Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 17 Potions Class Opening Scene

"Harry Potter".

Professor Snape seemed somewhat dazed when he read the name.

"Yes!" Harry replied.

Professor Snape looked into those eyes, his breathing quickening slightly.

The green material, hidden behind the glasses, reflected the faint light in the basement, like the emerald light reflected on broken glass in the darkness of night.

It was so similar; for a moment, it felt like Lily was really looking at him. He wanted to apologize to her so much. Young people are always insecure yet arrogant, and when anger rises, some words slip out. Before he could figure out how to explain his unintentional words, the two of them drifted apart, and the insecure yet arrogant person went to the other extreme.

Perhaps there was still a sliver of hope before. He wanted to prove himself and show those people what kind of talent he possessed. But instead, he pushed her into the abyss with his own hands. Life is so fragile and irreversible. He was willing to exchange his own death for Lily, but some people can never come back.

This world is so boring, darkness is the eternal theme, but one cannot die easily; one must atone for one's sins, and some people must pay the price...

Snape steadied the table and looked at the next person on the list.

Only Loren noticed something unusual about Professor Snape.

When Snape read Loren's name, he gave him a deep look.

This led Loren to speculate that Dumbledore must have spoken with the professors about Scabbers the rat; it was impossible for the school to have a dark wizard without informing the professors.

After taking attendance, Professor Snape, as usual, introduced them to the great discipline of Potions.

"No waving of wands or chanting of spells is permitted in my classroom," Snape began in a low, somber aria.

"Personally, I don't expect any of you to grasp the techniques and mysteries of potion-making."

"However, for a very few gifted individuals, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and imprison the senses."

"I can teach you how to preserve fame, brew honor, and even live forever."

I don't know if Professor Snape said this to the new students every year, but his poetic recitation style was certainly captivating.

Harry, who was standing next to him, wrote these things down in his notebook. He felt that the professor's attitude was not very friendly, but he still wrote down what he said.

Snape also noticed Harry scribbling below, head down, his eccentric manner somewhat resembling James's, and a wave of irritation washed over him:

"Perhaps, some people at Hogwarts are overconfident because they think they are very famous."

"Thinking that I don't need to pay attention in class!" The aria took a turn for the worse here.

"Potter! Tell me, what do I get if I add narcissus root powder to wormwood infusion?" Snape suddenly asked.

Harry was a little flustered. He exchanged a glance with Ron, who was also stunned.

The Slytherin students watched this scene with schadenfreude; this was their Head of House, who would surely target Gryffindor. The little lions, on the other hand, were somewhat bewildered. Did they really have to answer questions on their very first lesson?

Hermione was so excited she almost raised her hands, practically screaming "I know the answer! Ask me!"

Harry had no choice but to tell the truth: "I don't know, sir."

Snape looked at him, as if trying to discern something from Harry's body: "It seems fame doesn't tell the whole story. Let's change the subject. If we're looking for bezoar, where should we begin?"

Hermione raised her arms high in the air.

Harry glanced at the person next to him. "I don't know, sir."

Snape then asked, "So what's the difference between *Aconitum carmichaelii* and *Aconitum scapulae*?"

Loren and Ron looked at Harry with pity. Hermione wanted to stand up and answer, but she restrained herself and held her hand up straight without leaving her chair.

Harry was somewhat helpless, and also understood that he was putting himself in a difficult position. "I don't know, sir," he said in a relaxed tone. Since he couldn't answer anyway, he decided to give up.

"So, it's a real shame that it's all hype and no substance, isn't it, Mr. Potter?" Snape didn't sound regretful at all; on the contrary, he seemed quite pleased.

Harry was somewhat annoyed, and said sarcastically, "Hermione obviously knows the answer; it would be a real shame not to let her answer."

Several students burst out laughing.

Snape glanced at them and said softly, "Quiet."

The students all sensed a tangible pressure, and their laughter was suppressed.

Hermione was still struggling to keep her hand up when Snape walked up to her, his footsteps making the classroom even quieter. "Put your hand down, silly girl!"

Hermione was a little disappointed, but she still lowered her raised hand.

At this point, Snape turned his gaze to Loren, staring into his eyes. "Some people have a little bit of talent, but they're just as self-important."

Dumbledore had told him about Loren's strange eyes. In order to deal with the Animagus who had been hiding in the Weasley family for more than ten years, Snape prepared some potions and had been working late into the night for the past few nights.

Loren was dumbfounded. Why are you attacking me? My eyes aren't green.

"Loren Morgan, you answer these questions."

Loren knew that Professor Snape would give Harry a hard time in the first Potions class, but he couldn't remember exactly what questions he would ask, so he couldn't tell Harry the answers beforehand. However, before the start of the class, Loren had thoroughly studied the Potions textbook for alchemy and Wolfsbane potion, and had memorized all the key points.

"Narcissus root powder and mugwort can be combined to make a powerful sleeping pill—the Living Hell Soup."

"Bezoar can be found in a cow's stomach."

"Boat-shaped aconite and wolfsbane aconite are the same plant, collectively known as aconite."

Loren answered each question; these were indeed not profound pieces of knowledge.

Snape, having failed in his attempt, ignored Loren and turned to the other students, berating them: "Why didn't you write all of this down?"

Then the sound of quills writing on parchment filled the classroom.

Amidst the commotion, Snape spoke up: "Potter has talked back to his teacher, and Gryffindor has lost 5 points for that."

The little lions pouted, "You didn't add a single point to my answer."

Loren didn't have any particular thoughts. In this world, background and influence matter, and losing points wouldn't affect the Academy Cup.

(End of this chapter)