Chapter -68.
"What? Harry, you knew that was Professor McGonagall? Why didn't you tell me?" Ron whined to Harry after class.
He had never felt so embarrassed, especially with all four houses watching. It felt like his chances of ever getting a girlfriend were slipping away.
"I wanted to, but it was too late," Harry replied, packing his bag. "You just acted too fast."
"By the way, Harry, what's our next class?"
Luckily, Ron's cheerful nature helped him shake off the unpleasant moment quickly. Instead of focusing on embarrassing memories, he'd rather enjoy a hearty lunch; after all, he was still growing.
Looking at the schedule, Harry responded, "It's Potions class, and it's a joint class with Slytherin."
"Oh no!" Ron let out a groan.
Potions was not exactly a favorite subject for Gryffindors; it could be described as a kind of torture.
Besides Hermione, no other Gryffindor escaped Snape's scorn—particularly Neville and Seamus, who always seemed to get in trouble together. Seamus often messed things up, but it was always Neville who ended up receiving the blame.
It was almost as if Gryffindors were just not cut out for Potions.
Most Gryffindors tended to be a bit restless and hasty, and the key in Potions was to remain calm and collected; this made it hard for them to focus long enough to brew anything successfully.
As a result, Gryffindor's Potions skills were among the lowest of the four houses.
Why "among the lowest"?
Because thanks to Hermione, they managed to stay somewhat comparable to Hufflepuff.
Of course, it also had a lot to do with Snape being the Potions master.
Though he was right in many of his judgments, his harsh and sarcastic way of speaking earned him quite a few dissatisfied Gryffindors, who secretly called him the 'Greasy Old Bat', poking fun at his ever-greasy hair.
"Don't worry, I've got something special for you this time," Harry said to Ron with a hint of mystery. "It'll definitely help your Potions grade, I promise."
Ron's interest piqued immediately, but no matter how much he pressed, Harry wouldn't reveal anything further.
Still down in the chilly basement, facing the Dark Lord-like Snape, Ron felt a shiver run through him after being scrutinized by Snape. All his thoughts vanished; he just wanted to get through the next four hours as quickly as possible.
"Hey, Harry, what are those?"
Ron noticed Harry laying out several unfamiliar items from his bag onto the table.
"New potion tools," Harry replied casually, starting to play around with them.
"Did Professor Snape tell us to get new tools? Why didn't I hear about that?" Ron stuttered in surprise.
They say kids from less wealthy families grow up quickly; Ron understood from an early age that his family wasn't well-off, and he knew the impact of that reality.
As a result, Ron hardly ever asked his family for money, not wanting to add to their burdens. He never had toys as a child, often spending time with garden gnomes and the ghoul in the attic instead.
His clothes, shoes, and textbooks were all hand-me-downs from his older brothers.
While he occasionally complained, he never caused a scene or fought, even when his siblings received new things. Most of the time, he could only envy the new and exciting possessions of others.
Yet sometimes, he still wished he could have those things for himself.
This feeling of inadequacy surfaced even more when he compared himself to kids from wealthier families like Malfoy's.
Initially, if Harry and Dudley hadn't stood up for him on the train, he would have just swallowed his pride when others mocked him; he didn't want to bring more trouble to his family. If Snape insisted on buying new potions equipment, it would mean even more expenses for their household.
Just a glance at the tools on the table made them seem expensive.
"These must cost a fortune, right?" Ron complained quietly. "Why did Professor Snape suddenly want us to buy these? I haven't heard Percy or the others mention it." He shuddered at the thought; with so many people in his home, if everyone needed a set, the financial strain would be immense.
Hearing Ron's concern, Harry quickly clarified, "No, Professor Snape didn't ask us to buy them; Big-D got these for us." He pushed a fully assembled set of equipment toward Ron. "This set is yours."
Dudley had prepared several sets of this equipment before coming to Hogwarts, and Harry was only now able to take them out after getting permission from Snape a few days ago to use them in class. The twist was that while other young wizards could use them, Harry was not allowed to.
So Dudley had divided the equipment: one set for Harry, one for Hermione, one for Ron, one for Malfoy, and one for Neville—five sets in total. Yes, even Neville; Dudley always remembered that talented little chubby kid.
Snape's expectations of Dudley were quite tough, yet it showed how much he valued him as a protégé. Fortunately, Dudley was really good at Potions; he had a natural talent, and though Snape often found faults, he was actually very pleased with his progress. Even the top students at Hogwarts couldn't outdo him; he truly was the perfect heir to both Lily and Snape.
"Mr. Dursley?" Though Dudley was from Slytherin, Ron still trusted his cousin Harry. Especially after their nighttime adventure at Hogwarts, his admiration for Harry grew tremendously; otherwise, he wouldn't have been carrying dried fish, thinking of Dudley as the only Slytherin he didn't dislike. Still, he felt a bit intimidated around Dudley.
Ron looked at Dudley and noticed he wasn't using the equipment. Did he give his set to me? Ron felt a surge of appreciation.
"Ron, I need your help with something in a bit."
"What do you need?"
"Just follow these steps: do this, then that, and then that."
Harry whispered.
"Sure, I've got this," Ron assured him, puffing out his chest.
"I'll show you how to use these."
Harry began to teach Ron.
Nothing was particularly tricky to operate; Ron quickly grasped the purpose of the tools and found them incredibly convenient. Just then, Snape began to go over the main lesson content.
They were to brew a burn healing ointment, a common potion learned in the first year. It was slightly more complicated than the ointment for Rat poisoning. After successfully brewing a potion using the new tools, Ron's face lit up with excitement.
These tools... are absolutely amazing! It looks like Mom won't have to worry about me struggling with potions anymore!
Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.
________
If you want to read more [Upto Fifteen chapters] while supporting me, you can join me on patreon.com/EmptyThoughts ; Thanks.