Ukyo Bones was there, and she smiled at her Ranchan before turning her attention back to the real action. "Ranko-chan," her mother called from the center of a complex diagram in the center of the room. "Don't disturb anything. I spent all last week getting the arithmancy right and double checking everything. The last thing we want is a smudged symbol."
Sparing a rueful, yet resigned, glance to a smashed brass teakettle still bearing the marks of the boulder that had flattened it over on a shelf in the corner, Ranko nodded and put her bag down well short of the magic circle. "I got everything we needed from the greenhouse, but I had to smash a lock to get the other ingredients from Snape's private potion stores. He's bound to notice the break in, but an unlocking charm wouldn't work."
"Ah, he remembers." Nodoka mused thoughtfully as she carefully checked her latest drawn symbol. "I was always stealing his potion supplies at school."
"Aiyah! Shampoo not wonder why." The cheerful amazon had put down her own bundle and opened Ranko's, lifting out what looked like half a rhino horn after counting the others. "Seven and a half Erumpet Horns? Very expensive!"
"I'm a Malfoy, dear. It wasn't the cost. It was that I hated Snape." Nodoka smirked, amused at her antics. "We don't need the half, but I'm glad that you got the seven. That's just barely enough for what I'd planned to do with them. Would you put them over in that cauldron of broth simmering in the corner? That's a good dear."
"Who are they?" Ranko asked of the pair of identical twin girls sitting on the other side of the room, looking more than a little lost and confused, but increasingly willing as they listened to what Cologne was whispering to them. She asked this as she picked out the seven intact horns (grabbing the half for good measure) and went and did her mother's bidding, sliding them into the simmering silver cauldron of orange and yellow polka-dotted potion broth. As she added the horns the potion turned a sudden red, almost as brilliantly colored as her hair.
"When it starts to churn add the dry ingredients I've measured out in that bowl nearby. Then when it starts to bubble fish out those horns again with the tongs, will you? Make sure not to stir anything, that's very important. And they are the Patil twins, the other Dual-House pupils this year. I figured that made them the best candidates to recruit, and we wanted to bring our numbers up to seven anyway. Shampoo, could you be a darling and get me that book by the door? I want to make certain that I've not forgotten anything."
"Mrs Saotome? I'm sorry, Malfoy?" Ukyo blushed. "I think this is ready."
"Oh, good. The occamy eggs have finished dissolving? That's excellent. Go add them to the bowl by Ranko-chan, dear. She can add them along with the powdered ramora scales and other ingredients. I was worried we might have to go on without them. That wouldn't have stopped us, but we'll get better results this way."
"What for we do?" Shampoo asked, proffering the book to Nodoka, who began to check her work against those notes scribbled around the diagrams on the pages.
"Occamy eggs and ramora scales are both highly magical, biological silver, Shampoo dear. There are powdered horns from seven different dragon types in the dry ingredients, among other things. We are performing a transfiguration, although a more controlled and permanent one than you'll likely get out of even the most skilled wand. We are, in essence, brewing a very special magic. Ranko-chan, if you'll look in the cupboard under the cauldron you'll find another seven Erumpet horns. I wasn't sure how many Snape would have and wanted to make sure to have enough on hand for us. Go ahead and add them, too. The occamy eggs will make our brew more than strong enough."
"How much are we spending on this potion?" Ukyo asked dubiously, after she'd delivered the dissolved eggs and seen them added as the mix began to churn moments later.
"More than enough to fund Hogwarts school for an entire year. Probably more than enough to run the Ministry of Magic for a year. Almost certainly more than is left of the entire Malfoy fortune - funding dark lords can be so expensive! But the results should be well worth it, Ukyo dear." Nodoka cheerfully replied.
"So that's it?" Ukyo asked, as Ranko carefully watched for bubbling.
"No, Ukyo dear, that's not quite half of it. I am working on the rest."
Cologne had apparently quit her earlier conversation quite satisfied with the results and the twins were completely won over. "Are you sure of everything, Nodoka dear?"
"Yes, quite. Everything has been double and triple checked. It is all in order. We only wait for the horns to be ready." Nodoka closed the book and sent Shampoo away, the teenage amazon extraordinarily careful in not touching the precise chalk marks. No one in the room wore any trailing clothing.
"Aiyah! You certain? Is very big spell we do."
"Do recall that I taught Arithmancy for two years, and Potions for another one, Shampoo dear. I am confident we have everything right."
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(Posted Mon, 01 Aug 2005 22:11)
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