Professor Snape trembled as he pointed a shaky finger at Marietta, his lips bubbling with blisters, unable to form coherent words. He looked utterly miserable.
But Marietta wasn't faring much better. Her entire body was covered in boils, and she had started sobbing uncontrollably, her face red and swollen, with even more boils sprouting on her nose.
The students were in a panic. No one knew what to do, and the only adult in the room—Professor Snape—was injured and speechless.
William quickly drew his wand and waved it, whispering, "Scourgify~!"
The spilled potion on the floor vanished instantly.
He glanced between Snape, Marietta, and his own cauldron. He was confident that his potion had been successfully brewed.
Seeing the two of them in so much pain, William made up his mind. He waved his wand again, casting "Frigus Pro~!" to cool down the boiling liquid in his cauldron.
[tl/n: I think it's an og spell, I couldn't find anything on wiki, other than glacius, which just freezes things.]
The potion's bubbles ceased, and it began to cool rapidly. William had only used basic first- and second-year spells, but his precision was impeccable.
He grabbed a test tube from the nearby table, filled it with the now-cooled potion, and carefully poured it over Snape's neck.
Immediately, the boils on Snape's skin began to shrink and disappear, as if they had never existed.
It worked!
Seeing this, Cho quickly followed suit and began dousing Marietta with the same potion.
Soon, other students crowded around, eager to help, passing test tubes and applying the potion to their professor and fellow student.
But progress was too slow.
William decided to speed things up. He raised his wand again, preparing to cast a Levitation Charm on the cauldron itself to pour the potion directly over them. However, before he could act, a burly Ravenclaw student, Bell Lam, barged forward.
"Step aside, let me handle this!" Bell growled in a deep voice.
The boy rolled up his sleeves, climbed onto a chair, and hefted the entire cauldron, dumping its contents over both Snape and Marietta in one swift motion.
William wasn't sure if Bell was genuinely helping or taking the opportunity to exact some form of petty revenge on Snape, but regardless, the boils were gone.
"Achoo!" Snape sneezed violently.
The dungeon classroom was already cold, and to enhance the ambience, Snape had even extinguished some of the torches on the walls.
For the first time, Snape regretted holding Potions class in such a drafty, frigid room.
"Alright, stop gawking. I'm taking them to Madam Pomfrey," William announced authoritatively.
Though Snape's boils had vanished, his face still bore signs of severe burns. Marietta, too, needed to be checked to ensure there would be no lasting effects from the accident.
"Extinguish the flames and stop brewing until Professor Snape returns," William instructed the students.
He exchanged a glance with Cho, signaling her to keep an eye on the class to prevent any further mishaps.
Since Snape couldn't speak, William had no choice but to take charge. Fortunately, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students weren't particularly troublesome, so things would likely remain under control.
As William led the injured pair through the corridors, he was greeted by the sight of Boba tea sunbathing itself by a glass window. Beside it sat Mrs. Norris, Filch's feline companion.
Boba tea looked at William and Snape with curiosity, tilting its head as if to say, What happened in there? You were only gone for a short while, and you already caused trouble?
Its tail flicked back and forth, clearly relieved it hadn't entered the dangerous classroom.
The entire journey to the hospital wing was awkward.
Snape clutched his wet, black cloak tightly around himself, shivering all the way. The once formidable "bat" of Hogwarts now seemed utterly grounded.
William couldn't help but reflect on the irony of the situation. If Snape hadn't been standing in the way, William would have been the one injured, of course, his tactical leanback also helped.
Look at that, William thought, this is what it means to be a true educator!
Madam Pomfrey, the matron of the hospital wing, was a stout, somewhat stern witch.
"Oh, Merlin's beard, what happened here?" she exclaimed.
"Marietta knocked over a boil-curing potion. I think she added porcupine quills without turning off the flame first," William explained.
"I've already applied my completed boil-cure potion on them, but I thought it would be best for you to check them over."
"And Snape? Why didn't he take better care of the students? He's supposed to be responsible for their safety!" Madam Pomfrey huffed angrily, already outraged before she had even seen the Potions Master himself.
But when she turned and spotted Snape lurking behind the door, she was visibly taken aback.
Snape stood awkwardly, his face covered in burns and blisters. Madam Pomfrey blinked, trying to identify the hideous figure in front of her.
After a long sigh, she simply said, "Get to a bed, both of you. You'll be fine soon enough."
William nodded, guiding Marietta to one of the beds.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore arrived.
Madam Pomfrey excused herself, grumbling as she went, "Potions class is far too dangerous. They should cancel it altogether."
Dumbledore glanced at Marietta, who had fallen asleep after taking some medicine. His gaze then shifted to Snape, whose face was slathered with a thick ointment, and who was holding a cup filled with a dark, viscous potion that resembled the sludge at the bottom of a river.
It was a potion for colds—ironically brewed by Snape himself for the hospital wing. Unfortunately for him, he had added something that made it taste utterly revolting.
"Good afternoon, William, and Professor Snape," Dumbledore said cheerfully.
"Headmaster, the classroom—" William began.
"I already know what happened, and I've sent Professor McGonagall to oversee the situation," Dumbledore said with a wink. "No need to worry. Our dear Potions Master just won't be able to teach for a little while."
Snape, gritting his teeth, downed the potion in one gulp. It burned all the way down his throat, making him cough violently.
Tastes like dragon dung, he thought, trying not to gag.
He turned to Dumbledore, pointing at Marietta with trembling fingers, and stammered through his swollen lips, "Sh-she… five hundred points… I want… to deduct…"
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in confusion and glanced at William for clarification.
William quickly waved his hands dismissively. "Oh, Professor Snape! If you want to thank me, we can wait until you're feeling better. And as for awarding Ravenclaw a hundred and fifty points, you don't have to, really!!"
Snape's eyes bulged in fury, his mouth frothing as he tried to protest.
"My dear boy," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, "not every student can remain so composed in a crisis, especially a first-year. Hogwarts strives to nurture students like you—those who can stay calm under pressure."
"For that, I believe Ravenclaw deserves fifty points," Dumbledore added with a smile.
He glanced at Snape. "Let's leave the Professor to rest now. Otherwise, Madam Pomfrey might kick us out."
As they left the hospital wing, Dumbledore greeted passing students with his usual jovial demeanor.
William shared his idea of creating a map of Hogwarts with Dumbledore, hoping the headmaster might offer some guidance.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then nodded approvingly. "That's an excellent idea.
"You know, when I first arrived at Hogwarts, I got lost several times myself. Once, I even nearly wandered into the girls' bathroom—what a disaster that would have been!"
"But, William," Dumbledore continued, "I must caution you. Hogwarts holds many secrets, more than even I am aware of. Some of these secrets should remain undiscovered, especially those that lead outside the school. Too much knowledge can lead to unintended consequences."
William nodded thoughtfully.
"I believe you might find some old blueprints of the castle in the library," Dumbledore added.
"Oh, and one more thing," Dumbledore said with a mischievous smile as they reached a crossroads.
"When you send Miss Edgecombe a get-well card, don't forget our dear Professor Snape. He could use some care as well."
William stared at the headmaster, utterly speechless.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Dumbledore was... oddly playful, almost too friendly.
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