While taking notes during Transfiguration class, Asterion felt one of his bats had been killed. The last image transmitted to him was of a tall, muscular teenager with black hair and blue eyes.
Even though three years had passed, he recognized the one person who lacked magical energy – Neville Longbottom.
Asterion furrowed his brow, trying to recall Neville at the sorting ceremony, but found he wasn't there. Yet, clad in red and gold robes, the eldest Longbottom had been sorted into Gryffindor!
But he shouldn't have been, for he lacked magical energy and wasn't even qualified to enter Hogwarts in the first place, unless Dumbledore needed another Squib like Finch.
"Interesting..." With the pen placed against his lips, Asterion displayed a slightly sadistic look.
Dumbledore must have really pulled some strings to let Neville into Hogwarts. Don't think the prejudice against Neville was exaggerated; in a society based on magical supremacy, someone without magic was extremely discriminated against. Many Squibs weren't even worthy of being recorded in the family tree.
As Asterion pondered deeply, unaware that Daphne and Tracey were staring at him intently.
"Your fiancé is dangerous, Daph," Tracey murmured, feeling her heart race faster. Despite spending a lot of time with Asterion, she wasn't immune to that devilishly handsome appearance. Especially when he wore that wicked expression on his face, which made him ridiculously sexy, just like the villains in the erotic novels she secretly read away from her mother's prying eyes.
"I have to stop falling in love with the villains in books... but it's not my fault! The protagonists lack so much charisma and are only slightly handsome..." Tracey thought, with a helpless look in her brown eyes.
Daphne agreed with her friend's words, but at the same time, she found it incredibly exhausting to keep the girls away from Asterion. It wasn't just once or twice that she had to have a private conversation with the Slytherin girls. Although she felt her efforts were futile, the girls seemed to agree with her words, but deep down, they probably thought completely differently.
Having a handsome and incredibly powerful fiancé had proven incredibly difficult, but she wouldn't give up. Asterion was hers by right, and she wouldn't let any excited bitches get near him.
"Your first lesson is to transform this matchbox into a needle," Professor McGonagall spoke as dozens of matchboxes flew into the air with a wave of her wand. Each matchbox landed directly in front of each student.
"The closer to the perfect appearance of a needle, the more points you'll earn at the end of the lessons," she continued, her intense gaze sweeping over each teenager in the classroom.
Everyone nodded and drew their wands, chanting the incantation taught by Professor McGonagall:
"Commutare."
Obviously, there were no changes in the matchboxes.
"Wrong, you have to believe. The key word is believe. If you don't believe you can do it, neither will magic." Passing by a Slytherin student, Professor McGonagall patiently explained, regardless of the fact that the boy was from a rival house.
After that, she went from table to table, helping the students, regardless of their house. Perhaps that's why Professor McGonagall was popular in all four houses despite her strict demeanor.
Rose, next to Hermione, gently waved her wand and silently muttered the incantation. Instantly, the matchbox changed its square shape, narrowing and then rounding, and a silver needle appeared on the table.
"10 points to Gryffindor!" Looking at the perfectly silver and pointed needle, Professor McGonagall exclaimed aloud.
"Excellent work, Miss Potter. It's the first time in forty years that a student has managed to transform a matchbox into a needle in their first lesson," Professor McGonagall expressed her appreciation in her words.
"Thank you, professor," Rose responded with a smile.
"Keep it up, Miss Potter, but try to challenge yourself. Show me the results at the end of the class," she said, then walked over to another student behind Rose.
Hermione looked at Rose with a spark shining in her eyes.
"I won't lose, Rose," the girl said resolutely.
"Then let's compete to see who earns more points by the end of the month," Rose suggested, leaning her head on her hand with a playful look. She truly appreciated Hermione; instead of feeling envious like other girls, her friend aimed to better herself. This was rare for Rose, who had always been the target of other girls' envy because of her appearance. Having a genuine friend for the first time was a breath of fresh air.
At the back of the classroom, Asterion transfigured the matchbox into a needle on his first attempt. It wasn't a challenge for him in the first place. He already had plenty of experience in such matters, especially in creating cursed spirits in the form of objects like swords and armor.
Transfiguring a matchbox into a needle wasn't difficult for him at all; he even adorned the needle with intricate figures of several crows along the small silver shaft. Having a wand proved quite useful in these minute details; it helped him control the precision almost surgically.
Then, Asterion heard a loud voice beside him.
"20 points to Slytherin!"
Looking to the side, he found Professor McGonagall looking at him with a gaze full of praise.
"Good job, Mr. Black. Magnificent work. If you weren't a first-year, I would have suspected I was looking at the work of a fifth-year student," she spoke, sparing no compliments.
"Thank you. I have the best teacher possible," Asterion replied with a calm demeanor. Unbeknownst to him, a subtle smile appeared on his lips.
Being praised by this admirable woman was a very pleasant feeling; it wasn't the shallow flattery he had always heard from others.
Indeed, Minerva also felt quite happy to be praised sincerely. After all, everyone enjoys compliments, regardless of age or gender.
"I'll say the same words I said to Miss Potter. Challenge yourself; the only limitation in Transfiguration is your mind," she said, then glanced at Daphne beside Asterion.
She looked at the needle, which could hardly be considered a needle, and said, "5 points to Slytherin."
"Miss Greengrass, you didn't focus enough during the transfiguration process. Remember, focus is crucial during transfiguration; any mistake will reflect in what you're trying to transfigure," the woman explained the errors Daphne made with a stern voice.
"Thank you, Professor," Daphne sincerely thanked her.
After the professor left, Tracey looked at the two and spoke nonchalantly, "You two are monsters. I could only briefly change the matchbox."
"For Asterion, such a result is normal given his Inherent Technique. Mine is also quite favorable for Transfiguration, but the real monster is Rose Potter. Her Inherent Technique isn't directly related to transfiguration, yet she can transfigure on the first try. That insane control over magical energy is really hard to imagine," Daphne murmured, still feeling amazed by the performance of the Six-Eyed bearer.
"With the help of those eyes, she was practically born for Transfiguration, with her subatomic control over magic," Asterion spoke calmly, while constantly changing the needle on the table. Instead of changing the object itself, he altered the material, color, and even texture.
Doing something that many seventh-year students would never achieve. After all, few people are truly interested in Transfiguration; most prefer spells or runes.
That's the difference between someone talented and someone who lacks talent.
Something someone trained for twenty years cannot be compared to a genius who achieved it in just one year. It's truly unfair, but nothing in this world is fair.
"Is she really that amazing?" Tracey asked curiously.
"Give her a month, and with her control, she could probably transfigure you into a noodle," Daphne joked, looking at her friend with a mischievous grin.
Even though Tracey knew Daphne was joking, she felt a chill run down her spine.
"I think I won't be getting too close to her," she said with a smile that was slightly unnerved.
Asterion rolled his eyes at the girls' banter and focused on the lesson.
…
Transfiguration class ended about two hours later. Rose earned 25 points for Gryffindor, Asterion 30, Daphne 10, and Hermione 10.
This added up to 40 points for Slytherin and 35 for Gryffindor.
Almost inevitably, the classroom divided into two sides: on one side, the Slytherin students, and on the other, the Gryffindor students, each trying to outdo the other. Asterion realized that the school seemed to be fostering this division on purpose. However, this separatism between the houses was something more serious; it could become something bigger if not handled well.
Nevertheless, all students had only ten minutes to get to the next class, which posed a challenge for the first years. The Slytherins were lucky to have Asterion guiding them to the dim and damp potions classroom.
Asterion didn't like the dark and humid atmosphere of the potions classroom, nor did he like the subject at hand. Potions were not something he wanted to get involved with; he was terrible at those magical recipes. Potions, alchemy, and predicting the future were areas he wanted to stay away from.
He couldn't stand still in front of a cauldron or involve himself in the complicated processes of alchemy. Predicting the future was something he especially detested, especially after the encounter with Grindelwald at his birthday party. That chilling smile on the man's face while he clapped still sent shivers down Asterion's spine.
But make no mistake, although he was terrible at making potions, he recognized the value of potions that could potentially save his life at some point. He kept a stock of vials containing a variety of potions in the stomach of a cursed spirit specially created to hold things. Though it cost a considerable amount of gold, he was wealthy and cared little for the expense, even if it amounted to tens of thousands of golden coins.
Fortunately, during this potions class, his fiancée was an excellent practitioner of the discipline, which was to be expected given her background in the Greengrass family.
When all the students arrived promptly in the classroom, a man whom Asterion almost thought was Batman entered, dressed in a long dark cloak that seemed too large.
His hollow, dark eyes watched everyone, his gaze briefly stopping at Rose before continuing until it landed on Asterion, who looked back at him with an indifferent and particularly cold stare.
"I do not expect you to understand the beauty of potions. This branch of magic performs true miracles in the form of liquids. I can change your appearance, make you experience love, save you when you are dying, even manipulate your luck. In this class, you will not simply wave your wands stupidly; you will follow my orders, and if you do not, you had better be prepared for the consequences."
Snape's cold voice echoed through the dark and damp classroom, making the students feel slightly frightened by the eerie atmosphere, and even more unsettled by him. The sound of people swallowing was particularly audible in this silent environment.
Asterion didn't conceal his dislike on his face. If Minerva McGonagall was a teacher worthy of the sacred title of educator, Severus Snape was the opposite. The man shouldn't be teaching anyone, let alone children; the disinterest in his voice was as clear as the bitter man's monotonous life.
Snape picked up a parchment with the names of the students and began the roll call. As he looked at a specific name, he directed his cold gaze towards Rose.
"Oh, a celebrity, The-Girl-Who-Lived, what an honor," he said with obvious sarcasm in his voice.
Rose simply smiled widely at the professor's words. "Sorry, I don't give autographs to humanoid bats," she replied, her own sarcasm not concealed.
With Rose's voice echoing, everyone, regardless of their house, turned their gazes towards her with veiled admiration on their faces.
Snape's face twitched slightly.
"Minus 10 points for Gryffindor for answering back to the professor," Snape said, looking coldly at Rose.
"You might as well take all the points at once, because every time you speak, I'll respond right back," Rose replied, smiling broadly, her hands behind her head. Her incredibly blue eyes stared at Snape with clear amusement dancing in them.
They both stared intensely at each other, but Snape finally looked away. Asterion didn't know if the man would be as brave once he realized he had offended a Special Grade Witch, news that probably had already spread in aristocratic circles.
Women could be especially vengeful; Bellatrix was a clear example of that. She had killed Rodolphus's mistress and child in front of the patriarch of the Lestrange family. Snape still didn't know who he was dealing with; Rose didn't seem like someone who would tolerate injustices quietly.
The class continued as normal, with Gryffindor losing more and more points for every basic mistake made. On the other hand, Daphne earned more points, while Asterion only assisted her with the potion ingredients. Another person earning points was Draco's twin sister, Dorea Malfoy.
Speaking of Dorea, the teenager was practically a copy of Narcissa, both in mannerisms and in her innate arrogance. Asterion didn't sense any trace of negative magical energy in the girl, which meant she didn't practice the Simplified Inherent Technique of the Black family, but rather the Inherent Technique of the Malfoy family – [The Wheel of Fortune].
It was mostly a passive ability, aimed at seeing luck and even manipulating it to some extent. The ancestor of the Malfoy family in France had performed true miracles with this Technique, but in the hands of Lucius Malfoy, this ability hadn't worked out very well, as the losses he suffered and continues to suffer in the thirteen-year war still haunt him to this day.
Like her twin brother, Dorea looked at Asterion with clear dissatisfaction in her blue eyes but didn't dare to reprimand him, perhaps due to her father's orders.
As for the siblings' dissatisfaction, Asterion was very clear. Both resented him for taking Narcissa away from them, which was contradictory because neither of the twins cared about their mother until they finally realized how much they missed her. Only then did they demonstrate resentment towards Asterion.
On the Gryffindor side, Hermione showed a certain talent for potions. The potions she brewed were acceptable, but Snape never awarded any points to the brown-haired girl. This deeply irritated Hermione, but unfortunately, her resentment meant nothing in the face of Snape's pleasure in punishing Gryffindor for the slightest mistake.
The disgust Asterion felt for Snape deepened even further. He ardently wished to send Baskerville to devour the piece of trash that was the man, but he held back in the end. Creating a murder scandal on the first day of class wasn't something he desired. Perhaps in the second or third week...
However, Hermione's friend didn't stay silent about what was happening. Rose didn't miss the chance to mock Snape, making the professor's cold face appear even more expressionless. This forced the man to use his Occlumency skills to the fullest, not showing any emotion in the face of the white-haired girl's sarcastic comments.
After two hours of class, all the students, even those from Slytherin, couldn't stand being in that environment anymore and almost ran out of the classroom.
As it was lunch break, everyone headed to the cafeteria. The Gryffindors were unusually silent. Obviously, everyone was disheartened by the previous lesson, especially knowing they would have many more classes with Snape in the future.
"I can't believe that man is a teacher!" Hermione said through clenched teeth. She had never been punished by a teacher in her life. Her exemplary conduct was something she prided herself on, but that shining record of years had been tarnished countless times today. You can imagine the girl's anger at this moment.
"Don't worry about that trash, Mione. We can earn many more points in other classes," Rose comforted the girl, hugging her from behind. Since Hermione was smaller than Rose, she fit perfectly in the white-haired girl's arms.
Hermione's cheeks flushed with the sudden embrace, but she didn't pull away from her friend.
"Still, the points we earned in Professor McGonagall's class disappeared, and Slytherin is at the top of the house standings. At this rate, we'll lose the House Cup," Hermione murmured, still dissatisfied with the treatment she received from Snape.
Rose just laughed and didn't mind, continuing to comfort her friend regardless of the people around her.
…
In the cafeteria, Asterion, Daphne, and Tracey sat at the Slytherin table to eat, and as they were about to start eating, they saw a white-haired teenager walking towards the Slytherin table and sitting down, regardless of the shocked looks from everyone in the cafeteria.
"Little Star~" Rose greeted Asterion with a smile.
When she said that, everyone at the Slytherin table grimaced, and when someone was about to laugh, a friend next to them reminded them and held back the laughter.
Asterion couldn't help but want to punch Rose's pretty face; the girl knew exactly how to irritate him.
"What do you want, snowflake?" he said coldly, looking at her. He just wanted to finish this conversation quickly and eat.
"Well, I want to know why Snape dislikes me so much." Rose asked without caring about Asterion's cold look, as she ordered her own food, seemingly planning to have lunch at the Slytherin table.
"Your father stole the woman he loved, what do you think?" Asterion replied sarcastically.
"Hmm... my lovely mother was quite popular," Rose chuckled after hearing Asterion's words.
Not only did she hear, but everyone at the table heard; Asterion didn't lower his voice and spoke slightly louder than usual. Hearing about Severus Snape's life was definitely something everyone wanted, they even forgot there was a Gryffindor sitting at the Slytherin table.
Asterion continued to speak, regardless of how many listened; he even wanted all of Hogwarts to hear his words.
"But it's not just that, your father, James Potter, and my uncle, Sirius Black, were the main ones who made his life at Hogwarts a complete hell. Our relatives weren't exactly nice at our age, if you catch my drift," Asterion spoke, knowing about Rose's troubled childhood, even probable abuses by her maternal muggle family.
The smile on Rose's face vanished with Asterion's words; she didn't expect her father to be someone like Dudley. This left a lasting bitter taste in her mouth; it seemed like the sins of the fathers fell upon the son, meaning her.
Fortunately, she wasn't a helpless girl like when she was a child who didn't know anything.
"Thank you for telling me," Rose sincerely thanked him and left with her food, returning to the Gryffindor table.
"That was surprisingly informative," Theodore Nott spoke, breaking the silence among them.
"Who would've expected Snape's hatred towards Gryffindor to be like that," Tracey sighed as her eyes still burned with curiosity. She continued speaking with an excited look.
"A love triangle that turned into a relationship full of hatred and resentment; I think I could write a book based on this."
Everyone around rolled their eyes at her dramatic words.
—
Author's Thoughts: 3200 Words. Do you like big chapters like that, or would you prefer me to break it in two and make two chapters?
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Next Chapter: Chapter 48 - First Class of Defense Against Cursed Spirits (1), Chapter 49 - First Class of Defense Against Cursed Spirits (2), Chapter 50 - Request (1), Chapter 51 - Request (2), Chapter 52 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (1), Chapter 53 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (2), Chapter 54 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (3), Chapter 55 - A Treacherous Game of Chess (4), Chapter 56 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (1), Chapter 57 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (2), Chapter 58 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (3), Chapter 59 - Magical Self-Defense Tactical Training Class (4), Chapter 60 - School Council, Chapter 61 - Mission (1), Chapter 62 - Mission (2), Chapter 63 - Mission (3), Chapter 64 - Mission (4), Chapter 65 - Mission (5), Chapter 66 - Consequences of the Attack (1), Chapter 67 - Consequences of the Attack (2), Chapter 68 - Invasion of Hogwarts (1), Chapter 69 - Invasion of Hogwarts (2), Chapter 70 - Invasion of Hogwarts (3), Chapter 71 - Invasion of Hogwarts (4).