On Friday, Slytherin attend Professor Snape's potions class with Gryffindors.
Draco arrived early in the potions classroom in the dungeon, which was gloomy and cold, and there were some glass jars along the wall, soaked in many creepy animal specimens.
The Potions class requires a group of two students. The students from Slytherin and Gryffindor are paired in pairs in their respective colleges, and they sit on both sides of the classroom in a distinct manner. Draco, Theo and Blaise sit together chatting which mostly comprises of Blaise bragging of his Quidditch skills while Theo is reading a book. Draco is thinking of how to deal with Quirrell without alerting Dumbeldore.
Soon Snape arrived in his usual flowing black robes which makes him more intimidating with that cold and gloomy face as if the man does not know how to smile. Soon the group rearrange themselves; Draco sit with Theo, Blaise with Pansy, Goyle with Crabbe and coincidentally Daphne with Hermione. Well not coincidence to be exactly as being forced by Professor Snape may be the correct phrasing.
Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.
"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new -- celebrity."
Draco looked at Harry as Blaise and Theo chuckled at the back. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. Snape's cold and empty eyes stared down at the students.
"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word, like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.
"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
( The legendary introduction by Snape, always gives me goosebumps especially in Rickman's voice)
More silence followed this little speech.
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.
"I don't know, sir," said Harry.
Snape's lips curled into a sneer.
"Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn't everything."
He ignored Hermione's hand. Draco felt some sympathy for her at that moment.
"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was.
"I don't know, sir."
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"
Draco could see Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys, but did Snape expect him to remember everything in 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi'?
Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.
"What is the difference, Potter, between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"
At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.
"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"
A few people laughed; Snape, however, was not pleased.
"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "Mr. Malfoy, can you tell Mr. Potter here the answer."
'Why me? It is not like that in his previous life.' Draco stood up as he answered, "Asphodel and Wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite." Draco answered all the question with additional information.
Most people weren't surprised since Draco was a well-known genius in the potion.
"Excellent, Mr. Malfoy." Snape said showing an ugly smile "10 points to Slytherin."
He then turned to look at everyone back with his grim face, "Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"
There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."
Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils.
Looking at Gryffindors face even Draco felt bad, but he still felt a bit nice being favored. Pansy was very satisfied too as she always felt that Harry was favored by other professor's a lot. Daphne would be the same if not for this stupid Mud-blood. Creating the potion wasn't hard as Draco was very familiar with it. Theo is very familiar in making Potions with Draco. Due to this, they are in sync with each other. During the period Snape passed by their location several times, stopped to observe their movements for several minutes, and even saw the small dish of porcupine thorns that had been crushed into powder… But he did not make the slightest interference, just squinted at it just a few glances at Draco. When nettles, porcupine stings and snake venom teeth are all added to the pot, "it needs to be boiled for five minutes." Theo said while looking at his watch. Increase the flame a little bit. After the mixed liquid started to turn yellow, he quickly reduced the flame to prevent the liquid from boiling excessively.
Soon the potion was finished, Draco had used some catalyst, that he had researched himself, which made the process faster. The process of making the potion was very easy.
Snape swept around in his long black cloak, as he came near Draco. Snape picked up the blue colored potion, Draco had made with a smile.
"Very Good, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Nott." he said, "10 points to Slytherin." Theo is silent but is secretly feel proud to be the first pair to finish. The envious gazes of Gryffindors make it more enjoyable. Draco smiled awkwardly since he could feel Gryffindor's hateful gaze.
As they were chatting, clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing suddenly filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs. Suddenly a light shot and the potion in their vicinity disappeared. At this everyone cast incredulous gazes at the caster. Even Severus is surprised by his Godson's speed but he quickly composed himself. Only that thin line on his face which can be barely called a smile indicate his inner thoughts.
"5 points to Slytherin". He then look towards the perpetrators of this incident.
"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand.
"I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"
Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.
"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.
"You -- Potter -- why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."
After half an hour, Snape walked slowly between the tables, taking turns checking each crucible and their results.
When he saw the ugly blue mixture Harry and Ron had prepared, he smiled ironically: "Do you think you can drink this potion, Potter and Weasley? I dare say, drink this pot of potion and you will be poisoned before the scabies was cured" Snape swung his wand to wipe out the potion in the cauldron. Almost every student's achievement was spotted by Snape, and then ridiculed again. Gryffindor's students were the worst scolded even some of Slytherin students could not escape. The combination of Daphne and Hermione did a good job. With Hermione's careful configuration and Daphne's dedication, the work produced was quite satisfactory, but the eccentric Snape only added 5 to Slytherin, completely ignoring Hermione's credit which made many Gryffindors dare not say anything and transferred their full of resentment to Draco. Daphne meanwhile bore another grudge with Hermione.
Hermione looked at Draco with a face full of dissatisfaction. It was obvious that she had completely followed the steps in the book to refine the potion so why could he do better than herself? At this moment, her unwillingness to admit defeat was ignited. She decided to spend more time to make up for her potion level. She must become the first grader in all subjects.