Upon hearing this, Astoria's eyes immediately turned red with grievance as she looked at Nolan pitifully. However, when she saw the exhaustion on his face as he rubbed his temples, and remembered that he was still injured, she bit her lip and held back her words.
Astoria firmly grabbed Eve's wrist with her small hands, flashing a devilish smile. "If I can't stay with Nolan, then neither can you."
"Hey! You damn little brat, let go of me!" Eve snapped in frustration. She had planned to cozy up to Nolan, but this nuisance was blocking her way, which was truly irritating.
"Nolan already said he wants to rest alone. Besides... do you really think I don't know what you're thinking? There's no way I'll let my love rival stay in the same room with him." Astoria cooed sweetly, her tone laced with warning.
"Fine, but don't think you'll get to see Nolan either!"
When the duo—a tall, mature beauty and a feisty little girl—emerged in the hallway, the students nearby took a moment to process the scene. Then, their gazes drifted to Nolan's room behind them, and realization dawned.
Tsk, tsk, tsk… Those two were at it again.
Nolan really had it good, didn't he?
Of course, if he knew what they were thinking, he would have surely asked whether they'd like to trade places with him. Would they be able to handle it?
Probably not.
After all, when those two fought over him, they paid no attention to time or place—and they were unbearably noisy.
Meanwhile, due to the recent petrification curse incidents, the academy, after discussions with the professors, decided to strengthen potion-making training. The goal was to ensure that more students learned to cultivate medicinal herbs and brew potions for various uses.
As soon as the announcement was made, groans erupted throughout the student body.
Learning magic from books was already a headache, and now they had to add potion-making on top of that? Graduation was starting to feel like an impossible dream.
Even Hermione, the star student, occasionally felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knowledge she had to absorb.
After class, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny gathered together. While Hermione and Harry looked slightly worn out but still composed, Ron and Ginny had utter despair written all over their faces.
"Potions is just too difficult for us. The properties of those plants and how they change when mixed together—it's all so unpredictable! I just can't get a grasp on it!" Ron groaned, clutching his head in agony.
"The exams are coming up soon... If I fail, my brothers will never let me hear the end of it!" Ginny sighed. She wasn't as worried since she was the family's little princess and doted on by their parents, but Ron… not so much.
"Maybe we can find something to help with memory retention," Hermione suggested thoughtfully.
They hadn't yet learned any spells for that, but that didn't mean such things didn't exist.
The four of them immediately sprang into action, heading to the library in search of useful information.
That's when they spotted a drowsy Astoria, nodding off over an open book.
Hermione had researched with Astoria before, so she knew how much the little witch hated being in the library. Seeing her here now was quite the surprise.
Hermione's gaze shifted to the book in Astoria's hands, landing on the title of the newly flipped page.
"The Art of Brewing the Elixir of Clarity and Insight," she murmured aloud.
The sudden sound startled Astoria, making her jump. She looked at Hermione in panic before quickly realizing who it was, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Merlin's beard, do you have any idea how scary that was?" Astoria clutched her chest, her expression still filled with lingering fear.
"Sorry, I got excited when I saw something interesting," Hermione admitted sheepishly, blushing as she realized how abrupt she had been.
Waving a hand dismissively, Astoria generously handed over the book. "So, you're interested in this too?"
"It says here that it enhances brain function and speeds up cognitive processing. I figured that if I could use it, my studying would be twice as effective!" Astoria's eyes shone with enthusiasm as she clenched her fists. "If I can learn even more magic, then I'll definitely be able to defeat Eve. And once I do, Nolan will be mine!"
Lately, for some reason, Astoria had started referring to Nolan as "Master Nolan," a term she might have picked up from those love-struck girls who fawned over their idols. She seemed to greatly enjoy using it, as though it was a special connection between them.
Of course, there were certain thoughts she hadn't voiced aloud. Astoria's face flushed slightly as she imagined a future where her magic was so powerful that even Nolan himself would be under her spell... and then… hehe...
"This is exactly what I need!" Hermione's eyes sparkled as she scanned the book. "Potions class has been incredibly demanding lately, and even I've been struggling to keep up. If this elixir works, it could be a real lifesaver."
However, her expression fell as she read further. "Unfortunately, one of the key ingredients is 'Moonlit Cinnamon,' which only grows in swampy areas. You know what that means—those places are filled with rotting creatures and all sorts of unpleasant things. Not exactly my idea of a fun field trip."
She hesitated, then looked at her friends. "But if you're willing to team up and go gather it with me, we could collect enough for everyone."
Astoria had been wondering how she'd get her hands on that rare plant, but now that Hermione and the others were volunteering to help, the chances of success had increased significantly.
"That sounds perfect!" Hermione exclaimed, clapping her hands as they sealed the plan.
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the library, Nolan was studying a parchment scroll he had found.
While researching historical records, he had stumbled upon this ancient text. Now that the petrification incidents were resolved, he had returned to retrieve it.
The scroll detailed a dark magic formula—one that involved combining various magical plants to brew a powerful elixir. This potion had a unique effect: by soaking a weapon in it, the weapon would become enchanted, increasing its attack power significantly.
Most of the ingredients were ones Nolan already possessed. However, one crucial yet seemingly simple ingredient was missing—slime extract.
And that, unfortunately, was proving to be the hardest thing to find.