After their delightful afternoon tea, Sylas didn't immediately dive into Potion-making. Instead, he summoned a worn leather-bound book with a flick of his wand.
The title embossed in gold on the cover read: Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
Rather than taking the direct East Road from Bucklebury to Hobbiton, Sylas had taken a scenic detour through the Northfarthing, stopping in at Hardbottle and Bindbole Wood. He had two goals in mind: collect supplies, and "check in."
From Bindbole Wood, he received a copy of A History of Magic, a curious volume more suited for passing the time than for practical use. But it was his visit to Hardbottle that yielded the real treasure: Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, the very same textbook used by first and second years at Hogwarts.
While A History of Magic recounted tales of legendary wizards and long-forgotten spells, it was the Transfiguration guide that truly excited Sylas. Not only did it include the foundations of Transfiguration, turning everyday objects into something else, but it also contained practical Charms, like Aguamenti for conjuring water, Orchideous for summoning flowers, and even the Vanishing Spell.
Unlike Charms, which could be cast with willpower and focused intent, Transfiguration was far more delicate. It required precision, imagination, and a mastery of magical control. The difficulty increased exponentially with complexity.
The basics began with object-to-object transfiguration, say, turning a teacup into a pincushion, or transforming living creatures into inanimate objects. At the intermediate level, it involved animating objects or altering animals. The pinnacle, of course, was human transfiguration, culminating in the legendary Animagus transformation.
For Sylas, who thirsted for magical knowledge like a dragon for gold, even the basics were thrilling.
With his wand in hand, he started practicing right away. To his delight, he successfully transformed a matchstick into a silver needle on his first attempt. Encouraged, he progressed to larger objects, though he quickly discovered that the bigger the item, the more magic it drained.
"Engorgio!" he called out, pointing his wand at the modest bed in the guest room.
With a soft shimmer, the small wooden bed grew in size, stretching out to a luxurious length fit for a full-grown man. The humble sheets morphed into plush velvet covers, and the pillow puffed up to twice its size, lined with silk trim.
Sylas smiled in satisfaction. "No more cold toes in the middle of the night," he muttered.
He turned to Bilbo, who stood wide-eyed in the doorway, mouth slightly agape.
"Want me to upgrade your bed as well?" Sylas offered with a grin.
"Absolutely!" Bilbo blurted, nodding eagerly. "That was… brilliant! More magical than anything I've ever seen!"
The next few days in Hobbiton were spent in quiet study and magical practice. With Transfiguration basics firmly under his belt, Sylas began preparing for the next great task: brewing Potions.
Potions, as every Hogwarts student knew, were a different beast altogether. In the words of one of its greatest masters, Professor Severus Snape:
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic.
I don't expect you to really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering steam, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins to enchant the senses and ensnare the mind.
I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death, if you are not as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
Sylas wasn't sure whether he counted as one of the "dunderheads" Professor Snape had once scornfully addressed, but he did understand one thing, Potions were vital. If he could master the subtle art of potion-making, he would gain a powerful tool for survival in the dangerous world of Middle-earth.
After all, potions could do what ordinary spells often could not. They could mend wounds that might otherwise be fatal, restore strength in seconds, or provide sudden, uncanny luck. There was the Polyjuice Potion, which allowed one to assume another's form without magical detection. Veritaserum, the truth serum, could make even the most stubborn lips confess. Felix Felicis tilted fate in one's favor, and the Elixir of Life, spoken of in whispers, defied death itself.
But there was a problem: many of these ingredients simply didn't exist in Middle-earth.
To recreate them, one would need not just creativity, but the skill of a true Potion Master, something far beyond Sylas's current level. He was, truthfully, not even a beginner.
The only book he had, Magical Drafts and Potions, covered only the most basic brews. Fortunately, many of the recipes inside required fairly common ingredients. And so, for his very first proper attempt, Sylas chose the simplest of all: the Boil-Cure Potion, a classic starter elixir taught to first-years at Hogwarts.
Down in the storeroom beneath Bag End, Sylas set up his workspace. He placed a silver cauldron on a small stand and preheated it with a gentle blue flame from a kerosene lamp.
He measured out six snake fangs and crushed them into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. Once the cauldron had warmed for exactly one minute, he added the powder and stirred, watching it dissolve into the bubbling mixture.
With a wave of his wand, the flame flared, then lowered, precisely as instructed.
Next came four slugs, added whole to the steaming brew.
Bilbo watched from the doorway, his nose wrinkling but his eyes wide with fascination.
As the mixture bubbled, releasing a faint scent like scorched mushrooms, Sylas prepared the final ingredient: two porcupine quills.
He waited until the brew cooled just slightly, then dropped them in and stirred five times clockwise with his wand, releasing a gentle pulse of magic with each swirl. The liquid shimmered, shifted colors, and finally turned a rich blue as pink steam rose from the surface.
"Done," Sylas said, smiling.
He conjured a small glass vial using a simple Transfiguration spell and poured the finished potion inside.
Bilbo stepped forward, blinking at the glowing blue liquid. "That's it? You actually made a real potion... with snake bits and slugs?"
Sylas grinned. "Indeed. It's a Boil-Cure Potion. Give it to anyone suffering from boils, it'll clear them right up."
He handed Bilbo the vial, who accepted it like a sacred relic, still staring in disbelief.
The Potion for boils was a Potion specifically for treating boils, with a single purpose. Sylas only used it as a practice piece for his Potion initiation, so he gave it to Bilbo without hesitation.
While Bilbo went off, Sylas set up again, this time with a different goal.
He grabbed an old, rusted iron pot from Bilbo's shed. His hands moved swiftly, repeating the same steps. But when he reached the final stage, adding the porcupine quills, he did not extinguish the flame as before.
Instead, he hurled the quills straight into the boiling mixture.
Instantly, the liquid in the pot emitted sour-smelling green fumes, a sharp hissing sound, and the green liquid reacted violently, rapidly corroding the bottom of the pot and splashing everywhere.
...
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