A history lesson and moving forward (Patreon)

“So, the red potions are pepper-up, which warm the body of the person who takes it and are used to cure colds?” asked the black-haired man

"That's right, as a side effect is that whoever consumes it will expel steam through the ears and nose, as a way to eliminate excess heat without damaging the body," replied the healer

"Interesting," Jon replied, extremely intrigued by the art of potions, to think that mixing things as mundane as wheat, some mushrooms and flowers could result in spectacular effects, his mind already thinking in the uses he could give to an option that keeps your body warm in the hostile climate of the north

"Now, the green potion, what's its name?" asked the witch

Jon was thoughtful for a moment and replied "Those are wiggenweld potions, their color is bright green and they are made with salamander blood and lionfish spines, it is used to heal wounds and regain vigor," Jon replied, thinking of another extremely useful option

"excellent young Stark, you have a privileged memory, I hope your practical performance is just as satisfactory," replied Madame Pomfrey as with an elegant wand wave she approached a basic potions station "the pepper up and the wiggenweld are too advanced for your current abilities, so you will perform a basic one to cure boils, it is a first year option, so I hope that the quality is flawless, here are the instructions and in that cabinet are the ingredients, so tell me Mr. Stark, are you up to the task?” The Witch Challenge

Jon nodded slightly as he approached the table, he would do magic, this was proof that despite being born out of wedlock, he was special and Jon swore to himself to be excellent at every aspect of magic he studied, starting with potions.

The boy approached the table and began to read the steps for the potion “snake fangs, horned slugs and porcupine quills” Jon muttered as he approached the cabinet to take the materials while thinking about the rest of the steps, he had performed some tonics with Maester Luwin in Winterfell, this was similar, he would do it and he would succeed.

With that motivation Jon approached the station and began preparing the ingredients, as Luwin had taught him in the preparation of medicines

“Madame Pomfrey, does it influence the quality of the potion if I crush the fangs before starting or should it be done at the time of preparation?” Jon asked

“excellent question Mr. Stark, not many take the trouble to read all the instructions before starting and many fewer take the trouble to ask, for your information, it depends on the potion, some are so complex that the ingredients must be prepared at the time of being placed in the cauldron or their properties deteriorate, For this specific case, there is no problem if they are crushed before starting” replied the healer

Jon nodded and went back to the station, he had to crush the fangs with the mortar, but Jon knew from experience that that would take quite a bit of trouble if he placed the fangs whole, so, using a technique learned from Luwin, he split the fangs with the flat part of the knife and proceeded to throw them in the mortar and mortar after the crushing process began.

Soon after and without any resistance, a fine powder was obtained and added to the cauldron following the steps, at the requested time he add the slugs and the spikes, after 45 minutes, the potion was ready and the turquoise blue tone specified in the instructions.

“By Merlin! I have to say Mr. Stark, you seem to have a talent for potions, it's of excellent quality, as soon as it cools down, I'll bottle it and save it for when some student needs it," replied the witch as she waved her wand and the potion station retreated to a corner of the infirmary

“Thank you, Madame, I enjoyed it a lot, but could you ask him a few questions?” Jon said

"Then tell me, Mr. Stark, what doubts do you have?" – replied the witch

“Why does the movement to mix the potion influence? Do the ingredients that are exposed to heat have different properties or are only the effects already present enhanced? Is there only one recipe for obtaining certain types of potions, or is it possible to get the same result with different ingredients?” Jon asked, eager for knowledge

"Very good questions, considering the young age that Mr. Stark is, I hope that dedication and motivation is present when I take the potions course with me in September" replied an oily and soft voice behind them

“And to answer your questions, the movement inside the cauldron is equivalent to the hemisphere of the planet where we are, the position of the planet influences the magic that is impregnated in the potions, we, who are in the northern hemisphere, for the option of boils, movements are made in a clockwise direction, However, for the same potion, in the Southern Hemisphere, it is performed in the opposite direction to obtain the same effect. In terms of the ingredients and their reaction to heat depends on the amount of heat that is applied, if they are less than 300 degrees then the effect is enhanced or in some cases, they lost certain properties, if it is more than 300 degrees the properties mutate and the ingredient is referred to as "awakened" in the most advanced potions these materials are used regularly, they have the most powerful effects, however, they are also the most dangerous, if they are used incorrectly or if mixed with some material with which it has some repulsive effect we can have a magical explosion, several young wizards with talent but without patience have lost their lives thanks to this effect, so I hope you exercise caution if you reach that level of elaboration, understood young Stark?" Snape abruptly

Nodding Jon replied, "Understood professor and thanks for the explanation, is this common knowledge in potion-brewing? Is there a book where I can learn these techniques?”

Jon could have sworn he saw a small smile on the professor's face, but it was so brief that it made him doubt if he was really there at any time

Professor Snape gave an elegant wand movement pointing towards the window, nothing happened for a few seconds until Jon heard a buzzing sound that grew louder and louder until an object straight into the professor's hand, was a giant book, at least four times as long as the largest book Luwin had in Winterfell, Jon believed it would be at least 2000 pages long

"This book is "Filters and magic potions for magical prodigies" here are the potions of all the Hogwarts courses, I will lend it to you and in September when you return for the new course I will put it to the test, if you are up to the task maybe you have what it takes for the real challenging potions” replied the professor with a face of indifference, but with a tone of defiance, challenging the black-haired man
Jon, holding his gaze, took the book and replied "Then we will continue this conversation at the beginning of the year professor" he placed the book under his arm and continued looking at the professor, waiting for him to continue

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to take Mr. Stark to his office, the meeting is over and Albus wants to introduce him to the rest of the professors," he replied "if he follows me, we will arrive shortly," Snape continued as he turned to Madame Pomfrey and said, "He was assigned a room to spend the night, today he will go to Gringotts to take the test and buy material for his intensive course Poppy," he exclaimed

Nodding the witch replied “understood Severus, nice to meet you Mr. Stark, I hope I don't see you so often in my infirmary” she looked at him with a stern look, but with a smile

Jon smiling slightly replied "the pleasure was mine Madame, I promise I will be careful when I practice magic" Jon replied playfully, Jon had liked the witch too much, severe but maternal

Shaking her head she replied "haha I feel that I'll see you around a couple of times Mr. Stark, but go now, the director is waiting" Poppy exclaimed as she removed them from the infirmary and closed the doors

"Well Mr. Stark, come with me," said Professor Snape while, without waiting for an answer, he began to walk towards the central tower, where the principal's office was located, Jon just followed the professor in silence.

The path through Hogwarts was the strangest thing Jon remembered in his short life, paintings that speak, statues that move, armor that moves by itself and moving stairs, the latter Jon did not fully understand, he could see its defensive value, in case of invasion of the castle a moving staircase would wreak havoc on any invader, But for the routine transit of the castle staff it should be a very big headache to deal with such a thing

They arrived through a dead-end corridor of the central tower, with a guardian gargoyle in a kind of vault, Jon did not want to question the professor, but there seemed to be no office around here, Jon was going to ask what had happened when Professor Snape spoke to the statue

"Licorice wand" exclaimed the wizard and before Jon's astonished eyes the gargoyle tilted her head a little and began to ascend in a circular motion, and as she passed steps were revealed that ascended to a hidden room, Professor Snape placed himself in one of them and began to climb, Jon followed his example

Unable to contain his excitement, Jon asked, "That's amazing! How can that be done? What spell should I perform to do that?” Jon asked excitedly

Snape looked at him for a second and returned his gaze to the front and just replied -the gargoyle is a permanent enchantment job, they are very advanced branches of magic that will take you a long time to master, if you are interested in a future as an enchanter you should focus on enchantments, ancient runes and arithmancy, although I hope that with the skill set that I observe for the elaboration of potions you do not neglect your studies in the subject to focus in silly wand movements only Mr. Stark," replied the professor dryly

Jon shook his head and replied “not at all, potions are very interesting, and it's a precise discipline with quite a lot of potential, but you can't deny that enchanting don't have its own charm, just because you have an interest in both doesn't mean that you neglect either teacher” Jon replied, he continued to say “did I mention ancient runes? Professor Dumbledore told me that the Starks of these lands were good to them, do you know anything about that?” The boy looked at the professor with a hopeful look, Jon wanted to absorb as much as possible about his family in these lands

Snape saw him and replied curtly “they were not "good" as you mention, they were complete geniuses, the mastery that House Stark had in runes is the stuff of legends, they could make the driest of lands become a fertile paradise or they could bend the most dangerous of beasts to their whims, in the past they were considered the most dangerous battle mages, luckily for everyone, they were more interested in academic purposes most of the time, there are only two recorded occasions where a Stark battle mage was present in battle, in the first Goblin rebellion, when Tyrok the blood eater, one of the goblin king's chieftains of that time attacked a Muggle village under the vassalage of the Starks, He killed the men, kidnapped the women, ate the children and burned the village. A direct attack could not be allowed and House Stark declared war on the goblin nation demanding total surrender and Tyrok's head, the goblins expected that it would take at least some time for Benjen Stark to attack their territory and expected him to attack with an army of beasts or a regiment of wizards, what happened was that Lord Stark assaulted Gringotts along with his 2 brothers an hour after the declaration. The record tells that for every person under Stark protection 100 goblin warriors from the Tyrok clan were killed, when King Rangok found out what was happening he led an army with the most experienced warriors to face the brothers who had collapsed several tunnels and were heading to the capital, the battle between the Starks and the goblins went down in history as the Battle of the Blood Caves, what happened in that battle is a mystery, it is only known that the goblins lost 5000 troops and that the king gave Tyrok to house Stark, the goblin nation and the Starks signed an unknown pact and did not meet again in battle” explained the professor, without waiting for a continuous answer "Those topics you can review in your books of history of magic, we're there, the headmaster awaits” while Snape knocked firmly on the door

"Go ahead, Severus, Mr. Stark," replied the headmaster's serene voice as the door opened to allow them to pass

Jon was quite impressed by the director's office, it was quite spacious, at least 3 times larger than his father's in Winterfell, with shelves with an uncountable amount of books and gadgets, on the walls of the room there were paintings of men and women all the paintings had dates in the lower part of the frame, Jon sensed that they were the old lords of the castle, a way of remembering them and that their legacy would not be lost in the inclement passage of time

Continuing his inspection of the room Jon realized that they were not alone, several people around the office waiting for him Jon looked at Dumbledore and spoke

"Lord Dumbledore, I thank you for the help you have given, I am indebted to you" the old headmaster just smiled placidly and with a slight shake of his head exclaimed

"It wasn't a problem my boy, and you don't owe me anything, anyone else would have done the same," Jon nodded his head but inside he didn't believe the director's words, many of the esteemed Lords of his homeland wouldn't have even turned to see a person in need, for them small people were more animals than people, Jon focused on the now, he was no longer in Westeros, the old gods had brought him here, they gave him a chance to have a better life and a respected name, he would not disappoint them and he would not be ashamed himself

"I have already spoken with the professors of the castle, they have agreed to give you a quick course on the themes and spells of the first 4 years of Hogwarts, due to your age, you would start in year number 5, during the summer the professors will give you advice on the subjects so that, in September you are on par with your classmates and you can integrate without problems" explained the old man with a happy tone

Without waiting for an answer the director continued “from left to right, Professor McGonagall, mistress of Transfiguration, Professor Flitwick, our Charm Specialist, Professor Snape you already know, Potions Specialist, Professor Sprout, the Herbology savant, Professor Vector, Arithmancy mistress, Professor Babbling, Ancient Runes Expert, Professor Aurora Sinistra our Astronomy teacher and finally Professor Hagrid, who will be in charge of providing you with knowledge in the care of magical animals," exclaimed the director and looked expectantly at the black-haired man

Jon absorbed the faces and names of the professors, being honest with himself, all the subjects sounded extremely interesting, he was eager to start and replied "nice to meet you all, I'll make sure I don't waste your time" he replied

Professor Flitwick, who was too young, replied in a shrill voice, "I have no doubt that you will do your best Mr. Stark, and personally it is an honor to meet someone belonging to such a prestigious family, House Stark is both feared and respected with the goblins, I expect great things from you, do you have any questions?" – exclaimed the diminutive professor while looking at the boy

"Too many for such a short time, professor, perhaps we can talk more in depth as soon as I visit Gringotts," he replied
Jon had questions, too many for such a short time, however, his priority was to find out about his family in these lands and if they would have any way to get in touch with Winterfell

"Fantastic, the teachers will give you the assigned time at dinner, when we return from Gringotts, there we can talk more in depth about the itinerary for your lessons, so we'd better go," exclaimed the headmaster as he got up from his desk and approached a... chimney

Jon thought the professor was a bit crazy, as he planned to leave the castle through a chimney Jon ignored him, the black-haired man saw how the old headmaster took some fine green powder from a bowl on the side and said out loud "Diagon alley" and before the boy's incredulous eyes the fireplace roared a bright green, much like the wild fire that the mad king loved so much.
Jon, still incredulous, watched as Professor Snape walked fearlessly to the fireplace and went into the fire without any concern, in a few seconds the teacher's body disappeared and the flames decreased in intensity little by little until they lost their green color and were as small as embers, the old headmaster, noticing his look of fear and fascination, he limited himself to answering

"Those are Flu powders, wizards use them to travel through the flames from one fixed point to another, in this case, there is another chimney in Diagon Alley, where Gringotts Bank is located," replied the headmaster, without waiting for a word from the young man continued, "now it's your turn, take some of the powders, throw them into the fireplace and shout "Diagon Alley" and proceed to walk towards the fire, in the blink of an eye you will meet Professor Snape” explained Dumbledore with all the calm in the world

Jon turned his head quickly to the director and looked at him in disbelief, "walk into the fire, can't we use something else? Perhaps a faithful horse?” Jon asked hopefully
Dumbledore looked at him like he's crazy “I guess you could, although it would take a couple of months to get there, considering the alley is 900 km away from here," replied Dumbledore.

Jon's panic stopped suddenly, and curiosity invaded him, this magical method of transportation would move you almost instantly more than 900 km. His mind was lost to the tactical repercussions that such an advantage would mean in his homeland and he looked at the fireplace with more respect and exclaimed “is it safe?”

Dumbledore stroked his long beard thoughtfully and exclaimed “no one has died in years”

That answer far from reassuring Jon left him even more distraught, however, he took a breath and hardened his nerves, Lord Eddard Stark had not fathered a coward, with a firm step and without thinking too much, before the courage faltered, Jon took a handful of the dust threw it into the fireplace and exclaimed "Diagon Alley" while running towards the emerald flame with his eyes closed, Dumbledore looked at him amused and shook his head, that boy would have a troubled arrival, laughing to himself, he proceeded to use the fireplace, a roar and the office was completely empty

In the principal's office, in one of the oldest portraits a wizard expressed “wait a minute, did he say Stark? the wolves lords return to Britain?” he shouted as the murmurs of the rest of the portraits began to gain strength, without a doubt this year would be very interesting at school.