Welcome, dear SOUP readers! I am sorry for my absence again last month. I would love to say that it was because I was off exploring another wonderfully exotic place, but unfortunately, it was not. After doing this job for such a long time, yours truly was stuck with writer's block. It is a curse for many of us, I fear, and despite the comical and cartoonish inducement offered by the Editors last month, I simply could not find a spell or potion that I wanted to share with you all. For which I humbly apologise.
However! This month's theme was just what I needed to get inspired. I was already spending many a long night of frustration staring at the cosmos above due to the block in my creative flow. It got me wondering if there was something that would allow us to see deep into space without ever having the need to carry around a pair of Omnioculars or, heaven forbid, one of those bulky muggle telescopes.
After a little digging through some old manuscripts and journals I happen to collect, I happened upon just the thing. Now, this potion does not appear to have a name, as the journal I found it in simply refers to it as a rubbing solution that turns ordinary spectacles into wearable telescopes or binoculars. Just without the ability to adjust the magnification. The idea is intriguing, is it not? The concept that you could turn your glasses into an instrument that allows you to see the minute details of the universe and the world around us with just a smear of homemade brew?
It appears that it was invented by an elderly witch named Henrietta Blount in approximately 1806. The lady's eyesight was beginning to fail due to her age, and it prevented her from being able to embroider all the pretty items that she loved to make for her granddaughters. Which is a shame if you ask me. I would hate to be prevented from doing something wonderful by such a vexing thing as failing eyesight. But anyway, after what appears to be several attempts according to the journal I found, she finally came up with something that would assist her without having to seek out help from anyone else. I have to confess that I am rather impressed by her knowledge, seeing as there is no record of her ever attending Hogwarts.
But I digress. You all know me well enough by now to know that my endless curiosity did indeed get the better of me. I decided I just had to try it. For research purposes, obviously. The possibility of pleasing both myself and my Editors was too great to resist, and the results were endlessly satisfying. The potion worked beautifully, and I spent a very pleasant evening in my garden examining every glorious inch of the universe in vivid detail. An experience I do not want a single one of you to miss out on. So, let me share the recipe with you all!
Ingredients:
2 cups Distilled Water
5 drops Infusion of Wormwood
1 cup Stewed Mandrake
2 tsp Ground unicorn horn
6 Bilberries
3 Eyebright leaves, crushed
1 tsp, ground Saffron
4 Marigold flowers, chopped
Directions:
1. Add the wormwood to the distilled water and shake until the liquid turns green.
2. Pour the mixture into a silver cauldron, add the chopped Marigold flowers, and then stir the potion until it turns pale yellow.
3. Add the ground Unicorn Horn and stir quickly until the potion turns a deep ruby color
4. Next, boil the potion for 15 minutes and then add the Bilberries and Eyebright leaves
5. Stir slowly but continuously until the potion turns turquoise.
6. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and then add the stewed Mandrake and the saffron. Do not stir.
7. Leave the potion to bubble for approximately 30 minutes
8. After 30 minutes, stir the potion vigorously in a clockwise direction only until the potion is thick and a rich terracotta orange color.
9. Once the potion is finished, pour it into a glass bottle and allow it to cool completely before stoppering the bottle.
Once you have your potion brewed correctly, it will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months. When it is needed, all you need to do is take a pea-sized amount and a clean, soft cloth and rub it gently all over the lenses of the spectacles you wish to enhance. The potion will disappear within a moment or two, and your lenses can used as magnifiers for any purpose. The effects last for approximately 30-45 minutes, based on how fresh the leaves were when you brewed the mixture.
That being said, do not attempt any silliness by using this potion for anything but its intended purpose, as you will find that applying it to the windows or mirrors in your home will render them cloudy and virtually unusable. Don't say I didn't warn you, my lovely readers!
So until next time, safe brewing and have fun! - Nikita