Jasper was doing his best, his absolute best, not to laugh. But, Merlin’s beard, it was a struggle. Hank’s words just kept pouring out like a broken Veritaserum vial, one ridiculous tale after another, and all Jasper could do was nod.
“I see,” he murmured, stirring the cauldron with forced focus, biting the inside of his cheek. “Mm. Yes, I see.”
This was not how Tattletale Toads were supposed to work. They were meant to spill other people’s secrets, not turn their creator into an unfiltered chatterbox. Jasper’s eyes flickered to the vials of ingredients scattered on the worktable, and his gaze settled on the Whisperwood Sap.…Had they added too much?
He was about to suggest as much when Hank launched into yet another tale, this one about a childhood trip to a farm. Jasper’s hand froze mid-stir.
A farm? Grammar school? World Cup on the telly?
Jasper realized, perhaps for the first time, that there were entire portions of Hank’s life he’d never even heard about. Of course, he knew Hank had spent time in the Muggle world, but he’d never really thought about what that meant, what kind of stories his friend carried that Jasper had never been privy to.
The potion bubbled softly between them. He set the spoon down and finally let himself smile, not out of amusement this time, but something more thoughtful.
"Dear Hank," Jasper finally said, "I suspect we may have miscalculated something." He gestured toward the Whisperwood Sap bottle. "Unless you wanted to give our dear toads the ability to turn their owners into a confessional fountain.” He smirked. “In which case, I’d say we’ve succeeded spectacularly.”
One of the tiny ceramic toads let out a croak, almost as if it agreed.
Jasper leaned back, crossing his arms. "Now, before you tell me about the time you wrestled a garden gnome or had a run-in with a particularly aggressive goose, let’s fix this, shall we?"
He tapped his wand against a parchment filled with hastily scribbled notes, then reached for a vial labeled Starpetal Extract, a known suppressant for overactive enchantments and potion effects. “A few drops of this should balance things out. Unless, of course, you’d like to keep going? I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing more.”
He raised an eyebrow at Hank giving him a wink and a smirk, waiting.
