The first-year curriculum at Hogwarts is quite relaxed. For instance, on Monday, Wade only has two consecutive Potions classes in the morning.
After breakfast, a group of Ravenclaw freshmen walked together toward the dungeon classroom. As the environment gradually became colder, the students' faces also started to look a bit pale.
"I heard that the professor teaching Potions, Professor Snape, is the head of Slytherin House." Michael, who was walking next to Wade, spoke up to ease the tense atmosphere:
"Did you notice during the Sorting Ceremony last night? He's the one with black hair and a hooked nose."
"Of course," Padma said, "I have to say, we'd better not get on his bad side."
The group arrived at the Potions classroom in silence.
There were rows of glass jars lining the shelves against the walls, filled with various specimens of animals. Some of the more timid children looked as if they were about to cry, trembling as they chose seats as far away from the specimens as possible.
Wade opted for a seat in the corner—he was not afraid of the preserved specimens but was more worried about other students making mistakes that might affect him.
Before long, the Hufflepuff students arrived in groups as well, reacting similarly to the Ravenclaw freshmen. However, since the Ravenclaws arrived first, they had already taken the best seats, forcing the Hufflepuff students to spread out to the edges of the room.
Two Hufflepuff students ended up near Wade's previously empty corner.
"Hello, my name is Theo, Theo Mancini. And this is Ryan Carrow." The brown-haired Hufflepuff boy was the first to greet Wade. "May I ask your name?"
"Wade Grey."
"Wade?" Theo Mancini asked curiously, "Do you know who our professor for this class—"
The blond boy named Ryan suddenly interrupted, "Theo, stop talking." He said:, "The professor is here."
As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom door slammed open, and a man in a black wizard's robe strode in. His face was cold, and had an intimidating presence, causing many students to instinctively shrink back, making the classroom fall silent.
Snape scanned the students in the room, took out the class roster, and began to call roll. Seeing that no one was late for the first class, his expression finally softened a little.
"Potions is a very precise subject," Snape said in a low, almost whispering tone: "It requires strict procedures and exact measurements.
If anyone alters the potion recipe on their own, or arbitrarily adds or subtracts ingredients, or foolishly waves their wand to try and cover up a mistake—"
His cold gaze swept over the frightened first-year students, focusing particularly on those wearing yellow and black striped Hufflepuff ties—
"I will make sure they fully understand the dreadful consequences of a botched potion."
Theo nervously swallowed, as if Snape's words were directed specifically at him.
Wade suddenly had a bad feeling—he had chosen a corner seat to avoid distractions, but it seemed like he had inadvertently positioned himself next to a ticking time bomb.
Snape, as if he had a radar in his head, immediately sensed the unease of a certain Hufflepuff. Without even looking at the roster, he said, "Theo Mancini!"
"Yes!" Theo hastily stood up, nearly knocking over his cauldron. "Yes, Professor."
"When brewing the Boil-Cure Potion, how should the flobberworm mucus be handled?" Snape asked.
Seven or eight hands shot up across the classroom, most of them belonging to Ravenclaw students.
Good news—Snape wasn't deliberately trying to make things difficult; the question he asked was from the first chapter of the textbook.
Bad news—Theo hadn't read the textbook in advance.
The boy stammered, "I—I don't know, sir."
"Sit down!" Snape said coldly. "Failing to review the lesson beforehand, Hufflepuff loses one point. Wade Grey!"
He casually called on the Ravenclaw sitting nearby.
Wade immediately stood up. "Boil for five minutes, sir."
"Correct," Snape nodded, but did not award any points to Ravenclaw. Instead, he quickly asked another question, "Michael Corner, what is the function of nettles?"
"They—they can treat inflammation, hair loss—and also stop bleeding," Michael stammered.
"Not bad," Snape nodded, signaling him to sit down, and then asked, "Hannah Abbott? When should porcupine quills be added?"
The blonde girl stood up with tears in her eyes, as if Snape saying one more word would make her burst into tears.
Snape looked away and called another name, "Ryan Carrow?"
Ryan had quickly flipped through the textbook as soon as the questioning started, and fortunately, the question had been specifically highlighted in the book.
"—After extinguishing the fire, Professor," Ryan said as calmly as possible.
Snape glanced down and noticed his open textbook. "I hope you can store the knowledge in your brain beforehand, rather than cramming during class and praying for Merlin's favor!"
As Ryan sat down, his mouth was still tightly set. Theo patted him on the arm in a comforting gesture.
Snape wasn't targeting any one person in this class—he was targeting everyone. The barrage of questions served as a harsh wake-up call. By the time he officially began the lesson, Hufflepuff had lost thirteen points, and Ravenclaw had lost five.
In the ensuing silence, Snape began instructing the class on how to brew the Boil-Cure Potion. He divided the students into pairs according to their seating arrangement, then waved his wand, and detailed steps appeared on the blackboard.
The students hurriedly started taking notes. Wade noticed that the instructions on the board had some subtle adjustments compared to the textbook; following the book exactly likely wouldn't yield results that would satisfy this particular professor.
"Sorry," Theo whispered to Wade, as they had been paired together based on their seating. "I didn't review the lesson beforehand, but I'll try not to drag you down."
His amber eyes were sincere, and Wade's frustration about being paired with a "slacker" began to ease.
"No worries," Wade said. "Brewing the Boil-Cure Potion is straightforward. As long as we follow the steps, we shouldn't have any major problems."
Theo went to the shelf to retrieve the ingredients while Wade weighed them on the balance. He used a small knife to push the snake fangs towards Theo. "You handle the ingredients; I'll take care of the brewing."
"Okay."
Theo responded, putting on dragon-hide gloves for protection, then ground the snake fangs into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
Wade, meanwhile, used tweezers to pick up four flobberworms and drop them into the cauldron to simmer, carefully controlling the heat with his wand.
A few minutes later, Wade removed the now discolored flobberworms and set them aside for later use. He replaced the water in the cauldron and began reheating it, while also reviewing the brewing steps one more time.
Next to him, Theo had already finished grinding the snake fang powder and was now chopping the dried nettles.
Wade was pleasantly surprised to notice that, although this Hufflepuff student seemed a bit clumsy, he was actually very meticulous. The powdered snake fangs were finely ground, without any coarse grains or impurities.
Maybe this partner isn't so bad after all.
Wade thought.
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