of his plants.
Would herbicides, deadly to ordinary plants, also harm magical ones?
It was no small concern. Leonard's magical plants might be impervious to spells, but if they were vulnerable to herbicides, that would be nothing short of a joke.