The entire Potions classroom had now transformed into a silent theater.
Every student—Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw alike—had become utterly focused spectators.
And at the very center of the stage stood the black-haired boy before the cauldron, calm and composed—
Lucian Thornwick.
Under Snape's complex gaze—laden with scrutiny, doubt, and something bordering on fanaticism—Lucian did not hesitate in the slightest.
He casually flipped open Magical Drafts and Potions to the page on the Swelling Solution. His eyes lingered for less than half a second, as though he had already grasped every secret and fallacy within it.
Then he moved.
Without pause, his hands danced across the table laden with ingredients.
Grasping. Measuring. Slicing. Grinding.
Every movement carried an indescribable rhythm, as if he were not preparing potion materials, but performing a precise and elegant dance.
Snape's eyes widened to a degree never seen before.
His breathing had unconsciously stopped entirely.
As a Potions Master, he understood better than anyone present the terrifying implications behind those fluid motions.
"Merlin…"
Snape roared inwardly.
Leaving aside the revolutionary adjustments to the recipe—this level of seamless, utterly efficient technique alone surpassed him by an unknown margin.
When Lucian processed the puffer-fish eyes, the angle and force of his blade extracted the maximum viable liquid without damaging the toxin sac.
When he ground bat spleens, each press struck precisely at the material's magical nodes, ensuring the powdered form retained peak vitality.
This… this was not something a first-year student could do.
No—
This was not something human could do.
It was as though magic itself had borrowed this body to demonstrate its most perfect form to the world.
"Monster. He's absolutely a monster."
Wave after wave of shock battered Snape's heart.
The surrounding students, though unable to comprehend the deeper technical intricacies, could feel the overwhelming sense of beauty and confidence in Lucian's movements.
"Look at him… he seems even more skilled than Professor Snape."
"Can he really improve another potion? This is insane."
"I feel like my brain isn't enough anymore… Today feels like a dream."
Whispers trembled through the room.
Finally, under the breathless gazes of all, Lucian added the final drop of dandelion juice into the cauldron.
Instantly, the murky mixture turned into a crystalline emerald green. A rich aura of vitality surged outward.
The restrained yet powerful magical fluctuation made everyone present feel their hearts skip a beat.
He had done it again.
Snape nearly lunged forward.
From within his robes, he produced a quill—a standard tool for testing potion effects.
With trembling precision, he dipped the tip into the faintest trace of emerald liquid.
Then, before the entire class, he placed the quill gently upon the bare desk.
The next second—
A miracle.
The slender feather swelled like a balloon being inflated, expanding at visible speed.
Twice its size.
Five times.
Ten times.
It continued to grow until it became as thick as a child's arm, lying heavily upon the desk. Its surface even emitted a faint green glow from the excessive magical infusion.
Snape's pupils contracted to pinpoints.
He was speechless.
As professor, he knew perfectly well: the textbook Swelling Solution could at best enlarge a quill to the thickness of a finger.
But Lucian's revised version—
"Incredible…"
Snape murmured as though in a dream. His usually cold face was filled with the shock and disorientation of someone crushed beneath undeniable truth.
"It… it truly succeeded. And the effect… is at least ten times stronger than the original formula."
Though his voice was low, in the deathly silent classroom it rang like thunder.
Boom.
Every student felt as though a troll's club had struck their heads.
Shock.
Unparalleled shock.
"W-What? Did I hear that right? Ten times stronger?"
"So Lucian actually improved the potion? And boosted its potency tenfold in one go?"
"Merlin's beard… is he even human?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood frozen like three stone statues.
Hermione glanced down at her wrinkled robes—creased from how tightly she had clenched them in worry earlier—then looked back at Lucian, who stood as calmly as if he had merely taken a sip of water.
A fierce wave of embarrassment flooded her.
She had been worried about him? Tried to stop him?
The fool had been herself.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both recalling the earlier looks they had given Lucian—as if he were an idiot.
Their cheeks burned.
In the presence of true genius, their prior thoughts now seemed unbearably childish.
On the other side, Malfoy and his Slytherin entourage looked utterly grim.
Jealousy—vicious, gnawing jealousy—coiled through their hearts like a venomous serpent.
"Impossible… this must be some kind of trick."
"How could a Gryffindor be that powerful?"
Malfoy's fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms.
While the students remained submerged in overwhelming astonishment, Snape abruptly regained control.
He drew in a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm raging inside him.
The expression of shock on his face was swiftly covered once more by that familiar, icy mask.
"That concludes today's lesson."
His voice had returned to its usual cold detachment, as if the man who had lost control moments earlier had never existed.
"The remaining time will be for self-study."
Without sparing anyone another glance, he carefully sealed the two potion samples Lucian had brewed, treating them like priceless treasures.
Then, with a dramatic sweep of his black robes, he strode swiftly out of the classroom.
He did not return to his office.
Instead, he hurried directly toward the upper floors of the castle.
He had to—immediately—inform Albus Dumbledore.
Hogwarts—
No, the entire wizarding world—
Might be on the verge of an unprecedented upheaval because of this boy named Lucian Thornwick.