"Oh." Snape's voice remained low as he slowly sliced the bacon. "I just couldn't stand seeing those potion ingredients being wasted, that's all."
Flitwick gave a meaningful smile. "Understood! Understood!"
Just then, an owl flapped its wings and flew into the Great Hall.
Each of its claws held a rope, pulling a rather large package, as it flew to the other end of the teachers' table.
That was where Quirrell sat.
Flitwick gazed at the owl flying out of the Great Hall and said thoughtfully, "Judging from the shape of that package, does it also contain potions?"
Snape glanced at it casually, then sniffed. "Soul-Soothing Potion, equally terrible quality!"
Quirrell seemed startled by the sudden appearance of the owl, but he calmed down when he saw Vizette's signature on the package, picked it up, and left the Great Hall.
He sprinted back to his office, his stomach churning violently, feeling like he was about to throw up the few bites of breakfast he had eaten that morning.
"Hurry! Open that package! I need the potion inside!" Voldemort's deep voice came from the cloth bag behind his head.
Quirrell didn't dare to delay. He tore off the cloth bag and waved his wand to open the package.
Inside was a glass bottle filled with silver potion, and a layer of mist was still swirling around the mouth of the bottle.
A magical greeting card was also attached: Professor Quirrell, I hope this Soul-Soothing Potion can help you recover your spirits. Merry Christmas!
"It seems that ridiculous emotions are not entirely useless." Voldemort looked in the mirror, his gaze fixed on the glass bottle.
"At least that Silent One brought a large bottle of Soul-Soothing Potion. Pour it for me quickly! Hurry!"
Quirrell poured out a glass of Soul-Soothing Potion and waved his wand to make the potion float in front of Voldemort.
Voldemort, like a thirsty traveler in the desert, frantically drank down this cup of soul-soothing balm.
He had a look of lingering satisfaction on his face. "Excellent! Fantastic! Just as I expected... everything is going according to plan!"
Voldemort looked much better, and Quirrell's complexion also improved somewhat, no longer so pale.
"Master... what do you mean by what you said?" Quirrell felt a sinking feeling in his heart and quickly asked.
Voldemort was in high spirits and even explained in a calm tone: "Soul-Soothing Potion... a very high-level but not particularly difficult-to-make potion..."
"It tests the purity of a potion master's soul. The purer... or the more obsessive the soul, the better the soul-soothing potion can be created."
"Of course... that's purely the standard used by those potion masters, while my standard is... chaos!"
Quirrell had a bad feeling and quickly asked, "Master, so Vizette's soul..."
"Yes! Yes!" Voldemort let out a monstrous laugh. "He's being affected! Delicious! An exceptionally delicious soul-soothing potion! How many flavors have I tasted?"
"Let me calculate... pure chaos, evil... delicious! Quirinus! Give me another cup!"
...
"Utter nothingness... Novelty! Another one, please!"
...
"Ah...and a strange texture...hard to describe...never experienced before...extraordinary..."
...
He was like a seasoned gourmet, savoring the taste of Vizette's soul through cup after cup of soul-soothing balm.
"It's amazing! It's amazing! I haven't felt this good in a long time! Quirinus... I'm afraid you can't understand this feeling... the feeling of savoring the taste of the soul!"
Voldemort was indeed in a good mood, and he was even willing to explain a few things to Quirrell.
"Quirinus... your soul is so boring... a cowardly existence that can be seen from the beginning, pitifully seeking recognition... yet as cowardly as a squirrel..."
"That's why I chose you... I can see your thirst for power, your desire to be valued, like a squirrel craving a pine cone..."
Quirrell's expression was complicated as he tried to understand Voldemort's words.
He asked tentatively, "Master, he has created a soul-soothing potion that satisfies you... can we stop teaching him dark magic?"
"Keep him here…have him provide you with more soul-soothing potion…I can provide the materials so he can make more, just in case."
"Quirinus...Quirinus..." Voldemort's tone turned sinister, "Your memory is always so bad; you easily forget important things!"
"I can see everything about you, Quirinus… You should be thankful that with this Soul-Soothing Potion, you'll be better off, understand?"
"Yes… my master!" Quirrell trembled. "I… I understand."
"Very good! Very good!" Voldemort chuckled sinisterly. "Since it's Christmas, I should give you a present."
"Quirinus! I hope you'll remember what abilities I possess in the days to come... You really need to learn your lesson!"
In an instant, a dark green light enveloped the entire office...
-------------------------------------
The Christmas holiday was very long, lasting more than half a month.
Vizette was either tending the garden with Luna or studying Snape's reply.
Just before Christmas, he had completed his theoretical studies on the Soul-Soothing Potion. Adhering to the learning method of "theory plus practice," he took advantage of the Christmas holiday to brew the Soul-Soothing Potion according to the contents of his notes.
This potion was a high-level magical potion, and more variables occurred during the brewing process, requiring constant adjustment of the heat and technique.
Even with the help of the Eye of Magic, the process of making potions was extremely dangerous for Vizette.
He felt a great sense of accomplishment when he created the potion.
After his evaluation, both the color and the effect were as described in the notes.
This was why he gave it as a gift to Snape and Quirrell.
He gave it to Quirrell to help him relieve his mood and worries;
Giving it to Snape carried an added connotation of "handing in homework."
However, in Snape's eyes, the Soul-Soothing Potion created by Vizette was completely substandard.
This was something that Vizette had not anticipated.
Snape wrote a long letter about this.
It listed the possible reasons for failure and provided many improvement methods.
In addition to the letter, he also sent a large bag of potion ingredients.
It took three owls to successfully deliver this large bag of potion ingredients.
Putting aside the harsh and sarcastic sentences and words, Vizette could sense Snape's good intentions from this letter.
Following the advice in the letter, he revised the notes, set up several control groups, and gradually improved the cooking time, the stirring technique, and the timing of casting spells with the wand.
Despite spending most of the Christmas holiday and incurring huge material costs, Vizette still couldn't gain Snape's approval.
Later on, Snape even told him directly that he should stop practicing the Soul-Soothing Potion for the time being.
This news was a blow to Vizette…