Unknown || Drarry

Chapter 8

The next week of work, Hubert took a sudden interest in Draco practising all the potions that could potentially be on the NEWT's. So for the last hour of the day, instead of studying, he stood over a cauldron, Hubert at his elbow watching his every move. With every day that passed, Hubert introduced more and more difficult potions, often having Draco brew them in multiple odd-numbered doses.

Friday, he told Draco he was going to be brewing a potion that Draco knew for a fact wasn't on the NEWT curriculum. It was a potion meant to restore nutritional deficiencies. Before modern spell diagnostics, which could determine precisely what a patient needed from vitamin d to calcium, they would brew this potion. It was rarely needed in the hospital now and tricky to brew. Draco knew because he had tried and failed to numerous times while making one for his mother, not that it had helped then. But now, the experiences granted him a level of confidence he wouldn't otherwise have.

The brewing required minute amounts of thirty-seven different ingredients in specific weights that had to be added at exactly the right time. A time that he had had to learn through trial and error as no book had an accurate ingredient introduction mapped out. Draco didn't even notice Hubert's hovering as he stood in front of the cauldron. He held a stirring rod in one hand, and the next ingredient in the other, hardly daring to blink as he watching the swirling potion shift in shade and translucence. He didn't let himself relax until it was done, sweat sticking his shirt to his back like a second skin as he leaned away from the heat of the cauldron.

"Seal and bottle them," Hubert said nodding, "We can rotate out three of the oldest ones in the potion stores."

Draco stared blankly at him, "Sir- Hubert? I'm not allowed to brew anything for hospital use am I?"

"I watched you every second, every step. It's as good as mine, I'll vouch for that," Hubert said.

Hubert stood back, arms crossed as he watched Draco get the potion vials and set up the funnels.

Draco filled the bottles and sealed them with rubber stoppers, charmed to a tight seal.

"What are your plans after getting your NEWT's?" Hubert asked.

Draco paused, "Working here?"

Hubert's moustache pulled down in a faint frown, "I meant, have you given any thought to becoming a Master Potion Brewer."

"I-I would like to, yes," Draco said carefully.

Hubert nodded to himself, "I've never taken on an apprentice before. It would probably take longer than the standard five years, and I'm not a patient teacher."

"Are you- do you mean you would be willing to take me on?" Draco asked.

"That's what I just said," Hubert said, "It'd be useful to have someone to take on some of the emergency brewing, sometimes they need two or even three potions at once. And I'd rather know there was someone competent to take over when I retire. Best way to be sure is to train you myself."

"I- Yes, absolutely. I'd- I'd love to. Thank you so much, Hubert," Draco said shakily.

"Don't thank me, I'm sure it's going to be terrible," Hubert said, "Let's get this cleaned up and finish for the day."

Draco finished labelling the vials, and they cleaned up the lab for the next week. Hubert walked out with Draco, stopping at the potion stores and replacing the old nutritional deficiencies potions with the ones Draco had brewed. He felt proud, his chest tight and pounding with excitement. He had originally only cared about working here and getting a Mastery to help his mother, but now that it was happening he felt excited about the future.